by Linda Huber
Deliberately whistling to erase the ghost of Gareth from his mind, Rick pulled on shorts and was halfway into his t-shirt when a child’s voice floated up the stairs. Rick froze. A small child was crying down there, and hadn’t he heard that throaty, high-pitched wail before?
‘Ma-Mama!’
Jaden. It was. What the hell was Jaden doing here? Nausea rose in Rick’s gut. He was not going to confront Amanda with Ella and Soraya looking on. No way.
He crept downstairs and was sneaking towards the front door when he heard Ella telling Jaden that Mummy would be back soon. Cautiously, Rick put his head into the kitchen. Amanda was nowhere to be seen, but Jaden was vociferous enough for them both. Ella had him clutched on one hip, and Soraya was jumping up and down beside them, trying to attract Jaden’s attention. But the little boy was having none of it. Howls filled the air.
Ella pulled a face at him. ‘This is our new neighbour’s little boy – she was taken ill outside, so I drove her home. I said we’d look after Jaden for a bit but he’s not too happy about it, poor baby.’
‘Taken ill? How?’ Suspicion swirled round Rick’s head. Was this the start of some kind of payback by Amanda?
‘She was sick,’ said Soraya. ‘Into the drain outside and again in the toilet when she was back in her house. It was yuk.’
‘Dodgy curry last night, apparently. She thought she’d got over it but she hadn’t, poor soul.’ Ella turned so that Jaden’s face was visible. ‘Say hello to Rick, Jaden.’
To Rick’s horror Jaden recognised him immediately and held out frantic arms.
‘Well! How does it feel to be Mr Popularity?’ said Ella, handing the child over and staring as Jaden snuggled into Rick’s chest.
‘I guess I look like someone he knows,’ said Rick weakly. ‘Hello, Jaden. So she really was ill, this woman?’
Ella gaped at him. ‘What an odd thing to ask. She was sick and she was burning up, too. And as it looks like you’re chief babysitter I’ll get off to the supermarket, shall I?’
‘I want to stay with Jaden,’ said Soraya.
Rick forced a grin. ‘Excellent idea. Why don’t you take some toys into the living room and we’ll see if he wants to play?’
Jaden on his knee, he perched on the edge of the sofa as Soraya spread a selection of toys on the floor. The situation was farcical. Here he was, clutching his (probable) expected child’s older half-brother and encouraging him to interact with the child he’d adopted almost by accident. Or was adopting, anyway. The thought that the adoption was in no way final did nothing for Rick’s sense of well-being. He would have to get out of this mess.
Jaden was calm now, watching from the safety of Rick’s knee as Soraya play-acted with a couple of soft toys.
‘Come down on the floor, Jaden,’ she wheedled, patting the rug by her side.
Rick tried to sit the little boy beside her, but Jaden screamed.
‘Jay-jayjay!’ He scrambled back into Rick’s arms as Soraya shrieked with laughter.
‘Isn’t he funny! It’s Ja – den. Can you say that? Ja – den.’
Jaden was gripping Rick’s t-shirt with plump fists, his small body shaking.
Rick turned on Soraya, fury and frustration hardening his voice. ‘For heaven’s sake, Soraya, don’t be so noisy! You’re frightening him!’
Soraya’s face fell a mile and a half and she rose stiffly and went out to the kitchen. Rick could have kicked himself. Noisy or not, Soraya was the best distraction he had for Jaden.
‘Bring some biscuits, sweetheart,’ he called. ‘Maybe Jaden’s hungry.’
Fortunately this appealed to Soraya and a few minutes later both children were sitting on the living room floor clutching custard creams. A biscuit, it seemed, made all the difference. Rick sat watching as Soraya showed Jaden her toys, feeling as if he’d run a marathon that morning and not 5K. All this stress wasn’t good for him, and now Ella had started a baby-sitting service for Amanda… He needed to plan what to do when the inevitable happened and he and Amanda came face to face. And what had she told Ella, anyway?
