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‘Well, I just did,’ blustered Dominic, wiping his nose with the back of his hand and shuffling nervously. ‘But well done for keeping her on her toes.’
‘I’ve never kept Hannah anywhere,’ said Rob mildly, wondering what it might be like to drag this idiot round the garden by his scrotum. ‘She’s very much her own woman.’
‘I hear she’s quite handy on the tennis court too.’
Rob nodded and smiled. ‘She’s a great player.’
Dominic snorted out a laugh. ‘Meanwhile I hear that YOU play like your arms and legs are in traction.’
Rob shook his head, refusing to give Dominic the satisfaction of seeing him get riled. ‘Well, I guess that makes me lucky to have Hannah as my partner.’
‘Shame you’re not here for the tournament on Friday,’ said Dominic, lighting another cigarette. ‘I’m playing with your dad’s neighbour Clara, who is an absolute ride but also dogshit at tennis. Might have been up for a little wager.’
Rob narrowed his eyes. ‘What kind of wager?’
‘A gentlemen’s bet between professionals,’ said Dominic, blowing smoke in Rob’s face. ‘Put a bit of money on which couple does better. Make the whole tedious business a bit more interesting.’
Rob shrugged. ‘Sadly we’re leaving tomorrow. Also I’m not a gambling man.’
‘Ah yes, I forgot,’ sneered Dominic. ‘What was that cult you grew up in?’
‘It was a church, actually.’
Dominic leaned over to refill his glass from the bottle he’d propped in the branches of the lemon tree, not bothering to offer Rob any even though his glass was empty. ‘All churches are fucking cults.’
‘If you say so.’ Honestly, this guy was the worst. How could he possibly share DNA with Joyce, who was so funny and charming? Maybe she’d found Dominic in a forest, being raised by feral pigs.
‘What kind of legal work do you do, anyway?’ asked Dominic, eyeing Rob beadily.
Rob kept his face deadpan, wondering if Hannah had any plans to rescue him. ‘I’ll tell you what, can we not talk about work? I’m on holiday.’
‘What else is there?’ said Dominic loudly. ‘I’ve already told you about my job and my cars, and I’m definitely not allowed to talk about how much I’d like a go on your wife. What’s left? Your dog?’
Rob moved a little closer and saw Dominic flinch, like he was fully expecting a punch in the face. Scrumpy scrambled from his position by the tree and parked himself by his master’s side, his furry superhero sidekick. ‘Could you excuse me for a minute?’
‘Sure,’ said Dominic, already pulling out his phone to find more interesting conversation, or probably call his dealer.
Rob walked back to the table and stood beside Hannah, just as Joyce appeared with a cloth to wipe the now-empty table. Hannah tilted her head up to smile at him, setting off the butterflies in his stomach again. Maybe he was still hungry.
‘Are you sure we can’t help?’ he asked. Joyce wafted him away, so Rob turned to Hannah and lowered his voice. ‘Can we talk for a sec?’ He nodded his head towards the overgrown terrace by the kitchen door.
‘Sure,’ said Hannah, standing up and following him. Scrumpy trotted behind them and took the opportunity to give the rubbish bag another sniff. ‘Is everything OK?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine. Dominic, however, is a sexist prick who’s being incredibly disrespectful to my beautiful wife.’
Hannah laughed. ‘I gathered that much over dinner. AND he keeps looking at my legs.’
Rob seethed. ‘He’s a coked-up, entitled little shit. He needs putting back in his box.’
‘Well, that’s easy,’ shrugged Hannah. ‘Since he still thinks you’re Graham, you could take him on at tennis.’
Rob grinned. ‘Wait, are you thinking of staying for the tennis tournament? Doesn’t that mess with your plans?’
‘Not really,’ she shrugged. ‘It’s only one extra day, and it would be nice to spend more time with Dad. We can leave straight afterwards.’
Rob exhaled, wondering whether there were other women on the planet who were this relaxed and easy-going, or if Hannah was a one-off. ‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘This is going to be fun.’
‘You’re going to be nice about it, right? I know Dominic is awful, but Joyce is my dad’s friend.’
