Page 24 of Musical Games
‘We can’t. If people see me eating there they’ll know something’s up and tell Mum.’
Duncan sighed. ‘You’d rather go hungry than risk your mum finding out you’ve eaten at the café?’
Jamie nodded.
Duncan shrugged. ‘Okay, mate. Let’s go to the park.’
They walked in silence till they reached an expanse of green with a few swings and a modern adventure playground. Liam had fallen asleep, so they sat on a park bench and watched the toddlers playing.
‘So, are you going to tell me what’s happened?’ Duncan asked.
Jamie sunk his head into his hands.
‘Did she walk into the bathroom when you were in the shower?’
He shook his head.
‘Did you walk into the bathroom whenshewas in the shower?’
Jamie shook his head again and sighed.
‘Did you piss her off?’
Jamie shook his head again.
‘Jeez, this is like twenty fucking questions. Did she pissyouoff?’
Jamie nodded. ‘I’m not talking about Mum, you know.’
‘You’re not talking at all, mate. And I don’t have to be brains of fucking Britain to know this is about Sam. Just tell me what’s happened. You’ll feel better once you let it out.’
Jamie did not feel better oncehe’d told Duncan. His brother-in-law and now ex-best friend, laughed so hard he cried, making high-pitched ‘he, he, he’ sounds that woke Liam up.
‘It’s not fucking funny,’ Jamie hissed, the anger still burning inside him.
Duncan wiped his eyes as he pushed Liam back and forth. ‘I’m sorry, mate, but it’s fucking hilarious. She’s even wilder than your sister. No wonder they get on so well.’
‘I can’t do this, Dunc. I can’t write music with her. I can’t be anywhere near her.’
‘So, what are you going to do then? Ring Boss-man and tell him it’s a joke? Go back to the site this afternoon? Live with us and bunk in with Liam until she goes?’
Jamie hung his head. Even if he fessed up to Gregor, he couldn’t sleep on the floor of Liam’s room. It wasn’t just the logistics of sharing a small room with a baby, but the fact his mum would throw a fit if he did.
‘Jamie. Listen to me. Sam is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.’
His head jerked up. ‘Are you having a fucking laugh?’
Duncan shook his head, his face serious. ‘I mean it.’
Jamie stood, his body wired as if to run again. ‘How thehelldo you come to that conclusion? I’ve had a good life for the last twenty-seven years and now she shows up and it’s a fucking train wreck.’
Duncan ran his hand over his face. ‘Jamie, you’re my best mate. Even if I wasn’t married to your sister, I’d do anything for you. You know that, right?’
Jamie shrugged, suddenly afraid of what was coming next.
‘But you’re hiding from life. You have nothing to challenge you and fuck all responsibility. No property, no business, no girlfriend. Mate, you’re twenty-seven and you still live at home with your mum. Your comfort zone is about an inch away from your body and each year it shrinks. Sam is exactly what you need because she’s shaking you up. She’s forcing you to do things you don’t want to but need to. What would have happened if she never showed up, eh? Would you still be living at home when you’re thirty-seven? Forty-seven? The longer you stay, the harder it is to leave.’
‘But Mum needs me.’
