The Shop Girls of Lark Lane

by Pam Howes

  ‘I can,’ Brian said. ‘After you spoke to her yesterday about you and Jack getting married she told me she wants to go and live at Granny’s house and not in the new flat with us. She said Granny doesn’t like Jack so she doesn’t have to like him either. You can bet your life she’s said something to Granny today after school.’

  Alice frowned. ‘Well, Granny didn’t say anything to me when I went to pick Cathy up after work. But she was a bit funny with me, although I put that down to the conversation I had with her on Monday. I hope she’s not been poisoning Cathy’s mind with lies. I’m going to have to have a word with her.’

  Jack came back into the room carrying his plate of seconds. ‘I’d leave it, Alice. I overheard what you both just said. Cathy will come round to the idea soon enough. We’ll have to put our foot down. We can’t let a kiddie ruin our plans. We’ve got Brian to think about as well. It’s not fair that he should miss out just because Cathy wants her own way. If you drag Terry’s mam into it even more, you don’t know what she might say to upset things further. Let’s just keep things close to our chest for now.’

  Alice chewed her lip. She wasn’t used to someone telling her how to deal with her own child, and she wasn’t too sure how to react. But maybe Jack was right, and she didn’t want to undermine him. He’d be having some say in how their household was run in the future, so best to start how they meant to go on.

  ‘Okay.’ She got up to clear the table. ‘Shall I make her something to eat then, or what?’

  ‘Just make her some toast and then get her to bed,’ he said. ‘She needs to learn that she can’t have it all her own way, or we’ll make a rod for our backs before we even start our new life.’

  Brian got to his feet and helped Alice clear the plates away.

  ‘Thanks, Brian. You get off upstairs and do your homework now. I’ll see you later. Millie and Jimmy will be here soon.’

  Jack finished his scouse and brought the plate into the kitchen. He dropped it into the sink of soapy water.

  ‘I’ll make Cathy’s toast,’ he said. ‘Where’s the bread?’

  Alice nodded towards the breadbin. ‘She likes a mug of cocoa before bed too. She might as well have it to fill her up a bit and then I can get her settled before Jimmy and Millie arrive.’

  ‘I’ll do it, gel,’ Jack said. ‘You finish off in here and then we’re ready for our visitors. She might play you up if she sees you again.’

  Alice wasn’t sure that was a good idea but she kept her mouth shut and let Jack get on with it. After all, he’d be helping her with the kids once they moved so he might as well get used to it.

  * * *

  Jack carried the small mug of cocoa, a plate with one slice of buttered toast balanced on top, into the front room. Cathy looked up at him as he came inside and kicked the door closed again with his foot. Her eyes wide with fear, she shuffled back into her chair and whimpered, ‘I want my mammy.’

  ‘Mammy’s busy,’ he said. ‘Now get this down you and then you are going up to bed.’ He lowered his voice to a threatening whisper. ‘And you listen to me, young lady, don’t you ever go telling your granny anything you see or hear in this house or in our new flat. I don’t like kids that tell tales. Do you hear me?’

  Cathy nodded tearfully.

  ‘Right,’ he continued quietly. ‘Any nonsense from you in the future and I will send you away to the naughty girls’ home. Me and your mam are getting married, whether you like it or not, understand?’ He pointed to her mouth. ‘You keep that shut or I’ll give you something to cry for. Now eat that toast, drink your cocoa and I’ll be back in a few minutes to take you up to bed, and I might read you a story if you’re good. We don’t want to hear a peep out of you tonight, right?’

  He left the room and went back into the kitchen, where Alice was wiping the pots.

  ‘Is she all right?’ she asked, a worried look on her face.

  ‘Smashing, gel. She’s eating her toast and I said I’d take her up to bed and read her a story before Millie and Jimmy arrive.’ He slipped his arms around Alice’s waist from behind and nuzzled her neck. ‘Don’t you worry, chuck. I think me and Cathy are going to get on just fine.’

  13

  Brian was in his bedroom studying and Cathy was tucked up in bed after Jack had read her Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In her own bedroom, Alice stood on tiptoe in front of the mirror that was a bit too high on the wall. Terry had hung it there to suit his height and not hers. She hadn’t got around to moving it yet and she supposed there was no point now if they were off to pastures new very soon. She brushed her hair, touched up her lippy and then got changed into a full-skirted navy and white dress she kept for best and that Jack had told her he liked a while ago.

