BooksBarbecue
Back Fancy Meeting You Here
Chapters (52)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. DEDICATION
  3. PART ONE
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. PART TWO
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. FORTY-FOUR
  49. FORTY-FIVE
  50. FORTY-SIX
  51. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  52. ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Grabbing her phone to make some notes, she noticed the date. It was her parents’ wedding anniversary next Thursday. She had to do something to avert the annual disaster of her father either completely forgetting or buying a mildly offensive gift, like a new iron. Smiling, she opened her iMessage app.

image Evie: Benny, you free to help me with a crazy scheme on Thursday?

image Benny: Sure. They don’t call me Ben Crazy Scheme Feldman for nothing!

‘So, let me get this straight. You’re putting on a romantic dinner for your parents, pretending your dad organised it, all to prevent a divorce that you have no idea will actually happen?’ Ben asked. He was standing in the kitchen next to Evie, wearing a Donnie Darko tee and faded blue jeans. He grabbed a handful of chocolate popcorn from the bowl in the centre of the table—Evie had already followed through with point six of her list—and shoved it in his mouth.

Evie chopped a carrot on the benchtop with a little too much vehemence. ‘I do have an idea. In fact, I am one hundred per cent certain that if I don’t intervene my parents will get divorced, mainly due to the fact that my dad is pissed off that my mum is still miffed about moving to London, and my mum is over keeping her family together on her own. So they’re destined to live unhappily ever after, dating inadequate people who are far too young for them and spending their retirement alone and eating oily Chinese takeaway night after night,’ Evie said, her messy top knot flapping with each cathartic knife stroke.

‘That’s a very specific fear,’ Ben said mildly.

It was early afternoon on the day of Peter and Anna’s anniversary. The sun was shining through the kitchen window, and Evie knew both her parents would be at work for the next couple of hours. Her plan was simple. Cook a romantic feast for two, and make her mum think that her dad had orchestrated the whole thing. Easy! She and Ben had spent the morning they had set aside to plan their first podcast shopping at the local supermarket and cooking all of Anna’s favourite foods.

‘You’ve been acting weird recently, Berry,’ Ben said, beginning to whip eggs for the souffle.

‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Just an observation.’ He shrugged. ‘You okay?’

‘I guess I’ve been a bit off,’ Evie admitted.

Ben raised his eyebrows, silently prodding her to continue.