by Annie Lyons
‘Give Finn a chance. He’s actually one of the good guys.’
Cat fixed him with a look. ‘I will look after your children but I cannot promise anything beyond that.’
He smiled and tapped the roof of her car. ‘See you tomorrow, Nanny McPhee.’
Chapter Eight
Monday morning did not start well. This was new for Cat. She was one of those people who had never been bothered by Mondays; she had always thought the Monday thing was a state of mind put about by people who hated their jobs. Cat’s job was the main reason she got out of bed in the morning so it had never been an issue.
On this particular Monday though, she slept through her alarm. This was also new. She had gone to bed at the usual time but lay awake for hours and when she did sleep, it was a fitful, troubled sleep. She dreamt that she had lost her job for good and Donald Carter had come to tell her, except that instead of Donald it had been Finn and he had found the whole thing incredibly amusing. In the dream Cat had tried to run away but was pursued by Charlie and Ellie, who were riding a unicorn. They were calling, ‘You will have to look after us for evahhhhh!’ She had woken up sweating, her heart pounding. It was some time after three before she drifted off again and when the alarm sounded she had turned over, switched it off and fallen back into a gentle slumber. She was woken again by the sound of her phone buzzing with a call. As soon as she noticed who it was and the time, she shot out of bed, answering in a panic.
‘Shit, Andrew, I don’t know what happened. I must have missed the alarm!’
Andrew could barely conceal his stress. ‘Okay. How quickly can you get here?’
Forty minutes later, Cat arrived with hair unbrushed, an unpleasantly furry sensation in her mouth due to swiftly brushed teeth and no make-up.
‘You look sick,’ sniffed Ellie as Cat walked through the door.
‘Good morning to you too,’ said Cat.
‘Got to run. Late for a meeting. See you later,’ cried Andrew dashing out of the door.
‘Okay. Sorry. I’ll cook dinner tonight to make up for it,’ she shouted after him. He replied with a hurried wave before running off towards the station. Cat glanced at her appearance in the hall mirror and reeled in shock. For a woman who took great pride in flawless timing and sharp dressing, this was bad. This was very bad.
‘Do you think Mummy would mind if I borrowed some of her make-up?’ asked Cat.
Ellie shrugged. ‘Will you do mine for me?’
‘Deal. Where’s Charlie?’
‘In his room. He had another meltdown last night. And this morning,’ reported Ellie.
‘Oh right.’
‘And then I cried because Daddy shouted. It’s been very stressful all because you were late,’ said Ellie, pointing the finger of blame.
Cat couldn’t believe she was being told off by a six-year-old. ‘I’m sorry,’ she found herself saying.
‘Say it like you meant it.’
Cat almost laughed as she knelt down in front of Ellie. ‘I’m very sorry and you are very bossy.’
‘Thanks.’ Ellie grinned and danced up the stairs.
Charlie’s door was shut and Cat didn’t feel the inclination to disturb him any earlier than necessary. She followed Ellie into her parents’ room. It felt strange being in here, as if Cat were prying on her brother’s marriage. She spotted the hallmarks of a man left to his own devices for too long. The dirty laundry was reaching window height on the floor; the bed was unmade with the duvet strewn to one side. Empty mugs and glasses were dotted on every available space and the room bore the smell of unkempt man. Cat drew the curtains and opened a window. She sat down in front of Melissa’s dressing table and quickly found her make-up. She applied some foundation and blusher, starting to feel human again.
Ellie plonked herself down next to her aunt. ‘You’re actually quite pretty,’ she observed, studying her face in the mirror.
‘Thank you.’
‘Am I pretty?’ asked Ellie, turning to appraise her own reflection.
‘Of course,’ answered Cat without hesitation. ‘You’re part of the Nightingale family and they’re all stunners.’
‘I see,’ said Ellie, her face serious. ‘Can you do mine now, please?’
Cat turned to her niece and gave her a light dusting of powder and blusher. She picked up a lipstick. ‘Now purse your lips like you’re going to kiss someone.’ Ellie did as she was told. ‘There. All done.’