Thinking time, that was what he needed. Alone. He would either start concreting in the shed, or get right away for the afternoon, depending on what arrangement Ella had made to return Jaden. But whatever happened, he wasn’t going to allow Amanda to confront him today.
It was after eleven before Ella reappeared, by which time the two children were new best friends and Rick was dancing with impatience. He seized the bag of freezer food and started to transfer the contents.
‘What are we doing about Jaden?’ he said, moving to let Ella into the grocery cupboard.
‘I said I’d give him lunch and take him home for his nap. Apparently he sleeps till after two. But I’ll call Amanda first and check she’s up for it.’
‘Look! He likes me! And he can say his name, can’t you, Jay-jayjay?’ Soraya was standing in the doorway, Jaden by her side.
The little boy toddled over to Rick and held up his arms. ‘Jay-jayjay!’
Soraya shrieked with laughter again and Rick snapped. ‘I told you to be quieter around him!’
Ella glared and Rick closed his eyes. How had this turned into his fault? ‘Sorry, Soraya. It’s okay.’
Ella hugged Soraya. ‘Would you like to make lunch for Jaden while I phone Amanda?’
Rick stood helplessly as Ella put water on for pasta and gave Soraya a lump of cheese to grate. So the two women had exchanged phone numbers. This was exactly what he didn’t need. Ella raised her eyebrows, indicating that he should oversee proceedings in the kitchen, and moved into the hallway with her phone. Rick leaned on the door frame and listened to her side of the conversation.
‘Hi, how are you?... Good… He’s fine, very attached to my husband… Are you sure?... Okay, be with you in half an hour.’
‘She’s feeling better. I’ll take him home after he’s eaten,’ said Ella, coming back into the kitchen.
‘Can I come too?’
Soraya was jumping up and down again and Rick felt impotence wash through him. How had they ended up Amanda’s best friends in the neighbourhood? It was either a horrible coincidence, or Amanda had orchestrated the entire thing – though the sickness had apparently been genuine. But at least he wouldn’t have to see her today.
And here he was, Jaden on his knee, eating pasta penne as if nothing was wrong.
‘You’re so good with him,’ said Ella, when the meal was over. ‘Maybe next year you’ll be having lunch with our own little boy on your knee.’
Rick managed to smile back – she was trying to make peace. The car containing Ella and the two children drove off, and he paced up and down, unable to concentrate on anything but dread of what his wife might soon be hearing.
It was half an hour before they returned, and Rick could tell by the way she slammed the car door that Ella was upset. He grasped the back of a kitchen chair, bracing for the storm, and was astounded when she walked straight in and hugged him.
‘Oh Rick, the most horrible thing. Remember a few weeks ago a guy disappeared on a walking tour on the south coast? That was Amanda’s husband. Poor soul, she doesn’t have a clue where he is. The police think he drowned, but there’s no proof he didn’t disappear voluntarily, so she has a load of hassle with the authorities. It’s holding up her pension and everything. And she’s pregnant, and he didn’t even know about the baby. It’s awful for her – we’ll need to help as much as we can.’
Rick patted her back, dismay filling his head. Hassle with the authorities was something he hadn’t reckoned with. He’d been imagining Amanda secure with a widow’s pension and lots of insurance money, but it didn’t sound as if that was the case. This would be why she had tracked him down. She wanted money, and all she had to do to get it was announce the fact that the coming baby was his. That would ruin his marriage, and their chances of adopting Soraya. And if it ever came to light that Gareth was under the garden shed…
But that was something he really didn’t want to th
ink about.
Chapter Six
Sunday 22nd – Monday 23rd June
‘You’ve got your hands full today!’
Ella rose from the cushion she was kneeling on to weed the vegetable patch, and rubbed her back, smiling ruefully at Owen on the other side of the fence. Soraya and Jaden were running around with a ball, and Rick had shut himself in the shed with a wheelbarrow full of concrete. It couldn’t be easy working in such cramped conditions, she thought, joining Owen at the fence. She’d suggested leaving the concrete, but Rick had nearly snapped her head off. He’d been in a funny mood all weekend, and she could understand why. All he’d wanted was to adopt a little boy, and here they were looking after what must surely be her husband’s dream child. Rick and Jaden had an amazing rapport, when you considered they’d met for the first time yesterday. Having Jaden here was tough on Rick, but what else could she have done? She’d phoned Amanda that morning to check that everything was all right, only to hear that the other woman had been up most of the night with nausea. Amanda leapt at Ella’s offer to baby-sit for a few hours.
