Autumn Dreams at Mermaids Point, page 22
‘’Kay.’
Nerissa glanced at the folded-up blanket. ‘Do you want me to leave that here or shall I put it upstairs for safekeeping? I promise I’ll take the very best care of it.’
‘You will find someone to fix it, won’t you?’ Emily’s eyes were as pleading as her voice.
‘I’ll do everything I possibly can.’ Nerissa picked up the blanket with careful hands and tucked it against her body as she walked out of the room. It was as close to a promise as she dared to make.
She’d just placed the blanket in the bottom drawer of her dresser when she heard Toby barking, followed by a voice she recognised calling out. Hurrying downstairs, she entered the kitchen to be immediately enveloped in a bear hug. Alex followed the hug with a smacking kiss on her cheek, leaving her red-faced as he opened his arms and turned her to face the older couple who’d entered the kitchen behind him. ‘Pop, Mum, this is Nerissa. Nerissa, these are my folks.’
Stepping free of his hold, Nerissa took the hand offered by the big, smiling man she’d have recognised as Tom and Alex’s father with no introduction. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Nelson.’
‘You too, my dear.’ Mr Nelson ignored her hand and swept her into a similar hug to his youngest son, though he abstained from a kiss at least. ‘Call me Archie, and this is Philippa.’
Philippa, all easy elegance in a pair of pale pink jeans teamed with a white T-shirt and matching cardigan draped over her shoulders, also hugged Nerissa, pressing her perfectly made-up cheek to hers. ‘Lovely to meet you. I hear you’ve been doing a wonderful job looking after everyone.’
Nerissa blushed and tried not to think about how much of a fright her hair must look. She always started the day with good intentions, but the wild curls had a mind of their own and she could feel several strands tickling her neck where they’d escaped from her now-drooping bun. ‘I do what I can, but really they’re very easy to look after.’ Given the absolute scenes a few minutes ago, she added a swift crossed fingers behind her back.
‘Pop! Pop!’ Max came charging down the stairs and leapt into his grandfather’s arms.
With Archie and Philippa distracted, Nerissa tugged Alex’s arm and drew him away to quickly apprise him of the drama between Max and Emily.
He grimaced when she’d finished. ‘Thanks for letting me know, I’ll do my best to keep them apart for a bit.’
‘I haven’t had a chance to tell Tom, he’s still next door and I really need to go out and run a few errands.’ Nerissa glanced at her watch. If she didn’t get going soon, she wouldn’t have time to pick everything up.
‘Leave it with me,’ Alex assured her. ‘Go and do what you need to do and I’ll wrangle the family.’
‘Thank you.’ She gave his arm a quick squeeze, then edged past the others to collect her coat and bag before escaping through the still open back door.
It was one of those perfect autumn days – bright skies, crisp air and a gentle breeze carrying the taste of salt. This was her favourite time of the year. The season of gloves and sun-warmed faces. Not exactly Wordsworth, but that’s what this often quiet period before the onslaught of winter meant to her.
She was halfway to the café when she tugged the beret from her head and stuffed it in her pocket, letting her hair flow free after a day of being confined in a tight bun. It felt like a weight lifted, both figuratively and literally. Emily and Max were in good hands and it wasn’t her responsibility to handle the aftermath. All she could do was oversee the preparations for Max’s birthday party as best she could. It was up to the family to keep the peace and make sure the children made up so that they could enjoy themselves. With any luck, the café would be quiet enough she could sneak a quick cuppa with Laurie. Spending time with her lovely niece always restored her equilibrium.
Feeling better about everything, she reached to push open the door of the café, missed and almost stumbled as someone pulled it open from the other side.
‘You’re looking very pleased with yourself.’ The frigid tone told her who it was before she even had the chance to look up.
‘Hello, Margot. How are you?’
Gareth’s mother shrugged. ‘Not as good as you, from what I hear. Making yourself very much at home with the new doctor, eh?’