Ellie turned to look at herself in the mirror. She seemed satisfied. ‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘You’re welcome,’ said Cat. She stood up and looked over at the unmade bed. ‘Isn’t your daddy messy? Shall we make his bed for him?’
‘Okay,’ agreed Ellie. They approached the bed, grabbed the duvet and gave it a good shake. Ellie laughed and Cat grinned, feeling an odd satisfaction as she shared this task with her niece. As Cat smoothed the covers and plumped up the pillows, she glanced at her brother’s bedside table. In amongst the empty cups and discarded paperbacks was a photograph. It was tiny but Cat recognised it immediately. It was like being shot through the heart seeing this picture after so many years. Cat had an identical one tucked away in her purse. She didn’t want Ellie to see her looking but it was too late.
‘That’s your mum and dad, isn’t it?’
‘It is,’ said Cat quietly.
‘And they died, didn’t they?’
‘They did, yes.’ Ellie was about to open her mouth with more questions but Cat didn’t want to hear them. ‘Isn’t it time we went to the park to meet Daisy?’ she asked.
Ellie was immediately distracted. ‘Oh yay park!’ she cried. ‘I’m bringing my swimming costume because there’s water stuff to play in.’
‘Okay,’ said Cat. She left the room, glancing back briefly at the picture again. It was a colour photograph of her parents at a friend’s wedding; her mother was laughing at something her father had said, her face tilted towards him, and they looked so happy and alive. The sight of it tore at Cat’s heart so that she had to stand on the landing and take a moment before she tapped on Charlie’s door. There was no answer. She opened the door. He was hunched over his desk drawing, his earphones clamped firmly around his head. She walked alongside him and waved a hand in front of his face. He scowled up at her but did remove the earphones.
‘What?’ he said.
Cat could see that Charlie’s mood had surrounded him like a dense fog. It was unlikely that she would be able to break through, given their past history. She decided that a firm approach was needed. ‘We’re going to the park in ten minutes to meet Finn and Daisy.’
‘You can. I’m not,’ he said and went to pull his headphones back onto his ears.
Cat wasn’t in the mood for this today. ‘Do you think I want to go to some bloody water park?’ Charlie stared up at her in astonishment. ‘I mean, it’s not exactly my idea of fun, particularly having to spend the day with that know-it-all, Finn.’
‘You don’t like Finn?’ asked Charlie in surprise. Adults never admitted to not liking other adults.
‘He’s incredibly annoying and full of himself. Does that answer your question?’
‘Er, I guess.’
‘So fine, we can stay here if you like and you can tell Ellie we’re not going. I can spend the day on Twitter and you can carry on doing whatever it is you’re doing. It’s all the same to me. Just let me know what you decide.’ Cat plonked herself down on Charlie’s bed, folded her arms and stared at him.
Charlie looked astounded. He was used to being told what to do, not having to make the decisions.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the park. If the last park they’d visited had been Cat’s idea of torture, then this particular place was her own special hell. All she could hear was screaming; some people may have defined it as happy screaming but for Cat there was no such thing. There was a huge play area filled with all manner of slides, swings and climbing frames and to one side there was something called a ‘splash park’. It was to
this area that Ellie made a beeline and promptly stripped down to her fifties film star type swimming costume with pink bow accessories. Cat found a bench in the shade and sat down. Charlie plonked himself alongside her, arms folded, looking miserable.
‘Why don’t you go and play?’ she asked.
‘Don’t feel like it,’ came the monosyllabic response.
Cat glanced at her watch. She was pleased to see that her time-keeping prowess had been restored. It was a little after eleven, which was the time Andrew had arranged with Finn. Predictably he was late and Cat was delighted. She didn’t want to make small talk with him any longer than was strictly necessary. Ellie seemed happy enough, splashing about in the shallow waters and experimenting with the various sprays and fountains that dotted its path. Thankfully, she was far enough away so that Cat wasn’t in the firing line. Cat took out her phone and started to look at Twitter. In the excitement of that morning she realised that she hadn’t caught up with the day’s news.
‘Saving the world one tweet at a time, are you?’ said a voice next to her. She knew who it was immediately.
