by Jacobs, Anna
The dawn chorus of birdsong woke her – who said the countryside was quiet? Then she realized she hadn’t even got undressed and laughed at herself. That hadn’t prevented her from enjoying an excellent night’s sleep. And she’d promised to go early to help Euan.
It wasn’t till she was drying herself after a shower that she realized she’d been humming one of her favourite tunes as she got ready. Well, she had something to sing about now, a possible new relationship (she dared go no further than that) and a job.
She’d just wait and see what happened with Euan. Relationships weren’t as straightforward as he made them seem. At least she didn’t think they were. But perhaps they were with him?
She caught sight of her laptop. She didn’t have time to check her emails this morning. Anyway, there’d be nothing important. The important things in her life were happening here in Wiltshire. Everything else was on hold.
Ten
‘I can’t find the letter from your father’s cousin,’ Jamie said on Friday morning.
‘I threw it away when I was clearing up.’
Rachel hadn’t cleared anything else up, but he tried to be patient with her. ‘Do you have Sally’s address? I’ll reply to her.’
‘There’s no need and anyway I don’t have her address.’
He stood very still, looking at her, not saying a word. When he saw her wriggle and begin to fiddle with her mug of coffee, he knew she was lying and felt bitterly disappointed. ‘I’ll have to ask your father for it, then. She deserves a reply.’
‘No! You can’t go to him. Daddy will be furious when he finds out why you need her address.’
‘Why? Because what she said proves him a liar?’
‘He didn’t lie. He just . . . got it wrong.’
‘Then give me Sally’s address.’
Sulkily, looking like a twelve-year-old rather than a married woman of twenty-three, Rachel dumped her mug on the table, sending splashes of coffee everywhere, and went to switch on her computer. He followed her into the spare bedroom, where the computers were set up.
Muttering to herself, she found the address, scribbled it down and flung the piece of paper at him. ‘There! I hope you’re satisfied now.’
‘I’m not. I can’t believe you’re acting like this. Don’t you care at all about your mother?’
‘Not much.’
‘What about your brother?’
‘Brian’s OK. I’ve not got much in common with him, though.’
‘What do you care about?’
‘You.’ She burst into tears. ‘Us.’
For the first time, he didn’t take her in his arms and comfort her, because he didn’t feel at all sorry for her. ‘If you do care about us, then it’s about time you started acting responsibly. You’re a married woman now.’
She stopped crying instantly and glared at him. ‘Oh yes? And what about you? What about your loyalty to me? You care more about my mother than how I feel.’
‘I care about being fair to people. I always have done. Surely you realize that? It’s why I work in social welfare.’
‘Well, you certainly don’t work there for the money. Daddy says—’
‘I know what darling Daddy says about my job and I don’t want to hear it again.’
‘Why are you being so m-mean to me?’
‘Mean? What sort of word is that? It’s a child’s word.’ He bent to pick up the piece of paper she’d tossed at him and scanned the address. ‘You forgot the postcode.’
‘I have to get to work.’
‘You’ve time to find the postcode first. I’ll write to Sally in my lunch break.’
Rachel sat down at the computer, yelled out the postcode, then went to get ready. ‘I’m going for a drink after work with my friends. I don’t know what time I’ll be back.’
He watched her go sadly. She was dressed as if she was going out on the pull. She was the only one of her group of friends who was married, and the others always seemed to be looking for guys, though they never seemed to keep the same one for more than a few weeks. He’d asked her not to go drinking with them, but she’d tossed her head at that.
During the few months before the wedding, he’d kept telling himself it was wedding excitement which was making her behave so childishly. Well, he’d been excited about getting married, too. Once they were married, he’d expected her to settle down but was now beginning to worry that this wasn’t going to happen. Even on the honeymoon, he’d felt uneasy. She’d been utterly spoiled by her father, of course, but still . . .