  Cathy called out to her as she was going down the stairs. Jack had nipped out to the off-licence on Lark Lane for a bottle of sherry for Alice and Millie and some brown ale for him and Jimmy. Alice went into Cathy’s room and saw that her daughter was sobbing into her pillow. She sat down on the bed and Cathy clung to her neck, tangling her hands into Alice’s hair.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Alice said, trying to prise her hands loose.

  ‘I want my daddy,’ Cathy howled. ‘Not Jack. He’s nasty. I want my proper daddy.’

  Alice choked back the lump in her throat. ‘I’m sorry, Cathy, but you know Daddy isn’t coming back. You have to be a brave girl. You’ve got Brian and me and Granny, and Jack, who will love you just as much as Daddy did.’

  ‘I don’t want Jack,’ Cathy screamed so loud that Brian came hurrying out of his room, a worried look on his face.

  ‘What’s up with her?’

  ‘She wants Terry,’ Alice said, feeling helpless as a knock at the door sounded. ‘Go down and let Millie and Jimmy in, Brian. Jack’s gone out to the off-licence.’

  Brian ran down the stairs and Alice heard him letting their visitors in, then Jack’s voice greeting them too. He must have arrived back as Brian let them in.

  ‘I need to go down now,’ she said to Cathy. ‘Would you like to go and sleep in Brian’s room for a while?’

  Cathy nodded and wiped her tears away on the corner of the sheet.

  Brian came back upstairs as Alice settled Cathy on his bed with her teddy bear. ‘I’ll transfer her to her own bed later,’ she whispered to Brian. ‘I don’t think it’ll be too long before she falls asleep. Just keep an eye on her and let me know if she cries.’

  Alice ran down the stairs and greeted her friends. Millie was flushed with excitement and Jimmy was smiling broadly. At least someone was happy, she thought as she told them to sit down while they sorted out drinks. She followed Jack into the back room, got the glasses out of the sideboard cupboard and put them on the table.

  ‘What were you doing?’ Jack asked as he poured a measure of sherry into two small glasses and filled two bigger ones with ale. ‘Why did Brian let us all in?’

  ‘I was settling Cathy down. She was crying for Terry. I’ve put her in Brian’s room for now.’ She left out the comments that Cathy had made about Jack being nasty. He’d read her a story while Alice was with them and Jack had been nothing but kind to her daughter. It would only cause trouble if she told him.

  Jack nodded. ‘You’re too soft with her, Alice. She runs rings around you. You need to be a bit firmer.’

  Alice took a deep breath. ‘I’m trying. She’s had a lot of changes to deal with. We need to be a bit more patient with her.’

  Jack picked up the glasses of ale and indicated for her to carry the sherry. Alice sensed he was angry by the colour that flushed up his neck, and felt like piggy in the middle. She was sure that Cathy would be fine, eventually; it would take time for them all to adjust. Jack wasn’t used to kids, but he’d learn to be patient, she hoped.

  ‘How long do you think it will be before you can move into the Legion?’ Jimmy asked after he and Millie had agreed that the price Mr Shaw had suggested was a good one for the house. His dad, who owned a couple of properties in Blackpool
, had recently sold one of them and had offered the money to his son and Millie as an interest-free loan to buy Alice’s house. ‘We have the money waiting in the bank to buy this place. So we’re ready to move as soon as you are.’

  ‘You need to get a solicitor to sort out the legal side and transfer the deeds,’ Jack said. ‘And we’ll need one as well to make sure our side goes through smoothly. Me and Alice will go to the registry office and put the banns in tomorrow for the wedding. It takes twenty-eight days and then we can get married as soon as they can fit us in. We’ll book it tomorrow.’

  Alice nodded. ‘Yes, and then we can start planning. We’ll see if Arnold can suggest a good solicitor, Jack. And then he and Winnie can get the transfer sorted out for us to take over the Legion.’

  Jack nodded. ‘I reckon by early September it’ll all be done and dusted.’

