by Annie Lyons
Finn gave a gallant nod. ‘Sorry for my nosiness this evening but I enjoyed our chat.’
Cat smiled. ‘Me too. You’re actually quite good company despite being a stickybeak know-it-all.’
Finn put his hand on his chest and bowed. ‘That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.’
She laughed. ‘Goodnight. I need to get some rest as you’ll no doubt have us paragliding off the end of the pier tomorrow.’
‘Yes, that’s after the jet-skiing in the harbour.’ He grinned. ‘Sleep well.’
Whilst Cat got ready for bed she could hear Finn downstairs gently strumming on the guitar. She slid into bed and as her brain began to relax, she remembered that she hadn’t checked her phone all day. It was the first time in her working life that this had happened but instead of sending her into a panicked flurry of activity, she burrowed further down under the covers and closed her eyes, letting the music lull her into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
‘You look different,’ said Andrew, as Cat and the girls met him from the train on Friday evening. It was a tiny unmanned railway station, miles from where they were staying. The hanging baskets and troughs of summer flowers gave it a pleasant air of days gone by.
‘Do I?’ said Cat, smoothing her hair self-consciously. ‘How different?’
Andrew did his best to appraise his sister’s appearance despite the fact that Ellie was hanging off one arm whilst Daisy skipped right in front of where he was trying to walk. ‘Just different. You’ve got colour in your cheeks. Natural colour. It suits you.’
‘Why thank you, little brother.’ She smiled and led him to the car.
Once inside the girls insisted on listening to the Frozen CD again. Cat was pleased that she’d paid extra to have separate speaker controls for front and back. This didn’t muffle Ellie’s tuneless singing but it made conversation with Andrew a little easier.
‘How’s Melissa’s dad?’ asked Cat.
‘It could be any day now,’ reported Andrew grim-faced.
‘Poor things.’
‘I know. Mel’s really torn. She wants to be there for her mum and dad but she’s missing the kids a lot. I promised to try and find somewhere to Skype her over the weekend.’ He glanced out of the window and stretched back his shoulders. ‘It’s good to get out of London. Work has been a nightmare lately.’
‘Well I think you’ll find it very easy to relax. You can have my bed and I’ll take the sofa if you like.’
‘Thank you but I wouldn’t dream of it.’ Andrew fixed his gaze on Cat. ‘So? How’s it been?’ he asked with meaning.
‘Actually, much better than I thought.’
‘How’s Charlie?’
‘Apart from one small outburst, he’s been okay.’
‘Good.’
Cat glanced over at her brother. ‘Does he ever talk to you about school?’
‘What about it?’
‘About the other boys?’
Andrew pursed his lips. ‘There was an incident in Year Two with a boy.’
‘Was he called Tom?’
‘That’s the one. His mother’s a governor. The school said they’d dealt with it.’
‘Well I get the feeling it’s kicking off again.’
Andrew ran a hand through his hair. ‘Oh great. That’s all we need.’
Cat was surprised that Andrew’s first reaction wasn’t one of sympathy towards his son but she said nothing. ‘Anyway, I think the holiday’s doing him good. He gets on well with Finn and we had a brilliant time in the pub yesterday.’
‘Finn’s not the smug know-it-all you thought he was then?’ teased Andrew.
Cat raised her eyebrows. ‘Let’s just say we’ve come to an understanding.’
‘Anything I should know?’
‘Yes actually. You should know that if you continue to try to match me up with every man who falls into my path, I will have to push you off the pier.’
Andrew laughed. ‘Fair enough. I’m glad you’re having a good time though.’
‘I always have a good time,’ she said, although she knew what he meant. The drive back to the cottage took them through picturesque villages, over marshland and a river that Cat hadn’t even noticed on her stressful journey earlier in the week. She was pleased Andrew had noticed a difference in her. Cat felt it too. She hadn’t realised how much she’d needed a break and was also surprised how little she missed her social media fix. She’d barely given the situation with her job a thought and apart from the brief exchange earlier in the week, Cat hadn’t felt the urge to check Twitter. It was strange to be without something that had underpinned her life for so long now but she had to admit that she was rather enjoying the alternative. She was beginning to step back a little and realise that it was a habit like any other and that existing without it definitely had its advantages. Cat hadn’t felt so relaxed in years.
