‘You ready, hun?’ Beth crashed through the door with her bag over her shoulder, Lauren following up the rear with her expensive-looking trolley case and her hair and make-up immaculate.
‘Oh God, sweetheart,’ Hannah moved towards Ben, her voice a whisper. ‘You weren’t meant to hear it like that.’
‘But I did.’ A muscle jumped in his cheek.
‘Ben – you know what Dad’s like, he doesn’t mean any harm, he’s just—’
‘Well, that’s bull and you know it. I don’t suppose he’s giving you any child maintenance, either, is he?’
She looked at him with surprise. ‘That doesn’t matter,’ she began. She’d realized the other day that Phil hadn’t sorted anything out. All the Christmas present shopping had come from her own money.
‘Really? So he messes around working the whole time I’m growing up, then dumps you for some other woman the moment we move down here?’
‘That’s not what happened, Ben.’
‘Right.’ He shook his head. ‘Snakey behaviour. It makes me sick.’
And with that, he turned and stalked out of the shop. Beth, who had forgotten something and rushed back to pick it up, reappeared. Her gossip antennae were activated.
‘What’s happening?’
Hannah shook her head. ‘Just Phil being a dick, and Ben overhearing stuff he shouldn’t.’
‘Oh God.’ Beth hugged her cousin. ‘I’ll have a word with him on the drive down.’
‘Thanks.’
They said their goodbyes – Ben still angry and preoccupied – and Hannah went back inside. Hopefully a day of shopping with Lauren would cheer him up. Meanwhile, she was going to phone Phil and tell him exactly what his pathetic attempts at parenting were doing to their son.
She was composing a message when the shop door opened.
‘I’ll just be a moment,’ she said, not looking up.
‘That’s okay,’ said a familiar voice.
Hannah’s heart leapt. She put down her phone and looked into the eyes of Jake, who was standing across the counter from her, holding a bunch of white roses.
‘These are for you.’ He handed them to her. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to vanish off the face of the earth.’
‘It’s fine.’ She bent her head to smell the roses.
‘They don’t seem to smell of anything.’
‘They’re beautiful, though.’ She laughed.
‘Look, if you’re not busy later, can I take you for a drink and explain everything?’
‘You don’t have to.’ She sort of felt like she should play it cool. Half of her wanted to say what the hell were you doing? and the other half – the more rational half – recognized that there must be a logical explanation for everything. ‘How’s Sarah? Is she okay?’
‘She’s fine. She’ll be fine. I got back, dealt with her ex, and got her on a flight to Malaga. That’s where I’ve been.’
‘Malaga?’ She frowned.
‘My aunt and her husband live there – the ones who brought me up. Of course, they’ve never met Sarah, but I figured that family was family. And it was the safest thing to do, just getting her out of the country.’
She nodded. ‘That makes sense.’
‘Anyway, I’ve literally just got off the flight back. If you fancy it, we can grab some food and talk later?’
‘I’d like that.’
‘I would, too.’
She watched him leave, then got back to work.
Three o’clock came, and it was one of those winter afternoons when the sky had never quite seemed to get light. The lights were glowing softly in the village as Hannah walked across the green to swap a couple of copies of books in the telephone box library. She located the battered, worn-out ones and slipped the newer ones in to replace them, then hurried back across the road. Hopefully Ben would be back before she went out – after all, the shops would be shut soon.
Just checking what time Lauren’s coming back? Still no sign of Ben.
She tapped out a message to Beth.
Lauren? She was back here by two. She dropped Ben at the station at one.
Shit. He’s not home.
I’m sure he’s fine, Beth typed. Probably bumped into a mate at the station or when he got off the bus in Bletchingham.
Ben wasn’t back by four, and he wasn’t answering his phone. Hannah gnawed at a thumbnail anxiously. Normally he’d pick up or reply to a text, but on the odd occasion when he went AWOL she always had a pretty good idea where he was. She went upstairs to his bedroom, hoping she might find something that would give her a clue.