Nerissa glanced past Margot and spotted Bev, Kitty and several other members of the knitting circle. She straightened her shoulders. Whatever might be going on in her heart, she’d done nothing improper. Nothing to warrant the wagging of tongues, which had apparently been going on between sips of tea and mouthfuls of cake. And if there were problems lurking beneath the surface, that certainly wasn’t the business of this bunch of busybodies. ‘Tom and the children are settling in well, if that’s what you mean.’
Margot snorted. ‘If that’s what you want to call it, then who am I to say any different. If it stops you playing the martyr after all these years, I’ll be glad of it. You’ve milked this town’s sympathy for too long.’ Brushing past Nerissa, she stuck her nose in the air and started down the street.
Let her go. Let her have these spiteful little victories, it’s not worth it.
Any other day and she might have listened to that internal voice of reason, but today her edges were just a bit too frayed. She was bone-tired of Margot and twenty-odd years of her ugly little snipes. ‘It wasn’t me who wanted to leave the Point,’ she called out.
Margot’s step faltered a second before her shoulders stiffened and she marched away.
Guilt and regret washed over Nerissa. She might have scored a point after all these years, but at what price? Feeling sick, she trudged into the café.
‘You look like someone’s burst your favourite balloon,’ Laurie said as she gave Nerissa a quick one-armed hug. ‘Grab that table by the window and I’ll be with you in two ticks.’
After that nasty little run-in with Margot, she didn’t feel like talking to anyone, even her beloved Laurie. ‘I really ought to just collect Max’s cake and get on.’
‘Not with that face, you’re not. Sit down.’
‘You’re as bossy as your mother some days,’ Nerissa grumbled, but she slipped out of her coat and did as she was told. Laurie joined her less than five minutes later, setting two steaming mugs and a plate containing an enormous slab of chocolate cake on the table between them. ‘I can’t eat all that,’ Nerissa protested.
‘That’s why I’ve got two of these.’ Laurie produced a pair of forks from the pocket of her apron and handed one to Nerissa. ‘Dig in, you look like you need cheering up.’
The first mouthful of the rich cake sent Nerissa’s eyelids closing in pleasure. The second was even better, and by the time she dug in for a third, she was telling Laurie all about what had transpired over the past couple of hours. ‘I just wish I’d kept my big mouth shut,’ she sighed, then placed her cake-laden fork between her lips. ‘God, Tom should dispense this on prescription,’ she said around the cake.
‘Speaking of… how is the divine Dr Tom?’ Laurie’s grin was positively wicked.
‘Divine.’ Nerissa sighed. ‘And completely off limits.’
‘Oh, boo.’ Laurie pulled a face as she pressed her thumb to the plate and started picking up crumbs of chocolate cake. ‘Are you sure?’
‘We agreed it was for the best.’ Nerissa couldn’t keep a note of disappointment from her voice. She could talk to Laurie in a way she rarely did with Sylvia – admit things she’d otherwise keep to herself.
‘When was that?’ Laurie leaned across the table. ‘Tell me everything!’
With a quick check to make sure no one could overhear, Nerissa leaned in too and quickly related the not-a-kiss incident from a few weeks back.
‘But he wanted to kiss you?’ Laurie insisted.
‘I… He certainly seemed like he was going to for a moment.’
‘And you wanted him to kiss you?’
Feeling a blush creep up her cheeks, Nerissa nodded, then glanced away.
‘God give me strength.’
When she looked up, Laurie had rocked back in her chair, arms folded across her chest, eyes wide as though she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
‘It’s for the best,’ Nerissa found herself saying.
‘For who?’
‘Shh!’ Nerissa flapped her hand at Laurie who’d spoken far too loudly.
‘For who?’ Laurie repeated in a much quieter but no less demanding tone.
‘For everyone.’ Nerissa shoved the plate aside with a sigh. ‘It’s too messy and complicated to even think about.’
Laurie reached across the table and took her hand. ‘Life is messy. Look at me and Jake. Neither of us was looking, and I for one wasn’t at all ready to fall in love, but I was even less ready to let him go without taking a chance. It’s still a bit messy. I probably shouldn’t have moved straight into the cottage with him, but we’re finding our way with a few bumps in the road.’