She took in the broad expanse of shimmering sky, which opened up in front of them as they turned onto the winding road leading to the town. Pulling up outside the cottage, she spotted Charlie playing football in the park with Finn. She had asked Charlie if he wanted to come and meet his dad but her enquiry was met with an uncertain frown.
‘Or you can stay here with me if you like?’ Finn suggested. Charlie looked relieved and Cat hadn’t questioned him further.
She waved over at Finn as they climbed out of the car. They crossed the road and met them by the hedge.
‘Hey, Charlie. You okay?’ said Andrew. ‘All right, Finn?’ he added, shaking hands.
‘Hi, Dad,’ said Charlie. He seemed almost shy.
‘Having a good game?’ asked Andrew, gesturing at the ball that Charlie was palming from hand to hand.
‘Yeah. Great. Do you want to come and play?’ asked Charlie, his eyes lighting up with hope.
Andrew screwed up his face. ‘I would, mate, but I’m knackered. Can we do it tomorrow?’
‘Sure,’ replied Charlie. He turned away and dropped the ball to the ground, but not before Cat saw how his face fell. She exchanged glances with Finn.
‘How about we take a walk along the seafront, end up at the pub and get fish and chips on the way home?’ she suggested.
‘Sounds perfect.’ Andrew smiled. ‘I’m gasping for a pint.’
‘Daddy?’ said Ellie sweetly.
‘Yes, pumpkin?’
‘Can I have a piggy-back, pleeease?’
Andrew hesitated but couldn’t resist. ‘Okay, come here, you,’ he said turning and bending down so that she could hop aboard.
‘Uncle Finn? Can I have one too, please?’ asked Daisy.
Cat walked alongside Charlie as they made their way down towards the seafront. She noticed that he was quiet so she nudged him. ‘All right, Charlie?’
‘Mhmm,’ he murmured.
‘Bet it’s nice to see your dad again.’
‘I guess.’
‘Everything okay?’
He looked at her and she noticed that the cloud had descended again; she was getting used to that cloud. It was an indicator that Charlie was not in the mood for idle chat. ‘Everything’s fine,’ he muttered.
Ellie was pointing out the sights to her father. ‘That’s the lighthouse and that’s the pier, although we haven’t been there yet, and this is the beach.’
‘It’s lovely,’ said Andrew with a smile. ‘And you’re heavy,’ he added, heaving Ellie down from his shoulders and plonking her on the pavement.
‘Rude,’ said Ellie. ‘Come down now, Daisy,’ she commanded gesturing up at her friend who was still perched on Finn’s shoulders.
‘I like it up here,’ said Daisy patting the top of Finn’s head. ‘You can see a lot more.’
‘Come on, Ellie, I’ll run with you,’ offered Charlie with a kind smile.
Ellie frowned. ‘I want to walk with Daddy,’ she said, catching hold of Andrew’s hand. Cat noticed Charlie’s face flush red with wounded pride. Her heart went out to him but she also knew that he would
hate it if she made a fuss so she let him be.
They entered the pub and as it was a lovely evening, they found a table outside in the walled garden.
‘Are you drinking beer now?’ said Andrew to Cat, as Finn set down three pints and glasses of lemonade for the children.
‘I’m afraid to tell you that your sister has been replaced,’ reported Finn.
‘Oh yes?’ said Andrew amused. ‘With someone less bossy I hope.’
‘Shut up,’ laughed Cat.
‘She’s now known as “holiday-Cat”,’ declared Finn. ‘She eats unhealthy food, goes for picnics, drinks in pubs and has forgotten how to use Twitter.’
Andrew stared at his sister in amazement. ‘I like the sound of this new woman.’
‘She’s pretty amazing,’ said Finn, his eyes lingering on Cat.
‘I’ll have you know that I was pretty amazing before,’ she joked, looking away.
‘Well here’s to you, sis, and your holiday self,’ said Andrew winking at her. ‘May your picnics be wasp-free and your pint glass always be full.’
‘Amen to that,’ agreed Finn.
