The journey to Barnstaple was slow and made worse by the heavy atmosphere in the car. Abigail was sitting in the back, her eyes focussed on the road in front. Rob and I would usually put some music on and have a chat when we were in the car together but with Abigail sitting in silence just inches behind us it felt wrong, disrespectful somehow. We’d gone over the plan two or three times while sat at her kitchen table but it didn’t feel real to me, and I was the pro, so I could only begin to imagine what must be going through her mind.
“Do you know where the bank is?” Abigail asked when we’d been travelling for about an hour.
I’d phoned the bank in Barnstaple earlier to arrange an appointment for us to come in and withdraw the money. It was such a large amount they’d asked us to give them until the following day to count it, but personally I was glad not to be driving around with thousands of pounds in cash in the boot.
“Yep, we’re going to Barclays.”
“Is that the same one Toby used?”
I nodded. “That’s right. They were really nice on the phone so we shouldn’t have any problems.”
“And you said Carol told you Toby went to Barnstaple on holiday, when he was little?”
I nodded again and tried to hide my sigh. We’d been over this before too. “She did. Up until he was fifteen she said.”
Abigail smiled. “It’ll be nice to see the place.”
“Be even nicer when we leave again, Toby with us,” I added.
Abigail didn’t say anything, she just nodded and looked out of the window. I didn’t think I’d ever met anyone quite so difficult to read.
The rest of the journey passed in the same oppressive silence as before, the only slight respite being when a bird pooped on Rob’s windscreen. I don’t think I’d ever been more delighted to see a bird do its business than at that moment. It allowed Rob and I to laugh, without feeling guilty for doing so.
Eventually we arrived at the Travelodge just outside Barnstaple where I’d booked us rooms for the night. Abigail and I would be sharing, leaving Rob a room to himself. We checked in and collected our keycards, agreeing to meet back downstairs in about an hour for dinner.
“Good luck!” Rob whispered when we got to our room.
I smiled and put the key in the door, hoping that Abigail’s mood might lift a little now we were finally here. It certainly couldn’t get any darker.
Rob was waiting for us in the lobby when we walked back down. I didn’t know how he’d done it but somewhere in his tiny luggage he’d managed to stash a three piece suit which he was now wearing, not a crease or a wrinkle in sight. I’d never tell him so, but I had to admit that he scrubbed up very nicely. He was even wearing a tie and I didn’t know whether to be impressed that he’d gone to so much effort or outraged that he never did it when it was just the two of us.
“How’d you manage that?” I asked.
“What?” he said, his face the picture of innocence.
“Your suit doesn’t have a crease on it. But your overnight bag’s tiny!”
Rob tapped the side of his nose. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
“Ha! That’s my line!”
“Learned it from the best.” He offered me and Abigail an arm each and we walked together to the car.
Rob and I had agreed we’d park near the bank so we could walk Abigail past it on the way to dinner. As we got closer and could see the glow of the bank’s signage in the distance, Abigail seemed to shrink. She dragged her feet. I’d never seen her look so scared. I reached over and put my hand on her arm.
“It’s okay. It’ll all be okay.”
She looked at me and smiled weakly. “Hope so.”
Having shown her the bank, we crossed the road and went into a bar. We hadn’t booked a table and the place was surprisingly busy but we found a seat near the back, underneath a painting of an old colonel I didn’t recognise. Rob played the part of the perfect gentleman, holding Abigail’s chair out for her and doing his utmost to help her feel relaxed. I felt something twinge in my tummy as I watched them together and was shocked to realise it was jealousy. I dismissed the thought with a large glass of wine, swiftly followed by a second.
“Slow down Charlie, you’ve not eaten all day,” said Rob.
I dismissed his warning with a wave of my hand. “I’ll be fine. Where’s the menu?”
He handed me the menu with a frown and turned his attention back to Abigail. “Hungry?” he asked her.
Abigail smiled. “Starving!” She laughed and I saw a glimmer of the old Abigail returning. “What do you recommend?”
They sat with their heads together, pouring over the menu, while I sat opposite them feeling like someone’s maiden aunt. When I’d had enough of being ignored I got up and made a fuss of going to the bar to get more drinks. Rob quickly got up and followed me.
“What’s the matter with you?” he said, when we were out of Abigail’s earshot.
“Nothing. Just thirsty.” I turned away from him but he came round the other side of me, refusing to let me ignore him.
“Don’t give me that. What’s going on?” He looked at me, waiting for a reply, and then he smirked. “You’re jealous.”
“Bloody am not!”
“Ha! Liar!” He nudged me on the arm and smiled. “I’m showing Abigail a nice time and you’re jealous.”
“Bugger off!” I turned to the man behind the bar and ordered some drinks.
“There’s no use denying it Charlie Diamond. It’s written all over your face.”
I paid for my drinks and turned to walk back to the table. “So what if I am? Whatcha going to do about it?”
And without waiting for a reply, I sauntered back to the table with our drinks leaving Rob trailing behind, grinning from ear to ear.