The Magpies by Mark Edwards Read Free Book Online

to do. Jamie noticed they were wearing matching T-shirts which bore the logo of a large computer software company, Scion.
    As he stood there looking at them, Lucy turned around and spotted him. She waved, the gold of her wedding ring glinting in the sun. She said something but he couldn’t make it out. He cupped his hand to his ear and she pointed at the balcony, gesturing for him to come out.
    ‘Lucy wants me to go out and see her,’ he said so Kirsty would know what was going on.
    He went into the bathroom, opened the back door and stepped out onto the balcony. Sunlight hit him in the face and he shaded his eyes with his hand. Lucy walked up to the edge of the garden and stood at the bottom of the steps that led up to the balcony. Chris carried on working, only stopping briefly to nod hello.
    ‘Hi. Beautiful day, isn’t it?’ Jamie said. ‘You’re so lucky having a garden. It must be very therapeutic.’ He hoped his insincerity wasn’t evident. He didn’t want a garden. He had the exact opposite of green fingers, although he wasn’t sure what that was. Grey fingers? Concrete fingers? When he saw a garden he only thought what a hassle it must be to have to mow the lawn and pull up the endlessly-proliferating weeds.
    Lucy nodded. ‘Yes. It is. We were just saying that, weren’t we, Chris?’
    ‘That’s right.’
    Jamie smiled. He imagined it was therapeutic for Lucy, watching someone else do all the work while she supervised.
    ‘The reason I beckoned you outside was to ask you and Kirsty if you wanted to come round for dinner.’
    ‘Oh.’ His mind raced. ‘That’s really nice of you to ask. But why don’t you come round to us?’
    Kirsty was, at this point, standing behind Jamie in the bathroom – unseen by the Newtons – with a look of horror on her face, making throat-cutting gestures with her finger.
    ‘Kirsty’s a great cook. We could come round to you next time.’
    Lucy’s face lit up with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. She nodded.
    ‘That would be lovely. What do you think, Chris?’
    He peeled off his gardening gloves and stood up. His T-shirt showed off the bulge of his muscles: his thick arms and broad chest. He nodded up at Jamie, one side of his mouth twitching in what Jamie interpreted as an attempt to show enthusiasm. ‘Sure. Sounds good.’
    ‘Great. Well, let’s make a date. Say, seven-thirty, this Friday? Fantastic. We’ll see you then.’
    He went back inside, shutting the bathroom door behind him. Kirsty punched him lightly on the arm. ‘What the hell have you done?’
    ‘I thought you’d prefer to meet them on your own home territory.’
    ‘Oh God, I don’t believe this. That’s my week ruined.’
    ‘What? Why?’
    ‘Because I’m going to be worrying about this bloody dinner party now. What to cook. What to wear. Does the flat look a state? Why couldn’t you have accepted their invitation? Or if you didn’t want to go down there, why didn’t you make up an excuse?’
    ‘I thought I was doing the right thing.’
    ‘Huh! I should make you cook the meal. That would teach you.’
    ‘OK, I will.’
    ‘Don’t be stupid. You’re the worst cook in London.’ She marched back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. ‘I think I’ll invite Heather and Paul too. Paul can entertain them.’
    Jamie tutted. ‘Look, Kirsty, it will be fine. I genuinely thought it would be easier to invite them up here. We don’t want a repeat of that time we went to Sally and Jason’s and they served lamb because I’d forgotten to tell them you were a veggie.’
    Kirsty shook her head. ‘I know, I know. I realise you were doing what you thought was best. I just wished you’d stalled them and asked me first.’ She looked at her watch. ‘We’d better get going now, before the tide goes out and I miss my chance to drown you.’
    Paul turned up first, bearing a bottle of cheap Chardonnay.
    ‘So what are we having?’ he asked after he had handed Jamie the wine and kissed