Luke answered after three rings. ‘Alright, mate? How’s your head after last night?’
‘Fine,’ said Nick. ‘I didn’t drink that much.’
‘No, I suppose not. Is everything OK?’
‘No, not really. Are you busy?’
Luke sighed. ‘Not as busy as I’d like to be. We’re waiting for a delivery before we can start our next job, but the lorry can’t get through with so many cars blocking the road. Why? What’s up?’
‘Have you got a few minutes for a quick chat?’
‘I have if you come to me. I can’t leave the site in case the delivery finally shows up.’
‘Where are you working?’
‘Forest Lane.’
‘I’ll see you in a minute.’
Nick hung up. He was forced to wait for a family carrying body boards to pass him before he could turn left at the café and head along a suburban street. The crowds of tourists died away, no one interested in the real life of Saffron Bay, away from the pretty cottages and sandcastles. Mind you, Nick wasn’t sure how much real life was about, with signs on every other gatepost advertising holiday rentals.
It didn’t take long to find the house Luke was working on. Covered in scaffolding, the once ordinary bungalow had been given a glow-up with the addition of an extra floor and balcony that would no doubt have far-reaching sea views.
‘Nice place,’ called Nick as he went to join his friend in the driveway.
‘It will be when it’s finished. Been a right pain to work on. We should have been finished six weeks ago.’ He turned from the house to Nick. ‘Anyway, you’re not here to talk about work. Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’
‘It’s been an interesting day.’ Nick leaned against Luke’s van and ran a hand through his hair.
‘An interesting day? In what sense?’
‘Interesting like having a woman turn up on your doorstep claiming you’re the father of her child, then leaving said child with you for however long.’
Luke’s eyes widened. ‘What? This isn’t a hypothetical? This actually happened?’
‘Yes. About two hours ago.’
‘Bloody hell, no wonder you look ill. Are you sure this woman’s telling the truth? Did you recognise her?’
‘Yes and no. She looked familiar, but it took me a while to place her. We moved in the same circles for a while, but it’s six years since we hooked up, and it was only a one-night thing.’
Luke sighed. ‘Mate, I was always warning you to be careful. You broke enough hearts back in the day, but I thought you’d have at least thought to use protection. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but you can be incredibly reckless sometimes, and it sounds like now your chickens are coming home to roost. Have you asked for a DNA test?’
‘Yeah, of course. The thing is, though, as much as I don’t want it to be true, I can see myself in the kid. Kitty said so too.’
‘Kitty? What’s Kitty got to do with any of this?’
Nick sighed and began his story at the beginning, Luke’s eyes opening wider, his mouth dropping open the more he heard.
‘So that’s it.’ Nick drew a circle in the dirt with his toe. ‘I’ve got a daughter I knew nothing about, and now I have to learn to be a parent in the half hour I’ve sneaked out of the house.’
‘And you’ve wandered off and left Kitty to look after your child? Seriously, mate, you need to grow up.’
Nick shrugged, stung by Luke’s lack of sympathy. ‘There’s no food in the house,’ he grumbled. ‘I needed to go to the shop, not that there’s much money in my account to pay for it.’
‘And you couldn’t have taken Emily with you, or sent Kitty?’
‘Come on, mate, give me a break. My world has been shattered, and what, I’m not allowed half an hour alone to think things through?’
