Jess simply couldn’t bear the thought of her mother staying in an unhappy relationship because she thought she might be a burden to her. She had been nothing but a brilliant mum, always there for Jess and Maisie, even when she was going through her own pain after Jess’s dad had left.
‘I do, love,’ she told her daughter, before they boarded the train that was rumbling towards the station. ‘And please, don’t worry. I’m a big girl now.’ She winked.
They had a wonderful time in Southport, Maisie excited by her haul of gifts from the streams of pink tickets pouring from the machine. She was thrilled with her new soft toy, a pink elephant to go with the dozens of soft toys she already had in her bedroom. They went to the ice-cream parlour afterwards and enjoyed ice-cream sundaes dripping with chocolate sauce.
It was almost three o’clock when they headed back towards the station, passing the throng of holidaymakers and shoppers out in force as the sun beamed down.
Turning a corner past some high street stores, Jess noticed a familiar face. Her heart sank when she saw the bloke hold the door of a restaurant open for a woman as they both headed inside.
‘Is everything alright, love?’ her mum asked. ‘You look as though you have seen a ghost.’
‘What? No, I’m okay, thanks.’ She painted on a smile. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten all that ice cream.’
‘It was a bit indulgent but lovely, though, hey,’ said Carol as she stopped to admire a pair of dusky-pink kitten-heeled shoes in a shop window.
‘Do you think I am too old for those shoes?’ asked Carol, debating whether to buy them or not.
‘Absolutely not,’ said Jess. ‘Anyone can wear a kitten heel.’
They headed inside the shop, and after trying the shoes on, Carol made a decision to buy them.
‘You look pretty, Nanny,’ said Maisie as Carol looked in the mirror, and viewed her feet at various angles.
‘We should go somewhere nice for dinner some time so you can wear them,’ Jess told her mum, even though her mind was suddenly elsewhere.
‘Do you know, I think I will wear them now,’ Carol said to the assistant as she popped her trusty trainers into a bag. ‘Why do we need a special occasion? Being here with my two favourite girls is as good as it gets.’ She winked.
‘You should treat yourself more often, Nanny; you always treat us,’ said Maisie as she slipped her hand into hers.
‘Maybe I will.’ Carol smiled. She was suddenly filled with the reassurance that whatever happened in the future, the three of them would be alright.
‘Are you sure you’re alright, love?’
They had returned home now, and Carol was filling the kettle to make a cup of tea before she left.
‘I am. It’s just that…’ She waited for Maisie to leave the room before telling Carol what she had seen earlier in town.
‘Don’t go jumping to conclusions, love, there’s probably a very simple explanation,’ Carol reassured her daughter. ‘Did he kiss her or something, is that why you’re puzzled?’
Thinking about it, he hadn’t even kissed her on the cheek; he had just smiled in greeting as he opened the restaurant door.
‘No, but she was dressed really smart for a Sunday afternoon. It looked like she had made a real effort.’
‘And Declan?’
‘Not especially. Jeans, smart T-shirt.’ She shrugged. Thinking about it, he wasn’t really dressed up at all.
‘There you go, then. Didn’t you tell me he’s an accountant? Could it have been a meeting with a client?’ Carol suggested.
‘I never actually thought about that,’ said Jess, although maybe it was unlikely on a Sunday, and he definitely wasn’t dressed for that, although she supposed he could conduct business any day of the week.
It was out of character for Jess to feel remotely jealous, but the events of last night would confuse anyone. One minute Declan was kissing her and saying he had been dying to do so all evening, the next he was giving her a perfunctory kiss goodnight outside her front door with no plans for any further dates. Maybe the woman was an ex, who Declan realised he missed after spending time with her. Whatever the reason, she was not about to play those games; she had been hurt before and now she had Maisie to think about. She would ask Declan what was going on when she next saw him.
Just over an hour later, Carol hugged Jess goodbye, and Maisie hugged her so hard it almost brought a tear to her eye. She was already desperate to return to her family permanently.
‘I’ll see you very soon.’
Pete had stepped inside briefly, refusing a drink and glancing at his watch, saying they had better get going if they were to miss the evening traffic. As they left, Jess almost ran after them, telling her mother to stay right now, but she stopped herself. Her mother would need to collect her car and her belongings as she had pointed out. Besides, it was only fair for her mum to have a proper conversation with Pete. However difficult that might be.
