by Michelle Day
“It’s my heritage,” he replied, a hand coming to rest on hers over his shirt, the other stroking her shoulder. “My grandparents love it when I speak to them in their own language and when we go to the villa they have in Spain, we rarely speak English, I’ll take you there one day, it’s pretty neat.”
Paul had left his seat, stopping by his son. “There are quite a few people staying tonight, I’m going to need Novak’s room.”
“No problem Mr. J, I’ll crash in the pool house.” Novak volunteered.
“That won’t be necessary, the sofa in Gavin’s room folds out into a bed, you can sleep there,” he answered noticing Gavin’s horrified look. “Are you staying tonight Angel?” he asked, suppressing a smile.
“If that’s ok with you.” Angel nodded.
“One night won’t hurt you,” he told his son as he walked away.
“Ground rules.” Novak said. “You two cannot hump like rabid dogs if I’m camping in the living room.”
“Put your headphones in.” Gavin suggested.
“We could always just get him so drunk that he’ll pass out.” Angel suggested.
“Have you seen the amount of alcohol he can consume?” Gavin asked. “Besides, even if we did get him to pass out, he’d only wake up in the middle of the night for a pee then knowing him, he’d just climb into the bed with us.”
Novak was nodding enthusiastically. “We should just dispense with the niceties and let me sleep in the bed anyway, it’s big enough for the three of us and you might enjoy it,” he addressed Angel, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“You are so wrong,” she told him, then looked at Gavin. “Tell me you aren’t considering the idea.”
“No. I’ve grown out of that phase, threesomes are definitely a thing of the past for me,” he held Angel closer when she shivered. “Are you cold?” she nodded. “Let’s go inside,” Gavin slowed, allowing Novak and a few other guests to enter the house before turning to Angel and moving in to kiss her, her hands creeping under his t-shirt as she held him.
“I think our daughter has a new boyfriend,” Linda commented to her husband. She had been on her way to refill her glass, stopping at the kitchen door, regarding the two young people on the patio.
Julian looked up from checking his phone, “Christ, he’s going to swallow her whole,” he gasped. “She never got that close to Quinn,” he finished, irked that there was not a fraction of space between his daughter and the boy who was currently wrapped around her. “I thought she had more decorum, and you’d think Gavin would know better than to maul our daughter when we are here.”
“She’s in love,” Linda smiled. “And he’s not mauling her, take a closer look honey, he’s holding her like a fragile piece of china.”
“His tongue is going to come out of her ear any minute now.” Julian grumbled. “Ahem,” he coughed, loud enough for them to hear.
Angel and Gavin separated, winding their arms around each other, Angel’s hip pressed side on to Gavin’s.
“Hi,” she beamed at her parents as Gavin dropped his head, his fingers moving to his lips, touching his bottom lip to check he wasn’t bleeding as Angel had managed to nip it as he closed in to kiss her and again when their mouths parted, he put his hand in his pocket once he discovered he was ok.
“Hi,” he echoed Angel’s greeting, slightly embarrassed at being caught and thinking I wonder how much they saw?
“You two are together now I take it?” Julian asked.
“Er, yeah,” Gavin replied.
“I thought you knew,” Angel added.
“I guessed, but it would have been nice to have actually been told.”
“Sorry,” they both said at once.
“There’s no need to apologise, I would appreciate it if you kept the public displays of affection to a minimum though,” he said and was satisfied that both youngsters shuffled guiltily apart. Further rebuttal was brought short when Paul joined them and engaged Julian in conversation. Linda gave her daughter a quick cuddle and smiled at Gavin.
“We’ll be going home as soon as I can pry Dad away from Paul,” she said. “Are you coming with us or will you bring her home later?”
“Actually Mum, do you mind if I stay here?” Angel asked. “Paul’s ok with it.”
Linda looked from Angel to Gavin, the latter not quite meeting her eyes. “I guess that will be ok.”
