‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Jamie.
‘You too. Come and meet our little one. Not so little anymore. He’s just turned one.’ Beth gestured across to a quietcorner where two prams sat side by side. ‘He’s asleep at the moment, but come and take a peek.’
Alice watched Jamie go off with Beth to meet Archie, then she turned to Spencer. ‘Thanks for being kind. I know you don’t owe him anything, and you could have made things difficult, but—’
‘Hey, Al, stop stressing. Lottie said he’s turned over a new leaf, so I’m willing to give the bloke a chance. We all know what he used to get up to around here, but that was years ago, so I’m not going to judge him on his past. Lord knows I’m not the same man I was two years ago, let alone eight.’
‘A lot of people are saying the same thing.’
‘If we only judge people on their mistakes, it wouldn’t exactly encourage anyone to change, would it?’
‘No, I guess it wouldn’t. And most of us do change as we get older. Live and learn, and all that.’
Spencer lightly stroked her arm. ‘You always were a good mate to him.’
‘I always knew he had a good heart, that’s why. When I look back, I think if he’d had some sort of therapy as a child, perhaps he wouldn’t have gone off the rails.’
Spencer glanced over at Jamie and Beth talking by the prams. ‘Maybe.’
Alice chastised herself as she remembered that Spencer had a tough childhood for a while. ‘Sorry, Spence. I know you went through a lot as a kid as well, and you didn’t go around breaking the law.’
‘No, but I had my aunt to ground me.’ He sighed, then smiled softly. ‘Anyway, we’re all different. As long as he’s doing good now, that’s what matters. Not a lot we can do about the past, but at least we get a shot at being the best we can be today so we can have a better future.’
‘I know he really wants to just settle down and have a peaceful life.’
Spencer breathed out a small laugh. ‘Don’t we all.’
Lottie came over with Samuel. ‘All okay?’ She was looking at her brother.
Spencer nodded. ‘I shook the man’s hand. I’m giving him a chance.’
Lottie smiled. ‘Good. The more I’ve had time to think about Jamie, the more of a chance I want to give him. He’s one of us, and I want him to feel welcome in his home.’
Alice felt so relieved, she almost flopped onto Sophie as she approached with Matt.
‘When are we eating?’ asked Sophie. ‘I’m starved.’
The change in conversation made Alice’s smile grow. There was no way she wanted to talk about Jamie’s past all night, or his new life, for that matter. All she wanted was a bit of normality for him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ginny and Will chatting to Jamie and Beth, so she decided to join them. She didn’t want to be away from Jamie’s side for too long in case he needed moral support. But just as she went to speak, Demi came over to let them know a roast with their names on it was ready to be served.
Jamie’s hand brushed against Alice’s as they made their way over to a long table, and she wasn’t sure if he wanted her to hold his hand.
They sat side by side, and he leaned into her slightly. ‘You stopped stressing yet?’ he whispered, adding a small smile.
Alice chuckled. ‘Am I that obvious?’
‘To me, yeah.’
‘I just want them to like you.’
‘I know.’ He glanced at the group settling into their chairs. ‘So, how’s the Hub going? Running smoothly?’ His tone was confident, friendly.
Sophie answered first. ‘Yes, we’re doing so well. I can’t believe how needed it is around here.’
‘We weren’t expecting to help as many as we do,’ said Ginny, taking a napkin Will offered her.
Robson and Demi came over, serving the dinner.
