Page 22 of In the Same Boat

‘I’m just checking on her,’ I reply. ‘Don’t you worry about your dad?’

‘Not when he’s talking to people, no, obviously not,’ he says. ‘He likes talking to people. He’s one of those blokes who can strike up a conversation in a queue and somehow leave with someone’s life story and an invitation to their kid’s wedding.’

‘Well, my mum isn’t like that at all. She’s friendly, but she’s not one for picking up strangers.’

He smiles, as though it’s on the tip of his tongue to ask if I am, but he doesn’t say it.

‘You tricked her here – the least you can do is leave her to enjoy herself,’ he points out.

I look over again. She really does look like she’s enjoying herself. Obviously, I didn’t expect to have a nice time myself, I wasn’t here looking for someone, but somehow I’ve found myself saddled with Nico, and I can’t say I’m a fan. It is nice to see my mum looking so happy, though.

She’s laughing again – and I mean really laughing – and Hank is gazing at her with a level of interest that makes me think he does really like her.

‘You didn’t expect this?’ Nico asks.

‘I thought it would be a first step, towards getting her back out there, but that we would mostly come away from it with a hangover from the cheap booze and a few funny horror stories to tell the people we met on the next one,’ I reply.

‘Well, the first part can still be true,’ he says, nodding towards my empty glass. ‘I’ll grab us another two.’

I don’t protest this time.

I can’t help but watch my mum and Hank as I wait for Nico to come back. I mean, this is exactly what I wanted, for Mum to find someone she liked, someone she could spend time with, freeing up more time for me to spend alone, getting on with my life. And yet somehow I feel like I should have warned her that, I don’t know, she didn’t have to settle for the first man she didn’t want to strangle the second he opened his mouth. Everyone else I spoke to – Nico included – said so much stuff, stuff that would be enough for me to call time on our interaction. I didn’t get to talk to Hank alone. I wonder if he has any red flags. His son certainly does.

Nico returns with two cocktails and two bags of crisps.

‘Cheese and onion or salt and vinegar?’ he asks me.

I take the salt and vinegar ones.

‘Thanks,’ I say softly.

‘No problem,’ he replies. ‘If these two hit it off, you can get the next ones.’

He’s joking but it still rattles me.

‘You’re very calm about all this,’ I point out.

‘Am I?’

‘Annoyingly so,’ I reply.

‘I could start panicking, if that would make you feel better?’

‘I’ll pass, thanks,’ I say, annoyed he’s not taking this more seriously.

‘You need to relax,’ he suggests – and it’s a suggestion that usually triggers the exact opposite reaction.

‘And you need to worry more,’ I clap back. ‘Do you even care about anything, or is it all easy-breezy with you?’

He smiles.

‘You think you’ve got me all figured out, eh?’

I shrug.

‘It’s a good job they didn’t give us speed dating forms, so that we could leave notes on each other. You seem like the kind of girl who would write an essay…’

‘You seem like the kind of guy I could write an essay about,’ I reply.