I like Charlie’s dad immensely. His laughter lines have been cut so deep into his face that even the tragedy of the last year hasn’t erased them. I doubt even Botox would manage it. Pat goes off to answer the door, but Adam replaces her and the three of us indulge in friendly, light-hearted banter. Kate walks past without so much as a hello, but I try not to feel snubbed – there are so many people here, I just want to blend in with the background.
Eventually I make a point of mingling because I’d like to meet some of Charlie’s friends. Jocelyn is here with her husband, Edward, so I go over and introduce myself. Edward works at a museum in Bodmin, and he seems decent, even if he’s a bit distracted by his son. I wonder if he’d warm up after a couple of beers.
‘How long have you guys lived across the street?’ I ask them both when Thomas is preoccupied with one of April’s toys, a ball with flashing lights and buttons.
‘We moved in only a few weeks before Thomas came along,’ Jocelyn replies. ‘So that was...’
‘Around this same time last year,’ Edward chips in.
‘That’s right! It was just before April was born. Nicki was overdue by a week. She was very fed up,’ Jocelyn reminisces fondly.
‘Did you know Charlie and Nicki before that?’ I ask.
‘No, we met Nicki on moving day,’ Jocelyn reveals. ‘She brought over some cookies. I was heavily pregnant myself, so she and I had a fair few cups of tea in those early days, especially after April was born.’
Her smile is tinged with sadness. It sounds like they got friendly pretty quickly.
‘I couldn’t believe it when it happened,’ she confides quietly, out of the blue. ‘Thomas was just a tiny baby at the time.’
‘I can’t even begin to imagine,’ I murmur as her brown eyes fill with tears. It must’ve felt very close to home for her, being a new mother herself.
Edward squeezes his wife’s arm in empathy, even if he does look awkward.
‘Gosh, sorry, this is not the time or the place,’ Jocelyn says, pulling herself together. ‘Today is a celebration. Charlie...’ She shakes her head in awe and we both look over at him on the other side of the room. ‘He’s been incredible,’ she says.
At that moment, Kate’s sons tear past us, sending Thomas flying. Edward swoops down and picks up his crying son, as Kate’s husband Ian, a short, stocky man with a peculiarly gaunt face, suggests to his boys that they might want to calm down. His tone lacks authority and Jocelyn raises her eyebrows at me.
‘I think we might go out into the garden, where it’s a bit quieter,’ she says.
‘I’ll probably see you out there,’ I reply with a wink.
It’s no wonder April looked so out of it when I arrived: the noise in here is deafening.
WhereisApril? I glance at Charlie again. He’s chatting to Justin and another man of about the same age, but April is nowhere to be seen. I continue scanning the room, but I can’t see her anywhere. Charlie catches my eye and smiles.
‘Where’s April?’ I mouth.
‘Kate,’ he mouths back. He jerks his head at me, so I make my way over to him. He’s wearing a shirt today and has smartened up a bit. He looks good. But, then, he always does.
‘Bridget, this is Gavin.’
‘Hey, really nice to meet you,’ Gavin says, shaking my hand heartily.
‘We went to school together,’ Charlie explains.
‘We gowayback,’ Gavin chips in. ‘Charlie was just telling us you were on the telly last week.’
‘Did you watch it?’ I ask Charlie with surprise. We haven’t actually talked about it since I got back. I got the feeling he disapproved.
‘Of course,’ he replies, and his tone isn’t disparaging.
‘We were wondering why you guys missed pizza night,’ Justin explains.
Aah, so that’s how the subject came up.
Pat hurries over before I can determine what Charlie thought. ‘Darling, where’s April? I think it’s time for the cake, don’t you?’
‘Kate’s got her,’ Charlie replies.