‘Working on your time-keeping so that you’re only ten minutes late, are you?’ she retorted, looking up at Finn.
‘Touché.’ He grinned.
‘Hello, Cat,’ said Daisy.
‘Hello, Daisy. Ellie’s over there. Have you brought your costume?’
Daisy slipped out of the dress she was wearing, revealing a very cute polka dot swimsuit. ‘Ta-da!’ Cat couldn’t help but smile.
‘Right, Daisy-doos, let’s put some sun cream on you before you go. It’s hot, hot, hot today,’ said Finn, pulling out a bottle.
Shit, thought Cat, rummaging in the bag, hoping that Andrew had packed some. She was out of luck. She looked over at Finn. Double shit. Now she would have to be nice to him.
‘Er, Finn?’
‘Yup?’
‘Could I borrow some of that sun cream please?’ she asked in as friendly a tone as she could manage.
‘Sure,’ he said, handing it over.
Cat waited for a smart remark but none came. ‘Thanks,’ she said. She found Ellie and applied a thick layer of cream despite the small girl’s protestations. When she came back, Charlie had disappeared. Finn was sitting on the bench, looking at his phone.
‘Where’s Charlie?’
‘Over there. He met some boys from school and they’re hanging out.’
Cat nodded. Finn seemed immersed in what he was doing so Cat took out her phone. After a while her phone signalled a text. It was from a number she didn’t recognise.
‘Would you like an ice-cream?’ it said.
She looked up confused and spotted Finn smirking at her. ‘Is this you?’ she asked, holding up her phone.
Finn nodded. ‘Andrew gave me your number and I thought it might be the best way to communicate. Less misunderstanding perhaps.’
Cat couldn’t help laughing. ‘You’re a fool.’
‘Thank you.’ He grinned. ‘So would you?’
‘I’ll have a 99 Flake, please,’ she replied.
Finn nodded and went to ask the children what they wanted before disappearing to the ice-cream van. Cat looked over to where Charlie was standing with a group of three boys. One of them – a spiky-haired boy smaller in height than the others, was talking. He seemed to be giving instructions to Charlie who was listening wide-eyed and nodding. After he’d finished talking, he shouted, ‘Go!’ and Charlie dropped onto his front and started doing press-ups.
Cat frowned as the smaller boy nudged his companions and laughed. Charlie could only manage half a dozen press-ups before he collapsed onto his knees. The smaller boy knelt down beside Charlie and whispered something into his ear before looking up at the other boys and laughing again. Then he ruffled Charlie’s hair with some force and hauled him up to his feet. Cat didn’t know much about children but she understand human behaviour and didn’t like what she saw. She strode over to the group and tapped Charlie on the shoulder.
‘Everything all right, Charlie?’
‘Mee-mee-mee-mee-mee-mee-mee, Charlie?’ mimicked one of the other boys, grinning at his friends for his clever retort.
The smaller boy punched him on the arm. ‘Shut up, Ben.’ He turned to Cat, his face smiling and innocent. ‘Everything’s fine, isn’t it, Charlie? We were having a game, weren’t we? Football training and I was being the coach. I’m Tom by the way.’
Cat was astounded when he held out his hand. She didn’t take it. ‘Well I’m his aunt and it didn’t look like a game to me.’
‘Leave it, Cat. Please,’ said Charlie.
Cat looked over at him. His face was pleading and she could see something else behind his eyes that troubled her; it was fear. She turned back to the group of boys. ‘I’m watching you,’ she said before walking away.
Finn was back with the ice-creams and looked expectantly at Cat as she returned to the bench. He held out a dripping 99 Flake. ‘I had to lick it a couple of times,’ he said cheerfully. Cat stared at the ice-cream as if it were a poo on a stick. ‘That was a joke,’ he said.
‘Thank you,’ she replied taking it from him. ‘Let me give you some money.’
‘Don’t worry.’
‘I always pay my way.’
‘It’s just an ice-cream, Cat. You can get them next time.’
Next time, thought Cat. Sounds ominous.
‘Was everything okay with Charlie?’ he asked.
