‘Epic meat feast.’ Josh scrambles up, the film forgotten in favour of his belly.
‘I bagsied first,’ says Holly.
‘You picked last time,’ Josh moans. ‘It’s my turn.’
‘No, it’s not. Dad picked last time,’ Holly informs him. ‘And anyway, I’m older than you, so I get to choose.’
‘We’ll have half and half.’ I offer them a compromise, averting the inevitable squabbling as I grab up Josh’s abandoned sweater.
Mum comes in behind me to pull the children into a hug. ‘Bye, you two. Be good for your mum.’ She kisses them in turn, and I feel guilty, yet again. I wish I could let my guard down and let them stay over – I know Mum would love it – but I can’t.
I’m reminded why as Dad appears, heading straight for the whisky bottle.
I watch him fill a large tumbler, take a sip and top it up, and my stomach immediately recoils. He’ll have several more. If he goes out to his club, several more when he comes back. The bedroom stank of whisky that night. He stank of whisky. Closing my eyes, I see him reeling and stumbling. He wouldn’t listen when I tried to tell him Sarah wasn’t breathing properly. Beyond a certain point, he couldn’t even hear me. The smell of whisky was still there in the morning. No matter what he said, no matter what fictional story I corroborated, Mum must have known.
Downing his glass, my father watches Josh head towards the hall. ‘Don’t I get a hug?’ he asks him, and Josh immediately turns back to launch himself into his arms. ‘Bye, trooper.’ Squeezing him hard, Dad ruffles his hair before letting him go.
‘Bye, Grandad.’ Josh waves behind him as he scoots off to retrieve his trainers.
‘Holly?’ Dad glances after her.
‘Come on, Holly. Chop-chop.’ I allow my father a brief hug with Holly and then catch her by the arm and steer her to the door. ‘I want to get back in plenty of time to cook your dad something special tonight.’ I’m toying with the idea of wearing something special, too. The red dress I wore for our anniversary weekend in Paris, possibly. Jason said I looked sensational in it, adding that he couldn’t wait to get me out of it. I smile as I remember how mutual urgency overtook us and the location of our lovemaking dictated I keep the dress on.
‘Why?’ asks Josh, peering up through his Harry Potter specs from where he’s sitting cross-legged on the hall floor. Clearly, he’s figured out that stuffing his feet into trainers without unlacing them is not conducive to getting them on any quicker.
‘Because he’s been working very hard,’ I supply, shooting my father, who’s followed me out, a pointed look over my shoulder.
Mum sees us to the door, where I pause to give her a firm hug. ‘See you next week,’ I say, smiling and then kissing her cheek.
‘Bye, sweetheart,’ my father says behind me.
‘Bye,’ I answer. I know he’ll be looking disappointed he doesn’t get a hug too. I don’t look back.
Ten
JASON
Great!Jason groaned inwardly. First, he rings him – on a Saturday – not asking, but demanding he go to his office. Then he turns up at his house. The man was bloody well haunting him. As he looked at Robert’s car, parked in front of his home, Jason wondered whether to turn around and go back to his office, particularly as Fenton had had the gall to block his drive. No doubt there was a not-so-subtle message therein. That being that he was entitled to park where he liked, since he’d paid for the house.Prick.
About to park behind the car, a gleaming Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe, which would have cost upwards of a hundred grand, Jason reversed sharply, pulling around to park in front of it instead. He was being juvenile, but he was sick to his back teeth of standing in the great Robert Fenton’s shadow. Would the man not just stay out of their lives? It was the weekend. Could they never be free of him? Granted, Jason wasn’t where he should be – at home with his family – but he would quite like to be now, and that picture most definitely didn’t include his sodding father-in-law.
So, what was he doing here?Stupid question.After climbing out of his car, Jason slammed the door and headed past Fenton’s statement car and along the drive he hadn’t been allowed access to. He was obviously in there trying to influence Karla, just like he’d tried so hard to persuade her not to marry him. Jason felt the same repulsion he’d felt back then, when he’d overheard him asking her if she couldn’t have found someone more suitable to give her virginity to. He’d been sick to his soul, listening to him trying to manipulate her, coercing her, as he did to so many people: staff too scared to stand up to him; young women who hesexually harassed, for Christ’s sake. And Karla knew damn well he did. She’d seen him last night with her own eyes. Yet still she refused to discuss it whenever Jason tried to point out he wasnotthe kind of man he wanted dealings with of any sort, let alone in his kids’ lives. Why the hell had she let him just waltz in tonight? Jason supposed she couldn’t have texted him to warn him he was here, since he’d left his phone at home, but surely she must realise that her father was the last person he wanted to see after their argument about him when they’d arrived home from the party? They’d slept in separate rooms. They’d argued about him most of their married life. How plain could Jason make it that he did notwanthim here?
Shoving his key into the lock, he laughed cynically as realisation dawned. He really was being dense, wasn’t he? Karla had obviously invited him. Hadn’t she approached her father regarding a business loan in the first place, forgetting to mention that she’d done so? Robert must have rung her, telling her he’d refused his ‘invitation’ to meet at his office, and so Karla had arranged for them to have a nice cosy conversation here. In front of her. And the kids.
Not happening, Karla. No bloody way.Jason resisted slamming the front door, dumped his laptop on the hall table, yanked off his jacket and tried to quash his immense agitation. Holly and Josh were already on to the fact that things were not great between him and Karla. He wasn’t going to lose it in front of them. Wouldn’t Fenton just love that? It would present him with the perfect opportunity to point out how uncaring of his family he was.
He guessed his anger was pretty apparent, however, by Karla’s nervous expression as she stepped from the lounge into the hall.
‘Dad’s here,’ she said, her eyes flitting back to the lounge door.
‘Really?’ Jason looked at her in mock surprise. ‘I would never have known from thefuckinggreat status symbol blocking the drive outside.’
‘Jason.’ Karla glanced quickly towards the stairs.
Guessing the kids were up there, Jason tugged in a tight breath and reminded himself to watch his language. ‘Are they in bed?’ he asked, glancing up after her and then checking his watch.
‘They have an hour to read before lights off,’ Karla said, reaching to ease the lounge door to. ‘Can we talk?’ she asked him.
