by Annie Lyons
‘S’okay,’ said Ellie sadly. ‘I just wanted to win that big teddy for Daisy.’
Cat glanced up at the gigantic bear and back at Charlie, who shrugged. She reached into her purse and pulled out a crisp twenty. Cat handed it to the smug man. ‘I’ll have another go, thanks,’ she said.
The man looked unimpressed as he handed over her change. ‘You ’ave to git all free to win that big one,’ he said, nodding up towards Ellie’s dream toy.
‘Fine,’ said Cat.
‘Go on, Auntie Cat,’ said Ellie.
‘Yeah, go on,’ said Charlie.
As Cat stepped up to take her first shot she glanced at Ellie. The little girl’s face was so full of belief and encouragement. Cat felt a hit of adrenaline and something new; she wasn’t only doing this for herself; it might have just been a fairground game but she had to do it for Ellie. She told herself to breathe and stay calm as she leant over the rifle. Come on, Cat. Ting! She hit the first duck on the tail and he fell.
‘Woo hoo!’ cried Ellie.
‘Yess,’ said Charlie punching the air.
Cat took a deep breath and readied herself for the next shot. Ting! This one was a direct hit. Charlie and Ellie hugged each other. Cat smiled. Come on, come on, you can do this. Cat Nightingale never gives up and always wins. She squeezed the trigger and held her breath. Missed. Oh crap.
Cat hung her head in defeat but Ellie was soon by her side tugging at her sleeve. ‘It’s okay, the man gave us this one,’ she cried holding up a smaller purple bunny. ‘Daisy will love it.’
Cat looked at the man. ‘Thanks,’ she said.
‘S’all right, Duchess. You’re not a bad shot for a bird.’ He laughed.
Cat forced a smile before turning to the children. ‘What do you want to do now?’
‘Could we go and visit Daisy?’ asked Ellie. Charlie nodded.
Cat wavered for a moment. ‘I don’t know where she lives.’ She wasn’t ready to face Finn.
‘I do,’ said Charlie cheerfully. ‘Come on.’
Once again, Cat found herself out of her comfort zone and feeling a little sick as they pulled up outside an apartment block located five minutes round the corner from her brother’s house.
‘I’ll ring the buzzer,’ cried Ellie, leaping from the car, the purple bunny tucked securely under her arm. She danced up the steps closely followed by Charlie with Cat trailing behind. Ellie pressed the button and seconds later a squeaky voice answered.
‘Hello-o?’
‘Daisy. It’s me,’ cried Ellie.
‘Who?’
‘Me! Ellie! Your best friend, duh!’ Ellie glanced back at her brother and aunt, shaking her head with exasperation.
‘Oh, Ellie!’ giggled Daisy. ‘Uncle Finn! It’s Ellie.’
‘Hey, Ellie,’ said Finn. ‘I’ll buzz you up.’
‘Thank you, Finn,’ replied Ellie breathily. They pushed the door as it buzzed open and made their way up the stairs to a small flat. Ellie could barely wait to deliver the purple bunny to Daisy, who was predictably delighted.
‘Cat won it for you,’ beamed Ellie, glancing back at her aunt.
‘Thank you, Cat,’ gushed Daisy. ‘Look, Finn,’ she added, holding up the toy for him to see.
‘Very nice,’ said Finn, nodding briefly at Cat. ‘That was kind of you.’
‘It was nothing,’ said Cat with a smile, pretending to be modest. He didn’t respond to her humour. She wasn’t quite forgiven yet.
‘Would you guys like a drink?’ he asked. The children replied that they would. ‘Go on in to the lounge and I’ll bring them through. Charlie, you can go and find Muffin if you like. I think he’s hiding under the bed.’
‘Who’s Muffin?’ asked Cat, following Finn into the kitchen. She decided that casual conversation might break the ice.
‘He’s the cat. Charlie loves him.’
Cat nodded. ‘This is a nice place,’ she said, taking in her surroundings. ‘Your sister has great taste. I like the old movie posters in the hall.’ Cat had spotted a poster for Vertigo and other Alfred Hitchcock films.
‘Mmm,’ said Finn, flicking on the kettle.
‘Thanks, I’d love a cup of tea by the way,’ she said with a smile. ‘Although after this morning at the fair, I could also do with a shot of vodka.’ Finn didn’t answer. He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. ‘Look, Finn, I am really sorry about yesterday. I made a mistake and if I could change what happened, I would.’
