“Oh, he’s always more than happy to do the washing, ironing, scrubbing small children – he’s been doing it by himself long enough. It’s just every time I take them homesomethinghas happened. One of them has fallen in a pond or scraped a knee or ripped their pants. It’severy single time,Abby. Yet when he takes them out without me, they return looking like they’ve just had a trip to Sunday School.” Her hands waved around in frustration.
Abby laughed, feeling another of the weights from her shoulder leave her. “Just embrace it. If you wrapped them up in cotton wool to keep them clean, they wouldn’t be the children they’re meant to be.”
“This is true, but I’m concerned Sadie’s going to be untameable when she’s older.”
“She’s untameable now.” A gangly long-legged pre-teenage boy stopped next to them.
Charlie Graham looked more like his father every day. Since she’d arrived in Severton, Abby had seen Charlie grow from being a shy, nine-year-old into a man-boy who was developing sharp angles and an enquiring mind.
“I blame your father.” Rayah sighed resignedly.
“We tried to tell him to send her back. Or foster her out to the wolves. He didn’t listen. Mum, can I meet Seb?” Charlie looked concerned.
“I didn’t think he was allowed out of the Manor.”
Charlie looked at Rayah with a serious expression. He was as tall as her now, and she wasn’t a small woman. “His mum’s said yes, but just for today. I think something happened up there and the new man is busy.”
“Remember the rules, Charlie?” Rayah ruffled his hair. “And you need to shower first because you smell.”
His grin made him look like a little boy again. “A quick shower.”
“With shower gel. And water.”
He pulled a face and ran off. Rayah shook her head.
“He calls you mum.” Abby couldn’t explain how that made her feel.
Rayah tipped her head to one side and watched Sadie Grace stick her tongue out as she tried to make a daisy chain. “He does. And it means different things at different times depending what mood he’s in.” She looked at Abby. “You must come tonight. Alex never has a girl with him, apart from one Christmas, but we don’t talk about that because she was weird.”
“I don’t know what this is. We haven’t even been on a date. And…”
“That doesn’t matter. Come as his friend. We’ll ignore that it has benefits.”
And there were benefits. Abby just didn’t know if she could get used to them.
“The commanderof the barbecue says you need another burger.”
Abby shook her head. “I don’t think I can eat anything else.” It wasn’t a lie. There had been so much food. Burgers, sausages, ribs, wings, plus all the salads and slaw. Somehow the Coven had managed to steal invites so there was gin as well, and a family barbecue had become an extended family barbecue with many of the town’s residents there.
Scott was playing guitar, singing with Marley, the rather eccentric resident warbler channelling Karen Carpenter and Taylor Swift in turn, while Scott was playing through his repertoire of folk rock when Marley took a break. Half of the off-duty firefighting team were hanging around, along with a couple of Alex’s colleagues from the station that he’d already introduced to Abby.
Laughter spilled around them; children chattered. Charlie kicked a ball around with Zack while Rayah fashioned a rope swing from the sturdiest tree she could find for Sadie Grace to swing from.
“I’m deeply offended that you won’t eat my food.”
Abby stared at Jake. He was the roguish Maynard, the man who kept everyone at arm’s length with his humour and devil-may-care attitude, but she’d seen him heartbroken at a table after last orders in an empty bar, his heart torn in two and fed to the butterflies on the wind.
“I’ve eaten more of your food than I normally eat in a week. Stop trying to feed me.”
“But it’s so tasty…” He made big eyes at her, slightly sticking out his bottom lip.
“I’ll take some home with me for breakfast tomorrow. Promise. And it is very good, Jake.” She patted his bicep, his salmon-coloured T-shirt tight around it.
“Will you take some to share with Alex, you know, if you’re staying there tonight?” There was that cheeky boy smile.
It didn’t work on Abby.
“Stop fishing for gossip.” She knew Jake too well. He knew of the goings on in Severton better than the Coven.
