Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery
Page 38
‘Hey, it’s how I like them,’ he said. ‘And I’m paying.’
Polly sniffed.
Rhonda cast an eye over the pastries.
‘Not for me, thank you. You know I have to keep myself trim.’
She waddled cheerfully over to the window and started tut-tutting about the state of Reuben’s butler sink – ‘Seriously, it’s so old-fashioned! You couldn’t have got anything with nice taps? This looks like something the servants would use.’
Reuben smiled affectionately, then sidled up to Polly.
‘Where’s Kerensa?’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘I can’t stand this. I can’t do it without her and she’s not answering her phone. What’s up with her?’
Polly shrugged. ‘I don’t know… pregnancy stuff?’ she said hopefully, hoping the idea of it would be as weird to Reuben as these things often were. Thankfully it worked.
‘Guh,’ said Reuben, shivering. ‘Yuk. I heard the term “mucus plug” once and that was quite enough for me, thanks.’
‘Are you not going to be there?’
‘Not a chance! As someone said, it’s like watching your favourite pub burning down.’
‘Oh Reuben, you have to be there.’
‘I’ve booked the best obs/gynae in the country to be on standby, plus a doula and a maternity nurse, and we’re going to get one of those Norland nannies that wear the uniform and refuse to have sex with me… I’m kidding, I’m kidding. About the sex, not the nanny.’
‘Is this what Kerensa wants?’
‘It’s the best,’ said Reuben mutinously. ‘Everybody knows it.’
‘Okay,’ said Polly.
Christmas was going to be fun, she thought. Just concentrate on the money. Think about the money. Get the work done. It would be fine.
‘It’s a shame you didn’t pay more attention to the decorations,’ Rhonda was saying, looking around. ‘Disappointing you didn’t feel you could make the effort.’
‘Okay, Ma,’ said Reuben, for the first time looking shame-faced, like the naughty boy he must once have been. ‘Do you guys want a nap or something?’
‘Are we in that same room?’ said Rhonda. ‘Only, you know, it’s so noisy.’
‘It’s the waves, Mom.’
‘I’m just saying, they’re incredibly noisy. Is there nothing you can do?’
‘Yeah, Mom. I can go and stop the tide.’
Polly was feeling increasingly awkward. Rhonda didn’t want to eat, and Merv and Reuben had finished everything else, so they were all just standing around looking uncomfortable in that cavernous kitchen.
Where the hell was Kerensa? If she was here, she could say something funny, break the ice. Instead she was doing something Polly considered quite dangerous: she was making Reuben look bad. Reuben was used to getting what he wanted; being the centre of attention. Standing him up in front of his parents was rude at best, potentially devastating at worst.
Polly glanced at Merv, who was dusting crumbs off his incredibly expensive coat. Looking up, he caught her eye.
‘Yeah, come on, Rhonda,’ he said. ‘Let’s take a snooze, let the kids get themselves sorted out, yeah?’
Rhonda sniffed.
‘I won’t sleep a goddam wink.’
‘You always say that when you’re tired. Then off you go, snoring like a freight train.’
‘This is exactly why we’re getting separate rooms. No, wings,’ said Rhonda, folding her arms.
There was the noise of the motorbike pulling up outside. Huckle had popped by to say hello. Polly had rarely been more pleased to see him.
‘Huck!’ she yelled cheerfully as he slouched in.
‘Um, hey?’ he said, taking in the room gradually. ‘Hi, Mrs Finkel. Mr Finkel.’
‘Merv, please. You’re Huckle, right?’
Huckle nodded.
‘You know, I never get to meet any of Reuben’s friends.’
‘That’s because he doesn’t have any,’ said Huckle smiling to show he was joking.
‘I do! I have millions of friends! I have the best friends in the world and most of them are famous!’ said Reuben.
‘All right, Superman, I was only joking,’ said Huckle. ‘Hey, good to see you. How’s Polly’s amazing food?’
‘Pretty good!’ said Merv, patting his belly. ‘Good hire, Reuben.’
‘Actually I’m…’
But Polly decided not to pursue it.
‘Thanks,’ she said. Huckle beamed and put his arm round her shoulders. Rhonda sniffed again.
‘So where’s —’ Huck started. Polly kicked him sharply on the shin.
‘Ow! What?’
‘Nothing,’ said Polly. Huckle looked confused. Rhonda looked furious.
‘She meant, don’t ask about Reuben’s wife, who didn’t bother to turn up to greet us,’ she said.
‘Oh,’ said Huckle, staring at Polly.
‘Hello!’ came a voice that echoed in the vast hallway, and Kerensa walked in – or rather, lumbered, because her bump was now absolutely enormous. Her roots were growing out and her face was bloated, the skin rough and spotty. Kerensa never looked anything other than perfect normally. Even Polly was shocked.
‘Hey, Rhonda… Merv.’
Merv patted her rather absent-mindedly, but Rhonda couldn’t contain her shock.
‘Oh. My. GAWD!!!!’ she screamed theatrically. ‘Reuben, she’s a whale! Look at you! I have never known a Finkel woman blow up like that! Whatever’s in there, it’s bigger than Reuben!’
Kerensa attempted a wan smile, but she looked like she was about to burst into tears. Reuben scowled.
‘She looks great, Ma.’
Rhonda would have raised an eyebrow if they weren’t already painted on halfway up her forehead.
Kerensa just stared at them all blearily, as if she hardly knew they were there. Her entire face was sagging, and there was fear in her eyes. She could just about handle being with Polly, but all the Finkels in a row was simply too much for her.
‘I’m going for a nap,’ she said, dully, putting her expensive handbag down on the kitchen table. The gold clasps clattered horribly on the brushed concrete in the echoing room.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Polly sniffed.