What if Rachel never grew up, never started to act responsibly? They’d been married for a while now and already huge gaps were yawning between them. Only . . . she always cast him as the villain. Nothing was ever her fault. There was no give and take, only take.
They were going for Sunday lunch with his parents this weekend. At least he’d get a decent meal then. And Rachel had better behave herself.
They’d have to have a serious talk about that tonight after she got back. Maybe his mother could write down a few easy recipes for them on Sunday. He’d email her tonight and suggest it.
Feeling more than a little worried, he left for work.
Molly went to hold the fort at the sales office on Friday afternoon, while Euan coped with the removal.
Avril came down at just after two. ‘Oh, good, you’re on your own. I’ve brought your wage slip.’ She put an envelope on the table and sat down in the customers’ chair. ‘How are things going at Euan’s?’
‘Not so well. He’s had to hire extra storage space and dump stuff there to be sorted out later.’
‘He’s like that: poor on planning the everyday details, good at big picture stuff. He rang me to beg me to let the men in and tell them where to put his things. Not that there will be many things, only his office furniture and personal effects. He’s still tied up with clearing the house, apparently. Karen used to take care of that side of things. Rather as you did with your ex, I should think.’
Molly nodded, adding hastily, ‘Euan doesn’t seem like Craig in other ways, though. He’s kind and thoughtful about people, doesn’t use them.’ She broke off suddenly, forced a laugh and added, ‘Unless Euan’s a brilliant actor.’
‘He isn’t. He cares very much about the people who work for him and especially about his sons. He hasn’t made his money by trampling on other people or neglecting his family, I promise you. I’m glad he’s got you to help him now, though, or I’d not be able to call my life my own.’
‘You’re very fond of him, aren’t you?’
Avril smiled. ‘Oh, yes. And I’m fond of his sons, too. But that doesn’t mean I want to devote my whole life to looking after them all.’ She changed the subject firmly. ‘How do you like selling houses?’
‘I enjoy selling these houses because they’re lovely – well, the whole place is lovely. I don’t think I’d like selling something boring, though. Craig used to say it didn’t matter what you sold, it was just “product”, but it matters to me.’ She grimaced. ‘What you do with your life should be important to you, don’t you think? I loved being a housewife and mother when the children were small.’
‘I never got the chance to do that. My fiancé was killed a couple of months before we were to marry. I never found anyone else to match him.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Oh, it’s a long time ago now, and I’ve made a full life for myself, not to mention acting as unofficial aunt to the Santiago family.’
‘What are Euan’s sons like?’
‘Charming. Now Jason’s got the travel bug out of his system, I dare say he’ll settle down and make a success of his life. I’m beginning to wonder if he’s met someone important already, but you can’t keep an eye on them when they’re overseas. We’ll have to wait and see. As for Grant, he’s off somewhere travelling – Vietnam I think at the moment – and that’s worrying. But you have to let them experience life, don’t you?’
‘The only life my daughter’s experien
ced has been clubbing and preparing for the wedding.’ Molly could hear the bitterness in her voice and shut her mouth tightly against other words.
‘She may settle down now she’s married.’
‘Mmm.’
‘You sound worried about her.’
‘Yes. But I’m out of the loop now as far as Rachel’s concerned, so I try not to dwell on it. Heaven help Jamie when he finds out she can’t cook and hates housework. Unless she loves him enough to learn.’ She wasn’t sure Rachel cared about anyone except herself and her father. Her daughter had always seemed to treat Jamie like an accessory, rather than a life partner.
‘And your son?’
‘I don’t know. Brian’s more complex, more intelligent, too. He’s had quite a few shocks lately. I threw him out and Craig wouldn’t let him live with them. I don’t know how he’s coping.’
‘Tough love sometimes works.’
‘I hope so.’
Avril stood up. ‘Here it comes!’
They both went to the door to see a modest removal truck coming slowly down towards the leisure village.
Molly watched Avril wave to the driver and walk briskly along to the detached house that stood on its own to one side.
