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Stop staring, I told Patrick silently

Finally, he caught my eye and looked away He looked furious

I fed Will another piece, and then solance at it I had, I realized in that moment, become so attuned to Will’s needs that I barely needed to look at him to work out what he wanted Patrick, opposite, ate with his head down, cutting the s them with his fork He left his bread

‘So, Patrick,’ Will said, perhaps sensing my discomfort ‘Louisa tells me you’re a personal trainer What does that involve?’

I so wished he hadn’t asked Patrick launched into his sales spiel, all about personal motivation and how a fit bodyschedule for the Xtre – the temperatures of the North Sea, the body fat ratios needed for , his best times in each discipline I normally tuned out at this point, but all I could think of noith Will beside me, was how inappropriate it was Why couldn’t he have just said soue and left it at that?

‘In fact, when Lou said you were coht I’d take a look at my books and see if there was any physio I could recone ‘It’s quite specialist, Patrick I’m not sure you’d really be the person’

‘I can do specialist I do sports injuries I have ’

‘This is not a sprained ankle, Pat Really’

‘There’s a o had a client as paraplegic He’s almost fully recovered now, he says Does triathlons and everything’

‘Fancy,’ said my mother

‘He pointed me to this new research in Canada that says et theh, every day, it’s like a brain synapse – it can coime, you could see a difference in your muscle memory After all, Lou tells me you were quite the actionabout it’

‘I was just trying to –’

‘Well don’t Really’

The table fell silent Dad coughed, and excused himself for it Granddad peered around the table in wary silence

Mum made as if to offer everyone e her ain, there was a faint air of ht be helpful But I’ll say no more about it’

Will looked up and smiled, his face blank, polite ‘I’ll certainly bear it into escape the table But Muirl,’ she said – as if she ever let anyone else do anything, anyway ‘Bernard Why don’t you go and get the chicken?’

‘Ha-ha Let’s hope it’s stopped flapping around now, eh?’ Dad srimace

The rest of the meal passed off without incident My parents, I could see, were completely chared another word Somewhere around the point where Mu his usual thing of trying to steal extras – I stopped worrying Dad was asking Will all sorts, about his life before, even about the accident, and he seeh to answer him directly In fact, I learnt a fair bit that he’d never told me His job, for example, sounded pretty iht and sold co so It took Dad a few attempts to prise out of hiures I foundto reconcile the man I kneith this ruthless City suit that he now described Dad told him about the company that was about to take over the furniture factory, and when he said the naetically, and said that yes, he knew of theone for it too The way he said it didn’t sound proe fuss of hi theman at her table No wonder Patrick was pissed off

‘Birthday cake?’ Granddad said, as she began to clear the dishes

It was so distinct, so surprising, that Dad and I stared at each other in shock The whole table went quiet

‘No,’ I walked around the table and kissed him ‘No, Granddad Sorry But it is chocolate mousse You like that’

He nodded in approval MyI don’t think any of us could have had a better present

The e, square present, about the size of a telephone directory, wrapped in tissue

‘Presents, is it?’ Patrick said ‘Here Here’s mine’ He smiled at me as he placed it in the middle of the table

I raised a sue, after all

‘Go on,’ said Dad ‘Open it’

I opened theirs first, peeling the paper carefully away so that I didn’t tear it It was a photograph albue there was a picture from a year in irls; me on my first day at secondary school, all hairclips and oversized skirt More recently, there was a picture ofhirey skirt, es were pictures of our family by Thomas, letters that Mu of days on the beach, lost ice creah, and only hesitated briefly when I saw the girl with the long, dark flicked-back hair I turned the page

‘Can I see?’ Will said

‘It’s not been … the best year,’ Mues in front of his being what they are And then Granddad saw so your own presents, and I thought that was so’

‘It does, Mum’ My eyes had filled with tears ‘I love it Thank you’

‘Granddad picked out some of the pictures,’ she said

‘It’s beautiful,’ said Will