I walked into the back room to find them both staring gloomily at a back wheel that, even to my untrained eye, looked a bit bent out of shape. "Is it supposed to look like that?" I blurted out.
It was Adam who answered. "Nuh-uh. 'S buggered." He heaved a heavy sigh and patted Matt on the shoulder. "Gotta go. See y' t'night?"
Matt seemed a bit subdued for some reason, but he nodded and dredged up a smile. "Yeah. See you, Adam." Then he bent his head back down to his work while Adam plodded out through the shop.
Adam's arms were too long for his body, I noticed as I watched him go-his hands were almost down by his knees, and seemed over-large. His legs, in contrast, were short and stubby, and slightly bowed. All he needed was a slightly thicker coat of body hair, and possibly a banana, and the resemblance to an orangutan would be complete.
"He's a good mate, Adam is," Matt said, making me jump a little. Had he noticed me staring at his friend?
"Um," I said self-consciously. "I was wondering, what do you and Jay normally do for lunch? When it's not half-day closing, I mean? Do you close for lunch?"
Matt looked up, his eyebrows disappearing under his shaggy fringe. "Oh, no. I mean, it's a busy time, lunch. Jay always brings stuff and eats it when he can. I mean, I get an hour off, but … " He trailed off a bit awkwardly. "If you want me to stay, you know, that's fine."
"You mean you're willing to sacrifice your lunch hour for the useless newbie? No, don't worry about it-but if you could hold the fort while I go and find some sandwiches or something, I'd appreciate it. Er, any suggestions as to where to get a sandwich around here?"
Matt looked a bit doubtful. "Well, there's Asda … I always make my own."
"I gave up on that years ago. There's only so many days in a row you can stomach cheese and pickle." Plus I'd had an unerring knack of getting the pickle on my tie.
"It's all right if you vary it a bit," Matt said, shrugging.
"Yes? What have you got today?" Maybe I could pick up some tips. Spending a fiver on lunch every day probably wasn't a great idea while I was without gainful employment.
"Carrot and hummus in a wholemeal wrap. With a bit of salad and stuff, obviously. And fruit salad for afters."
"You made all that yourself?" I calculated that must be at least three of his five fruit and/or veg a day. In one meal. I was pretty pleased with myself if I managed one.
"Yeah, it's dead easy, and it's way cheaper than buying food out. I do lunch for me and Steve every day. Course, he's not so keen on the veggie stuff-I had to put chicken in his."
My stomach rumbled. Lucky Steve. "I think that sort of thing's a bit beyond my culinary skills," I said sadly. "I'm still at the 'How to Boil an Egg' stage."
"I could do you too, if you like," Matt said, his soft brown eyes gazing at me.
What? "Er, pardon?"
"Lunch. I could make some for you, if you like. I mean, I'd have to ask for a quid or two for the ingredients, depending on what it was-but it'd be just as easy, making three. And it'd save you going out for stuff."
"I couldn't put you to all that trouble … " I trailed off so he'd know I was only being polite. I was having to hold myself back from biting his oily hand off. In a manner of speaking.
"Nah, it's no trouble. We can start tomorrow, if you like." He smiled. "Or do you want a bite of my wrap first so you know what you're getting into?"
Why did everything he said have to sound like a double-entendre? At this rate, I'd have to nip to the loo and, ahem, adjust myself. "No, that's quite all right," I protested.
"Go on," he encouraged, wiping his hands on a rag. He grabbed a brown paper bag from the side and withdrew a foil-wrapped package, which he started to undress.
Great. Now my treacherous, sex-starved brain had me salivating for a taste of Matt's package. "Seriously, you don't have to-"
Before I could finish speaking, a large, well-stuffed wrap was waved under my nose, mouth-watering smells coming from it. I bowed to the inevitable and tried to judge the size of my bite just right, reckoning that taking too little would seem just as rude as taking too much.
When I tasted it, I wished I'd been a little less restrained. It was delicious. Really, really delicious. Obviously, I'd had carrot and hummus before-Kate and I had sometimes bought packs of crudités from Marks and Spencer and eaten them in front of the telly. But this-this was different. The carrot was crisp and sweet, the hummus piquant and rich. The wrap itself tasted freshly baked, and the whole effect was not so much food as an almost religious taste experience. I had to hold myself back from groaning in a decidedly unseemly fashion.