‘That’s different.’ She’d been fearless at that age, too. ‘I’ve got too much to lose – my job, my home…’
‘Both of which are replaceable,’ Laurie said, dismissing everything Nerissa had worked for with a wave of her hand. ‘If you need a job, you come and work here with me, and if you need somewhere to live, then Mum and Dad would take you in until you found a place of your own.’
‘I’m a bit too old for family charity.’
‘Bollocks.’ It was all the more shocking because Laurie wasn’t one for swearing. ‘You’re just scared, which is understandable after all this time, but come on, think about what you might have to gain if you took a chance?’
Laurie made it all sound so easy that Nerissa found herself close to losing her temper. ‘I didn’t come here for a lecture; if I’d wanted one of those, I’d have gone next door.’
Laurie shrugged. ‘I am my mother’s daughter.’ She released Nerissa’s hand with a pat. ‘I love you, and I want you to be happy, that’s all.’
‘I am happy,’ Nerissa protested. Happy enough, anyway.
‘If you say so.’ Laurie stood and began to clear the table. ‘I’ll go and get Max’s cake.’
Nerissa watched her walk away, wondering if there was something in the air, because it seemed like a day for disagreements and misunderstandings. When Laurie returned bearing a huge white box, Nerissa had put on her coat and was ready to go. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to Laurie’s cheek. ‘I love you too, let’s not row.’
Laurie placed the cake down, then put her arms around Nerissa’s waist and hugged her tight. ‘I’m sorry for pushing instead of listening. I just think you and Tom would be so good together.’
Nerissa pulled back to regard her niece. ‘You’re a good girl. But sometimes we can’t have the fairy-tale ending. That’s not anybody’s fault, it’s just the way things are.’
Laurie looked like she wanted to disagree for a moment, but she settled for a single nod instead. ‘Hey, on a complete change of topic, I was thinking about poor Emily’s blanket and I was wondering if it was something Ivy could take a look at.’
Ivy had been Laurie’s best friend since they were children, until a foolish argument over a man who couldn’t hold a candle to Laurie’s gorgeous Jake. Things had never been the same between them afterwards, and Nerissa knew it was a source of quiet regret for her niece. ‘Do you think you could give her a call for me? I’d do it, of course, but things are going to be hectic, what with Max’s party and Tom’s family being here and everything. I’d really like to give Emily some good news.’
Laurie nodded. ‘I’ve been looking for an excuse to talk to her, actually. Leave it with me and one or other of us will send you a message later.’
‘You’re a darling.’ Nerissa kissed Laurie once more, then gathered the cake up into her arms.
As she carried the cake from the café, she sent up a silent prayer that things would be more peaceful when she returned to the surgery, and that there’d still be a party to cater for.
23
Tom let out his final patient of the day, then stood in the empty waiting area for a few moments as he decided what to do next. There were a handful of tasks he could justifiably pretend needed to be done before clocking off for the weekend, but he knew none of them were urgent and it would be easy to snatch half an hour on Saturday or Sunday to sort them out. If he did them now, he would be doing so only to delay the inevitability of spending time with his father.
Regardless of his personal reluctance, he was pleased Archie had agreed to make the trek down from London. He was even more pleased that Alex had come with them, because he would step in when things inevitably got strained between Tom and their father. It would do the children good to see him, and Philippa, too. Hopefully, it was the first of many family weekend visits, and would help everyone feel more settled in the Point.
And who knows, Tom thought as he wandered into his office to shut down his computer and lock up, maybe this time things would be different. If he resolved to stay on Archie’s good side, to not let the thin-skinned boy who still lurked somewhere inside him out too much, perhaps the weekend would pass without a hitch. Max deserved Tom to be at his best, to make this birthday as special as possible. He was on that cusp between a child and a teenager. All too soon his innocent delight in superheroes and silly games would be buried beneath a hormonally driven wall of moodiness and self-consciousness. This might be the last time Max would still rather spend his birthday surrounded by family than hanging out with his mates.
He was growing up.
