A pause.
‘Maurie. Are you still there?’
‘I’m still here.’ But her voice juddered.
‘Maurie, are you upset?’
After a pause Maurie sniffed. ‘He’s never going to change. I thought… We thought… After the good day they’d had that Jonty might realise what a fine young boy he has. We thought he’d finally realise he still has time to be a proper father to Isaac.’
Addie could’ve told them they were dreaming, but she suspected if Jonty was her son she would be hoping for the best outcome too. ‘Has Jonty left already?’ she asked delicately, putting her own troubles aside for the minute.
‘As soon as they finished at the park.’
Addie’s heart sank. He’d not even managed to spend time with his parents after the visit. What was wrong with that man? ‘I’m sorry, Maurie.’
‘It is what it is.’
‘But Isaac was all right when Jonty left?’
‘You know, I was more sad than Isaac was. He took it in his stride, as if it was perfectly normal. He might not always feel that way if and when his daddy dips in and out of his life, but whatever you’ve done for that boy, Addie, you’ve made him resilient, and he doesn’t doubt everyone else’s love for him even though his dad is useless.’
‘I’m so sorry, Maurie. It must be hard for you.’
‘It is, but we’re tough. We’re fine.’
‘Jonty has always done his own thing.’ It was the politest way to describe him. Talking about him with Maurie and Jarrett was always a balancing act between getting her point across and not totally alienating them by criticising their son.
‘We worry.’
‘About Jonty?’ Addie asked.
There was a longer pause before Maurie told her, ‘We worry that without Jonty making an appearance, you and Isaac will move on, we’ll lose touch.’
‘Oh, Maurie, that willneverhappen. I can promise you that.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. You two are our family. Isaac and I love you to bits.’ She let Maurie have a few tears down the line. ‘Isaac and I would be stuck without the pair of you. You always step in, no question, and you’ve well and truly earned your grandparent stripes. I would never take Isaac out of your lives, and he would never want me to either.’
As she paced to stay warm, she looked out at the sea, at the moonlight casting a glow across the surface of the water, a sense of calm descending even when she shivered again. She was glad she’d called, not just for her own benefit, but for Maurie’s. She hated that Isaac’s grandparents had been having these doubts about their place in her and Isaac’s lives.
‘Isaac has been asking to see Anchor Island, you know,’ Maurie told her. ‘What’s it like?’
‘A lot more beautiful than I remembered. And it’s half term soon so I was thinking he could see it then.’
‘Right,’ said Maurie who frequently had him during the school holidays. ‘Well, that will be nice.’
‘Maurie, there’s something I need from you and Jarrett.’
‘Anything, love. Just say the word.’
‘I want you and Jarrett to come to the island too.’
Maurie’s voice wobbled. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. I’m sure Isaac would be thrilled if you two came, and so would I. You could see the place for yourselves, have a bit of a break – even head over to Guernsey or Sark like me and Susanna did. And I’d love for you to meet my Aunt Gayle.’
‘Oh, Addie, I would love nothing more.’
