It wasn’t an accident, either.
Chapter Twenty
Alex had always been the most understated of the Maynards. Rayah didn’t remember a year when he’d demanded an extravagant birthday party as a kid, or organised one himself. His brothers or Jake had been the ones to arrange birthday celebrations, using it as an excuse for a trip out somewhere or a boozy bar crawl. Alex had simply let them get on with it and watched with amusement when their hangovers had been worse than his.
Today was no different, only because Scott was now a dad and Zack about to be one, they’d opted to remain at Scott’s bar in Severton instead. Alex was seated in a throne-like chair, a homemade crown on his head and a two-pint glass in his hand instead of a staff. Marley had set up her microphone and was about to perform a set, made up of tracks that were supposedly Alex’s favourite although Rayah somehow doubted that he was that great a fan of the girl bands that had been regurgitated Marley-style.
“How’s teaching in the village hall?” Jake slid down the bench next to her. “Missing the alpacas?”
She’d used the empty barn for two days this week, maintaining some form of normality for her class although it had been an adventure more than the learning of maths and literacy. The next three days they’d moved into the town hall, two of the rooms lending themselves into classrooms.
Her pupils had taken to Jake’s flock of alpacas that he’d moved next to the barn. They were now writing letters to them and drawing pictures, using alpaca wool to make collages. Kids were resilient and the change had been more of an adventure than an upset and it all felt a little like camping. She was just wondering how long the novelty would last for.
“It’s okay. Not like a classroom. It makes me wonder what it was like to teach when the school was first built and it was desks, slates and chalk.”
“The rustic life.” Jake grinned, he rarely had any other expression. Permanently happy, or almost permanently.
“How was your date on Wednesday?” Since Scott and Keren had gotten together he’d calmed his womanising ways and was starting to take his love life a little more seriously. Rayah wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing for the local female population, but it was amusing her no end.
“Good. We’re going out again tomorrow. I nearly invited her to this tonight.”
“Was it a first or second date?” She couldn’t keep up.
“Second. Tomorrow’s the third. She’s nice, nice enough that I thought this lot might scare her.” His eyes turned to Zack who was walking around with a napkin on his head and two chopsticks sticking out of his nose in what was probably an homage toBlackadder. “And there’s the proof. How’s things with Jonny.”
Weird. They were weird. After waking up with him on Saturday morning to the sounds of Sadie Grace whispering at the door, he’d grown distant. Politely, beautifully distant. Nothing he had done could be criticised but he was holding back, keeping his thoughts from her and she only had half an idea why.
“I don’t know.” She looked at her brother and automatically saw his concern. “He’s worried I take too many risks and he doesn’t want to go through what he did with Grace.”
Jake nodded and sipped his drink, it looked like a martini but one could never be sure with Jake.
“I get that, Ray. He’s been saving you most of your life. What happens when he can’t? Not being funny, but if you’re taking on his kids then you have a responsibility to look after yourself too.”
She got it, she really did. “We had a conversation – or kind of a conversation – about it last weekend. But he’s been distant since. I think that’s it. I don’t think he can trust me and that means we can’t go any further. We’re at that point where we have to either call it a day or make it official.”
Jake put his arm around her and pulled her into him, giving her a brotherly bear hug. “Look, kid, he’s probably just shitting himself because he’s worried about losing you. Talk it through with him.”
“Listen to you being the wise all dating guru. Who knows, maybe a woman will tame you yet.”
Her brother laughed. “More chance of taming a flock of alpacas.” He shifted away from her. “Just enjoy yourself tonight. And take as many photos of Alex as you can.”
Someone had managed to find a cloak that had probably been used by the Severton Amateur Dramatics Society for a king in some play. Alex had resumed an accepting expression and seemed fairly okay with the set up as long as the drink in his hand was topped up. Rayah took out her phone and took a quick photo, Abby leaning over to whisper in his ear. She put her phone down on the table, her attention caught by Jonny walking into the bar with a couple of the men from the Search and rescue team.
He didn’t seem to notice her, consumed with whatever conversation he was having. She slid out from behind the table, wanting to make things right, to reassure him that she wasn’t that girl any more who constantly needed saving.
The meeting with Drew O’Malley had scared her more than she’d realised. That fear, the sinking feeling of being out of her depth, had strengthened her resolve to keep within the parameters of her job. She didn’t trust Garrison, but she did trust Alex, even if he was currently looking like a very bad version of a drunken king.
“I wasn’t sure what to say. I mean, she’s fucking gorgeous but I didn’t know if you were single…”
Rayah paused, waiting for Jonny to respond. She couldn’t quite hear everything they said over the noise in the bar. Marley had just finished a song and was taking a drink, so the collective volume had risen.
She fixed her eyes on Jonny’s face, trying to lip read what he was saying, heads of people wandering to the bar getting in the way.
“Not sure… Dating… I’m single…”
They were the only words that she could make out and then the men laughed and Marley started to sing again, some song about being upside down, a bit like Rayah’s world had just turned.
She looked at her feet, trying to remember everything her last yoga teacher had ever said about staying grounded and being a child of the universe. Her heart was hitting the top of her head from the inside and she couldn’t hear anything because her blood was pumping so fast.
