Page 36 of Twisted Lies

‘Bryant, it’s time to go,’ she said, heading towards the roller shutter at speed.

People who were leaving in a hurry tended to leave things behind.

Twenty-Seven

‘So did you and Devon celebrate your good news last night?’ Penn asked.

‘Oh yeah,’ Stacey said with a smile that was quick and genuine. From the glint in her eye, he wasn’t sure she was talking about a shared bottle of wine.

‘And she’s even made me a cosy little working space in the corner of the lounge.’

‘Now that is sweet,’ he observed. ‘That’s showing you some love. I’m glad you had a nice evening. In my case, Jasper went into my room, farted and closed the door right before I went to bed.’

Stacey laughed out loud, and even Penn smiled at the memory.

‘You gonna let him get away with that?’ Stacey asked, smirking.

‘Already taken care of,’ he replied, winking.

Stacey waited for him to confess the nature of the retribution.

‘Okay, I may have accidentally dropped cornflakes into his bed before I left for work this morning.’

‘Accidentally? You missed his bowl by a room?’

He shrugged. ‘Don’t challenge the master.’

‘You’re both as bad as each other,’ Stacey observed, and he didn’t argue.

God only knew what their mother would be thinking, watching them from above; but they were now finding their rhythm. The first few weeks had been hard while they’d been working out what each needed from the other in the wake of their mother’s death.

He’d spent many an hour fretting and worrying about the role he now played in the life of his brother. Older brother, parent figure, a bit of both. He’d eventually come to the conclusion that he would be what the situation dictated. If Jasper needed a firm hand, he could provide one, and if his brother needed a mate, he could be that too. As long as he was there for him in some form, he was confident they’d manage to get through.

‘And anyway, I’ll probably be out when he finds them,’ Penn stated, thinking of his plans for the evening.

Stacey’s head snapped up. ‘You doing something nice?’

Penn laughed. ‘Don’t act so surprised. I do socialise sometimes you know.’

Stacey leaned forward. ‘Tell, tell, tell.’

‘Nothing exciting. Just meeting Lynne for a bite after work.’

Stacey raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m gonna need more detail than that. Is it a date?’

Penn shook his head. ‘Nah, nothing like that.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘The Bell, at Himley,’ he answered.

‘You’re going to a nice pub for a meal and a drink and it ay a date?’ Stacey queried.

‘It’s not like that, Stace.’

‘Sounds like a date,’ she said, returning her attention to her screen.

Penn opened his mouth to explain and closed it again. It wasn’t like that between him and Lynne. They were mates, good mates. They liked the same films, the same music and shared a slightly warped sense of humour. They always had a laugh, and he liked spending time with her. He hadn’t seen her since she’d helped build the bridge for him to cross back to his brother, and he was looking forward to her company.