“Thanks, I’ll be home early.” Angel assured, she let go of Gavin’s hand as he wandered away to speak to his uncle.
“You are being careful aren’t you?” Linda whispered.
“How do you know I need to be?”
“I’ve never seen a young man kiss a girl that way unless he’s on a promise.” Linda replied.
“Oh.” Angel replied, she hadn’t considered that her mother would spot her involvement that quickly.
“We are being careful,” she confirmed.
“And he’s nice to you?” Linda persisted. “I wouldn’t like to think he’d use you but you never know these days.”
“He’s lovely.” Angel smiled but she felt more than a little awkward.
“Shall we go?” Julian joined the two ladies in his life.
“I’m staying here,” Angel told him. “I’ll be home in the morning.”
Julian frowned and looked over to where Gavin was now deep in conversation with his Uncle Matt and Paul, he caught Paul’s attention and beckoned him over.
“Angel tells me she’s staying here tonight, is this alright with you?” Julian asked much to Angel’s embarrassment.
“Yeah, it’s fine by me,” Paul answered. “Are you off?” he asked, steering the conversation away from that night’s sleeping arrangements as Angel kissed Linda goodbye and joined Gavin but he didn’t miss the look that Julian shot at his son.
Returning to the kitchen after seeing Julian and Linda off, he couldn’t suppress his grin;
“You are going to get the talk next time you go to Angel’s,” he told his son, Gavin frowned, Matt laughed.
“Oh no, not the talk?” he smiled, regarding the confused expression of his nephews face.
“What talk?” Gavin asked.
“The ‘you hurt my daughter, I’ll hurt you talk.’” Matt filled him in.
“I have been on the end of so many of those.” Paul laughed.
“I don’t think my Dad has that talk in him.” Angel spoke.
“Trust me, he’s the father to a daughter, he has the talk all prepared, you can bet on it.” Paul replied.
“Fantastic. I’m never coming to your house again.” Gavin told Angel.
“I’m really looking forward to giving the talk when Marissa gets older,” Paul mused.
“Oh yeah, you’re really going to enjoy that aren’t you Dad?” Gavin grinned.
“I’m going to relish every second of it,” Paul nodded. “I’d better get back to my guests and my disapproving in laws, and yes, I did get the talk, several times from Suzanne’s Dad, I still get it from time to time,” he confirmed. “They strongly disapprove of our marriage,” he told his son.
“Why? You two are great together.” Gavin asked accompanying the older man through to the lounge.
“It’s not our marriage as such that they don’t like, it’s more like they just don’t like me or the way I conducted my life. They have always been close family friends through Suzanne’s connection with Tessa so they’ve been party to most of my escapades,, from the suspensions from school, the escape from boarding school, getting your mum pregnant etc, etc. And all through everything, Suzanne and I would hook up which they were fully aware of. They blame me for ruining her first marriage,” he shrugged “Suzie is mine and she always will be. I stand by my vows.”
“Wow, I knew you loved her but I didn’t actually realise you felt that strongly about her.”
“I’m not as shallow as you think I am son,” he paused. “We need to make some time to talk, soon.”
Gavin frowned. “What about?”
“Y
ou, me, Carmen.” Paul said simply.
“I don’t want to talk about Mum.”
“I know you don’t, but I think we’ve reached a point in our relationship where we need to discuss a few things, you still hold me responsible for a lot of things that happened when you were growing up and so far I’ve let that slide, it’s time we cleared the air.”
“I guess.”
“Think about it,” Paul said. “We’ll leave it until after your match on Wednesday, maybe next weekend you’ll be able to spare me some time.”
Not if I can help it, Gavin thought. “Yeah, maybe,” he said out loud. “Is it ok if I hide out in my room now?”
“Yeah, Gran will be going to bed soon,” he replied referring to Gavin’s Great Grandma. “If you don’t want a lecture about how skinny you are, you’d best disappear.”
Novak appeared out of the living room, a sleeping Marissa in his arms. “Where do you want her?” he asked Paul.
