by Anna Jacobs
'Every detail mounts up,' John said severely. 'I know you don't usually worry about details, Des, but until this gets sorted out, you'll have to, unless you want to go under. One of the details you can adjust almost immediately is the amount of maintenance you pay Kerry Foster for your daughter. I never did understand why you agreed to pay her so generously - as I've mentioned before.'
'You don't know Kerry. And anyway, I didn't want a child of mine being short of anything.'
'Believe me, she'll never have gone short. If Ms Foster has any sense, she'll probably have a comfortable nest egg saved by now. You have a good case for halving the amount, I'd say - if she takes you to court about it, which I doubt she will.'
Des sighed. He knew exactly what Kerry would say to any reduction. 'I'll give her a ring, discuss it.'
'And you've no need to keep a full-time chauffeur and housekeeper, or run three cars. In fact, I'd advise you to close down that huge house of yours and sell it. It'd bring in three or four million, I should think.'
'It won't look good to sell. People will guess something is wrong.'
Raymond intervened. 'I doubt it, Des. Your marriage has just broken up, so no one will think twice about you wanting to buy a flat instead.'
'I'm getting married again as soon as I can, so I'll need another house, not a flat.'
John looked at him, screwing his mouth up in disapproval. 'Is that wise?'
Des shrugged. 'Tiff's pregnant.'
Raymond grinned. 'Congratulations. You've hit the jackpot again, you old ram.'
Des ignored him. 'Tiff won't want to live in my present house - well, I'm fed up with it myself- so maybe I can sell it and downsize a bit.'
'With a cashflow problem like yours,' John reiterated, 'every bit helps. Every single bit. Even reducing the number of meals out at fancy restaurants. You always did spend up to the hilt. Go somewhere cheaper from now on.'
'What's the point in being rich if you don't enjoy it?'
'You've certainly done that.'
Des felt depressed as his chauffeur drove him back to Tiff's flat, even more depressed when he found the place empty. He debated going home, but without Judith and Mitch the place seemed to echo round him like a big white aircraft hangar. It'd be no loss to sell it. He suddenly remembered Saltern House. He'd only lived there for a few years with his family, after his dad made some money, but he'd loved it, they all had. The old house had had character and cosiness. He sighed. It was the thing Leo had resented most, Maeve getting the house.
When Tiff came home, Des was asleep on the sofa. He looked tired so she put away her shopping before waking him gently. 'Have you eaten?'
'What? Oh, you're back.' He pulled her to him for a kiss. 'Mmm. You smell wonderful. I think I'll move in here permanently.'
She realized he meant it and pushed him to arm's length. 'Not wise, Des. This flat's too small and I'm not set up for looking after you. You're a high maintenance guy and you'll be wanting shirts ironed, meals prepared, stuff like that. I don't do domestic if I can help it.'
He opened his mouth to remind her that he was the one who paid for this place so had a right to expect something back, but decided that would be less than tactful. When Tiff decided on something, that was that. 'You're right. It is too small. But I'm selling the other place so we'll have to find somewhere to live after we're married.'
'Des, I'm still not sure it's a good idea for us to get married.'
There was silence and it went on for a long time. He swallowed hard. 'But I really want to marry you, Tiff. It's not just because you're pregnant.'
'Why?'
'Because I love you, of course. Because we're good together.' He saw her expression soften and pressed his advantage. 'And there's the baby to think of too.' As he watched her hand go up instinctively to her belly, in that age-old gesture, it suddenly occurred to him that he'd had four children by other women and he'd not been around any of them much, not even Mitch. 'Maybe it's time I got involved more, acted the father. I was too busy when I had the other children. I'd like to slow down a bit and enjoy some family life this time.'
'Well, there's no rush to make a decision. You're still married to Judith. We'll talk about it later, see what we can work out.' She could see he wasn't convinced so tried to explain. 'I'm a bit of a loner, Des. I'm not sure I could give up my freedom.'