Finn turned to face her. ‘You’re lucky Daisy broke her left wrist, you know?’ Cat was silent. ‘If it had been the other one, she wouldn’t have been able to write for a long time, which isn’t exactly ideal for a six-year-old who’s just learning, you know?’
Cat was shocked. He was still furious. ‘I’m really sorry. I don’t know what else to say.’
‘Well if you weren’t married to your bloody phone, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?’ His eyes flashed with renewed anger.
‘I guess not,’ said Cat. ‘But yelling at me isn’t going to change what happened. I have apologised and tried to make amends but if you won’t let me, then there’s not much I can do, is there?’
‘Not really.’ He folded his arms to show that the conversation was over.
It was Cat’s turn to feel annoyed now. ‘Well fine. I suppose we better not waste any more of your time. Come on, kids,’ she called. ‘We’ve got to go.’
‘Aww why?’ cried Daisy and Ellie in unison, appearing in the doorway.
‘Ask Finn,’ said Cat giving him a pointed look before ushering the children out of the door.
Three hours later, Andrew walked through the door to a clean house and freshly made spaghetti bolognese. Cat was pleased with the way it had turned out and even more delighted when Charlie asked for an extra helping declaring it to be ‘almost as good as Mum’s’. That night she accepted Andrew’s invitation to stay. Cat was just reaching for her phone as Andrew put the children to bed, when the doorbell rang.
‘I’ll get it,’ she called as she opened the door. She was more than a little surprised to see Finn standing on the doorstep.
He looked sheepish. ‘Hey,’ he said. ‘I’m not interrupting, am I?’
Cat glanced at her phone before tucking it in her back pocket. ‘Not at all. Come in.’
He followed her into the living room. ‘My turn to apologise now,’ he said, holding up his hands.
Cat was surprised. ‘Oh. Right.’
He sighed. ‘The thing is, Ronnie and Daisy are my only family and I’m a bit overprotective of my girls.’ Cat nodded, momentarily touched by the shared confidence. ‘So, I might have overreacted a tad to what happened at the park.’
‘You didn’t,’ said Cat. ‘But go on.’
‘Well anyway, I want to make amends so I’ve got this gig at the weekend and I was wondering if you fancied coming along?’ Cat didn’t answer immediately. Finn obviously read her thoughts. ‘Don’t worry, it’s not a date. It’s at a festival so you can bring Andrew and the kids if they’re up for it. Ronnie and Daisy are going. Should be a good vibe.’
Cat gave a small cough of embarrassment at her mistaken presumption. ‘Oh, right. Well that would be marvellous.’ Marvellous? Who used that word? ‘I’ll talk to Andrew.’
Finn gave a thumbs up. ‘Aces,’ he said.
‘Actually, I was just going to have a beer if you fancied one?’ asked Cat, surprising herself.
Finn made a face. ‘Sorry, I’m actually on my way to a gig, otherwise that would have been – marvellous.’
Cat laughed. ‘Okay, thank you. I probably deserved that.’ She walked him to the door. ‘So I’ll see you at the weekend.’
‘Cool,’ he said. ‘I’m glad we’re straight again.’ He held out his hand.
She looked at him for a moment before taking it. It was reassuringly cool, like a much-needed breeze on a hot day. ‘Me too,’ she said with a nod. After he’d gone, she fetched herself a beer and carried it into the garden. She s
at back and stared up at the sky. It wasn’t until Andrew came down a while later that she realised she’d completely forgotten about checking her phone. She went to fetch it as Andrew appeared with a beer of his own.
‘Want another or are you going to commune with the Twitterati for the rest of the night?’
She looked at him and smiled. ‘All right. You win,’ she said, leaving the phone on the side in the kitchen and following him back into the summer evening.
Chapter Ten
Cat had been to lots of music events and festivals in the past and was used to wearing a lanyard bearing the words ‘Access All Areas’ and being ushered straight through to the VIP area. Therefore it felt rather odd as Andrew was directed by a fluorescent-jacketed steward to park in the corner of a muddy field and the four of them struggled their way towards the public entrance of the beautiful gardens, which were the venue for today’s concert. They were laden with a picnic and everything the children could possibly need during four hours away from home and as they joined the end of a long queue, Cat looked longingly towards the Lanson-sponsored champagne tent, praying that she didn’t see anyone she knew.
