Page 80 of Something Borrowed

“So snippy,” he marvels. “Anyway, we need to ask both of you for a huge favour.”

“Anything,” Stan says immediately.

“Both of us?” I say somewhat more warily.

“Yes. We talked to the hotel manager last night, and we’re a bit worried about the arrangements.”

I dig out my diary from my messenger bag. “What did he say?” I demand.

“He was rather evasive on things like the group activities and room arrangements.”

“I must say I’m surprised by that. We’ve used that hotel before, and they’re usually very good. Well, I’m flying out tomorrow anyway, so I’ll check up on everything. It’ll be fine. I promise you.”

“Ah,” Leo says. “We want you both to go over.”

A stunned silence falls. Luckily Stan interjects because I’ve lost the power of speech.

“Bothof us?”

Richard shoots a look at Leo, which is hard to parse.

Leo abruptly turns to Stan and says, “Yes, babe. You’re my best man. We trust you both, and it would calm my nerves if I knew you were both over there early taking care of things for us.”

Nerves? Since when? I stare at him. What is going on here?

Leo glances over at Richard, and some sort of subliminal message passes between them. Whatever it was, it must have been irritating, because Richard gives a deep and rather aggrieved sigh and says, “Yes, we want you to check the rooms, and the walking excursion they’ve arranged and the—" He falters slightly. “—and the food,” he finishes somewhat desperately.

“Thefood?” I echo.

He nods and then nods some more before seemingly making a conscious decision to stop before he ends up resembling a nodding dog car decoration. “Yes.”

Leo rolls his eyes, and then, catching me watching them, he offers a crooked smile. “You know how I am with organisation,” he says in an alarmingly fake apologetic voice.

“You’re more of a micro-manager than a Borrower,” I offer helpfully, and Stan snorts.

Leo’s eyes narrow. “Well, be that as it may, we wondered if you’d both go. Stan, could you manage it?” Stan hesitates, and Leo says quickly, “For us, babe.”

Ever kind-hearted, Stan nods. “I suppose Kem could manage the shop for an extra day. We haven’t got much in the diary this week anyway because we knew the wedding was coming up.”

Leo claps his hands. “I’msohappy. Thank you.”

Richard coughs and mutters something that sounds like, “Too much.”

Leo subsides, and I look between them.

“How happy I am,” Leo says again. “Areyouhappy?” he asks me.

“I’m more confused and slightly suspicious,” I confess, but they’re all talking now and ignoring me.

Chapter

Ten

Stan

We climbout of the taxi, and I hear the sound of a jet going overhead. “Alright?” Raff says.

I nod, extending my stick with a click.

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