His bed was unmade – which wasn’t a surprise – but his wardrobe door was hanging open and the contents tipped on the carpet beside his chest of drawers. She scanned the desk – nothing to indicate – well, what? Maybe he’d just gone to a friend’s place. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably. She had a feeling something more than that was going on.
Hi all, she wrote on the football team parents’ group chat, trying to keep it casual as much for herself as anything. Just trying to locate Ben before his dinner ends up in the dog, ha ha. Anyone seen him?
Not here
Nope
Haven’t seen him today, I’ve checked with Finn
The replies came back quickly but none of them said what she hoped they would. Her phone pinged again.
What’s happened?
It was Jake. She let out a sigh of relief.
No idea where he is
Her phone rang straight away.
‘I’m coming down, give me five minutes.’
She tried to sound unconcerned. ‘It’s fine, honestly.’ But as she exhaled a shaky breath, she was utterly relieved that she wasn’t doing this on her own.
He was as good as his word. Hair standing up on one side as if he’d been snoozing on the sofa, Jake strode in through the little front door of the cottage and into the sitting room.
‘When did you see him last?’
‘This morning. He went to Oxford with Beth. He was supposed to be shopping with her daughter, but apparently she dropped him at the station at one. Where the hell is he?’
‘I’m guessing this has something to do with his father?’ Jake’s expression was disapproving.
‘He overheard me on the phone this morning.’ She nodded. ‘I’d been trying to work out the best way to tell him that Phil has moved in with Gemma and her kids, but he heard me talking to Katie. I can’t believe I was so stupid.’
‘You’re not stupid.’ He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug. ‘Okay, so where d’you think he’s likely to go?’
She shrugged. ‘I can’t think. Back to Manchester? To see his friends? I can’t think of anywhere else he’d think to go, to be honest.’
‘That makes sense to me.’ Jake picked up his car keys. ‘Give me some addresses. You stay here, I’m going to check Bletchingham just in case he’s mooching around there feeling sorry for himself, and then I’m going to head up the motorway.’
‘To Manchester?’ It came out as a sort of strangled squeak.
‘Yep.’
‘You don’t have to—’ she began.
‘Don’t. Just stay here, keep an eye out. Message me the addresses of his mates back home.’ In his urgency, his accent had thickened and he sounded more Northern than she’d heard him before. ‘And give me the address of your old place. Just in case.’
‘Okay.’ She picked up her phone and started scrolling through her contacts. ‘I’ll copy them over now.’
He put a hand on her arm, and she found herself pausing for a split second and looking up into his eyes. They seemed darker than normal, the sea green fanned with spiky black lashes. A breath caught in her throat and he gazed at her intensely for a moment, neither of them saying a word. She looked down at the floor, feeling her heart banging against her ribs, and was taken completely by surprise when he tightened his grip around her arm and dropped a kiss on her temple.
‘Try not t
o worry. We’ll sort it.’
And with that, he was gone.
What the hell was he thinking? He sped along the road to Bletchingham in the gathering dark, shaking his head at his own idiocy. Hannah was completely wrapped up in what was going on with Ben, and he’d allowed himself a moment of self-indulgence where he put his own desire for her before everything. He turned left and followed the road down the hill and into town. But it wasn’t just that – he’d realized the moment something went wrong that he wanted to fix it for her. She was hurting and worried, and he wanted – needed – to be the one by her side.
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he crossed the bridge and curled up the narrow streets, scanning the pavements. The shops were closed now and town was almost empty, only a handful of people wandering home after Sunday lunch or a walk. None of them were Ben. The little bus station was empty apart from a couple of teenagers kissing in one of the shelters. He turned the car round and headed out of town, hitting the call button on his steering wheel as he did so.
‘Hello?’
‘No sign of him in town,’ he said, putting his foot down as he reached the main road.
‘Nobody’s heard anything here, either.’
‘I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from his father?’
‘No reply,’ she said, flatly.
