Keeping Mum. Kate Lawson

trying to make up his mind whether it was worth his while breaking out his famous big bad bark.

      ‘Oh right,’ said Rocco. ‘So have you got a better idea; I mean, where is she? It’s barely knocking-off time. What are we going to do if she’s not in?’

      ‘Cass!’ yelled Nita. ‘Where are you, darling?’

      Under cover of darkness, Cass crept up through the shop and opened the front door, surprising the pair of them. ‘What do you want?’ she said.

      They looked a little sheepish. ‘Oh there you are, we were worried about you,’ said her mother. ‘You’re okay?’

      ‘Cock-a-hoop. What are you doing out here?’

      ‘Bit snappy today, aren’t we? I thought we’d just drop by.’

      ‘Did you ring Mike? He was really keen, you know,’ said Nita.

      Cass lifted an eyebrow; if their Discovery was parked any closer to the shop doorway it would be a ram-raid.

      ‘No, I didn’t ring him. I’ve told you before that I can make my own terrible mistakes without any help from you two.’

      ‘He said he thought you were really interesting,’ said Rocco.

      Cass stared him down. ‘So is the mould on whatever it is in the back of my fridge, but I wouldn’t want to wake up next to it. Now—what are you both doing here?’

      ‘Oh come on, he seems nice,’ said her mother. ‘And very nicely turned out.’

      ‘Okay, I went out to lunch with him today and before you ask I have no plans to do it again—now what do you want?’

      ‘Really,’ continued Nita. ‘Why not? We thought you two had hit it off.’

      ‘He has a purse…’

      ‘Ah,’ said her mother.

      ‘He asked me out to lunch and assumed that going halves was okay.’

      ‘Ah.’

      ‘Not that I mind going Dutch. Not that I’m against sharing, but he counted out the exact money—to the last penny. You have to admit that is tight.’

      Her mother looked suitably shocked. ‘My god, I’d got no idea. Mind you, that explains why he is so good at bringing things in on budget.’ She paused. ‘Aren’t you going to invite us in?’

      Cass looked at the pile of boxes in the back of their 4x4. ‘Probably not.’

      Rocco’s mind was still elsewhere. ‘Did we ever introduce you to Dirk?’ he said. ‘I mean, there’s got to be someone.’

      Nita elbowed him. ‘Not now, sweetie—look, Cass, darling, we thought we’d just bring a few things round now so’s there’s not a last-minute panic. Just sort out where stuff’s going. Get the grand tour before you leave. Get the feel of the place…’ As she spoke Nita’s eyes were moving round the interior of the shop, as if she couldn’t quite make up her mind what to do or say next. ‘You can show us what’s what, explain how the cooker works and the animals—walks and that kind of stuff. And the shop lights.’

      ‘Mum, we’ve got ages yet.’ Cass stared at them, saw the expression of panic in Rocco’s eyes, and then the penny dropped. ‘No—this is outrageous. The builders are coming in early, aren’t they?’ asked Cass.

      Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, Cass’s mum held her hands up in a gesture of surrender. ‘They said they had a cancellation—they’re starting first thing,’ she said.

      ‘And you want to move in early?’

      Living above the shop had always made commuting easy and getting away tough. People—friends, family, customers—in the know would often linger, hoping to be asked round to supper, or would pop by on a weekend to borrow an emergency bed or a dining table and a few spare chairs. Several times over the years, as she’d struggled out the door on the heavy end of something, Cass wondered whether it would have been more lucrative just to set up a furniture lending library. And of course when it came to getting away from the shop she couldn’t swing the excuse that she was just leaving for her journey home.

      At least tonight her mother had the decency to look sheepish.

      ‘No,’ Cass said. ‘This isn’t on. You’re not due to move in till the end of the week. I’ve got stuff to do—things to bleach. And I’m knackered—this is the last thing I need. I’ve got loads to do and I’ve got the concert tonight.’

      Cass had been planning on giving them the attic rooms, which she had intended to do over with her best white cotton bed linen, a brass bed and a set of ruby red full-length velvet curtains she’d given a customer first refusal on once the holiday was over, along with a nice original 1920s throw and matching bolster—keeping the door firmly shut until they arrived, so that no one furry or smelly would be tempted to sleep in their bed before the weekend.

      She thought they could use the other room in the attic as a makeshift office and studio, but she needed to take up a table and various bits and bobs to aid the transformation. And before they arrived Cass had got Buster booked in for a bath, planned to groom the cat, de-flea the pair of them and then spray the whole house with industrial-strength air freshener. She’d already been through the storeroom and earmarked a couple of things to bring in to beautify their ad-hoc flatlet. What Cass did not have were contingency plans for them showing up early.

      Meanwhile Rocco was back outside the shop, busy shuffling boxes out of the Discovery and onto the pavement.

      ‘I haven’t got the attic ready yet. It’s still set up for students.’

      ‘Oh, don’t worry,’ said Nita. ‘We can have the room next to yours—it’ll be easier and there are less stairs.’

      ‘And what exactly is all this?’ asked Cass, staring in horror at the growing pile.

      ‘You don’t mind, do you? They’re valuables, sweetie, books and tapes and precious, precious treasures that wouldn’t stand the dust or the rubble or the clearing up afterwards.’

      ‘How much more is there?’ Cass asked, as Rocco dragged a tea chest out of the back of the Discovery.

      ‘Not that much more.’

      Cass held her ground until her mother weakened. ‘About another two loads,’ she said after a moment or two’s pause.

      ‘No!’ said Cass, standing firm in the doorway as Rocco headed towards her with an armload of things from the über pile. ‘Look, it’s one thing borrowing my house, but quite another to take it over entirely. If you want to store this stuff we’ll take it down to the warehouse and put it in there.’

      Nita didn’t look convinced. ‘But it’s very precious. I thought we could stack it in our room.’

      ‘I’ve got to get ready for the concert tonight.’

      ‘Well, we won’t stop you. Besides, surely it’s more like a dress rehearsal tonight?’ said Nita. ‘Isn’t it? You know, for Cyprus?’

      ‘Seven for seven thirty,’ snipped Rocco accusingly, tapping his watch. ‘That’s what it says on the tickets.’

      ‘Not if you’re in the bloody choir, it doesn’t. I’ve got to be there by six fifteen and it’s nearly twenty to now. I need to shower and—and what the hell is that?’ she said incredulously as Rocco struggled in with what looked like a badly wrapped corpse.

      ‘The bust and lower torso of Lady Hamilton. Your mum bought her for me for my fiftieth. Very rare and we love her, don’t we Nita? We usually keep her in our bedroom.’

      Cass sighed. It was pointless to argue. ‘Knock yourself out,’ she said, handing them the shop keys and turning back towards the stairs. ‘I have to get ready. Just make sure you set the alarm and don’t let the dog out…’

      ‘Off