by Agatha Frost
"Julia!" Katie shrieked when she returned to the café, feeling more optimistic than when she'd left it. "The coffee machine has gone crazy! Help!"
12
Julia had been pacing her kitchen for the past twenty minutes, but she could not seem to stand still. She stopped to check on the chicken roasting in the oven, the heat hitting her in the face. When she saw that it was nearly finished, she resumed her pacing, her eyes on the cat clock above the fridge.
"What if she doesn't come?" Julia asked Barker, who had been sitting at the counter with his typewriter watching her since she had started pacing. "What if this is it? She's never going to be the same again."
"This is a good thing for her," Barker said, his fingers lazily hitting the keys, his attention divided as he worked on the first chapter of his next book. "But you're right, things will probably never be the same again."
"What if she hates me?"
"Why would she hate you?" Barker cried. "You've done more for her than anyone else. Look at that locket she gave you to show you how much she loves you."
Julia's hand rested on the locket, but she could not bring herself to look down at it. She stopped to ignite the gas rings under the pans of vegetables waiting to be boiled before continuing with her pacing.
"I feel so sick," Julia whined. "Why does nothing ever go smoothly?"
"Because that's life," Barker exclaimed as he pulled the paper from the typewriter. "And this is rubbish."
He screwed up the paper and tossed it onto the pile of similarly screwed-up paper on the floor next to him. Mowgli walked past and batted it with his paw, but even he could not muster the energy to be excited by the writing.
"I'm sorry," Julia said, resting a hand on her forehead. "I shouldn't be putting this on you."
"You should," Barker said as he fed another fresh sheet of paper into the typewriter. "This is what being in a relationship is all about. You talk, I listen, and I try to help. I might not be very good at it, like I'm not very good at writing right now, but I'll always do what I can. I'm nervous too, but I'm trying not to let it get on top of me. It's a lot to take in at once."
The oven beeped, making Julia jump. She checked the chicken once more before turning the heat right down to keep it warm. The clock ticked past five minutes to eight, making her nerves bubble up again.
"She's not coming," Julia moaned. "Oh, Barker. What do I do?"
Barker slid off his stool and pulled her into his chest. He stroked the back of her hair, the only noise coming from the water in the pans as they began to boil.
"Calm down," he whispered soothingly. "Give her a chance. You know what she's like. She's late for everything."
Julia nodded, wanting to believe Barker. She imagined Jessie sitting in Billy's room, silent and staring at the wall as he tried to force her to get up. Was Alfie at the B&B doing something similar? Barker pulled away from the hug and turned to grab a piece of paper from his open briefcase on the counter. He looked down at it, his teeth biting into the corner of his bottom lip.
"There's something I need to tell you," Barker said. "I was going to wait until afterwards, but I think it's best we go into this knowing everything there is to -"
A knock at the front door stopped Barker mid-sentence. They both jumped, their eyes darting to the hallway. He looked down at the paper again before shoving it back into his briefcase. Instead of leaving it open, he snapped it shut and scrambled the lock.
"What was it?" Julia asked, her eyes still on the hallway. "What should I know?"
"It can wait," he assured her with an encouraging smile. "Maybe you should see who's at the door?"
Julia stared at him blankly for a moment, almost forgetting what was going on. When the aroma of roast chicken tickled her nostrils, she sprang into life and pulled her apron over her head. She smoothed out the creases in her simple knitted jumper before hurrying for the door.
She checked her reflection in the mirror on the way to the door, her curly hair pulled off her face into a loose ponytail. She wondered if she should have put more effort in, not that she thought it would make a difference to how things were going to go. After taking a deep breath, Julia pulled open the door, a smile plastered across her face. The smile faltered when she saw that it was Jessie and Billy, and not Alfie who had been knocking.
"Jessie!" Julia exclaimed, throwing back the door. "Why did you knock? This is your home."
Jessie tucked her damp hair behind her ears and shrugged. She looked as though she had just showered, and she was wearing the fresh clothes Julia had bagged up and dropped off at Billy's house.
