‘Everything okay?’ Libby asked.
Guy stood up and walked to the door. ‘I’m sorry, I’m going to have to make a call.’
He left the observatory and she watched him walk down the steps. With his leg bent and his foot resting on the trunk of a tree he made a call. The conversation didn’t last long and Libby could tell by the look on his face that something had rattled him.
She was right.
The second he appeared back in the doorway, he announced, ‘I’m sorry, something’s come up and I’m going to have to cut our afternoon short.’ He didn’t offer any further explanation, simply began to pack up the equipment.
Libby felt her own mood slump a little. She was disappointed their afternoon was coming to an end earlier than they’d planned. She wanted to spend more time getting to know Guy. Standing up, she folded the throw and placed it on the back of the chair. ‘That’s okay, these things happen. Some sort of emergency?’ she queried.
‘You could say that,’ he replied, but didn’t elaborate or look in her direction. He clearly had something on his mind.
‘I hope everything’s okay,’ she added. ‘Maybe another time?’
‘I’d like that,’ he replied, giving her a genuinely warm smile. ‘Are you ready?’
Libby nodded and followed Guy down the steps of the observation tower. She shivered. The air now seemed chillier, matching the atmosphere. She wished he’d never received that phone call but there was nothing she could do about it now.
They walked back in silence, the mood sombre, and the first thing that Libby noticed when they approached the lodges was that the lights were on in Guy’s, which she thought was strange as they hadn’t been when they’d left.
He stared towards the lodge before he turned towards her.
‘Thank for this afternoon. I’m sorry to have cut it short. I’ll catch you later,’ he said, putting the key in the lock of his front door. Before Libby could reply he’d stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Even though they’d had a good time, it wasn’t entirely the afternoon that Libby had hoped for. Putting the key in her door she heard Pickle’s bark and looked over towards Guy’s front window. She was surprised to see Guy facing a woman. Wondering who she was, Libby stepped into the warmth of her own lodge.
ChapterFive
‘Daddy!’
Holly ran towards Guy and clung to his legs. His smile was wide the second he laid eyes on her, the feeling of love towards her overwhelming as he lifted her up and hugged her tightly. After kissing both his six-year-old daughter’s cheeks he blew a long raspberry against her skin, making her giggle uncontrollably.
‘Eww, get off!’ Holly placed her hands on Guy’s chest and attempted to push away from him before wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. ‘Put me down!’ she playfully squealed as Guy swung her to her feet. ‘Mum has had to go away so me and Granny are staying with you.’
‘I know,’ he replied, thinking back to the heated conversation with his mother only moments before. ‘And how lucky am I to have you for extra time?’
‘Very lucky,’ replied Holly with her lovable, cheeky grin.
For Guy, what Holly’s arrival meant was that, once again, his daughter was not her mother’s first priority. His ex-partner, Sophie, didn’t understand what co-parenting was all about. In his eyes, she was selfish, booking time off when it suited her and not bothering to check with him. Guy spent a good portion of his time rearranging his schedule to accommodate Sophie’s whims. Sophie had never come to terms with the typical schedule of a school day, claiming it left her with no time to broaden Holly’s learning, so she’d decreed that their daughter would be homeschooled, and Sophie would make time for play, projects and experiments. Real-life skill-building was big on her agenda and she’d said that Holly would learn in different places like museums, parks and science centres. Guy hadn’t agreed; he felt that Holly should have friends her own age, not just adult company. He’d also pointed out that their daughter needed the routine and stability of school life. Sophie had triumphed in the end, however, and Holly had never started school, but now his ex was beginning to lose interest in homeschooling and more often than not would take off at a moment’s notice, leaving Guy in the situation that he was in now.
With her feet firmly back on the ground, Holly picked up a toy that Pickle had dropped and they had a game of tug of war, which Pickle won easily.
‘Why don’t you watch TV for a moment while I talk with Grandma?’
Holly jumped on to the settee, her little legs—wrapped in multi-coloured tights—dangling over the edge. Pickle jumped up next to her and rested her head on Holly’s knee.
Guy knew he hadn’t made eye contact with his mother, Cynthia, since he’d returned. After the argument on the phone, he had nothing different to say. They had had their own feud going on for the last four years and he was exhausted by the situation. There were no more words he needed to say to either her or his father. They had both made their choices and Guy had to live with that, the pain still twisting in his gut at the very thought of the last few years.
After switching the TV on, he walked over to the kitchen area and noticed his mother’s small suitcase. Could this situation get any worse? Leaning against the sink and folding his arms, he finally looked over in his mother’s direction. Guy had spent his whole life avoiding confrontation. He was the one always keeping the peace and putting others first … and look where that had got him. Good guys always came last.
His mother broke the silence. ‘That sort of behaviour is unbecoming. Shouting at me on the phone like that … I can hardly believe it.’
He looked at her, speechless. What had he done wrong except be a loyal, honest individual who worked hard to provide the best for his family? But his efforts had never been good enough. He glanced over to Holly. She was the only good thing to have come out of the last six years.
He was trying his best not to react to his mother’s outburst but that was proving difficult as immediately he felt his hackles rise. Already she’d managed to push his buttons. ‘It’s lovely to see you too,’ he replied with a hint of sarcasm and was immediately annoyed with himself for reacting.
The annoying thing was that heknewhe was behaving like an idiot. But who could blame him? He’d been through hell and back and was still trying to come to terms with all the deceit and the lies of the past. It was bad enough that he’d discovered his wife-to-be had cheated on him but what had happened next … he still found it difficult to comprehend, and didn’t think he would ever accept the situation.
