Megan glanced down at her phone and guiltily back up. ‘Do you still want me next week?’ she ventured, as he pulled the money from his wallet and handed it to her. ‘It’s just that Karla said you might be going out.’
Dammit. He’d forgotten. It was supposed to be just the two of them, an attempt to make more time for each other, which they badly needed to do, since they seemed to be at loggerheads lately. He’d hoped they might be able to talk, properly. Not just about the suggestion that he approach her father for money – something, quite frankly, Jason would rather die before doing – but about the man constantly interfering in their lives. He needed her to understand, to at least acknowledge she was hearing him. He honestly wasn’t sure how he would react if she mentioned the damn loan again. He’d have to think of something. Hopefully, Karla’s mum could have the kids. Maybe he was overreacting, but he wouldn’t call on Megan again in a hurry. Allowing his eleven-year-old daughter to watch horror stuff – whoever else watched it – simply wasn’t on.
‘We’ll have to talk about it,’ he said, his look hopefully telling her she shouldn’t count on it. ‘We’ll let you know.’
Nodding, Megan shrank past him.
‘I’ll walk her home,’ Karla said, from where she’d appeared at the lounge door.
‘It’s only half a street away,’ Jason pointed out.
‘Too far away at this time of night.’ Karla gave him a look.
Jason felt a pang of guilt. She was right. He should have offered, but then he doubted Megan would have wanted him to walk her.
‘Be careful,’ he said, glad Karla had pulled her coat on over the short dress she was wearing.
‘I’ll be two minutes,’ Karla said, her gaze lingering – and not in a good way. Was he missing something here, or was she looking at him as if he were in the wrong?
‘I’ll go check on Josh then,’ he offered. And make sure he hasn’t been allowed use of his iPad in bed, he thought despairingly, in which case he’d be busy gaming under the duvet and undoubtedly wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight either.
‘I’ve checked,’ Karla called back from the hall. ‘He’s dead to the world.’
Well, that was something, Jason supposed. Josh was a light sleeper at the best of times, and he actually had been having nightmares lately, ever since the night Jason had been honest with Karla about the state of their finances. That was the first time she’d hinted he should go grovelling to her father to bail him out, and they’d ended up arguing. Josh had overheard – got it into his head they were going to split. He’d tried to reassure him, but the tension was still there. Kids picked up on it; Jason could testify to that. His adoptive parents staying together ‘for the sake of their kids’ had been a complete nightmare.
Sighing, more at his own ineptitude than anything else, he went upstairs anyway to look in on Holly, whose bad books he would definitely be in.
Yep, he was clearly in the doghouse where his daughter was concerned.She burrowed under the duvet when he knocked on her door and peered in.
‘Night, Holly.’ He walked across to her. ‘We’ll talk more tomorrow, yes?’
Nothing but a fidget from under the covers.
Jason waited a second, and then, ‘Night, duvet,’ he said, pressing a hand lightly on the bulge he guessed was her head, or else her elbow.
He doubted she would actually talk to him the next day – until approximately 10 a.m., that was. Saturday mornings were when he gave the kids their allowances. Holly wouldn’t be slow reminding him about that. Smiling amusedly, Jason headed back downstairs, to find Karla coming through the front door.
‘All settled?’ she asked him.
‘Settled,’ Jason said, moving past her to pull the chain on the front door. ‘If rather disgruntled.’
Karla didn’t say anything, giving him that look he knew so well instead – the one that told him she wasn’t happy with him.
Jason followed her to the kitchen. ‘Am I to take it you’re annoyed with me?’ he asked, wondering whether it was the babysitter thing she was peeved about or just everything in general.
‘A bit,’ she said, watching him cautiously as he went to check that the back door was locked.
Finding everything secure, Jason came back. ‘What, because I gave Megan her marching orders?’ He knitted his brow. He hadn’t, as such, not without discussing it with Karla first. But even if he had, surely she couldn’t blame him?
‘Not about that, no. You were a bit sharp with her, but she was well out of order.’
Jason nodded, glad they were on the same page about one thing, at least. But the financial situation they were in, which he accepted was squarely down to him and his business acumen – which was severely lacking, as pointed out repeatedly by her father – would remain a bone of contention between them. Jason had had no say in the matter when Robert had bought their house. He’d been grateful. He couldn’t keep being grateful though. Nor could he contemplate asking him for further help. He wanted him out of their lives as much as was possible, not further immersed in it.
Flicking the kettle on, Karla turned to face him, giving him a long, searching look.
‘So?’ he asked, guessing there was something she needed to get off her chest.
‘I am a bit annoyed, to be honest,’ she said, and hesitated.
