Page 38 of When We Are Old

“Mm-mmm.” My brain buzzed with a momentary blankness until a car behind beeped. Waving my hand over my shoulder at the person behind, who obviously didn’t realise I was having a moment, I let go of the handbrake and the car jerked away from the curb like a kangaroo on speed.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to drive?”

“Uh. No.” I shook my head and tried to focus. Not easy, because Matthew was there. Again. Like he intended to keep coming back and this was happening. I flashed him a smile. “It’s been a long week.”

His eyebrows pulled together. “It has.”

“What’s the matter?” My seatbelt dug into my neck as I sat up straighter.

“Nothing.”

“There is. I can sense it.”

“This long-distance thing is hard work.”

“It’s only been a week.”

“I know. But I’m greedy and I want you all the time.” I stared at him until he glanced out the windscreen and then shouted, “Brake!”

I turned just in time to slam on the brakes before rear-ending a Renault Clio. “Sorry.”

“Okay. Forget I said that. Let’s start again.” His lips curved in a smile that made the blue of his eyes look like pools of liquid heaven. “So I get to meet your mum, properly?”

I grimaced. “Hope you don’t mind indigestion with your dinner.”

He chuckled and reached a hand for my knee and I swear the hot touch of his palm through my jeans was close to orgasm inducing.

“Have you guys come any closer to deciding what to do with the house?”

My turn to frown. “Nope. She’s determined to move into this old people's village. I wouldn’t mind, Matthew, but she’s not that old. She’s only seventy.”

“She obviously feels this is the time to move on and do her own thing.”

I wagged my finger at him. “See you think that, but she doesn’t like change, she hates it. There is no way she really wants to sell the house.”

He nodded slowly and then pointed out a cyclist for me to swerve. Good job too. “Maybe it’s you that doesn’t like change?”

“What am I supposed to do? It’s not like we can go far. Hannah’s school is there. She’s not going to move secondary schools, and nor would I want her to.”

Another slow nod. “Maybe just give it some time. There’s been a lot going on.”

I glanced at his cloudy day face. “How were the boys?”

He shrugged.

“What?”

“I don’t know. Jack is being a bit needy.”

“What do you mean?”

“He didn’t want to stay at home this weekend, said he wanted to come to mine.”

“Oh, but it’s not your weekend, right?”

He pushed back in his seat and fiddled with the knobs so he could make room for his long legs. “Yes. I don’t know.”

“Who told you he was upset?”