Tonight Molly would have a neighbour. She wondered if Euan would want to eat with her again. She had plenty of food. Or was that being pushy?
The phone rang and she hurried back into the office to answer it.
After that the phone rang so regularly that when it came to five o’clock, she was glad to shut up and go down to her caravan.
No sign of Euan yet, and she didn’t know whether he needed more help or not? Surely he’d have called if he did?
Oh, she should stop thinking about him and get on with her own life.
But he stayed in her thoughts as if he belonged there.
When Jamie got home from work that evening, there was no sign of Rachel.
The phone rang and it was her. In an airy voice, she said, ‘Oh, hi, Jamie. I’m going clubbing with the girls. See you later.’ She put the phone down before he could say a word.
He stared at the receiver furiously. Women he worked with complained about their husbands spending a fortune going drinking with the lads on Friday nights. In his marriage, it was Rachel who did that, spending money on booze that they were supposed to be saving to buy a house – fifty pounds she’d spent last week – and then had come home by taxi and he’d had to pay twenty pounds for that.
He supposed she’d be slurring her words again and not remember most of the evening. She’d have a raging hangover tomorrow, too, and be grouchy.
They’d agreed last time that she’d not go clubbing again, that she was past that stage in life. Or he thought they’d agreed. It didn’t seem to have got through to her.
As for tonight, he’d already checked the fridge, ready to start cooking a meal, because it was his turn, and found almost nothing to eat. She’d said she’d do the shopping if he looked after the cars, but she wasn’t doing it. She didn’t seem to have a clue, actually. He’d better take her out to the supermarket and show her what basics she needed to buy. He’d start showing her how to cook, too. He was surprised her mother hadn’t taught her more, because Molly was a superb cook. No, scrub that. If Rachel dug her heels in, nothing would move her, certainly not a gentle person like Molly. He’d seen that with the wedding preparations.
A couple of times this week, Rachel hadn’t bothered to plan a meal and they’d had to get takeaways, but he didn’t want to live like that. He liked healthy food and salads, not greasy, heavily salted chicken and chips. It had never even occurred to him that Rachel would be totally useless as a cook or that she’d be such a slovenly housekeeper. She hadn’t done any washing for days. Did she think clothes got clean by magic? There was a pile of her dirty clothes in a corner of the bedroom.
He gathered his own things together and put a wash on. It took all of three minutes to do that. Not exactly hard work.
He wasn’t old-fashioned about a woman’s role and had expected to take his share of the housework. But he wasn’t going to do it all, and he certainly wasn’t going to pick up her dirty underwear. No way.
He went out to the local supermarket, buying food mainly, but also some toilet rolls, because they were nearly out of those.
After he got back, he fried a steak and cooked some low-fat chips in the oven, adding a nice, crunchy salad. He started to eat but felt so depressed, he pushed it away half-eaten. After staring at it for a few moments, he yanked the plate back and forced himself to finish it. He needed some decent food after this past week.
Brian checked his emails one final time, then got ready to go home from work.
‘Coming out for a swift one?’ someone called.
‘Got something on today.’ He didn’t tell them he couldn’t afford to go drinking. Only his boss knew about that.
He felt upset that his mother hadn’t replied to his email. He didn’t deserve a reply, he knew that now – but somehow, he’d still expected one. She surely didn’t intend to take off and never associate with them again?
He’d hate that.
He stopped at the supermarket and checked out all the special offers. Two for the price of one on packets of carrots. He could chop them up and take them to work with his sandwiches.
At the end of the aisle, he bumped into the woman who’d helped him with the cleaning things. She was about to walk past, but he stopped her and said, ‘I just want to thank you for helping me last Sunday.’ He could see she didn’t remember and he should have smiled and walked on, but she looked so healthy and nice, he added, ‘With the cleaning materials and the cookery book.’
Recognition dawned. ‘Did you try any of the recipes?’