  ‘We’ll raise our glasses to that then,’ Jimmy said as they all lifted their drinks in a toast. ‘Millie here can’t wait to be back near her mam and dad. Is there room for a shed out in the back garden, Jack? I’ve got quite a lot of tools to bring with me.’

  ‘There is. Come on, I’ll show you and we’ll have a fag out there while these two catch up on the gossip,’ Jack said.

  As the pair went outside Millie turned to Alice, her eyes shining. ‘I’m so excited, I can’t wait.’ She stopped and looked at Alice. ‘You okay? You’re a bit quiet tonight.’

  Alice nodded. ‘I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind and there’s so much to do.’

  ‘I’ll bet. The wedding to plan, the move to sort out and then getting to grips with the business and your lovely new flat. Are Brian and Cathy excited?’

  Alice chewed her lip. ‘Brian is. Cathy, well, I’m not too sure.’ She looked over her shoulder to make sure Jack was still outside and told Millie about Cathy’s outbursts. ‘Don’t say anything to him. I can’t work out if he’s upset about it or just really annoyed. Terry’s mother is fuming about the whole affair. She’s pretty much washed her hands of me, but said she’ll still help me with Cathy.’ Alice told Millie what else Granny had said on Monday.

  Millie puffed out her cheeks. ‘She obviously sees Jack as replacing Terry in your lives and it must hurt. But it’s unfair to hold grudges and blame Jack for something that wasn’t his fault. He’ll be feeling really bad deep down and he doesn’t need her to keep bringing the bike accident up and neither do you. No wonder Cathy is acting up. Maybe Granny is saying things out of order to her when you’re not there. Making out that Jack’s the bad man in all this.’

  Alice shrugged. ‘Maybe she is, but how would I know? I’m not there when she has Cathy all to herself.’

  ‘Can’t you get someone else to pick Cathy up from school and look after her for a few hours and then just let her visit Granny once a week with you in tow? That way you can keep an eye on things. Keep an ear open for anything said that you feel is out of order and nip it in the bud right away.’

  ‘That’s a good idea, Millie. Maybe Debbie’s mother would do it for me and Marlene might do the odd time too. She’s at a loose end now she’s not working at Rootes. Once we’re in the flat they could always drop her off with Jack. Debbie’s house is just around the corner from the Legion. Cathy can play out in the garden then or sit at one of the tables and draw. There will be people around who could keep an eye on her until I got home. I’ll see what Jack says later after you and Jimmy have gone.’

  Millie raised an eyebrow. ‘Is Jack living here with you now then?’

  Alice blushed and looked at the ceiling. ‘No, he’s not. We haven’t even spent any time alone yet because of the kids. It’s all been such a rush since he proposed. But I’ve asked him to stay over on Saturday. There’ll be no kids around, thankfully.’

  Millie smiled. ‘And will it be your first time with him?’

  Alice nodded. ‘It will, and I feel very nervous about it. I’ve only ever been with Terry and we were still learning to please each other. I feel so naïve. What if Jack doesn’t like my body? He might compare me to other women he’s been with and then decide he doesn’t fancy me after all, and this will all be for nothing.’

  ‘Oh, Alice. Don’t be silly. He’ll love you to bits. Talk to him about things. Spend a bit of time here on the sofa getting to know each other. Take your lead from Jack. He’s the one with the experience, if what we’ve heard about his ways with women is to be believed.’

  Alice took a deep breath and nodded. ‘I will. He calls in each night after his shift, so we’ve a few more nights before Saturday. The kids are always in bed; he could stay a bit longer.’ She jumped as Jack called out from the back room.

  ‘Do you girls want a refill? Bring your glasses through if you do.’

  Alice smiled and picked up the empty sherry glasses. ‘Refill, Millie?’

  Millie shook her head and rummaged in her handbag, producing a packet of Rennie’s. ‘I’ve got a bit of heartburn, but I’d love a cuppa if there’s one going.’

  Alice rolled her eyes. ‘Oh God. I remember it well! And it gets worse. I don’t envy you. I’ll join you in a brew though. Back in a minute.’

  * * *

  ‘Right, what’s on your mind, gel?’ Jack asked as he closed the door after seeing Millie and Jimmy out. ‘You’ve looked mithered to death most of the night.’