‘Of course there bloody isn’t,’ he said, under his breath.
‘Sorry?’ Hannah hadn’t caught it, thank God.
‘Oh nothing, just thinking out loud. Keep me posted – let me know if you hear from him. And send those addresses through, don’t forget.’
‘I will.’
He flicked through the radio stations, trying to find something to take his mind off things, but nothing seemed to fit the bill. In the end, he listened to Radio 5 and found himself muttering with irritation at the post-match commentary as he headed up the motorway, thankful that for once it wasn’t jammed with traffic cones and roadworks. The time passed surprisingly quickly.
‘Just heading to your old place now,’ he said, ringing Hannah as he navigated the streets of Salford. God, it was weird being back.
Chapter Thirty-four
There was a glow of light from the hallway that spilled out onto the narrow path outside. Jake rapped on the door, ignoring the bell, swaying on the balls of his feet like a boxer. He told himself it was apprehensiveness, but the truth was that he wanted to lamp Hannah’s ex one as soon as he opened the door. It was lucky he didn’t, given that when the door opened it was a blonde woman, her hair tied back in a ponytail, wrapped in a green fluffy dressing gown. She stood looking at him, her mouth hanging open.
‘Is Ben here?’
She didn’t say anything, just carried on staring at him, her mouth agape.
‘Who is it, babe?’ A voice carried through from the sitting room, where he could hear the vague noise of a comedy show on TV. There was a burst of laughter from the audience.
‘Um,’ she said, after what felt like about thirty seconds. ‘I’ll just – I mean no, Ben’s not here – he doesn’t live here, he lives with his mum. Is he in trouble?’
‘What’s going on?’ Phil appeared in the doorway in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. His hair was standing up on end and he looked like he was hung over. Bruised dark shadows sat under his eyes.
‘I’m looking for Ben. Your son?’ Jake was trying very hard to stay calm.
‘Ben?’
These two seemed to be sharing one brain cell between them. Jake shook his head and focused very hard on not losing his temper.
‘He’s disappeared. Hannah’s going out of her mind. He’s not answering calls, and he’s not with any of his mates in the village.’
‘What makes you think he’d come up here?’ Phil scratched his head.
‘You mean oh shit, I hope he’s okay?’ said Jake, icily.
‘Yeah, of course. What the hell?’
‘Oh my God,’ said the woman, as if she’d just come back to life. ‘Jake Lovatt! I knew I recognized your face from somewhere.’
‘I’ve got a list of his old mates from Hannah. Do you want to split up and we can check them out? It’d be much quicker that way.’
‘Yeah, sure,’ said Phil, going up at least a point in his estimation. ‘Give me two secs.’
‘What about me?’ said the woman.
‘You stay here,’ the two men said in unison.
It took Phil a couple of minutes to get into some clothes and locate his car keys. Jake took a moment to put the address of the first house in his satnav and gave a brief nod to Phil when he came out.
‘Here’s the addresses I’ve got.’
He copied them over to Phil’s phone, and they divided them up between them.
‘If you hear anything, Gem, give me a shout, okay?’
Gemma nodded. She was clearly still processing the fact that she’d worked out who Jake was. He shook his head slightly, marvelling at how strange people could be about stuff like that.
Back in the village, Hannah was going mad with worry. The parents from the football group had gathered in the shop and were heading out in the dark to see if they could find any sign of Ben. It all felt far too much like being in a horrible Sunday night TV drama. She’d bitten her nails down to the quick and was pacing back and forth in the shop, repeatedly checking that she had the phone on full volume and hadn’t accidentally put it on silent.
‘You okay?’ Nicola put an arm round her. She’d come over the moment Hannah had texted, which was the sweetest thing. Somehow saying it out loud to her made the fact that right now her son was missing a reality, rather than just . . . she exhaled a long, shaky breath.
‘Do you think we should call the police?’
Nicola nodded. ‘I don’t think it’ll do any harm.’
