A Summer of Secrets (23 page)

Recalling the look on Candi’s face as her foul-mouthed, peroxide-blonde mother ranted and raged, her thug of a boyfriend beefing up his muscles and smirking all the while, caused yet another wave of fury to crash over Joe. Only marginally weaker than the wave of fury that had crashed over him the moment the two of them had burst into the house.

He’d been cleaning the living room windows when he heard the commotion. Candi and Bethany had been colouring-in at the kitchen table, and Alison had been peeling potatoes.

The moment he heard unfamiliar raised voices, he knew he had to investigate.

‘What’s going on?’ he demanded, entering the kitchen, and knowing immediately, by the expression on Alison’s face, that something wasn’t right.

‘Who the hell are you?’ snapped the peroxide blonde, who, from what he’d heard so far, he figured to be Candi’s mother.

‘A friend of the family,’ he replied. ‘Which is more than I can say for you.’

‘Well, I would be a
very
good friend of the family,’ sneered the woman. ‘If they pay me what I’m due.’

Alison Stevens snorted with ironic laughter. ‘You’ve as much chance of that as hell has of freezing over. Now, if you don’t get out of this house, I’m going to call the police.’

‘What? And have your husband’s dirty little secret splashed all over the local press?’ sniggered Candi’s mother. ‘That would do your chances of winning that award thing a lot of good, wouldn’t it? Or maybe I’ll just go to the press and dish all anyway. I’m sure they’d love to hear that life in the Stevens’ household isn’t quite as perfect as we’re supposed to believe.’ She lunged at Alison, grabbing a handful of hair, and dragging her to the ground.

All hell broke loose after that, but Joe – although he couldn’t recall exactly how, it had all happened so quickly – managed to dispose of the two interlopers shortly afterwards. Thank goodness he’d been there. He didn’t want to think what might have happened if he hadn’t been. Candi, needless to say, had been distraught and he’d felt an inexplicable urge to protect her. Heaven only knew what she’d had to deal with over the years, but he couldn’t imagine much of it being pleasant. Some women simply weren’t fit to be mothers.

At that stark realisation, Joe’s thoughts veered down a quite different alley – towards Gina. From what Karen had told him the other day, Gina, with her constant partying, hardly epitomised a model parent herself. Or was he being judgemental again? After all, he was hardly a paragon of virtue, languishing at the bottom of the moral high ground. Gina was still young, after all. And it couldn’t be easy for her. Didn’t she deserve to go out and enjoy herself? Maybe Karen was exaggerating. But then again … why would she? Joe had always got on well with her. And from what she’d said the other day – about him being too good for Gina – she must still like him.

Blimey. Maybe he should go to Tenerife, after all. Have a complete change of scene. Chill out for a bit, rather than being constantly stressed like he seemed to be here.

But if he went to Tenerife, he wouldn’t see Charlie. That thought made him nauseous and terrified in equal measure. But despite Karen’s reassurance, would Gina let him back into the child’s life if they weren’t together as a couple?

The whole thing made his head spin.

He would love to talk it through with someone. Someone completely neutral. But who? Phil would be no use. He’d already made his feelings perfectly clear – get over it and move on. Karen was great, but no way could she be classed as neutral – Gina was still her daughter, whatever she said about her. And the same went for his family – only the other way around, obviously. Then there were all his female “acquaintances” in Buttersley. As intimate as he’d been with them, he couldn’t imagine any of them being interested in his personal life – just as he wasn’t interested in theirs. No, the only person he could even think about talking his dilemma over with was someone who seemed very calm, very together. Someone who was going through some weird family stuff herself right now. And someone who, despite being five years younger than him, seemed so very much wiser …

‘Hi.’ Candi approached him with a beaming smile the moment he entered the clothes shop the next day. ‘I’m really pleased to see you. What with all the madness of yesterday, I didn’t have a chance to thank you properly for sorting out Mum.’

‘That’s all right,’ replied Joe, marvelling at how the slight flush to her cheeks gave her a lovely iridescent glow. ‘Glad to be of assistance.’

She pulled a rueful expression. ‘I dread to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t been there.’

‘Well, I was, so there’s no need for you to give it a second thought.’

She opened her mouth to reply but, upon spotting a middle-aged man with black, spikey hair, lowered her voice. ‘Damn. My boss has just appeared. I’ll have to talk about work stuff. Have you come back for jeans? Only the sale doesn’t start for another week.’

Bollocks. Joe had forgotten about the sale. He’d been hoping to use the purchasing of jeans as an excuse before asking her if she’d like to go for a coffee. But something about the way she looked at him made him think an excuse might not be necessary.

‘Actually,’ he began, a strange, fluttery sensation sweeping over him. ‘I didn’t come for jeans …’

She cocked an eyebrow.

Joe cleared his throat. ‘I, um, came to ask if you’d like to go for a coffee or something.’