She was surprised at the scale of the event. Before today, she’d had Finn down as a pub gigs type of musician. Andrew had told her his band was part of the warm-up but even support acts had to have a certain standing to get gigs like these. It had been raining all day but the sun had just appeared and there was a pleasant atmosphere of middle-class families enjoying an outdoor event with the promise of going home afterwards to a comfortable bed; no mud baths or chilly tents for these concertgoers. Happily, the queue moved quickly and the efficient-looking steward at the front of the queue smiled as she read their tickets.
‘You’re in the area towards the front of the stage,’ she said. ‘There’s complimentary Pimm’s for the adults and ice-cream for the kids.’
‘Thank you.’ Andrew grinned. ‘Don’t mind if we do, eh Cat?’
Cat smiled. She was impressed that Finn had sorted them such good tickets. She knew there was another VIP area for the really important guests but it was a kind gesture. They made their way towards the stage. There was already quite a crowd of people enjoying picnics and Ellie soon spotted Daisy sitting on a rug with a woman, who Cat assumed to be Finn’s sister. She stood up as they approached.
‘Hey, guys,’ she said with a smile. ‘Good to see you.’ Cat could see a similarity to Finn in her eyes. She was tall like him as well. She had a slim figure and a neat black bob as well as multiple piercings in her ears and one in her nose. ‘You must be Cat,’ she said. ‘I’m Ronnie.’
‘Hi, Ronnie,’ said Cat suddenly aware that she had caused this woman’s daughter to break her wrist only a few days ago. Ronnie didn’t look as if she bore a grudge but Cat felt she had to say something. ‘I’m so sorry about Daisy’s wrist. I should have been watching her more closely.’
Ronnie gave her a kind smile. ‘I suppose Finn gave you the third degree, did he?’
Cat grimaced. ‘I think I deserved it.’
Ronnie shook her head. ‘It probably would have happened if you’d been watching or not. Kids are kids. They take risks – they learn.’
Cat smiled. ‘That’s a very refreshing attitude.’
Ronnie shrugged. ‘Can’t stand this helicopter-parenting. You protect your kids but you can’t wrap them in cotton wool. It does them no favours. Shall we get a Pimm’s?’
Cat had already decided that she liked this woman. ‘Sounds like a great idea. Andrew, do you want one?’
Andrew shook his head. ‘Just a softie thanks, sis.’
Cat followed Ronnie to the Pimm’s tent and they joined the end of the queue. ‘So what do you make of my little brother?’ asked Ronnie with a knowing smile.
‘He’s very good with the kids,’ replied Cat diplomatically.
‘Ha! He needs a girlfriend.’ Cat stared at her in surprise and Ronnie laughed. ‘Don’t worry, I’m not angling. I was merely wondering what you thought. He spends too much time worrying about Daisy and me or with a lot of needy muso types. I just want him to be happy, you know?’
Cat felt an immediate affinity with Ronnie. She clearly knew her brother well and had his best interests at heart; it reminded her of her own relationship with Andrew. ‘You’re obviously very close,’ she observed.
Ronnie chuckled. ‘A bit too close sometimes. People often think we’re married, which is frankly vomit-inducing. Although obviously no-one will ever be good enough for my little brother and he is the best uncle Daisy could ever have.’
‘I take it your parents aren’t around any more then?’ asked Cat. ‘Sorry, that’s a bit nosy of me. We’ve only just met.’ Cat knew she was digging but for some reason she was keen to know about Ronnie and Finn’s history.
Ronnie waved away her concerns. ‘No worries – it’s cool. Yeah well, you could say that we were a tad unlucky with our parents – an alcoholic mother and a drug-addict father.’
Cat was visibly shocked. ‘Wow. That must have been tough.’
Ronnie shrugged. ‘Not for us Thomas kids. Luckily, we had a good social worker and ended up in the same home. It meant that we could look out for one another. We were luckier than some of the poor buggers in there.’
Cat nodded. ‘And you’ve stuck together ever since?’
‘Sort of. I made a spectacularly bad choice when it came to Daisy’s father but luckily Finn was there to save me.’ Cat didn’t like to pry any further but she was starting to get a refreshed picture of Finn. She was beginning to understand why people thought so highly of him. He could still be a know-it-all though. ‘Mind you, he annoys the shit out of me sometimes,’ admitted Ronnie with a grin, echoing Cat’s thoughts. ‘Thinks he knows everything about Daisy’s needs – drives me potty to be honest but I wouldn’t be without him. He’s everything to Daisy and the feeling is mutual.’ Ronnie smiled at the thought. As they reached the front of the queue, she nudged Cat. ‘Shall we take two? Seems a shame to have to come back and queue up again?’
