‘Not again! What’s going on?’ Rosie patted her arm. ‘Since you turned sixty-two I think you’ve developed a faulty valve and sprung a leak.’ She smirked. ‘Good job it’s only your eyes that are leaking, eh? Unless there’s something else you haven’t told me.’
‘Let’s not even go there,’ Alison said, mopping her tears away with the sleeve of her jumper in a most unladylike manner. ‘Poor Mam. It shouldn’t be down to you, and Elaine and Christopher, to look after her and Dad. And it definitely shouldn’t be down to Sam. It should be me. I should be there for them. Oh!’ She gave an impatient shake of her head. ‘Why are they so stubborn? Why do they have to stay in Kelsea Sands anyway at their age? I told them it’s too remote. They should move somewhere closer to the shops and the doctor’s surgery. There’s not even a bus service there!’
‘I just told you, Sam’s offered,’ Rosie told her. ‘And there’s me if I’m not working. And Mam and Dad. Stop worrying, Ali. Like I said, they’ll be fine. We’ll make sure of it.’
‘If I could stay with them I would,’ Alison murmured. ‘You know that, don’t you?’
‘Of course. But you’ve got work, and the grandkids. We get it.’
‘I’ll be down to see them on Sunday,’ Alison promised. ‘I don’t care if Jenna and Joel have other plans. I’m not changing my mind about this.’
‘Great,’ Rosie said. ‘I’ll probably see you there then. I’d better be getting off,’ she added, glancing once more at the clock. ‘I hate driving in the dark as it is, and the road back isn’t exactly straightforward, is it?’
‘Are you sure you want to go back tonight?’ Alison stared out of the window, her brow creasing with anxiety. ‘It’s raining faster now. You can stay here tonight if you like. Go back in the morning when it’s light.’
Rosie tilted her head, thinking. ‘Tempting, but…’
‘You can call your parents. Let them know you’re staying here. They won’t worry then.’
‘I haven’t got anything with me, though.’
‘I can lend you some pyjamas. They’ll probably fit you better than they do me. At least you’ve got boobs to fill the top and your hips won’t strain the bottoms. And I have a new toothbrush in its packaging. You can have that.’
‘I suppose it’s something different to write in my journal… If I stay, can we watch that new Harlan Coben thriller on Netflix? I’m proper hooked on his stuff.’
‘Really?’ Alison wrinkled her nose. She didn’t like thrillers. They made her too tense and anxious. ‘I suppose so. As long as you’ll sit throughEmmerdalefirst.’
Rosie groaned. ‘Aw no! You and your soaps.’
‘One soap, and it’s not up for negotiation,’ Alison said firmly. ‘I like the pretty scenery. Tell you what, I’ll make you a posh coffee to help you get through it.’
‘Ooh, one of those caramel ones? And do we get a hot chocolate before bedtime?’
‘Naturally.’ She’d start the diet tomorrow.
Rosie hesitated, clearly still not sure.
‘And I still have loads of that cake left,’ Alison said slyly.
Rosie grinned. ‘Looks like you’ve got yourself a house guest for the night.’
2
It was only twenty-four miles from her home to Kelsea Sands, but it still took Alison nearly an hour to get there, and that was going by the quickest route.
Sometimes, if the weather was good and she had lots of time to spare and the mood took her, she’d go a longer way round, via Sunk Island, to gaze at the little boats at Stone Creek and look out over the Humber to Lincolnshire. Across the water she could see the Port of Immingham. With its cranes and chimneys and bustling activity it seemed a million miles away from this little haven of tranquillity.
It was a good place to walk along the riverbank, breathe in the fresh air and relax.
Today, though, she had no time for relaxing. Her mam and dad were expecting her and, despite her objections, had informed her they were taking her to The North Star for Sunday dinner.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been in the pub, even though it was only a few minutes’ walk from her parents’ home.
When, she wondered, had life got so hectic? When Hallie and Ada had started school she’d assumed that she wouldn’t be needed so much for babysitting, but Jenna had begged her to take the twins to school on the mornings she wasn’t working an early shift at the petrol station, and then she’d asked if Alison could pick them up afterwards and maybe take them home with her for a couple of hours because Jenna had so much work to do and it was far easier to get on with it while the twins weren’t around.
Alison worked alternate Saturdays and Sundays and her weekend days should have been sacrosanct as Jenna, who was also a teacher, didn’t work then and Joel only worked every other weekend at the large IT company he’d been with since leaving college, but somehow they both seemed to find things that needed doing. Joel was working overtime. He had a conference to attend. He was on a training course. Jenna had a pile of marking to get through. She had lessons to plan. She was feeling absolutely exhausted, and would Mum really mind…?
Somehow it had become normal. It was what happened. Jenna and Joel worked hard. Alison did the lion’s share of the childcare, whether the girls were at school or not.