‘Can we play a game now?’ asked Ellie.
‘All right then,’ said Finn. He nipped back into the pub and returned with a pack of Happy Families. Cat watched with amusement as Ellie stuck out her tongue in concentration as she ordered her cards. When they were all ready, Finn turned to Daisy. ‘Do you want to start, Dais?’ Daisy was out with her first question and it was Ellie’s turn.
‘Charlie,’ she began.
‘No,’ he said.
‘You don’t know what I’m going to ask.’
‘Go on then, squirt.’
‘Don’t call me that,’ said Ellie crossly.
‘Charlie,’ warned Andrew.
‘Fine,’ said Charlie. ‘Go on.’
‘Charlie,’ repeated Ellie.
‘Ye-es,’ he replied impatiently.
‘Do you have Mr Bacon?’
‘How could you know that?’ he retorted, flicking the card at her.
‘Charlie, calm down,’ said Andrew.
Ellie took the card. ‘I’m just very good at guessing,’ she said in a superior voice. She was on a roll now and oblivious to her brother’s worsening mood. ‘Charlie? Do you have Mrs Bacon?’
Charlie scowled at her. ‘You cheated! You looked! You always bloody do that,’ he cried.
Ellie’s lip began to tremble. She gazed up at her father, her face a picture of innocence. ‘I didn’t, Daddy. I promise. I’m just really good at guessing.’
‘I didn’t, Daddy, I pwomis, I’m just weeally good at guessing,’ mimicked Charlie in a baby voice, causing Ellie’s eyes to mist with the promise of tears.
Andrew put a consoling hand on her knee before turning on his son. ‘You! Outside! Now!’ he barked angrily.
Charlie stared at him for a second, his face set in a thunderous scowl. Suddenly he leapt to his feet sending his drink flying. He threw down his cards and stormed out towards the front door, closely followed by his father.
Cat ignored the stares of fellow drinkers and fetched some paper towels. She gave Finn a wincing look as they mopped up the spilt lemonade. Ellie began to sob. ‘It’s always like this with Daddy and Charlie. They make each other so cross and I hate it when people get cross. And I didn’t cheat, honestly, Cat. I promise.’ Cat put a comforting arm around her shoulder as Daisy clung onto her friend’s arm on the other side.
‘Not quite as much fun as yesterday,’ she said. Finn sighed and nodded. Andrew and Charlie were gone for a long time. Cat kept glancing towards the doorway expecting to see them return. The girls were upset and despite Finn’s best efforts to entertain them with a word game, the mood had changed. Eventually Andrew returned alone.
‘I’m going to take Charlie home,’ said Andrew. ‘You stay here and play.’
‘I want to go home too,’ said Ellie, her voice trembling.
‘And me,’ agreed Daisy.
‘Well how about I take the girls to get the fish and chips and we meet back at the house?’ offered Finn.
Andrew looked relieved. ‘Thanks, Finn.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Cat.
They walked through the pub and back onto the narrow street outside. ‘Where’s Charlie?’ asked Ellie, worried.
Andrew was looking left and right. ‘I told him to wait here,’ he said, panic rising in his voice. ‘Charlie! Charlie!’
‘He can’t have gone far,’ said Cat, trying to keep her voice calm.
‘Where is he?’ wailed Ellie, tears springing quickly into her eyes.
‘Listen, why don’t I take the girls through the town and look for him on the way?’ suggested Finn. ‘You two head towards the seafront and call me if you find him, okay?’
Andrew’s face was white with fear as he nodded. He knelt down in front of Ellie. ‘It’s okay, Ellie. You go with Finn and Daisy. Charlie is playing one of his silly games. I’ll find him and bring him home for tea, all right?’
‘All right, Daddy,’ sniffed Ellie.
Andrew and Cat walked smartly towards the seafront. ‘This is all my fault,’ muttered Andrew.
Cat touched him on the arm. ‘Don’t worry about that now. Let’s just find him, okay?’ As they reached the path, which snaked along the top of the beach, they stopped. ‘Right, you go left towards the pier and I’ll go right towards the harbour and call me if you spot him,’ said Cat. She had gone into crisis-management mode. Andrew nodded and they parted company. Cat walked briskly along the path. There were benches along one side filled with holidaymakers but Charlie wasn’t among them. The path wound down the hill towards the sand dunes and it was this route that Cat took, scanning every inch for her nephew.
