Leaving Aunty May, who inexplicably wanted to spend some time with her sister, back in the shop, Tip and Steve headed back to the car park in an awkward silence. Now that Steve had finally realized Tip wasn’t best pleased with him, he was keeping his distance. Tip was dismayed to discover that was much worse than the annoyance itself.
Once they’d climbed into the car, Steve looked at Tip. “So, er, where to?”
Tip sighed. Suddenly he felt very, very tired. “I think I’d like to go home. To the café—I’ve got a room in the farmhouse. You know, Janey and Mike’s place.”
As Steve nodded sadly, Tip discovered a whole new seam of self-loathing in the worked-out mine of his soul. “Or,” he found himself blurting out, “we could go for lunch together somewhere? I haven’t had a proper meal in days.” R