'You talk as if you'd be in prison.' He went to pour himself a drink because it was that sort of day. Then, feeling hurt, he sat at the kitchen counter and sipped it as he watched her put together a quick meal. Salad again! Did she ever eat anything that wasn't green? He sighed. Things were getting worse and worse. It had never occurred to him that Tiff was serious about not getting married.
'It's not like you to be so quiet.' She put a plate in front of him and flicked a finger towards his whisky glass. 'And you're drinking too much of the hard stuff.'
'I've a lot on my mind. Business problems.' He didn't usually tell her the details, but tonight he needed to share his troubles so he explained about the trouble that buying Maeve out had landed him in.
'Which just goes to show it's more than time you ended that silly feud with your sister,' Tiff said when he'd finished. 'This would never have happened if you'd stayed friends with her.'
'Stayed friends! When she stole the family business from me and Leo.'
'You didn't need it. You made good all on your own. I admire that more than if you'd inherited your money.'
He was too tired to argue and his head was aching. 'Can I stay here just for a few nights then? I don't want to go back to rattle around that big place on my own.'
She smiled at him. 'Poor Des. I've never seen you look so down. Of course you can stay. Only you're in charge of your own washing and ironing, and you can do some of the shopping and cooking too.'
In spite of having her warm soft body to cuddle, he slept badly that night, lying awake worrying. Was he past it? Growing old? What if he didn't pull the business out of this tight patch? What if he went under, lost everything?
She definitely wouldn't want him then.
He didn't want to lose her as well as everything else.
After Judith and Mitch had left, Maeve gave in to her body's demands and went up to her room to rest. Kate sat down in the conservatory with the same purpose. She came out of a doze to find Mark sitting opposite her, smiling.
'Shall I pour you something to drink, Sleepyhead?' He gestured to a tray with a carafe of orange juice and some glasses on it. 'You didn't even stir when I brought this in.'
'Please.' She felt shy, wondered how long he'd been watching her, hoped she hadn't drooled or snored.
He picked up a glass and began to fill it. 'So - how are you feeling?'
She yawned and stretched, then accepted the glass, enjoying the juice's tangy, refreshing taste. 'My head isn't nearly as fuzzy. Dr Upson must have been right about the wheat intolerance, though it's going to be a nuisance avoiding the stuff. Lena and I were looking at the food labels and it's in nearly everything, even coating the frozen chips.'
'We'll manage.'
She looked at him doubtfully. We? What did he mean by that?
'I came to arrange to pick you up on Monday afternoon to take you back to London for our appointment on Tuesday.'
She was surprised because he could easily have phoned to arrange that. Her doubts must have shown in her face.
'I also wanted to see for myself how you were,' he said quietly. 'And ... I wondered whether you'd like to do a little more sightseeing tomorrow. We could go into Chester or drive out on to the moors.'
'I'd love that. And the moors would be nice. I like wide-open spaces. England feels a bit closed in after the Australian countryside.' She paused, then had to ask, 'Is entertaining the clients part of your duties? Did Andy ask you to do this?'
He set his glass down and leaned forward. 'No. I want it very clearly understood that if we go out tomorrow, it'll come under personal initiatives. My choice. Is that all right by you?'
> For the first time in months a small swirl of attraction curled round her belly. She looked at him and felt shy all over again. 'Yes. It's fine by me.' And it was. She knew somehow that this man wouldn't run away if the going got tough, as Joe had.
'I live nearby, you know. I have a flat in Knutsford. I don't spend as much time there as I'd like, though. And I reckon I'm getting too old for racketing around investigating people.'
'It must be an interesting job.'
'Sometimes it is. At other times, it's just plain boring. What was your job like?'
'The same. Both good and bad. Bad because my contracts were with public sector organisations and people aren't kidding when they talk about the mountains of red tape and paperwork the government makes you wade through. But it was good to be dealing with people. I really liked that and I miss it dreadfully. When I was living at home again, I spent so much time in my bedroom fiddling with my computer that I felt as if I were slowly stifling to death. I'm sorry if it sounds ungrateful, but you've met my father and seen how he expects everyone in the family to jump to his bidding. So I kept out of his way as much as I could.'
