I checked my watch hurriedly.
“I’m not late, am I?”
“Nah, it’s me, I’m early.” Matt managed to stand up without falling over either foot, although it was a close-run thing. He winced as a stray shoulder hit the doorframe.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Just knocked it yesterday, that’s all. Came off the bike,” he added, his head down as he brushed off his jeans.
“Have a good day off?” I unlocked the door, and we stepped inside, the bell jangling cheerfully to welcome us.
Matt shrugged, lopsidedly because he only used his good shoulder. “It was all right. You?”
“Oh, you know. Did a lot of boring stuff; went to see Jay.”
“Yeah? How’s he doing?”
“Great! Well,” I amended as honesty kicked in, “actually he’s bored out of his mind. He was asking about you.”
“Yeah?” Matt looked pleased to be remembered—and a bit guilty. “I meant to go in and see him yesterday, but Steve wanted me to stay at home.”
What was this bloke, Matt’s keeper? “Well, you can pop in any evening after work. They’re very relaxed about it at the Spire.”
“Yeah? Maybe I’ll go in tonight, then.”
“Trust me, he’ll be glad to see you.” I had a thought and went over to grab the magazine from the bottom of the pile behind the counter. “Tell you what, you can give him this. A bit of porn ought to cheer him up no end!”
Matt laughed. “Don’t know what the nurses’ll make of it, though!”
I turned away to hide what was undoubtedly a sly expression.
It wasn’t the nurses Jay would have to worry about.
It was Mum.
The morning was fairly quiet—a few customers, a couple of deliveries and a bloke who wanted me to sign up to a directory of local businesses. It seemed reasonable, so I went with it, a little surprised Jay hadn’t done so already. During one of the lulls, I ambled into the back room to talk to Matt, finding him, as usual, hard at work. Didn’t he ever slack off when no one was looking?
He glanced up from the tyre he was fitting. “Problems?”
“No—just bored,” I admitted. I hesitated. “You know your Thursday night bike rides?” Matt nodded to confirm he hadn’t been suddenly and inexplicably struck with amnesia. “Well, I was wondering if you’d mind if I tagged along?”
“Yeah—no problem. That’d be great!” Matt looked genuinely pleased at the prospect, and I found myself smiling back at him.
“So how does it work?” I asked, leaning against the worktop.
Matt finished with the tyre and straightened, wiping his hands on his jeans. “We all meet up where we’re going that night—usually around half seven, quarter to eight. Then we go for a ride—that’s about it, really. If you give me your email, I’ll copy you in on stuff. I mean, we usually decide where we’re going to go the week before, then confirm it by email.”
“Great! I’ll give you my address now.” I looked around for a bit of paper and ended up ripping a bit off the back page of the repairs book. “Here you go.”
Matt looked at it, then grinned. “ [email protected] ?”
“Yes, well. [email protected] was already taken.” I cleared my throat. “Now, is there anything I need to bring along?”
Matt pursed his lips. “Well, some of the lads bring along a hip flask of something lethal, but apart from that… Wait, have you got any lights? We’re usually out past dark.”
“What, even at this time of year?” I was a bit concerned this might be a bit too much for me to handle.
“Well, it often takes a while to get going, and then sometimes we stop at a pub…”
I had a vision of a crowd of lycra-clad mountain bikers crashing through the forest trails getting progressively drunker until the word “crashing” became literally true. “Is that safe?”
“Oh—most of the lads ride out from home, so there’s no worry about drunk driving. And it’s the New Forest, not the Pennines. If you take a
“I’m not late, am I?”
“Nah, it’s me, I’m early.” Matt managed to stand up without falling over either foot, although it was a close-run thing. He winced as a stray shoulder hit the doorframe.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine. Just knocked it yesterday, that’s all. Came off the bike,” he added, his head down as he brushed off his jeans.
“Have a good day off?” I unlocked the door, and we stepped inside, the bell jangling cheerfully to welcome us.
Matt shrugged, lopsidedly because he only used his good shoulder. “It was all right. You?”
“Oh, you know. Did a lot of boring stuff; went to see Jay.”
“Yeah? How’s he doing?”
“Great! Well,” I amended as honesty kicked in, “actually he’s bored out of his mind. He was asking about you.”
“Yeah?” Matt looked pleased to be remembered—and a bit guilty. “I meant to go in and see him yesterday, but Steve wanted me to stay at home.”
What was this bloke, Matt’s keeper? “Well, you can pop in any evening after work. They’re very relaxed about it at the Spire.”
“Yeah? Maybe I’ll go in tonight, then.”
“Trust me, he’ll be glad to see you.” I had a thought and went over to grab the magazine from the bottom of the pile behind the counter. “Tell you what, you can give him this. A bit of porn ought to cheer him up no end!”
Matt laughed. “Don’t know what the nurses’ll make of it, though!”
I turned away to hide what was undoubtedly a sly expression.
It wasn’t the nurses Jay would have to worry about.
It was Mum.
The morning was fairly quiet—a few customers, a couple of deliveries and a bloke who wanted me to sign up to a directory of local businesses. It seemed reasonable, so I went with it, a little surprised Jay hadn’t done so already. During one of the lulls, I ambled into the back room to talk to Matt, finding him, as usual, hard at work. Didn’t he ever slack off when no one was looking?
He glanced up from the tyre he was fitting. “Problems?”
“No—just bored,” I admitted. I hesitated. “You know your Thursday night bike rides?” Matt nodded to confirm he hadn’t been suddenly and inexplicably struck with amnesia. “Well, I was wondering if you’d mind if I tagged along?”
“Yeah—no problem. That’d be great!” Matt looked genuinely pleased at the prospect, and I found myself smiling back at him.
“So how does it work?” I asked, leaning against the worktop.
Matt finished with the tyre and straightened, wiping his hands on his jeans. “We all meet up where we’re going that night—usually around half seven, quarter to eight. Then we go for a ride—that’s about it, really. If you give me your email, I’ll copy you in on stuff. I mean, we usually decide where we’re going to go the week before, then confirm it by email.”
“Great! I’ll give you my address now.” I looked around for a bit of paper and ended up ripping a bit off the back page of the repairs book. “Here you go.”
Matt looked at it, then grinned. “ [email protected] ?”
“Yes, well. [email protected] was already taken.” I cleared my throat. “Now, is there anything I need to bring along?”
Matt pursed his lips. “Well, some of the lads bring along a hip flask of something lethal, but apart from that… Wait, have you got any lights? We’re usually out past dark.”
“What, even at this time of year?” I was a bit concerned this might be a bit too much for me to handle.
“Well, it often takes a while to get going, and then sometimes we stop at a pub…”
I had a vision of a crowd of lycra-clad mountain bikers crashing through the forest trails getting progressively drunker until the word “crashing” became literally true. “Is that safe?”
“Oh—most of the lads ride out from home, so there’s no worry about drunk driving. And it’s the New Forest, not the Pennines. If you take a
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