“I’ll take her.” Paul held out his arms.
“I’m good.” Novak shook his head.
“My room then,” Paul answered. “She’s on the airbed,” he watched as Novak went up the stairs. “See, you’re not the only one who has to abstain tonight,” he commented to Gavin as he rejoined his guests.
Gavin joined Angel and Novak in his living room, the pair were setting up his playstation, smack talking each other as they did.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Gavin addressed Angel. “He’s very good.”
“You’ve had firsthand experience of how good I am.” Angel started, rolling her eyes as Gavin grinned and Novak commented.
“That could be misconstrued on so many levels.”
“Get your minds out the gutter guys,” she smiled indulgently.
“I didn’t really test your skills though did I?” Gavin answered. “I’m seriously crap at racing games.”
“You’re seriously crap at all games unless it’s Dungeons and Dragons,” Novak pointed out.
“I’m ok at worms,” Gavin protested.
“Only because its strategy and doesn’t involve either steering or running around killing people.” Novak replied. “You’ve got to stop being such a geek and get your gamer head on.”
“I’ll stick to being a geek thanks.” Gavin said, he sat next to Angel as she and Novak they set up the game and started to play.
They only played the game for an hour, Angel finally admitting that she couldn’t beat Novak.
“I’m going to bed,” she told the two boys.
“I’ll be there in a bit, I’m going to help Novak get his bed ready,” Gavin told her, turning to his friend once she had left the room. “Dad wants to talk.”
“About?” Novak asked.
“Mum, him and me.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“I’m not ready to talk about her, or his relationship with her and the things he did.”
“Personally, I think it’s long overdue. You need to move on Gav, you need to make peace with your Dad, he’s trying, and even I can see that. Let him be a Dad to you, in my opinion it would be good for both of you.”
“You’re supposed to be on my side.” Gavin said.
“I am, but deep down, you aren’t happy and you need him, he’s there for you, you just need to let him.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Gavin admitted. “Part of me wants to internalise it all but another part just wants to scream at him for not being there when she needed him most and for being a complete bastard to her.”
“Perhaps if you talk to him, you may get his side of things, there are two sides to every story after all, he probably has valid reasons for some of the things he did and he was there when she needed him the most, he was there when she died.”
“I guess. I hadn’t thought of it that way.” Gavin mused.
“Go to bed, sleep on it.” Novak smiled at his friend as he sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa bed. “And I do mean sleep, I know it’ll be difficult with Angel lying beside you but I don’t want to listen to sex sounds coming from your room,” he finished, he had stripped off his t-shirt and laid back on the bed, he grinned at Gavin as he reached for his headphones, “And these only shut out certain sounds.”
“You won’t hear anything.” Gavin told him on the way to his bedroom.
Gavin woke early, he looked across at Angel, asleep on her stomach, his old Led Zepplin t-shirt slightly rucked up on her slender back, her long dark hair spread out on the pillow behind her. She looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to wake her, he slid from the bed, had a quick wash before dressing and heading out of the room. To his surprise, Novak wasn’t in the outer room; the sofa bed had been folded away with the sheet, pillows and duvet folded neatly on one end. Jogging down the stairs, he found his Grandma in the kitchen cooking huge amounts of bacon; his friend was in the garden in the process of cleaning the pool.
“You know I can do that?” Gavin approached Novak.
“Of course but I was awake and figured I’d give you a head start, does the water look a little odd to you?” Novak replied.
“Yeah, it’s a strange colour and the level looks a bit low,” Gavin walked away only to return with a water testing kit, “There’s a chemical imbalance,” he confirmed after testing the water, he frowned down at the pool. “The water level is all wrong.”
“Morning,” Paul sauntered towards them, steaming cup of coffee in one hand, his hair tousled, naked from the waist up, his face extremely pale with thick dark stubble.
Gavin smiled, “you look awful.”
“Yeah, my head is hammering, I shouldn’t drink red wine, it does this to me every time.”