‘He lives down the road; his mum’s not too well,’ she said to Owen.
Soraya ran over, her fringe damp with sweat, and jigged about in front of the fence.
‘And his dad went for a walk and he never came home again,’ she said, then turned to Ella, her face full of anguish. ‘Why didn’t he? Didn’t he want to be with Jaden?’
Ella put her hand on Soraya’s hot cheek. ‘Oh sweetheart, I’m sure he did. It’s something that almost never happens and it’s so sad for Jaden and Amanda. We have to hope hard he’s all right.’
But Amanda was hoping no such thing; Ella had seen it in the younger woman’s eyes. Amanda was convinced her husband was dead. It was a bad situation and Soraya was finding it difficult to deal with. She scowled at Ella now, but Jaden called and she ran off immediately, her face clearing.
‘Not so easy,’ said Owen, and Ella had to fight to keep the tears back. What with Rick’s oddness and Soraya’s neediness, she felt as if no one in the world was in her corner.
‘Sorry,’ she said, fishing in her shorts for a tissue. ‘I’m a bit emotional – having Soraya here’s a dream come true, and now this poor woman…’
She told Owen all about it – the relief to have another adult to talk to was incredible. It was weeks since she’d discussed the adoption with anyone other than Rick and Liz.
‘Maybe you can find someone else to help Amanda too?’ suggested Owen. ‘I’m not saying you should abandon her, especially as Soraya and Jaden get on so well, but I think you’re taking on a lot here.’
He was right, thought Ella, feeling the stress slide off her shoulders as they talked. She should see if one of the other neighbours could lend Amanda a hand; helping Soraya adjust was using up all her own energy. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen her friends for ages either. She shouldn’t be giving up her social life for Soraya, that would do no one any good.
Owen hadn’t known that Soraya was adopted, and asked several questions. He was divorced, she learned, and his wife had kept their flat near Newquay, where his job was still based. And as one of his previous police jobs had involved working with deprived youngsters, he was aware of problems that parents and children face in difficult situations. ‘Why don’t you and Caroline come for dinner one night next week?’ Ella suggested. ‘It would be lovely to have time for a proper chat.’
‘I’m sure Mum would love that,’ said Owen, staring at Rick who had emerged from the shed with a red face and was yelling at Soraya. ‘I’ll get back to you, will I?’
‘Yes, I’ll – sorry.’ Ella loped across the garden, sweeping up a howling Jaden as she went. ‘What in the name of all that’s sensible is going on?’ she snapped as Rick paused to draw breath.
Soraya was standing mutely, her posture stiff with fear, and Ella gripped the child’s shoulder, conscious that for once Jaden was cuddling into her neck and not agitating to go to Rick. Thank goodness Owen’d had the tact to go inside, an audience was the last thing she needed here.
‘That bloody ball’s shaking the whole bloody shed - ’
Ella felt her own temper explode. ‘Please don’t swear. And that’s no reason to shout – if the ball was disturbing you why on earth didn’t you tell Soraya to play somewhere else?’
He glared at her. ‘I asked her repeatedly but she ignored me. And all the shrieking she does, that’s hardly normal, is it? I think you should do what that teacher suggested and get her on some kind of medication. I can’t take any more of this.’ He strode towards the house.
Ella stood trembling. Was she supposed to pick up the pieces now? And how horrible, she couldn’t even comfort Soraya properly because she was holding another woman’s child. Her knees were shaking but she bent and pulled the little girl towards her.
