“I’ll take any help offered.” His response was his standard one. After a few months of trying to prove he could manage on his own with just his parents and Grace’s parents to help, three kids and a full-time job as a firefighter, Jonny had realised it was a choice between going insane or accepting help from certain people in the town. It had taken a village. The Maynards had stepped in: Zack always there when he was needed; Scott – even though he’d been sprayed with projectile vomit from Sadie – had been more than happy to cover the nights when the kids were in bed and Jonny was at work; Jake entertained them when Jonny had needed to catch up on sleep; and Rayah had been his constant. His kids’ constant.
“What do you want me to organise? Games? Parent drinks? Decorations?”
He thought about the balloons he’d ordered, and the other superhero things that had been delivered a week or so ago. He’d become fairly decent at decorating a room for birthdays and Christmas. But dealing with other parents was a skill he hadn’t mastered. Severton had its ration of single parents, like any other town. And non-single parents. Some of whom were keen to get a little closer to find out the length of his hose, and not the one he used for his job.
“Parents. I think a few are dropping their kid off, but some have mentioned staying around. That’s the beauty of having the party at the clubhouse – there’s a bar.”
Rayah nodded. “Which means it’ll go on for longer than planned. Is there a game on later?”
Jonny rolled his eyes. “Rugby starts at three. That might mean it’ll be the dads bringing the kids.”
Sadie wriggled free and bolted over to Alex Maynard who had just arrived with both of his dogs. She was obsessed with having some sort of pet, but however much she said – or screamed – that she would be the one to look after it, Jonny knew it would be one more favour he’d be asking of his friends.
Rayah gave him a grin that told him she was laughing at his discomfort because she knew exactly what he was hoping for. “You need to stop picking Sadie and Harry up from school in your grey sweatpants. Then you might stop being treated as meat by the mothers.”
“How I dress is not an invitation to be eye-fucked. I’m hoping Michaela Robbins or whatever she’s called gets lucky on some dating app, because I’m not sure how many more excuses I can make for not going out with her.” He’d thought at first that Michaela was genuine in needing her smoke alarms checking. Then there had been a fire evacuation plan she’d wanted him to assess, even though it was a three-bedroomed semi-detached. Shortly after, her cat had gotten stuck up a tree, although he had at the time thought she might’ve put the cat up there herself.
Rayah chuckled, her eyes glinting.
He knew that look. It was one that suggested she had plans, and not ones that were going to be at all helpful to him.
“You know; she could be a good move.”
Jonny raised his eyebrows. “I have no idea how you’ve come to that conclusion.”
“Which conclusion’s that?” Alex Maynard appeared without his dogs.
Jonny figured that they had probably been kidnapped by Sadie. Given that they were big enough to put a saddle on and ride, he wasn’t too worried.
“Jonny’s finding all the female attention he gets at the school gates overwhelming.” Rayah’s eyes didn’t leave his.
Jonny shook his head. “There are so few blokes there. It’s like I’m an endangered species or something.”
Alex Maynard chuckled. He was the understated one of the four Maynard men, preferring to watch and comment only when he deemed it necessary. He was also a detective constable and police dog handler and knew far more than what he ever told.
“I overheard Tracey Kennedy talking about what you were wearing in the bakers on Wednesday. She also mentioned three women that she knew were planning to ask you out for a date over Christmas.” Alex shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around, exuding calm.
“Can’t you start hovering near the school more?” Jonny wasn’t happy with this kind of attention. “Give them something else to perv over?”
He heard Rayah choke.
“The last time I did an after-school talk on safety we had a two hundred and thirty percent increase in call-outs with women alone in the house afraid there was an intruder.” Alex kept his tone matter of fact. “We started sending Prescott round to investigate. The calls stopped when word got round.”
Prescott had been a beat cop for as long as Jonny could remember. When Jonny was six, he remembered Prescott looking like a skinny Santa Claus. Not much had changed.
“Maybe you should both go on a few dates. You know, one’s that take place in Severton. Not the clandestine affairs you both have out of town.” Rayah’s words were cutting. Her glare even more so.
Alex shrugged. “I’m not the one complaining. And if I started taking dates out in Severton I’d make it look like I was available. Have you got Jake’s wallet?” He looked at Rayah.
“Just on my way in for it. Why?”
“He owes me twenty quid. I figured I’d intercept it before it found his hands again.” Alex shivered. “And then try to get my coat back off him.”
“Good luck with that.” Jonny knew that once Jake had taken possession of something there was little chance of reclaiming it.
Alex merely tipped his head to one side and strolled off into the clubhouse. He had never been seem flummoxed or rattled by anything.
“You should let me set you up with someone.”