At the bottom of the slope the promenade was covered with a light dusting of sand blown up from the beach. She paused, looking left and right, deciding to walk as far to the right as possible first before retracing her steps in the other direction. The beach was sweeping and sandy here and there were lots of families playing ball games or picnicking in the warm sun. The beach huts were set back and elevated on this stretch of sand and the hut owners were making the most of their own little piece of heaven, stretching out in deckchairs on the promenade or lazily drinking wine on the veranda. Cat was starting to despair and then she saw him. The sand was flat and soft on this part of the beach but after a while it gave way to a built-up ridge of pebbles leading down to the shore. Charlie was perched on this shingle bank staring out to sea. She reached for her phone and dialled Andrew’s number. He answered immediately.
‘I’ve found him,’ she said.
‘Thank God. Where? I’ll come to you.’
‘You don’t need to. I’ll meet you at home. Go and tell the others the good news.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course.’ She hung up and made her way across the dense sand. She didn’t call his name. As she reached his side, she sat down next to him and looked out to sea. He glanced over, registering her presence, but he didn’t move. Cat could tell that he was trying to register her level of anger. She knew enough about human beings to understand that getting cross rarely helped in these situations. It only made both parties feel wretched. She carried on staring out to sea as she spoke. ‘When your dad was little, he ran away from home.’ Charlie didn’t speak but Cat knew he was listening so she continued. ‘We looked for him everywhere: in the shed, under the bed, in the linen cupboard.’ Cat smiled at the memory. ‘Do you know where we found him?’ Charlie looked at her expectantly. ‘At the bus stop.’ She laughed. ‘He told us that he was going to London to become a pop star. He was eight. My mum told him to let her know next time so that she could pack him some sandwiches.’
‘She wasn’t cross?’ asked Charlie.
Cat looked at him. ‘No, she was very wise and kind.’ Her voice broke a little.
‘Dad’s going to be cross. He’s always cross with me.’ He glanced up at her and she saw a little boy who was a bit fright
ened and sad. Preparing for him to shrink away she offered her arm and was pleased when he leant into her.
‘He worries about you,’ she offered.
‘Why does he end up cross with me then?’
It was a fair question. ‘Sometimes adults don’t get things right,’ admitted Cat. ‘Their worry turns into fear and they often get angry because of it. It’s crap but it’s how it is.’
‘Dad’s always cross with me. Ellie gets all the attention because she’s the baby and Dad doesn’t have any time for me.’
Cat could see the truth in this. ‘Well maybe we need to talk to Dad about it.’ She felt Charlie’s body relax a little at the suggestion.
‘Will you talk to him?’ asked Charlie.
Cat looked down at him. ‘I will and then you need to, okay? Things never get resolved unless you talk about them. Remember that.’
‘I will.’ Charlie nodded. They stayed for a while longer watching the waves lap the shore and a gaggle of excited five-year-olds shriek with delight as they splashed around in the shallow water. ‘Cat?’
‘Mhmm?’
‘Could we go now, please? My bum’s getting really numb.’ Charlie grinned.
They walked back along the beach in companionable silence, pausing to skim the odd stone into the sea. Charlie declared Cat’s efforts to be ‘rubbish’, but she didn’t care. It felt good to be just the two of them and Cat was starting to believe that they had an understanding. It was important to her; she realised this now. As they neared the cottage, she was aware that Charlie was walking close to her as if seeking protection. ‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘I’ll go in first.’
The best plans, of course, are often prone to a kick in the gut. As soon as they walked through the door, Andrew appeared in the hallway. ‘Get up to your bedroom and don’t come down until I tell you!’ he said as soon as he caught sight of his son.
Charlie gave Cat a desperate look. ‘Andrew, hang on a minute,’ began Cat.
‘Sorry, Cat,’ said Andrew holding up his hands. ‘But you don’t understand. Charlie knows that his actions have consequences and the consequence of behaving like a spoilt brat and then running off is to go to your room until I say otherwise.’