"Come in," Julia said when she realised that Jessie was waiting to be invited inside. "Dinner is nearly ready."
Jessie plodded into the hallway, her eyes firmly on the ground. Billy offered an apologetic smile as he followed her in. He had convinced her to come, and that was all she had asked of him. One piece of the jigsaw was in place, Julia only hoped the second piece would turn up soon.
After kicking off her shoes, Jessie walked into the sitting room where a fire was waiting for her. She sat in her usual spot next to the fireplace and pulled her legs up against her chest. Resting her head against the armrest, she stared blankly into the dancing flames, her gaze that of a broken girl.
"This is what she's been like," Billy whispered as he pulled off his coat. "I don't know what to do. I practically had to drag her here."
Barker appeared with a bottle of beer for Billy, and the two retreated into the kitchen. Julia watched Jessie, wishing she knew what to do or say to make everything better again. Knowing she had to try something, Julia crept into the sitting room and perched on the edge of the coffee table. She reached out and rested a hand on Jessie's leg, causing her to flinch. Julia immediately pulled it away, her heart hurting.
"Thanks for coming," Julia said softly. "Mowgli has missed you."
As though he heard his name, Mowgli trotted into the room. He jumped up onto the arm of the chair and stared at Jessie. When she did not look back, he patted her cautiously with his paw and meowed. To Julia's relief, she looked away from the fire and stroked Mowgli's head, the corners of her lips pricking up.
"I'm sorry," Julia said, the words tumbling out of her mouth. "I'm sorry about all of this."
"Why are you sorry?" Jessie replied, her brows tensing over her eyes as she tickled Mowgli's scalp. "What did you do?"
Julia was so glad to hear Jessie talk, a smile spread from ear to ear. She edged forward, reaching out to rest her hand on Jessie's leg again. This time, she did not flinch, so Julia kept it there; she really wanted to pull Jessie into a tight hug, but she knew that might scare her away.
"I didn't want you to find out like that," Julia said. "When Alfie told me, I didn't know what to think. I didn't know if it was true, so I spoke to Kim. I was on my way back to tell you everything, but Alfie got here first."
"I'm used to you sneaking around," Jessie said flatly. "I found those condoms you gave Billy. He said you'd told him not to tell me, but I got it out of him."
"Oh, Jessie -"
"You care," Jessie jumped in, her blank eyes darting up to Julia for the first time. "You care more than anyone else ever has." Jessie paused to exhale. "Why is this happening now when everything was going perfectly? Why didn't he turn up when I was crying myself to sleep in the children's homes, or when I was shivering on a street corner somewhere, a cup for change at my feet? I don't get it."
Julia did not have the answers to Jessie's questions. She tried to think of a way she could frame the situation into the positive one she knew it was deep down, but she knew where Jessie's feelings were coming from.
"When my mum died, I used to think the same thing," Julia said, her eyes drifting up to the framed picture of her on the mantelpiece. "I would think 'why isn't my mum here for me?'. I would cry myself to sleep after the biggest moments in my life because she wasn't there to see it. Life is cruel, Jessie, but you know that. You've suffered more than most, but that's over now, an
d you don't have to cry yourself to sleep over this. You've just found out you have a brother, and he's alive, and he's here."
"What's he like?" Jessie asked, her question mirroring that of Alfie's in the B&B yesterday.
"He's nice," Julia replied quickly. "He's really sweet and thoughtful, just like his sister. I won't pretend to know everything about him, and I think it's best you find out from him. You need to remember he's feeling everything you're feeling right now. Look at this from his perspective. He had a baby sister who he was separated from when he was just ten-years-old. It's only by chance that you've ended up in the same place at the same time, so you need to take this chance. I'm not sure I believe in fate, but you gave me this locket, and that's what unravelled all of this. That sounds like fate to me."