'Must have been hard for you.'
'Yes. I never thought something like ME would hit me, because I'd always been fairly healthy and energetic before. When you don't have much money, you're very limited in what you can do, as well as being limited by the fatigue.'
'I feel fairly optimistic that this specialist will help you get your zing back.'
Kate smiled. 'She's made a good start. But even if she does restore me to full health, I don't think I'll ever go back to working so frenetically. I had tunnel vision about my career, you know. I was far too ambitious.'
They sat chatting for over an hour before Mark went home. It had been so pleasant, Kate thought as she waved him goodbye. He was easy to talk to and there had been no awkward pauses, none at all. It was as if they were old friends.
In fact, she marvelled as she thought about how promising her life was now.
As Cal went back towards the shed the door opened and Lily asked anxiously, 'What did she say?'
'She said yes.'
She gave a huge sigh and put her arms round him. 'That's good. I like being with you, Dad. I feel safe.'
He put his arm round her and guided her back into the shed. 'There's something I have to tell you before we go into the house. Let's sit down.'
'A problem?'
The anxious, old-woman look reappeared on her face and he cursed Kerry mentally for putting it there. 'Not exactly.'
He paused, not sure how to continue, then took a deep breath and said it bluntly, 'It's about your biological father.'
She grew very still, staring at him wide-eyed.
'I've found out who he is.' Cal paused again, trying to gauge her reaction.
'I don't care who he is. He's never bothered to see me, so I don't want to see him.'
'You don't need to see him, but something's cropped up and you need to know about it. It involves Judith. In fact, her ex-husband is your father, but we didn't know until recently. And that means her son .. .'He watched comprehension dawn in her face.
'. . . is my half-brother,' she finished for him. 'I have a brother.'
They both knew she'd always regretted being an only child. 'Good news, eh?'
'Oh, yes, Dad! Very good news.'
'Well, here's some more. He's staying here at the moment with his mother.'
She clutched his arm. 'What if he doesn't like me?'
'Then he's a fool.'
'Or I don't like him.'
'If he's anything like his mother, he'll be OK.'
Silence, which he didn't dare interrupt, then she said gruffly, 'Let's get the introductions over with then.'
'All right. But one other thing ... I hope you like Judith, because I like her very much.'
She smiled, a shadow of her old self returning briefly. 'Well, duh! As if I hadn't worked that out already!'
Definitely twelve going on ninety, he thought as they walked towards the house.
Judith took a deep breath. 'Mitch, there's something I need to tell you before Cal brings his daughter in.'
'What?' He looked at her, his expression sunny and relaxed.
'Cal's daughter is called Lily - and - well, she's that Lily, your half-sister.'
' What?' There was a moment's silence, then, 'Did he bring her here specially to meet me?'
'No. She's running away from her mother.' Judith explained the situation.
'Poor kid. I'd hate to be taken completely away from you. It must be pretty bad for Cal, too.'
He said it so casually she didn't make a fuss, but his comment made her feel warm inside. 'You'll be nice to Lily?'
He grinned. 'I like my other sisters. Why wouldn't I like this one? It's you who has problems with them.'
She flushed. 'I didn't want to have anything to do with Liz, that's why I didn't encourage you to get together with Lacey and Emma. Liz can be a real bitch when she wants to, and from the way she still behaves towards me, you'd think I was the one who broke up her marriage.' She swung round as she heard footsteps outside.
Cal knocked and came in, his hand resting lightly on his daughter's shoulder. 'Lily, I'd like you to meet Mitch and Judith.'
Mitch gaped at his sister. 'Wow! You look just like my -I mean, our cousin Kate!'
Lily looked at his red hair and fingered her own. 'I guess redheads must run in my biological family. But I want it understood from the start that I consider Cal my father.' She looked at them all challengingly.
Mitch shrugged. 'It's fine by me. You're not missing much, anyway. Your biological father isn't exactly a family man. His main interests are business and having affairs with younger women.'
