Page 83 of Be More Octopus

Jack must have seen her looking. 'They weren't full before last night, and I did have some help from Mark.'

'Yes, I know. I saw Mark at breakfast.'

'Breakfast? He could always handle his drink better than me.'

'Not much better by the look of him.'

She wrinkled her nose. 'Shall I open a window?' Judging by the stale air and the messy blanket on the sofa, Jack hadn't made it as far as his bedroom last night.

'Have you spoken to Mark this morning?' She asked as she drew back the curtains.

Jack flinched at the bright sunshine. 'Not yet. Why?'

'No reason. Just making conversation. If he mentions anything about a CV, ignore him.'

'CV?'

'It doesn't matter. Have you thought about what ingredients you need for cooking Sunday lunch?'

'What time is it?'

'1 o'clock.'

'We were supposed to go to the supermarket this morning. Sorry!'

'Just give me a list of what you need. I'll ask Lucy to go while I sort out today's new guests. Perhaps have a shower first? It will help improve the ambience in here.'

'Sorry.'

'I'll make you a bacon butty while you're getting washed.'

'Thank you.' He slowly headed for the bathroom, taking his phone out of his pocket and leaving it on the kitchen counter.

'Actually, a ham sandwich will do,' he said. 'I'm not sure my head will cope with the noise of the smoke alarm today.' He managed a smile.

'Cheeky!' At least the hangover hadn't dampened his sense of humour.

While she was looking for butter and ham, Jack's phone buzzed. Em ignored it. A few seconds later, it buzzed again. Curiosity got the better of her, and she casually glanced at it on the way back from the fridge. He'd left it unlocked. There was a text on the front screen.

hi jack darling are u free later daisy xx

Darling? Daisy? Kisses? Who is Daisy? Em's mind started racing. Play it cool. Don't jump to conclusions. It could be anyone. Jack had probably bumped into an old summer holiday pal with Mark last night.

Jack looked more compos mentis when he emerged from the bathroom five minutes later. Em was casually arranging the sandwiches on a plate, trying to look innocent.

'Your phone buzzed while you were in the shower.'

'Thanks.' Jack picked up his phone, looked flustered and quickly shoved it into his bathrobe pocket.

'There's your sandwich. I've got to go.' Em headed to the front door.

'Off to meet Luke?'

She turned and looked at him. 'No. Are you going to see Daisy today?'

He looked puzzled. 'No.'

She didn't respond to that. As she opened the door, he called after her.