“We have a problem,” Gavin told his father, holding up the test strip he had used on the pool. “And it looks like we have a leak.”
“Shit.” Paul left his coffee cup on the table and disappeared into the pump house, he emerged after ten minutes. “Everything in there is bone dry,” he called from the far side of the pool then turned his back on the boys and, standing on tip toe, peered over the fence to his neighbours’ garden before rejoining the two younger men. “Balls,” he said. “Next door’s garden is a mess, looks like it’s been leaking for quite some time.”
“I’ll start draining it.” Novak put in disappearing into the pump house.
“Looks like we’ve upset the natives.” Gavin gestured towards the house where Monica was ushering their red faced neighbour towards them.
“Mr. Jensen, your pool appears to have a large leak.”
“Yes, I’ve just noticed, I had a quick look over the fence, would now be convenient for me to come and inspect the damage?” Paul asked, immediately switching into business mode.
Brian Godstone, neighbour, was slightly taken aback. With the previous owners of this house and pool, he had been told where to go in no uncertain terms when the pool had leaked. “Er, yes, come on over.”
Suzanne appeared as Paul and their neighbour came through the house, she took Paul’s mug from him and, with the other hand passed him a shirt which he slipped on as he went out through the front door.
Next door, Paul and Brian Godstone stood on the raised decking and looked out over the water logged garden in silence for some time before Paul turned to his neighbour.
“I can only apologise,” Paul started. “I only wish I’d noticed the leak earlier. The pool is draining now so hopefully you shouldn’t get much more of the runoff, I’ll get some pumps in here by lunchtime to get rid of the excess water and hopefully the weather will stay warm and help to dry out the soil. Once the ground is a bit dryer, I’ll have my landscape gardeners come in and repair the damage or even give your garden a makeover if you choose.”
“That’s very generous of you,” Brian stammered.
“Not really,” Paul replied. “My pool has caused significant damage to your garden, the least I can do is put it right,” he turned to leave.
Brian walked with him. “The previous owners of the house were less t
han helpful when it leaked.”
“It’s done this before?” Paul asked. “I wish I’d known, I’d have had the whole thing refurbished before using it. I’m sorry you won’t be able to make use of your garden for a while but do feel free to join us in ours while yours is repaired.”
“Thank you,” Brian paused. “I think we may have got off on the wrong foot, I was so busy listening to the rumours and reading the newspaper articles about you that I appear to have formed the wrong opinion.”
Paul smiled. “What exactly have you heard about me?” he asked.
“This is embarrassing, I’d rather not say.” Brian stammered.
“It’s ok, I can guess. Let me see, I’m ruthless and uncompromising, I’ve had an exceptionally troubled childhood with many suspensions and expulsions from school, teenage pregnancy, closure of a boarding school, hostile take over’s, affairs etc, etc.”
“That covers most of it.” Brian admitted.
“Most of it is true and those bits that aren’t totally the truth do have a grain of it in there somewhere. I am all those things and people generally don’t cross me more than once, but that is only the public side of Paul Jensen. My wife would be the best one to tell you about me personally, oh and Gavin is the result of the teenage pregnancy scandal.”
“Really? He seems like a lovely boy, he always greets me when he sees me.”
“Yes, his mother did an excellent job raising him,” Paul agreed, he held out his hand to his neighbour. “I meant what I said about joining us Mr Godstone.”
“Please call me Brian, my wife and I would be delighted to get to know you and your family.”
“Good, perhaps tonight would be convenient?” Paul returned to his own property, smiling to himself that at least he had one of the neighbours on board.
“Everything ok?” Suzanne asked, handing a plate to Monica.
“Yeah, I said I’d get it sorted, they may be joining us tonight,” he added and saw Suzanne frown. “He’s ok and very pleased with the solution I offered him for his garden, just watch the other neighbours fall over themselves to be friendly once we have the Godstones on board.”
“They are our neighbours, not a PR opportunity.” Suzanne replied.