Jade Sweet stood in front of the bathroom mirror, studying her reflection. She pulled a face, turned her head slightly one way and then the other, then pouted her lips in a kiss. She was always very conscious of appearance – her own and other peoples – and she felt she needed a ‘look.’ Some special kind of way to set herself off that would get her noticed. By whom she wanted to be noticed, she wasn’t quite sure. She was sure that it was something she needed to work on. She put her hands to her face and pushed back her cheeks till her cheekbones stood out, and made another kiss expression.
"Well? Do you like yourself?"
Jade nearly jumped out of her skin. "Good God, Tricia – I didn’t hear you come in!"
"Apparently," Tricia smiled. "I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you."
Tricia was retreating down the stairs as Jade followed. "I didn’t know what time to expect you in. I thought we would be coming home from the surgery together and then you said you had to stay late and I thought you might be ages."
"There were just a few things I needed to do."
"Should I have stayed on too?" Jade was anxious.
"No, of course not." Tricia tried to laugh off Jade’s apparent discomfort. "After all, it was your first day."
"Did I make a good impression?" Jade was still ill at ease.
Tricia reached the bottom of the stairs then turned. "I think you did OK for your first day as a receptionist."
"I want the doctors to feel I’m doing a good job."
"I don’t think, to be perfectly honest, that they noticed you." Tricia gave a conspiratorial wink.
"Really?" Jade was disappointed.
"No," said Tricia, "that’s a good thing. Trust me. Have you eaten?"
"Just a sandwich. That packet of ham."
"Fine. Help yourself. I think I’ll have the same."
Jade followed Tricia into the kitchen as she set about preparing her own food.
"I’m sorry, I’m just a bit nervous, with me just starting and being new here and moving in with you, and…"
"For goodness sake, Jade, you did fine. Why don’t you try to relax a little."
Jade turned away. "I’m being foolish now, aren’t I?"
Tricia put her arm across Jade’s shoulder. "Everybody’s nervous on their first day. It’s perfectly reasonable." Tricia studied Jade’s face for a moment. "I tell you what – let me have some tea, give me time to get washed and changed, then how about I take you out for a drink to celebrate your new job?"
"Really?" said Jade. She suddenly broke into a smile. "That’d be great. And I’ll treat you."
"We’ll treat each other," Tricia smiled back.
Jade was aware of Tricia’s arm still round her shoulder. She was aware of how nice it felt.
****
It was still quiet in The Petrel. Benson saw a few faces he vaguely recognised but none belonged to anyone he’d ever said more than "hi" to before. He studied his pint, wondering whether he should try to strike up a conversation. Where was the harm in that? He got on well with most people. On the other hand, he had things on his mind that didn’t fit sharing with relative strangers.
His thoughts eddied about how well Maxwell was doing at school, or not, as the case may be, and his comments about buying better equipment if he was going to get more photography business, but how money was tight. Ashleigh was doing her best. Perhaps he should have invited her along too for the evening, though, truth to tell, she was not that keen on going to pubs and she had treated his evenings out as "his time." He wondered what Douglas Gormley wanted to see him for and half-wished he’d return. Not that he was a close friend or anything, but someone to chat with at least.
Benson was just about to drain his pint and was thinking of heading back home to Ashleigh, when Douglas abruptly appeared from the side exit to the pub car park.
"I’ve been looking for you," Douglas announced with a mixture of cheerfulness and satisfaction that their acquaintance hardly merited.
"So I gather."
"Well, if you’re having another pint, mine’s a lager."
Benson did not appreciate having to shell out for two more drinks, when in another minute he would have been on his way home. But on the other hand, Douglas was company of sorts. "Why am I paying for your drinks?" he asked.
"Because I’ve got something for you. Something of a favour. Hey, Maddy," he called out to his partner working behind the bar.
"What are you doing here? Who’s looking after Bethany?"
"I got Brooke Ames to go and keep an eye on her."
"How? Anyway, I thought you were skint?"
He gave a sideways nod in Benson as if to say, not in front of strangers, and said, "Man here needs a drink."
Benson got the drinks. "What sort of favour?"
"How’s the old photography business going?"
"What? Well, I can’t say I’m rushed off my feet."
"Still using the old box Brownie? Still making money for Mr Kodak?"
"What are you on about?" This reminded Benson too much of the discussion he’d had earlier with his son, Maxwell.
"Well," Douglas continued, drawing on the pint Benson had paid for, "isn’t film a bit – what’s that posh word? – passé? – these days."
"Film’s been around a long time," Benson countered.
"Exactly! Time for something new! How would you like a new digital camera?"
"Where would I get one of those? Or should I be asking, where would you get one of those?"
Just at that moment, Brooke was trying to enter The Stormy Petrel as unobtrusively as possible with the money Maxwell had given her for drinks for what was not turning out to be the scintillating night she had had been hoping for. She was hoping that the Landlord would be serving, not Maddy, and that Douglas would not be at the bar, which was why she was using such caution. She was about to be disappointed. There was Douglas, right in her way, talking with Benson. She gasped, took a step back half-closing the inner door. She opened it a crack and watched the two of them in conversation. Benson was standing stoically, while Douglas seemed excited about something. Then she saw.
Douglas pulled an expensive-looking digital camera from his pocket, in such a way that it was concealed from anyone else in the pub by his jacket, while showing it to Benson. Benson, for his part, suddenly perked up, as if Douglas’s shiny new possession was of great interest. There was something about that camera…
End of Episode 9
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