‘She talks about both of you, a lot.’
‘Life has been tough on all of us. You know my dad walked out when we were young. It broke Mum. But there must be other women that has happened to, other men whose wives have left. Not everyone turns into an alcoholic and loses all sense of themselves.’ He put his head in his hands.
Bess almost stretched across to comfort him. ‘I’d be angry too.’
‘I’m not angry with her.’ But he paused when he looked up. ‘All right, I am. I’m angry she couldn’t hold it together and be a real mother. And I’m even angrier that she and Marco butt heads so much, my own brother puts off visits. He’s supposed to be visiting soon but I haven’t told her yet because I’m waiting for her to do something that results in him being a no-show.’
‘For what it’s worth, I think your mum is really trying to make amends.’
‘Isn’t that one of the AA steps?’
‘I think so, but even if it’s not, she wants to. I think she needs you and your brother in her life; she wouldn’t have turned up in Whistlestop River and got a job here otherwise.’
‘A job she’s actually keeping hold of for once.’ He tipped his head back to get the last of his coffee and then set his mug down on the side table. ‘What’s the deal with your coffee machine? You saidsomething like thatwhen I asked if it was broken. Come to think of it, isn’t your dishwasher on the blink too?’
She put her own mug down, put her hands on her thighs. ‘It’s one thing in a list of items I can’t really afford, should never have bought.’ She looked right at him. ‘I’m in a bit of trouble. Didn’t your mum tell you?’
He moved as if he was going to sit forward but thought betterof it, either because he decided not to or because his knee was making it difficult these days. ‘What sort of trouble?’
‘The money kind. Your mum really didn’t say?’
‘Look, she’s been a crappy mother over the years but she’s fiercely loyal. You tell her something in confidence, she won’t break it.’
Bess wouldn’t cry; she wouldn’t let herself. She’d never looked weak in front of this man, both of them capable in their jobs, strong, to be relied on, not shadows of their former selves. ‘I’m in financial trouble, big trouble. It started after my dad died, continued with a health scare?—’
‘You never told me you had a health scare.’
‘We were in touch but it’s not the sort of thing you call up a friend about and say hey, Gio, guess what has just happened to me.’
‘Actually, that’s exactly what you should do. What happened, Bess? Tell me.’
She swallowed hard. ‘I thought I might have breast cancer.’ She immediately added, ‘The lump was benign; I had it removed.’
‘I wish you’d told me.’
‘It was too personal to share. And I suppose I found it easier to keep it mostly to myself apart from Mum and a couple of close girlfriends. It let me carry on leading my life without those questions being asked; it allowed me to be the same person I’d always been.’
‘And you’re okay now?’
‘I’m fine.’ She smiled. She liked that he cared, loved that he seemed relieved to hear it. ‘I have had check-ups since and there’s no sign of another lump.’
‘Good.’ The corners of his mouth lifted into the smile sheknew and recognised. ‘Otherwise, how will we ever go out on a date?’
‘You said you wanted to take me to dinner and I’m okay with that.’
‘But not if it’s a date,’ he said.
‘Maybe we’re better as friends.’ She never wanted to lose that.
He shrugged. ‘We’ll see.’
His flirting, his implication that they should be more than friends, made her feel better and gave her a lift but she had to get this all out now she’d started.
‘When Dad died, I kept telling myself I had to live each day like it was my last.’ She paused. ‘And that escalated after the health scare.’
‘I can understand why.’
‘Yes, and while that’s all great in theory, it turns out it’s not so good when you have a house, a car, bills to pay. I don’t even know how I got in such a damn mess.’