Judith glanced quickly in her son's direction, wondering about the bitter tone. She caught Cal's sympathetic gaze and knew he hadn't missed that, so gave him a quick smile. 'Cup of tea or coffee, anyone? Or a can of lemonade?'
'I'd love a lemonade.' Lily's voice was very polite.
'We're both hungry,' Cal said. 'How about I go into the village and pick up a few supplies?'
Judith took a quick decision. 'I'll come with you. The mini-mart stays open quite late.'
'We can go on the Hog, if you like.'
She stopped, smiling at him. 'I'd like that. I've never ridden a Harley-Davidson before.'
When they'd gone, Mitch found the biscuit tin and offered it to Lily. 'Weird, isn't it? Us being brother and sister, I mean.'
She took one. 'Very weird. I've only just found out you exist. Do you mind about me?'
He shook his head. 'Nah. I - or rather we have two other half-sisters, Lacey and Emma.'
'Two more?' She gaped at him. 'I can't get my head round this. I was just, like, an only child and now I've got three brothers and sisters.'
'You might get nieces and nephews soon as well, because Lacey's got married a week ago. You'll like her and Emma.'
She beamed at him. 'This is wicked. Tell me about them.'
'Let's go and sit down.' He led the way into the front room, bringing the tin of biscuits and absent-mindedly eating them as he sketched out a rough family tree for Lily on his mother's phone notepad.
'I'd like to meet your father one day,' she admitted. 'Out of sheer curiosity. But at the moment, Dad and I are in hiding from my mother and her new guy.'
'Tell me about it'
By the time Judith and Cal got back, the two younger folk were chatting comfortably, Lily sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Mitch sprawled on the floor, the biscuit tin between them, empty.
'I can't believe this,' Judith muttered as she glanced through the doorway and took in the cosy scene in the sitting room. 'What were we worrying about?' She waved a greeting and led the way back into the kitchen to put away the food.
Cal set down the bags he was carrying. 'I'd help you with that, but I don't know yet where things go.'
She smiled. 'I'm not used to a man who's domesticated. Des wasn't, not in the sl
ightest.'
There was the sound of laughter from the sitting room and Cal looked in that direction with a smile. 'Lily usually gets on with people.'
'And Mitch is quite used to sisters.'
Cal's smile was replaced by a frown. 'I'm a bit worried about what Kerry will do next. I'm praying she won't set the police after us.'
'Is that likely?'
He considered this for a moment. 'Not sure. She's changed since she met Wayne. I think he's influencing her in this. Big macho fellow. I'd guess he hates to be bested by a child. He doesn't want to live with Lily. She says he was talking about putting her in a boarding school in the States. He was extremely uncivil to me the few times we met when I was picking Lily up.'
'Sounds a nasty type. I'll put some frozen chips in the oven, then I'd better go and make up the beds before I feed that every-hungry son of mine.'
'Do you mind if I ring Mrs Baxter first, then I'll help you. She'll be worrying about us.'
Later, when she and her dad were alone together, Lily whispered, 'I like your new woman. And it's great having a brother like Mitch. My friends would flip over him.'
Mitch stopped his mother in the kitchen as he got a final drink before bed. 'I like Lily. We must introduce her to Lacey and Emma.' He picked up a plum and took a bite out of it, saying indistinctly, 'It'd be funny if Tiffany had a daughter as well, wouldn't it? I'd have four half-sisters then.'
She ruffled his hair. 'Heaven help them all! Now, isn't it about time you went to bed? We have to get you back to London tomorrow.'
'Do we? I want to get to know Lily a bit better. Surely, a new sister is more important than school? It's not as if I'm behind in my work or anything.'
She hesitated. 'I don't know. I'll think about it.'
But she was thrilled to see how well he and Lily got on.
When Judith went into the sitting room, Cal was standing by the bookcase. He turned, holding out his arms to her and she walked straight into them, feeling very much at home there. Strange how easy it was to love this man.