‘God, no!’ she said. ‘I’ve no idea where he’s been. He’ll definitely be in Fiona’s room. Most of the time, at least.’ Her eyes met Maggie’s for a fraction of a second. The smile was gone but Maggie couldn’t read the look that had replaced it.
‘Don’t see why not,’ said Leon, apparently oblivious to the covert conversation that was taking place under his nose. ‘The room’s just sitting there. Might as well have someone in it. I assume he can chip in for bills and food and stuff.’
Angie nodded, although Maggie thought the gesture lacked conviction. Grape-picking probably wasn’t the most lucrative of occupations. Angie turned to Maggie, awaiting her approval. Maggie willed her face to stop letting out her secrets and aimed for an expression that said I don’t really care one way or the other.
‘Yes,’ she said breezily. ‘Fine by me.’
‘Great,’ said Angie. ‘His train gets in at three thirty so he should be here around four.’
Maggie rolled her eyes. So, Angie had already made the plan and implemented it. It didn’t matter what she and Leon thought. Tiger was coming anyway. Earlier in the year, she would have been irritated by having been played like that, but she was getting used to it. A similar thought had clearly just crossed Leon’s mind as well, and he threw her a lopsided grin as he raised an eyebrow.
Her mind turned to practicalities.
‘There’s no bedding in that room,’ she said. ‘Fiona took everything with her.’
‘He’ll have his sleeping bag,’ Angie replied, as if the comment was so pointless it hardly merited a response.
‘Well, I wouldn’t want to spend every night in a sleeping bag,’ Maggie managed, ‘but if he’s all right with it . . .’
‘Shall I cook?’ asked Leon, figuratively stepping between them. ‘I can do a big pot of chilli for us all.’
Leon’s culinary skills were limited, but his narrow range of dishes were all wholesome and tasty.
‘Great,’ said Angie. ‘Thanks, Leon.’
She gave him a sparking smile. It was no wonder that she had him under her spell, Maggie thought. It worked less well on her, of course.
Maggie had a tutorial to prepare for, so she retreated to her room where she stayed, emerging only to replenish her coffee and make herself a sandwich at lunchtime. When the doorbell rang just after four, she had pretty much forgotten they were to have a houseguest.
And then she remembered. Tiger! Her heart drummed against her ribs, and she tried to tell herself to calm down. There really was no reason to get this excited. It had been one moment in a corridor nine months earlier and she’d probably misinterpreted it anyway. But she couldn’t help herself, and there was nothing wrong with having a bit of a crush, was there?
What should she do? She couldn’t answer the door when she looked so awful. Her plan had been to tidy herself up before he arrived – brush her hair and put a little bit of make-up on, maybe change her top. But then she had become caught up in her tutorial preparation and had lost track of time. And now it was too late. He was here.
As she sat, frozen at her desk trying to decide, the doorbell rang again. Was she the only one in? She hadn’t heard the others go out, but then she had been so engrossed in her work that perhaps she wouldn’t have done. How dreadful did she actually look? Maybe she should just . . .
The doorbell rang for a third time and was accompanied by a rhythmical knocking. She couldn’t leave him just standing on the doorstep.
Then she heard footsteps thundering down the stairs, the door being flung open and squealing from Angie. ‘Hi! How are you? So great to see you! You look amazing. How was France? Did you find the house okay? Oh, it’s so good to see you.’
Maggie could hear the lower rumble of Tiger’s voice, something about getting in the house and a laugh and suddenly she didn’t really care what she looked like any more; she just wanted to say hello. She stood up from her desk, crossed to the door and stuck her head out. Tiger was standing on the doorstep, his rucksack on the pavement next to him. He was tanned to a rich almond and his hair was even blonder than it had been before. Maggie’s whole body shivered. Angie was hanging from his neck, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist like a little monkey. It appeared to be an intimate moment and suddenly Maggie felt as if she were intruding.
Then Tiger caught sight of her over the top of Angie’s head and his smile broadened.
‘Maggie! Hi!’ he mouthed, and something about the way he looked at her told her that she hadn’t misinterpreted anything the last time they’d met.