He nodded. ‘Three of them. And they were good, too. First time I’ve ever cooked. When I get on my feet again, I’m going to try more things. At the moment, it’s whatever’s cheapest.’
Which reminded him that he couldn’t chat anyone up, because he couldn’t afford to take her out. ‘Anyway, I just wanted to thank you. You were a big help.’
‘Lose your job, did you?’
‘Not exactly. Got kicked out of home – and my mother was right to do it. But it’s going to take me a while to get myself sorted, and I had to put down a month’s rent in advance, so I’ve not got much left to live on.’
She smiled. ‘You sound like my brother. Mum kicked him out because he wouldn’t even pick up after himself.’ Her smile faded. ‘We haven’t heard from him since.’
‘I’m sorry.’
She hesitated. ‘Um . . . would you like a cup of coffee? I’ve just finished my shift. My shout. I’ve just won two hundred pounds on a scratch card and I’ve no one to celebrate with.’
He looked at her, wondering if she felt sorry for him, then decided the reason for the invitation didn’t matter. He’d like to get to know her better. ‘I need to finish the shopping first.’
‘I could help you, if you like. I know all the specials, since I work here, and I can probably give you a few hints about what to buy. Don’t hesitate to tell me if I’m being pushy. My mother says I could organize for England.’
He smiled. ‘Any help gratefully received. I’ve still got my L-plates on for this shopping stuff. I’m Brian, by the way, Brian Taylor.’
‘I’m—’
‘Carol Ryder,’ he filled in. ‘You were wearing a name tag last week and I remembered the name. I don’t know any other Carols.’
She gave him what looked like a nod of approval. ‘My friends call me Carrie, though. Right then, let’s sort out some food for you.’
When they’d finished, he seemed to have more in his trolley than last week and yet had spent less. He’d definitely eat better, thanks to Carrie’s help.
They loaded the bags into his car, then she led the way across the car park to a small café at the end of the row of shops. He’d never even noticed it before.
‘This is my cousin’s place,’ she said. ‘She’s
only had it a few months. She’s a good cook if you’re ever looking for a hearty meal.’
He decided to be utterly honest with her. ‘I won’t be able to eat out for a while.’
The coffee was wonderful, her cousin was another cheerful, healthy-looking woman, though not as pretty as Carrie.
When the café got busy, Carrie said, ‘Just excuse me for a minute or two. Mel’s getting swamped and needs a bit of help.’ She went round clearing dirty cups and plates off tables and whisking them out to the back, so Brian followed suit.
In the rear, she said, ‘Mel’s kitchen hand didn’t turn up tonight. I can’t leave her like this.’
‘Tell me what to do.’
‘You don’t have to work for your coffee.’
‘I’ve nothing else to do. I don’t mind.’
When Mel came rushing in and saw what they were doing, she hugged her cousin and then hugged Brian, too.
He’d never have considered clearing up a fun thing to do, but with Carrie and Mel cracking jokes and teasing him about how clueless he was, the time passed quickly.
Once the rush had died down, Mel came in and flopped on a chair. ‘Phew! I don’t know what I’d have done without you two. I’m going to have to find new help for Saturday nights and Sundays. I can’t be doing with an unreliable guy.’
‘You need a kitchen hand?’ Brian asked. ‘Just for those two nights?’
‘Yeah. I’ve got one, but she can’t work weekend evenings.’
‘Look . . . I could do with some extra money. I might not be much use, though. Carrie can tell you how little I know about cooking and that sort of thing. But I’d promise to be reliable.’
Mel looked at him speculatively. ‘The pay’s not good. However, I can not only throw in a hot meal each night – but you can take the unusable leftovers home with you.’
He beamed at her and stuck out his right hand. ‘Done.’
‘Can you continue working tonight?’
‘Definitely.’
Carrie gave him another of those nods of approval. ‘I’ll leave you to it, then. I’ll see you around.’