Jessie smiled as Mowgli crawled carefully into her lap. Julia's nerves eased, but they spiked up seconds later when a second knock at the door shuddered through the cottage. Mowgli jumped up and flew into the hallway, running past Barker and Billy who had appeared in the doorway.
"Maybe we should go?" Barker said, planting a hand on Billy's shoulder. "Leave you to it."
"No!" Jessie cried, jumping up. "You're the three most important people in my life. I want - no - I need you here."
Jessie walked over to Billy, her hand wrapping tightly around his. Half hiding behind him, she trained her eyes on the door as though she could not bring herself to look away.
Pushing her own nerves to the side, Julia opened the door. Alfie was standing on the doorstep, a bunch of flowers in his hand, a frightened look on his face. He was wearing a black shirt under his beaten-up biker jacket. His dark hair was pushed back with some wax, but it still had the messy quality that Julia liked.
"Right on time," Julia announced brightly. "Please, come in."
Julia stepped aside, but Alfie did not immediately walk in. His eyes landed on Jessie, and he gulped as though he was trying to swallow a mouthful of glass. Julia cleared her throat, breaking him from his trance. He stepped into the cottage enough for Julia to close the door behind him. They were both here, but whatever was going to happen next was a mystery to her.
"These are for you," Alfie said, breaking the awkward silence as he offered the flowers to Julia. "I had to get them from the corner shop, but they're the nicest I could find."
"They're lovely," Julia said as she accepted the colourful bouquet. "Thank you."
"I didn't know if I should bring wine," Alfie said with a nervous laugh. "I've never done anything like this before."
"You're here," Julia said, patting him on the shoulder. "That's all that matters. Barker, why don't you show everyone through to the dining room while I get dinner ready? I hope you all like roast chicken."
Jessie dragged Billy into the dining room, her eyes firmly down. Alfie looked around the cottage, his awkwardness almost identical to Jessie's. He shrugged off his leather jacket and Julia hung it on the hat stand with the other coats.
"You like beer?" Barker asked after shaking Alfie's hand. "Go through, and I'll bring a bottle in."
Alfie walked over to the dining room door. He looked over his shoulder at Julia as though waiting for permission. She nodded with an encouraging smile, pushing him to venture inside.
Julia hurried into the kitchen and quickly put the flowers in a vase of water. The flowers were not a patch on Harriet's beautiful bouquets, but Julia appreciated the thought behind them. As she placed them on the corner of the counter, it suddenly hit her that no one in Peridale would experience Harriet's talents again. Knowing she could not let her mind dwell on such things tonight, she stuffed her hands into her oven mitts and pulled out the crispy roast chicken.
After quickly making gravy, Julia put five plates on the counter and plated up the vegetables. When she started to carve the succulent chicken, Jessie's laughter floated through from the dining room. Eager to know what she was missing out on, Julia rushed through the slices, almost tossing them onto the plates. With all five plates expertly balanced, she hurried into the dining room.
"And then when I got halfway up the side of the pyramid, the police helicopter started circling, and I was sure I was done for," Alfie said as he leaned into Jessie with his phone. "I'm banned from stepping foot in Egypt ever again, but I got some beautiful shots."
"You've been to so many places," Jessie said as she flicked through the pictures. "Where did you take this one?"
Julia placed the plates on the table, but Jessie and Alfie were so deep in their conversation, she might as well not have been there. Billy and Barker watched on silently as they sipped their beer, both of them looking as surprised as Julia felt. After hurrying back to fetch the gravy and cutlery, Julia took her place at the head of the table.
"I took that one just after I was let out of a Thai prison," Alfie said, his arm reaching around the back of Jessie's chair as he watched her flick through his pictures. "If you ever find yourself in Thailand, don't joke about the royal family in front of the police. My lawyer said I could have got fifteen years if they had been in a different mood. That was a wild week."
"Prison?" Julia called out as she carefully cut a piece of broccoli in half. "So, you've been arrested a lot?"