‘Daddy’s upset. He shouldn’t have shouted, and you shouldn’t have banged the ball on the shed after he’d asked you not to,’ she said, trying to meet Soraya’s eye and failing. ‘You were both wrong and when you’ve calmed down you can both say sorry and make up. You play quietly with Jaden while I put my stuff away and then we’ll go inside. You can help me make dinner.’
Feeling as if she’d run to Land’s End and back, Ella collected her tools and took them to the shed. For a moment she stood motionless, staring at the chaos inside. Rick had insisted he was fully capable of ‘slapping down some concrete’. But the grey mass covering half the floor was uneven and patchy, and there were lumps everywhere. But this maybe wasn’t the best time to complain about the shed floor.
Ella closed the door on the mess and reached for a hand of each child. She led them at Jaden’s speed towards the house, only just managing to control her anger. Look at poor Soraya’s face, dejected didn’t come into it. Rick’s behaviour was intolerable, but somehow she’d have to calm things down for them to arrive at some kind of peace before bedtime. The first thing was to get Jaden, who was probably the innocent cause of Rick’s outburst, out of the equation. Ella reached for her phone to tell Amanda they were on their way.
The walk downhill with Soraya, who was still silent, and a sleepy Jaden – thank heavens he was too young to tell his mother about the scene he’d witnessed – gave Ella some much-needed thinking time. She mustn’t make this more important than it was – Soraya had been disobedient and Rick had lost his temper, that was all. His remark about medication had been a bit over the top, but hopefully Soraya hadn’t understood. Ella glanced down at the little girl, who was walking beside the buggy, no sign of her usual exuberance, and cursed Rick. All this aggro over a ball… or was he worried about something else, too? She still didn’t know what was going on at his work. Perhaps her idea of smoothing things down until the adoption was finalised wasn’t such a good one after all. They would have to talk tonight.
Amanda was waiting at the street door when they arrived, still pale but looking more cheerful. ‘Thanks a million. Was he good?’
‘An angel,’ said Ella, managing to smile as she jerked her head towards Soraya, who was a few feet away, staring towards the sea. ‘Unlike some. I hope you have a better night.’
Soraya remained silent on the way home. At the gate Ella kissed the child’s head. ‘It’s all right, sweetie. Families have fights, it happens. The important thing is to make up afterwards.’
‘Uncle Ben never shouted at me.’
Ella tried to sound positive and uplifting. ‘Auntie Mel and Uncle Ben are foster parents. It’s their job to be good at looking after children. You and me and Daddy are just normal people, so we make mistakes sometimes. It’s not a big deal, okay? You can say sorry to Daddy now and he’ll do the same.’ I hope, she added inwardly.
Rick was sitting at the kitchen table with yesterday’s paper and a large whisky. His expression was both hostile and embarrassed.
‘Soraya has something to say and then you can reciprocate, please,’ said Ella, her heart thudding uncomfortably in her throat. She gave Soraya’s
hand an encouraging squeeze.
‘Sorry,’ mumbled Soraya, kicking the table leg.
Ella swallowed a smile as Rick’s face became almost as sheepish as his daughter’s. She raised her eyebrows at him.
‘I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have shouted,’ said Rick, after a pause that was long enough for Ella to wonder what on earth she would say if he didn’t apologise.
‘Good! Let’s make chicken and chips for tea. I think we could all do with a treat,’ said Ella, and Soraya brightened immediately.
In spite of Ella’s efforts the atmosphere at the table was strained, and by the time Soraya was safely in bed Ella felt as if she’d been trampled by a herd of elephants. She read the little girl a bedtime story and went downstairs to find Rick in the middle of another very large whisky.
‘You’ll regret that in the morning,’ she said lightly, stopping to give his shoulders a rub before pouring herself some wine. She sank into an armchair and raised her glass to Rick. He gave her the most ironic look in the world before raising his own.
‘Let it go, Ella,’ he said, taking a large swallow. ‘It’s done, forget it. We don’t need to sit discussing my lack of parenting skills all evening.’
‘No problem,’ said Ella. ‘It’s a stressful time for us all. I noticed you’d had problems with the concrete – shall we get someone in to finish it off? That would take some of the strain away from you.’