Page 28 of The World Outside My Window

Laura nods. ‘I guess Jim had his reasons for not telling anyone about me. He must have thought it was private and he probably wanted to meet new people without that hanging over his head.’

Carol looks at Arthur, who has his head buried in his dinner, scooping peas frantically with his fork so he doesn’t have to catch her eye.

‘Well, thank you for telling us.’ Carol stands. ‘Has everyone finished eating?’

Surprised by the sudden change of subject, Laura nods and Carol quickly removes her plate, a splash of gravy dripping onto the white tablecloth. ‘I’ll just take these through to the kitchen. Will you help me, Arthur, please?’

‘What? Oh, right, yes.’ He stands quickly, relieved to have something to do, and the pair of them shuffle through to the kitchen again, this time laden down with plates.

‘Well, this is a turn-up for the books, don’t you think?’ The door is barely shut before the words are out of Carol’s mouth in a loud, urgent whisper. ‘Sounds like Jim really has disappeared on purpose.’ She nods and rubs her chin as though trying to solve a mystery. Arthur piles the plates in the sink and turns on the tap.

‘It could still be serious though, love.’

‘I know.’

‘And she’s very brave to come here and ask for our help. You’ve got to remember that. She’s not just gossip fodder.’

‘Arthur Loveday, how could you even think that about me?’

Arthur hides a smirk and runs the plates under the hot water, steam rising up round his cheeks. ‘You know what I mean. We’ve got to really try and help her. I meanreally.’

‘Of course we will. Although I’m not sure I know what we can do, in all honesty.’ She pauses to open the fridge. ‘Do you think they’ll mind if we only have yogurts for afters?’

‘No, love I’m sure they’re full anyway.’

She pulls strawberry yogurts from the fridge then digs out a tin of peaches from the back of the cupboard. ‘Maybe these as well.’ As she divides the peaches between four bowls she carries on. ‘I just can’t think of anything Jim might have said that could give us a clue as to where he might have gone. Can you?’

There’s a second’s silence. ‘Arthur!’

‘I was thinking, love. I can’t pluck something clean from my head just like that.’ He dries his hands on a tea towel and hangs it over the oven door handle. ‘But no, I can’t either right now. But maybe something will come to us, in time.’

She nods.

‘Unless…’ Arthur pauses, a bowl of peaches in each hand.

‘What, love?’

He shrugs. ‘Well, unless that man who was trying to sell us a new mortgage came back and did him in?’

‘Now who’s been watching too much TV?’

‘Well, we don’t actually know what Jim said or did to him, do we?’

‘Arthur, this isn’t the bloomingSweeney, this is Willow Crescent. Jim hasn’t been done in. He’s just disappeared for a bit, but he’ll come back, I’m certain of it. We just have to try and help Laura to find him.’

Arthur nods. ‘You’re probably right, love.’ Then he pushes the door open with his toe and walks into the dining room.

‘Right, peaches!’ He places them unceremoniously in front of Debbie and Laura and walks back for the rest, Carol hot on his heels.

‘I’m sorry we can’t offer you something better for afters, dears, it’s just we weren’t expecting visitors and I hadn’t had time this morning to make anything.’

‘It’s fine, peaches are lovely, thank you.’ Debbie plucks her spoon from the table and stabs a peach, which slips out of the side of the bowl and shoots across the table, leaving a trail of sticky syrup in its wake.

‘Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry!’

‘No, no, don’t fuss, it’s no bother.’ Carol rubs furiously at the stains on the cloth as Debbie scoops up the offending peach and lifts it back into her bowl.

‘Carol, love, stop fussing, we’ll just wash the cloth later.’

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