Jessie shot Julia a look that she knew meant 'why are you asking that?' before looking back down at Alfie's phone, her dinner going unnoticed.
"You don't spend as many years travelling as I did and not get yourself in trouble along the way," Alfie said with a sheepish smile. "There are some crazy laws out there. I was arrested on a beach in Jamaica for wearing camouflage shorts. Who knew that was illegal there? I never really was a guidebook sort of guy."
"This is so cool," Jessie said, almost to herself as she flicked through the pictures. "You've been everywhere. I haven't even left the country."
"There's time for that," Alfie said as he took his phone back. "You're still young. You've got your entire life ahead of you. I didn't go on my first plane until I was eighteen when I was finally out of the system."
Alfie pulled his plate towards him before pouring gravy over his chicken. Jessie did the same, and Julia could tell that she was suddenly bursting with questions despite her earlier fear.
"You were in the system?" Jessie asked as Alfie passed the gravy to her. "For how long?"
"From the day they separated us," Alfie said, his fork pausing before it reached his mouth. "I still remember it like it was yesterday. They took us to an office in some council building, and they told me that someone was going to foster you, but I was staying at the children's home. The other kids had told me that was going to happen, but I was adamant we were going to stay together. I wouldn't let go of you, so they had to pry you from my arms. I was only ten. They took you out of the room and promised that I would get to see you again, but I never did. I did try looking for you, Jessika."
"Everyone calls me Jessie," she jumped in. "Just Jessie."
"Jessie it is," he replied quickly. "That's what Dad used to call you."
Jessie's eyes darted down to her food. She moved her broccoli around on her plate, but she had yet to eat any of it. Julia glanced at Barker, who was watching her like a hawk as though he was going to swoop in and save her if he needed to.
"What were they like?" Jessie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know anything."
"They loved you," Alfie said quickly, his eyes darting down like Jessie's. "I know they tried so hard to have another baby. They wanted you so badly, and when you came along, you were perfect. They bought you the best of everything. Mum would push you around town all dressed up like you were a superstar. And Dad adored you. He called you his little princess. Princess Jessie. The day - the day it happened - we'd just been on holiday at the seaside. It was your first holiday. You loved the sand. I can still see your happy little face. Dad wanted to set off earlier to avoid the traffic, but Mum wanted to stay and soak up the last of the sun before it set. I used to think I should have known something bad was going to happen. I could have saved them
if I'd told them to leave sooner. It was a miracle we came out alive. I had a broken ankle and arm, but your car seat saved you." Alfie paused and dropped his fork onto his plate before reaching out and grabbing Jessie's hand. "I promise I tried looking for you. They moved me to a half-way house when I was sixteen, and I spent months trying to track you down. I spoke to hundreds of people in the care system, and nobody could pin you down. We had no other family. Mum and Dad were only children, and their parents died when they were young too. I always wondered if that's why they were drawn to each other. When I was eighteen, I got out, and that's when I left the country. I had nothing and no one, so I just left. I always thought I'd bump into you in some market or museum. I never gave up hope that I'd see you again, I just never expected it to be here."
As Jessie stared down at Alfie's hand around hers, tears streamed silently down her face. Silence fell on the dining room, none of them eating. Julia wiped away her own tears as she resisted the urge to comfort Jessie.
"I always felt so alone," Jessie whispered. "I bounced from place to place, never settling in. I was always the odd one out. The freak with dead parents. I had no one, but I didn't even have hope that I would one day meet you because I didn't know you existed. I ran away from my last foster placement, and I slept rough for six months. It was the hardest time of my life, but then I found Julia. She doesn't believe in fate, but I think I do now. I found her, and she found me, and it's led me to finding you too. I don't know what it all means, but I'm happy. I'm scared, and I'm angry at the universe for putting me through everything to get here, but I'm happy."
Jessie pulled her hand away from Alfie's and finally started eating her food. Alfie followed, but Julia, Barker, and Billy watched on in silence, none of them seeming to know how to act or what to say.