Page 38 of The Forever Gift

Heather pulls a tray of, no doubt, hand-battered chicken breast chunks and home-made chunky chips out of the oven. I hate myself for thinking they smell even more delicious than the steak.

‘Yummy,’ Molly squeals with excitement. ‘Heather. You’re the best.’

Finally, my shoulder on fire, I drop the swim bag. The gentle thud gets Gavin’s attention.

‘Aren’t you going to join us?’ Gavin asks.

Heather places a colourful plastic plate of nuggets and chips in front of Molly and warns Molly that they’re hot before she sits back down.

I stare at the already overcrowded table that only has three chairs and I don’t even bother asking the redundant question of ‘Where will I sit?’

‘I’m not hungry, thanks,’ I say.

‘Yes you are,’ Molly corrects me. ‘You said so. In the car. You said you were starving.’

‘Well I’m not hungry any more,’ I say, firmly.

Heather’s eyes shoot up to find mine. I glare back. ‘There really is plenty here, Charlotte. I can toss your steak on the pan now. It’ll only take five minutes. Three if you like it rare.’

I glance at the worktop where a single piece of fillet steak is waiting on some brown paper.

‘Charlotte doesn’t eat meat,’ Gavin says, his eyes widening. ‘I should have said something earlier, but with everything going on I forgot.’

Heather winces. And I think she’s embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry,’ she says. ‘I had no idea.’

‘The veggies are fab, Charlie,’ Gavin says. ‘And the potatoes are dairy-free so you can have those.’

‘You’re vegan?’ Heather asks.

I nod.

‘Charlie hasn’t eaten meat in twenty years but she’s been vegan about five,’ Gavin says.

‘Six,’ I correct, bending down to fetch the swim bag again. ‘I’m going to get this stuff in the wash. You enjoy dinner.’

‘Charlotte I really am sorry. But I’ve a recipe for a fab vegan stew. I’ll make that next time, yeah?’

Next time?

‘Sure,’ I say opening the door into the utility room and walking away.

‘Why didn’t you tell me she’s vegan?’ I hear Heather say in a similar tone I use with Gavin when he’s screwed up.

Her tone is way too familiar and way too comfortable. I fling open the door of the washing machine and tumble in everything out of Molly’s swim bag, possibly including her goggles but I’m too exhausted to check. I slam the door shut, dump the empty bag on top and march back into the kitchen.

‘You know what?’ I say. ‘I’m not that hungry, but I could murder a glass of wine. I think I will join you after all.’

‘Great,’ Gavin says, hopping up.

He fetches a glass, sets it on the table and fills it almost to the brim.

‘You take my seat,’ he points, pushing his plate over to slide the glass into its place. ‘I’ll grab one of the foldaway stools. Are they still under the stairs?’

‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘I think so.’

Gavin hurries into the hall and I sit. Heather and I are face to face. She’s stopped eating despite there being three quarters of her food still on her plate and I’ve no doubt she feels as awkward as I do.

I glance at Molly hoping to catch her eye so she’ll begin chatting but she’s too busy enjoying her delicious nuggets.

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