BooksBarbecue
Back One Winter Morning Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. By the same author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. Acknowledgements
  54. Read More
  55. Two Years Later
  56. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘She’s wanted to go there forever, but Bon never has the time and, well, I reckon Tui deserves a treat, you know, what with having to do Christmas without her mum.’

I know only too well how awful that is.

‘Sounds like fun,’ I tell him, but Kit is looking thoughtful now, his index finger rubbing at the groove in his stubbly chin.

‘I know,’ he says. ‘Why don’t you come with us?’

I open my mouth, but Kit immediately starts to talk over me.

‘Before you make up some lame excuse, it would really help me out. Tui loves spending time with you, and it would mean I have someone to drink with in the evening, after she’s gone to bed. And you need to see more of this bloody beautiful country,’ he adds. ‘I owe you a Chrissy present anyway, and how often do you get an invite that includes penguins?’

I have to agree that it’s not very often.

‘Go on, then – come with us. We’ll have a hoot, I’m telling ya.’

I can’t help but think back to my conversation with Hayley that morning, and how she keeps joking that Kit sounds ‘delectable’. God only knows how she’ll react when I tell her this.

‘OK,’ I agree, my smile of acceptance mirroring his own of victory. ‘But only if Tui agrees.’

‘Oh, she will.’ Kit is already on his way back into the yard to ask her, and calls out the rest of his sentence over his shoulder.

‘Tui bloody loves you.’

Penguin walking logo

29

Bonnie

Moving from the hostel into the professor’s house had been a revelation for Bonnie. She no longer had to shower in a communal bathroom, or queue up to use a microwave, and her new landlord didn’t mind if she stuck up her photos on the walls, or put a load of washing through the machine. And then there was the television – something Bonnie had missed since the beginning of her trip, although she would have been loath to admit as much to anyone other than the professor himself. Bohemian backpacker types are not supposed to care about what’s happening on Neighbours, but Bonnie was only too aware of the fact that she was not, in any way, cool. Quite the opposite, in fact. What she was, she had quickly discovered, was a big fan of home comforts, and now that she lived with the professor in his charming little terraced house in north London, she had those in abundance.