Nick clutched the paper to his chest, his body rocking as tears streamed down his cheeks.Dad.Even if she had never said the word out loud, she thought of him as Dad. In a few short weeks, he’d earned a title he never thought he’d possess.
He had a daughter. Hewasa father.
And he’d just watched his child walk out the door.
Yes, Carla had talked about sharing parental responsibility, but how was that going to work in practice? There was still so much to sort out. In the meantime, all Nick could think about was the loss.
While he understood Carla’s need to take Emily home, he hated her for it. She’d deprived him of five years already, andnow what? Was he going to be a passing acquaintance? Someone who took Emily to McDonald’s from time to time?
Nick carried Emily’s drawing through to the kitchen and propped it against the kettle, downed the dregs of his beer and grabbed another bottle from the fridge. He tipped his head back and drank it in one go before pulling out another.
This was all too much. And right now, beer seemed the only way to make sense of anything.
At some point Nick must have passed out, for when he awoke, it was to someone hammering on his door. He groaned, opened his eyes, and realised he’d fallen asleep on the sofa, fully dressed. Five empty beer bottles lay on the rug beside him, and next to them was a bottle of whisky, his father’s, the one he’d been saving for his seventieth birthday in two years’ time.
Nick groaned again and swallowed down the urge to throw up. He stumbled through the living room to the front door and opened it to find Luke standing there with his arms folded and a scowl on his face.
Without a word, Luke barged past him into the kitchen and then the living room. He stood, shaking his head at the remnants of the previous night’s pity party.
He spun around to face Nick. ‘Weekend’s over,’ he said shortly. ‘You were due at workfour hoursago.’
‘What?’ Nick fumbled for his phone, pulling it out of his pocket. ‘Oh… shit. Sorry, man. I had one too many last night. Carla came to pick up Emily, and… I was kind of down about it.’
‘So you thought it’d be all right to skip work today, did you? Because you’re feeling sorry for yourself?’
‘No, it wasn’t like that,’ said Nick. ‘I slept in. Come on, mate, give me a break. I’ve just lost my daughter.’
‘Lost your daughter?’ Luke’s voice hardened with incredulity. ‘She’s gone to Plymouth. Hardly the end of the world. And I’msure I remember you telling me you were going to work towards shared custody. How is that losing her?’
Nick’s defences rose, partially to hide his shame. ‘How can I trust Carla will honour her promise?’
‘From what Alice said when she met her, she sounds a sensible woman. She went running off to care for her father, who didn’t deserve it, by the way.’ Luke rolled his eyes. ‘I hardly think she’s the kind of person to go back on her word.’
‘You can’t be certain,’ said Nick, determined to keep the high ground.
‘And neither can you know shewon’t,’ said Luke. ‘This is ridiculous. Emily’s been gone less than twelve hours and you’re already falling apart. Is this how you want her to find you next time she visits?’
A low shot. ‘Of course not,’ said Nick. ‘Aren’t I allowed time to feel a bit sorry for myself?’
‘No,’ said Luke. ‘No, you’re not. You’re an adult now. You’ve got responsibilities, your job, for starters. Have you any idea how disrespectful it is, after all I’ve done to help you, to pick and choose when you come into work?’
‘It’s one morning,’ grumbled Nick. ‘I slept in. So what? I’ll make up the hours.’
‘That’s not the point,’ said Luke. ‘Have you learnt nothing these past few months? I honestly thought you’d changed, Nick.’ He punched him lightly on the arm. ‘Come on, man. Get a grip of yourself.’
Nick pretended to flinch from the punch. He sighed. ‘Coffee?’ he asked, his moral high ground flattened.
Luke nodded, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. They’d been best friends for so long, sometimes there was no need for words. Luke recognised an apology when he heard one.
‘Coffee,’ said Luke. ‘Then I want you to get dressed, brush your teeth, and we’re heading to the building site.’
‘Yes, boss.’ Nick wondered what he’d do without such good friends around him.
After a quick shower and brush of his teeth, Nick was about to leave the house when a piece of paper on the coffee table caught his eye. He picked up Emily’s drawing, folded it carefully, slipped it into his back pocket, and went to find Luke and get to work.
Chapter 59
‘No, no, no.’ Solly slapped his papers onto the table. He marched over to the makeshift stage and placed his hands firmly on his hips. ‘I’m at a loss to understand what’s going on with you two, but this is the worst I’ve seen you perform this scene. This is your big moment. It’s the pinnacle of the whole play, and the pair of you are going about it like limp lettuces.’
