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“Ah.” Strangely enough, that made rather more sense than a goldfish dying. “I see.”
“Yeah. He doesn’t get triggered by events, more that he uses things as an excuse.” Pen shrugged and pushed off the bar. “It’s just one of those things. Nobody can help him until he helps himself, and the one person who probably could stand a chance at helping him is a self-centred old hag. Oh, look, there’s my new friend. Hi!”
My head snapped around to see who she was talking about, although it was a stupid thing to do.
Iknewwho she was talking about.
Ellie smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Hi, Pen. I—” She caught my gaze and paused. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Pen snorted.
“Are you making it a habit to befriend all the female members of my family?” I asked.
Ellie frowned. “What?”
“She’s my cousin.” I nodded towards Penny.
“Oh. Well, I’ve only met two of them. Are there some I’m missing?” she asked brightly.
Was she always so chipper? “No. There’s only Grandma and Pen.”
“Well, then, I suppose I am making it a habit.” She smiled and leant against the bar, turning her attention away from me. “I heard something about someone shagging their married toyboy. I didn’t want to ask, but the writer half of me is utterly shameless, and so I must.”
Pen laughed. “Shameless is my favourite personality trait, so don’t worry about that.”
She wasn’t kidding about that.
There was also a part of me that was thankful Ellie had asked—and in front of me—so I didn’t have to.
I, too, wanted to know about Darlene’s toyboy.
Maybe I did need to get out more.
“Oh, I’m not a gossip,” Pen lied. “But as it’s for research…”
“She didn’t say it was for research,” I muttered, lifting my beer.
She shot me a dark look. “I didn’t ask you.”
I held up my free hand for her to continue.
Sheesh.
“Darlene is fifty-four, she’s been married four times, no kids, and is sleeping with the husband of the nursery teacher,” Pen reeled off. “She thinks nobody knows, but everyone knows.”
“I didn’t know,” I grumbled.
“You never asked,” she replied, then returned once again to Ellie. “Everyoneknows.”
Ellie’s eyebrows shot up. “Even the wife?”
“Even his wife.” Pen nodded sagely. “I don’t know how she lives with it.”
“Does he know his wife knows?” Ellie tapped furiously at her phone.
“I’d be surprised if he didn’t. Then again, the man is dense as hell, so there’s every chance he thinks he’s a complete secret.”
I eyed Ellie. “What are you doing?”
