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Chapter 36 - Timing

The novelty of having L as a houseguest was wearing off very quickly for Liam.

"God!" he remarked bleary eyed at breakfast two mornings later. "It's just type type type all night long. And then I ask him about ...you know...work and such, and he says he's not at liberty to talk about it. What kind of fun is that?"

"I don't know, cuz." Jamie contentedly reached for a piece of toast and began slathering it with Marmite. "I'm finding the sofa quite comfy myself."

"Yeah well, I don't see why I have to be in with...them." Jude turned red as he dug into a plate of baked beans on toast.

I shared a glance with Anne, knowing we hadn't wanted Jude to be by himself the last few days, which had been our argument why he needed to share the room with us. Obviously, he wasn't as comfortable with our choice.

"Oh Jude, c'mon, we haven't been leaving our bras out or anything. And you only come in at night and crash on the floor." Anne rolled her eyes and gave him a playful push. "There are several men who would kill to be in your place."

"Yep, I'm one of them." Jamie noted, receiving a glare from Liam.

"I'm going to assume that you are still waking up, and didn't mean to say that out loud." Liam warned his cousin, interrupting himself with a wide yawn. "Lord, I feel like I could sleep for days!"

"Being around L has that effect." I smirked, buttering my piece of toast.

"Where is he anyway?" Anne asked, opening a box of cereal. "I feel like I've hardly seen him!"

"Working." I explained. "A lot of research at the British Museum." L was working, it wasn't a lie. Lord knows where he would go. I'd gotten tired of the coming and going but really didn't know what to say about it. Do stop saving the world as often as you do, the people can fend for themselves for once? I shuddered imagining the look I would get after a comment like that.

"I think all he does is work!" Liam groaned, dropping his weary head on the table. "And eat...Lord does he eat."

"Maybe you should join him in that." Jamie teased tossing Liam an apple that just missed his head.

Anne picked up the bruised fruit that had rolled to a stop in front of her exhausted fiancé. "If he's going to start eating like L, he would skip this stuff entirely."

"Yeah but he needs to eat up so Cay can make a few bob." Jamie answered. "After all, the sweets shop down the way and Averill's Bakery have been making a pretty penny this week so far, haven't they?"

"He still won't sell tomatoes." Jude grumbled. "Said the vegetable dealer's cornered the market on them."

"That's the trouble with Caleb." Liam's cousin sighed. "He won't try to be competitive with the other traders in the market. It's probably why he's still as poor as a church mouse."

"Hey, at least he's honest." Anne defended him. "He doesn't want to cheat anyone. That's something to admire, you know."

Their talk of Caleb made me feel awful again. He still hadn't been by the house and he was proving impossible to catch at his stall. I couldn't see why he was so offended by L. It seemed that he had lost respect for me for remaining friends with him which if true was quite unfortunate because it wasn't like it was going to change.

"Where the hell has Caleb been anyway?" Liam lifted his head up, exasperated. "You used to be able to time the exact second he'd roll in here for lunchtime every day. Now he's bloody disappeared!"

"He's around." Jude spoke up then, setting down his fork. "Just doesn't want to really come here right now."

The guilt overrode my sensibilities as I quickly stood up to take my dish and glass to the sink while my best friend asked Jude why that was even though I was certain she knew.