The realisation of it stole Tom’s breath to the point he had to pause in front of the kitchen door and run through a couple of calming exercises before he could reach out and open it.
Stepping from the hushed semi-darkness of the surgery into the bright chaos of the packed kitchen was like crossing a portal into another dimension. Alex was the first to spot him, coming over to greet him with a bear hug and a quick whispered, ‘Kids have had a bust-up, I’ll tell you about it in a minute.’ More loudly he said, ‘About time you showed up, we can now officially declare it beer o’clock.’
Tom flicked a quick glance at Emily, who was leaning against the worktop next to the sink where Philippa – God bless her – had tugged on a pair of rubber gloves and was washing up. Em looked a bit peaky, but she seemed calm enough as she chatted away to her Mimi, as the kids called her because Philippa had never wanted to be Granny or Grandma, which she thought sounded too old-fashioned. Max was sitting at the table next to Archie, grinning at a handful of what looked like new superhero action figures – and had the look of someone who had wheedled a few early presents. ‘Bad?’ he muttered to Alex from the side of his mouth.
‘Defcon One.’
Tom winced. ‘Definitely beer o’clock.’ He headed for the fridge and retrieved three bottles, then crossed to the drawer near the sink where all the little kitchen gadgets were kept to find a bottle opener. ‘Everything all right?’ he asked Em, making sure he used the same tone as always.
When she nodded but didn’t quite meet his eye, he hid a frown by kissing her temple, then turned to Philippa. She’d always been kind to Tom, even when loyalty to his mum had made it difficult at first to accept her place in his father’s life. If he was going to make more of an effort with them both, now was as good a time as any to start. ‘Hello, lovely Mimi. I hope the journey down wasn’t too awful?’
She started a little at the affectionate term, before smiling and leaning over to dash a quick peck on his cheek. ‘Bumper-to-bumper traffic getting out of London but plain sailing after that. Of course, your father and Alex had a huge shouting match about the best route to take.’ Tom grinned because both hated to cede any kind of control and were therefore terrible passengers. ‘Luckily I’d downloaded a fantastic audiobook onto my phone, so I stuck my headphones in and let them get on with it.’
‘Very sensible.’ He glanced into the bowl and was relieved to see there were only a couple of mugs still lurking under the water. ‘You should be doing that,’ he said to Emily. ‘Mimi is our guest this weekend, she’s not here to wait on us all.’
‘Oh, I don’t mind pitching in,’ Philippa said, scrubbing the textured sponge around the rim of one of the remaining mugs. ‘Emily’s helping with the drying up, aren’t you, darling?’ She cast a pointed look at the folded, so far untouched tea towel on the draining board and Tom decided to leave them to it. Philippa might be soft-spoken, but she hadn’t survived – and thrived – being married to Archie for thirty years without a backbone of steel.
Handing one of the now uncapped beers to Alex, Tom set the other one down in front of his father and placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘Good to see you, Pop.’
‘Nice to be invited.’
Tom bristled, assuming it was a dig because they’d been here nearly two months and this was the first time he’d asked them to visit. Or maybe Pop meant exactly what he said, and he was reading too much into it.
‘First of many visits, I hope.’ Tom clicked his bottle against the one he put in front of Archie.
‘I’ll drink to that.’ Archie raised his beer and took a mouthful.
‘Can I have some?’ Max asked his grandfather.
‘When you’re twenty-one and back from the war.’ Tom had no idea where the saying had come from, but it was something Pop had said to him too when he was younger than Max was now.
‘You can have a Coke,’ Tom said, bending to kiss the top of Max’s head. ‘And then it’s squash after that.’
‘But it’s my birthday.’ Max stuck out his bottom lip.
‘Not until tomorrow, and there’s still time to cancel if you start any of that nonsense.’ Archie tapped a firm finger on Max’s nose. ‘Do as your father says.’
Tom exchanged a look with Alex over Archie’s head. Seemed like he wasn’t the only one who was trying to make an effort. Alex flicked a glance towards his mother, then lifted his beer for a drink and Tom was even more glad he’d been extra affectionate in his greeting of her.