Cat laughed. ‘Why not?’ They made their way back towards the others. Andrew had set up the picnic and the kids were happily munching on scotch eggs and other treats.
‘Well cheers,’ said Ronnie, tapping one of her plastic cups against Cat’s. ‘Good to meet you at last.’
‘Likewise.’ Cat grinned.
‘Making the most of the free booze I see?’ said a voice. Ellie and Daisy squealed with delight at the sight of Finn’s smiling face.
‘This is my uncle. He’s in the band,’ cried Daisy to anyone who would listen.
‘Do you want some food?’ asked Ronnie. It was said in a sisterly way, caring and insistent.
‘I’m okay thanks. We’re on in twenty minutes but I just wanted to check that everything was okay.’ He glanced round at the assembled party and his eyes came to rest on Cat. She realised he was seeking her approval.
‘It’s wonderful. Thank you for inviting us,’ she smiled.
Finn looked relieved. ‘Cool. Well, I hope you enjoy the gig. I’ll come and find you after.’ Daisy and Ellie clung onto a leg each as he made to leave. ‘Am I taking you two with me?’ He laughed.
‘Yes! Take us with you. We could be backing singers,’ squealed Daisy.
‘Yay,’ cried Ellie jumping up and down.
‘Come on, you two. Put Finn down. He’s got work to do,’ said Andrew. ‘Break a leg, mate,’ he added. Finn gave them a wave before heading off towards backstage.
‘Your uncle is soooo cool,’ declared Ellie.
‘I know,’ said Daisy proudly watching him go. ‘I love him.’ Cat was touched by the simple honesty of the statement. She noticed Finn turn back and look in their direction before he disappeared. She wasn’t sure but it seemed as if he was looking directly at her. He gave a friendly nod before disappearing backstage. Cat was surprised how much she was enjoying herself. It was a warm sunny afternoon and there was a convivial atmosphere spreading through the park. Ronnie was good company, Andre
w seemed relaxed and even Charlie was less morose than usual. The girls danced happily and Cat felt happy and warm due to the twin magic ingredients of alcohol and sunshine. When they had finished their picnic she turned to the children. ‘Who would like an ice-cream?’
‘Mee!’ chorused the girls.
Charlie gave a small nod. ‘Please.’
‘Okay, let’s go then.’ Cat led them over to the ice-cream stand and the children made their choices. They were about to head back when she heard someone call her name. She turned towards the VIP area and was surprised to see Jesse waving and gesturing for her to come over. She glanced at the children.
‘Who is that man?’ asked Ellie. ‘And why is he shouting your name?’
‘He’s a friend of mine,’ said Cat, feeling her heart lift at the sight of him. ‘Come and say hello.’ They made their way over but a rope fence blocked their path. A sign stated simply, ‘VIPs only’. It was like a slap round the face to Cat – a reminder of a life that was currently out of her reach. She leant across the fence to kiss Jesse just as Alexandra appeared behind him, wearing a slouchy festival-style outfit that made it look as if she wasn’t trying but which only served to emphasise her beauty all the more.
‘Wow,’ breathed Ellie. ‘Is she a princess?’ She and Daisy stared up at Alex in complete awe.
‘Oh you are adorable,’ cried Alex, smiling down at the children. Jesse rolled his eyes at Cat, who gave him an awkward smile. ‘Which one of you is Catereen’s lovely niece?’
‘Me!’ cried Ellie, rushing forwards. ‘I’m Ellie and this is my best friend, Daisy.’
‘Aww, it is so lovely to meet such beautiful ladies.’ Ellie and Daisy beamed with delight. ‘And you must be Charlie,’ said Alex turning to the boy.
Charlie, who had previously been staring at the ground, looked up in astonishment at the fact that this goddess knew his name. ‘That’s right,’ he stuttered.
Alex smiled at him, like an angel offering benediction. ‘Catereen, he is such a handsome boy. Don’t you think, Jesse?’
Jesse looked unsure. ‘Erm yes, very handsome.’
Charlie flushed bright red and Cat felt a jolt of sympathy for him. Just at that moment a security guard approached. He put a hand up to Cat. ‘I’m sorry, madam, but you’ll have to move away from the VIP area.’