Page 122 of Brighter Together

That is actually quite sweet.

I am absolutely not saying that out loud.

“What did you get, Romeo?”

“I’ll tell you later. But the tattoo is relevant. The bloke who owns the shop is called Ryan. We got talking while he was doing it and somehow ended up on climbing.”

That sounds far more like Alex. Give him twenty minutes with a stranger and he will have worked out their hobbies, family history and whether they own a decent set of tools.

“He climbed a lot when he was younger,” Alex continues. “Stopped for a while, but he’s got back into it since moving here. Proper climbing too, not somebody who went to an indoor wall twice and bought a fleece.”

That gets my attention. “How experienced?”

“I don’t know enough to say whether he’d be any use to us yet. But he knows his way around ropes, he’s fit, and when I mentioned FMR he was interested.”

I lean back and let him finish.

“He asked about the commitment, training, how callouts work, all the sensible stuff. He also has another tattooist working with him, so the shop wouldn’t suddenly have to close every time his pager went off. I told him I couldn’t promise anything, but I’d ask whether you’d meet him.”

That actually sounds… like a possible solution. Or a half solution.

A trainee would not replace Rob. Not even close.

Ryan would need training, assessment and time before I trusted him with anything beyond the basics.

But he would be someone to up our numbers. And we have been talking for too long about bringing in somebody new.

Another pair of hands now could become a useful team member later.

“Bring him to the meeting next week,” I say. “I’ll talk to him, find out what experience he actually has and take it from there.”

Alex nods. “That’s all I was suggesting.”

His hand goes back to his chest.

I point at it.

“Stop scratching the bloody thing or it’ll never heal.”

“Yes, Mum.”

“You still haven’t told me what you got.”

Alex’s mouth curves.

“A blossom with Emma’s name worked into it.”

There is something different in the way he says her name. Softer.

Two weeks ago, I probably would have taken the piss.

Now the first person I think of is Ella.

“How very romantic.”

“Fuck off. I’m Mr Romantic.”

“Clearly.”