Rhonda cast an eye over the pastries.
‘Not for me, thank you. You know I have to keep myself trim.’
She waddled cheerfully over to the window and started tut-tutting about the state of Reuben’s butler sink – ‘Seriously, it’s so old-fashioned! You couldn’t have got anything with nice taps? This looks like something the servants would use.’
Reuben smiled affectionately, then sidled up to Polly.
‘Where’s Kerensa?’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘I can’t stand this. I can’t do it without her and she’s not answering her phone. What’s up with her?’
Polly shrugged. ‘I don’t know… pregnancy stuff?’ she said hopefully, hoping the idea of it would be as weird to Reuben as these things often were. Thankfully it worked.
‘Guh,’ said Reuben, shivering. ‘Yuk. I heard the term “mucus plug” once and that was quite enough for me, thanks.’
‘Are you not going to be there?’
‘Not a chance! As someone said, it’s like watching your favourite pub burning down.’
‘Oh Reuben, you have to be there.’
‘I’ve booked the best obs/gynae in the country to be on standby, plus a doula and a maternity nurse, and we’re going to get one of those Norland nannies that wear the uniform and refuse to have sex with me… I’m kidding, I’m kidding. About the sex, not the nanny.’
‘Is this what Kerensa wants?’
‘It’s the best,’ said Reuben mutinously. ‘Everybody knows it.’
‘Okay,’ said Polly.
Christmas was going to be fun, she thought. Just concentrate on the money. Think about the money. Get the work done. It would be fine.
‘It’s a shame you didn’t pay more attention to the decorations,’ Rhonda was saying, looking around. ‘Disappointing you didn’t feel you could make the effort.’
‘Okay, Ma,’ said Reuben, for the first time looking shame-faced, like the naughty boy he must once have been. ‘Do you guys want a nap or something?’
‘Are we in that same room?’ said Rhonda. ‘Only, you know, it’s so noisy.’
‘It’s the waves, Mom.’
‘I’m just saying, they’re incredibly noisy. Is there nothing you can do?’
‘Yeah, Mom. I can go and stop the tide.’
Polly was feeling increasingly awkward. Rhonda didn’t want to eat, and Merv and Reuben had finished everything else, so they were all just standing around looking uncomfortable in that cavernous kitchen.
Where the hell was Kerensa? If she was here, she could say something funny, break the ice. Instead she was doing something Polly considered quite dangerous: she was making Reuben look bad. Reuben was used to getting what he wanted; being the centre of attention. Standing him up in front of his parents was rude at best, potentially devastating at worst.
Polly glanced at Merv, who was dusting crumbs off his incredibly expensive coat. Looking up, he caught her eye.
‘Yeah, come on, Rhonda,’ he said. ‘Let’s take a snooze, let the kids get themselves sorted out, yeah?’
Rhonda sniffed.
‘I won’t sleep a goddam wink.’
‘You always say that when you’re tired. Then off you go, snoring like a freight train.’
‘This is exactly why we’re getting separate rooms. No, wings,’ said Rhonda, folding her arms.
There was the noise of the motorbike pulling up outside. Huckle had popped by to say hello. Polly had rarely been more pleased to see him.
‘Huck!’ she yelled cheerfully as he slouched in.
‘Um, hey?’ he said, taking in the room gradually. ‘Hi, Mrs Finkel. Mr Finkel.’
‘Merv, please. You’re Huckle, right?’
Huckle nodded.
‘You know, I never get to meet any of Reuben’s friends.’
‘That’s because he doesn’t have any,’ said Huckle smiling to show he was joking.
‘I do! I have millions of friends! I have the best friends in the world and most of them are famous!’ said Reuben.
‘All right, Superman, I was only joking,’ said Huckle. ‘Hey, good to see you. How’s Polly’s amazing food?’
‘Pretty good!’ said Merv, patting his belly. ‘Good hire, Reuben.’
‘Actually I’m…’
But Polly decided not to pursue it.
‘Thanks,’ she said. Huckle beamed and put his arm round her shoulders. Rhonda sniffed again.
‘So where’s —’ Huck started. Polly kicked him sharply on the shin.
‘Ow! What?’
‘Nothing,’ said Polly. Huckle looked confused. Rhonda looked furious.
‘She meant, don’t ask about Reuben’s wife, who didn’t bother to turn up to greet us,’ she said.
‘Oh,’ said Huckle, staring at Polly.
‘Hello!’ came a voice that echoed in the vast hallway, and Kerensa walked in – or rather, lumbered, because her bump was now absolutely enormous. Her roots were growing out and her face was bloated, the skin rough and spotty. Kerensa never looked anything other than perfect normally. Even Polly was shocked.
‘Hey, Rhonda… Merv.’
Merv patted her rather absent-mindedly, but Rhonda couldn’t contain her shock.
‘Oh. My. GAWD!!!!’ she screamed theatrically. ‘Reuben, she’s a whale! Look at you! I have never known a Finkel woman blow up like that! Whatever’s in there, it’s bigger than Reuben!’
Kerensa attempted a wan smile, but she looked like she was about to burst into tears. Reuben scowled.
‘She looks great, Ma.’
Rhonda would have raised an eyebrow if they weren’t already painted on halfway up her forehead.
Kerensa just stared at them all blearily, as if she hardly knew they were there. Her entire face was sagging, and there was fear in her eyes. She could just about handle being with Polly, but all the Finkels in a row was simply too much for her.
‘I’m going for a nap,’ she said, dully, putting her expensive handbag down on the kitchen table. The gold clasps clattered horribly on the brushed concrete in the echoing room.
Chapter Twenty-Three