‘And what if he turns up in ten minutes? I’ll be in trouble for time-wasting.’
‘This isn’t exactly in character for him, is it?’
Hannah bit her lip. The only person who knew about Ben’s past behaviour was Jake. As far as everyone in the village was concerned, he was a perfectly amenable, well-behaved teenager. The trouble was – if she called the police, would they automatically assume he was up to his old tricks?
Her phone buzzed, making her jump.
Tried two friends – no luck so far.
What Jake hadn’t added was that at one of the doors, he’d been told where to go in no uncertain terms – the parent adding that ‘Kian wasn’t living there any more, mate, and if he’d done anything wrong it wasn’t anything to do with him’. At the other he’d been received with a vague shrug, and then a request for an autograph. Neither of which had filled him with hope.
What would he have done in the same circumstances at sixteen? He furrowed his forehead in thought, sitting with his elbows resting on the steering wheel, looking down the darkened street. The bins were out for tomorrow morning and the pavement jammed with parked cars. He could see televisions blaring through windows where the curtains hadn’t yet been drawn. A man walked past, talking insistently into a mobile phone, his hoody pulled tight against his face.
Something had triggered this in Ben – something had pulled him back to where he’d come from and away from the new life Hannah had provided for him. What was it about finding out about Phil that had done it? He shook his head.
Putting the car into reverse, he drove round the streets, scanning the pavements, until he reached the dilapidated shopping arcade. There was a little huddle of teenage lads there, messing about on a BMX bike, a cloud of smoke from an illicit vape hanging above their heads. He got out of the car.
‘All right?’
‘Watch out, we’ve got a nonce on the prowl,’ said one, making the others laugh.
‘You haven’t seen a lad called Ben? I’m trying to find him.’
‘Ben Reynolds?’
‘That’s the one.’ Jake let out a breath and tried not to build up his hopes. ‘You seen him today?’
‘He was down
the park half an hour ago. Haven’t seen him in ages, like.’
‘Which park?’
‘Don’t be telling him that,’ one of the other boys said, ‘You don’t know who this bloke is.’
The bright white of a mobile phone light dazzled Jake as it shone directly in his face.
‘I do,’ said another. ‘That’s Jake Lovatt. What you doing round here?’
‘Looking for Ben.’
‘What’s he got to do with you?’
‘He’s a – he’s my friend’s son.’
‘Oh yeah?’ The cheekier of the boys made a jeering noise. ‘Friend,’ he said, in a singsong voice.
‘Which park?’ He wasn’t going to be wound up by them.
‘Greenbank. Down the end of Harroway Road.’
‘Thanks.’
‘No sweat,’ said one of the boys. As he turned away, he heard the click of a photo being taken on a phone.
Greenbank Park wasn’t floodlit, and he trudged across the wet grass looking around, eyes scanning in the darkness – but there was nothing.
His phone rang.
‘Any luck?’
‘Nothing.’
‘I’m going to try the last two houses,’ he said to Phil. ‘Then we can meet back at yours?’
‘Sounds like a plan.’
Neither of the two houses brought any positive news. One was empty, the other door was answered by a teenage girl in a pair of Snoopy pyjamas who said that no, her brother wasn’t in, and she hadn’t seen Ben in months.
‘He moved down south, didn’t he? To some posh place.’
‘Thanks,’ Jake said, jumping back in the car.
He was just turning the corner onto Hannah’s old street when he saw a familiar tall, loping figure making his way up the path. His heart leapt. Slamming on the brakes, he jumped out of the car and locked it as he sprinted up the road.
‘Ben!’
Ben turned, looking at him with unfocused eyes, as if he couldn’t quite remember who he was. It took Jake a moment to realize that he was absolutely plastered. Ben swayed as he leaned towards the front door to bash it with his fist.
‘Gon’ tell him what I think of him. He’s always been shit.’
The Village Green Bookshop: A Feel-Good Escape for All Book Lovers from the Bestselling Author of The Telephone Box Library Page 24