Cat shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. I didn’t like the way those boys were behaving towards him.’
‘Did you say anything?’
‘Of course,’ she replied. Finn winced. Cat threw up her hands. ‘What have I done wrong now?’
‘Possibly made life more difficult for Charlie.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you’re his auntie and you stuck up for him.’
Cat turned to face him. ‘So, childcare guru, what should I have done?’
Finn held up his hands. ‘Listen, I’m not judging. I probably would have done the same.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course. You want to protect the ones you love. It’s natural.’
Cat was caught off guard for a moment. Was this what she was doing? Protecting her nephew out of love? She wouldn’t exactly call Charlie loveable but she certainly felt more of a connection with him than she had a week ago. It probably just came with the territory; she was in loco parentis after all. Her thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of a tall thin woman with bony elbows, and an angular face.
‘Did you threaten my son?’ she barked.
The woman was towering over her, so Cat stood up and looked her in the eye. ‘Is your son called Tom?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Did you threaten him?’ she repeated.
‘No I did not,’ said Cat feeling her hackles rise. ‘But if your son continues to bully my nephew, I will speak to my brother and get him to take it up with their school.’
‘How dare you? My son is not a bully!’ said the woman, taking a step forwards and jabbing Cat in the chest.
Cat looked at the spot where the woman had poked her and then back into her eyes. ‘If you do that again, I will call the police,’ she said, holding her gaze.
The woman hesitated. She could tell that Cat meant business but she wasn’t prepared to leave without having her say. ‘Threaten my son again and I’ll be the one calling the police,’ she said before storming off.
Cat’s body shook as she returned to her seat. Finn was watching her in amazement. ‘Wow,’ he said. ‘Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you. You were awesome.’
Cat remained furious. ‘Did you hear her? She’s deluded, absolutely deluded, and her son is a little shit.’
Finn grinned. ‘Like I say, it’s just people protecting the ones they love as best they know how.’
Charlie appeared before them. It was clear that he thought Cat was anything but awesome. ‘Thanks a bunch,’ he shouted. ‘Why did you have to do that?’
‘They’re not bullies. They’re my friends.’
‘Really? Were you really enjoying what was happening there? Honestly?’
Angry tears of frustration sprung into Charlie’s eyes. ‘You don’t understand!’ he cried before storming off across the playground.
Cat looked at Finn helplessly. He rose to his feet. ‘Don’t worry. He’s angry and doesn’t want to talk to you at the moment. I’ll go and check he’s all right. You watch the girls, okay?’
‘Okay,’ said Cat miserably. She felt irritated with Finn for taking over but grateful too. Most of all she felt annoyed with herself for not being able to sort out this problem for Charlie. After all, she was supposed to be good at this: problem solving, crisis management, smoothing all those troubles away with an expert wave of her PR wand. She obviously wasn’t as good at reading situations as she thought. She glanced over to where Ellie and Daisy were playing. They were splashing around happily, squealing and giggling with delight. Cat’s phone buzzed signalling a call and she fished it out of her pocket, pleased to see that it was Jesse calling. She hoped for some good news as she answered.
‘Oh hey Jesse, what’s up?’
‘Kit Kat! Have you recovered from Friday night?’
Cat laughed. ‘I have. Is everything all right?’ she asked hopefully.
‘Fine, apart from the fact that we can’t manage without you.’
‘Oh yes?’ This was it. He was phoning with good news.
‘Yes. The thing is, we can’t find the Saffy Bridges – Sam Taylor engagement pics plan file anywhere. Did you put it on the public drive?’ Cat’s heart sank. ‘Kit Kat? Did you hear me?’
‘Yes. It was in the notes I left for you. It’s on the secure drive. You need a password. ‘It’s “GracehyphenKelly”,’ said Cat quietly.
‘Oh yeah, of course! I should have checked the notes. Thank you. You’re a diamond. How are you anyway?’
Cat’s thoughts were interrupted by a scream – not like the constant excited screams that had pervaded the air since they arrived. This was an urgent scream of pain followed by silence. Cat looked up and saw a woman carrying Daisy towards her with Ellie in tears running alongside.