  Alice chewed her lip and sat down on the sofa. She patted the seat next to her. ‘Can we talk for a bit?’

  ‘Course we can.’ He sat down beside her and took her hand. ‘Come on, out with it.’

  Her voice faltering, Alice told him how she was worried about letting him down. ‘I’m just bothered that once you see me properly, you won’t fancy me. I’ve got a few stretch marks from having Cathy and my tummy isn’t as flat as it used to be. You’re used to having single women who still have perfect figures.’

  Jack shook his head. ‘Not all of ’em, chuck. And there’s nowt wrong with your figure at all. You go in and out in all the right places and you’ll do for me. That first day I met you at the Legion a few years back I thought then what a nice figure and legs you had and you still do. I fancy the arse off you, Alice, so give us a kiss and let me show you how much,’ he said, looking deep into her eyes.

  ‘What, here?’

  He nodded. ‘Kids are asleep, the curtains are shut, there’s nobody around but us two.’ He got up and pushed one of the armchairs behind the door. ‘And they can’t get in now even if they did wake up.’ He sat back down beside her again and took her into his arms, pushing her back against the cushions and kissing her passionately.

  ‘Don’t you want to wait until we have the house to ourselves?’ she whispered as Jack’s hand slid up the skirt of her dress and caressed her thighs above the tops of her silky stockings.

  ‘No, I want you now, gel.’ He silenced her with more kisses and unbuttoned the front of her dress. There was no way he was waiting. He’d have her tonight and then she was his. Alice wasn’t the sort to let a man down once he’d had his way and she was succumbing nicely to his charms, sighing and moaning at his touch like they all did when they were desperate, and Alice had gone without for a good while now. She certainly wasn’t being shy with him either, reaching to unzip him without him having to hint at it. It was good to know he hadn’t lost his touch, even though it had been a while since he’d last enticed a woman into his bed. Alice would do for him all right and the feelings he had for her were stronger than he’d ever had for anyone else.

  14

  Saturday night in the Legion was really busy and Alice didn’t have a minute to herself until Jack told her to take a break. She’d spotted Freddie and his wife Rose, along with Marlene and her husband Stan, sitting near the windows overlooking what used to be the bowling green. She poured a small sherry and took it over to sit with them. They greeted her enthusiastically and Freddie pulled up a spare chair.

  ‘How you doing, queen?’ he asked, giving her a hug. ‘Busy in here tonight.’

  ‘It is,’ Alice said. ‘Millie and Jim
my are coming in soon as well. They were going to the Mayfair pictures and then coming in for the last hour. And I’m fine, by the way.’

  ‘We know,’ Marlene said, raising an amused eyebrow. ‘A little bird has told us a few secrets.’

  Alice glanced across the club to Jack, who grinned and winked at her. She felt her cheeks heating as they all looked at her, waiting for confirmation. ‘He’s told you, has he?’

  ‘Depends what you mean by that,’ Freddie teased. ‘He told me the bowling green will be reinstated when he takes over the running of the club. Which is great news, because I’ve really missed my Saturday bowling matches.’

  Alice nodded. ‘And what other secrets has the little bird told you?’

  ‘That he’s getting married and he and his new wife and her little family are moving into the flat above here. Congratulations, chuck. We’re all very pleased for you. Not surprised, mind. We always thought summat were on the cards with you two.’

  Alice felt her cheeks getting hotter still. Had the spark between her and Jack been that obvious? Surely not when she’d been married to Terry? Although Arnold had made a similar observation when they’d told him and Winnie of their intentions. It was no wonder that Granny Lomax wasn’t too happy with the situation, she must also be thinking along the same lines. Alice chewed her lip as Freddie raised his glass and they all said cheers. She didn’t tell them Millie’s news. Millie could do that for herself when she and Jimmy arrived. There had been no mention of Alice selling the house either. Maybe Jack had kept that to himself. She hoped so. She didn’t want their financial situation bandied around Aigburth.

  She turned to Marlene. ‘I was hoping I’d see you tonight, Marlene. I’m wondering if you could do me a favour. I’m going to carry on with my job at Lewis’s for a while when we move in here, and I’m afraid I’ve had a falling-out with Terry’s mam over things. I could do with a bit of help in getting Cathy picked up from school and then bringing her back here until I get home.’