He watched as her mouth stretched into one of her lovely smiles. A smile that made something around the area of his heart constrict.

‘I’d love to,’ she replied. ‘I finish at lunchtime so could meet you then, if you like.’

Joe did like. Very much.

‘Thanks again for yesterday,’ she began, as they took their seats in the window of a trendy café a little later. ‘You were like a knight in shining armour, the way you sorted it all out.’

Joe snorted with laughter. ‘Well, I’ve been called lots of things in my time but never a knight in shining armour. How are you feeling after it all?’

She shrugged. ‘Still a bit shaken, I suppose. I never know what Mum’s going to do next, but I certainly didn’t expect that. I’m so ashamed, I could cry.’

‘Hey, there’s no need for that,’ he soothed, watching the tears welling behind her specs. ‘You’ve done nothing to be ashamed of.’

She twisted her mouth. ‘If it wasn’t for me, Rich and Alison wouldn’t have to cope with any of this. Their lives were perfect until I popped up. Now it’s all one big mess.’

Before he could stop himself, Joe took her hand. ‘No, it isn’t. There’s nothing there that can’t be sorted. And if I know Alison, it’ll be sorted quickly. Plus, from what I’ve seen so far, it would appear you’ve slotted into their lives very nicely.’

Her hand still in his, Candi smiled at him. ‘I’ve moved in with them for a while. Until things calm down with Mum.’

Joe felt a prick of excitement. Her living with the Stevens meant he’d see more of her. ‘Well,’ he replied, attempting to curb his enthusiasm, ‘that’s great. And do you really think they’d have asked you to move in if they didn’t want you around?’

She shrugged. ‘I guess not.’

‘I
know
not.’

His remark made her giggle – a lovely, throaty giggle, which, as usual, lit up her face and added to her lustrous glow. Joe gazed at her in wonderment. He didn’t know what it was about this girl. She wasn’t pretty by conventional standards and stood leagues away from the gym-honed, perfectly coiffed, buffed and manicured women with whom he’d been intimately fraternising over the last few months, but there was something about her he found utterly beguiling. Maybe it was because she was so natural, so easy to talk to, so calm and undemanding – so, in fact, completely different from every other woman he’d ever known. But whatever it was, he wouldn’t mind a little bit more of it.

The waitress arrived, breaking the moment. As their hands parted, a rush of disappointment washed over him.

‘Anyway,’ Candi began, once they’d placed their orders and the waitress scurried off, ‘that’s enough about me. What about you? Have you decided if you’re going to accept the job in Tenerife yet?’

Joe shook his head. ‘Haven’t a clue. To be honest, I feel like my life’s one big mess at the moment.’

Candi cocked an eyebrow.

‘There’s, um, something I didn’t tell you about Charlie the other day,’ he admitted, suddenly feeling awkward. ‘He’s my … my son.’

‘I know.’

Joe met her gaze. ‘How? Has somebody said something?’

She shook her head. ‘They didn’t have to. It’s obvious from the way you are with him just how much you love him. Plus, he’s the spitting double of you, which is a bit of a clue.’

Joe smiled. ‘Yep, I suppose that is a bit of a giveaway. I only met up with him and Gina again – that’s his mum – a couple of weeks ago. She left me two years ago for another bloke.’

This time Candi reached across and took his hand. ‘God. That must’ve been awful. Charlie must’ve been just a baby.’

Joe nodded. ‘He was just over a year old. And yes, it was totally crap. To be honest, I’ve never really got over it. Gina was the love of my life. So, now she’s single again and we’re back in touch, I thought we might make another go of it. Be a family again. But she … she’s not the same girl. Or at least I don’t think she is. I don’t know if it’s just me overreacting; if I’m not being fair on her. If I’m expecting too much and should give her another chance before I write it off completely.’

Candi nodded. ‘Well, if you’ve been holding a torch for her all this time and you’re still not sure, I think you should definitely give her another chance. If you don’t, you’ll always be wondering.’

As if by magic, all the previously flailing pieces suddenly slotted into place in Joe’s mind. ‘You’re right,’ he agreed, relief pulsing through him. ‘If I’m not one hundred per cent sure, then I should give her another chance. God, I feel so much better already.’

‘Glad to be of assistance,’ said Candi, smiling at him in a way that made his toes curl. ‘And glad to repay the favour you did me yesterday.’

Joe laughed. ‘I think that’s what they call good teamwork.’

‘I think it most definitely is,’ she agreed.

Chapter Eighteen

‘I’m sorry.’

Outside the school gates, on her way in to work, Jenny accepted the gorgeous bunch of flowers from Len.

‘I shouldn’t have been so grouchy about Harriet,’ he continued. ‘I’d had a long day. Spent the entire afternoon in an unsuccessful meeting. I was tired and grumpy and I’m sorry.’

Jenny could scarcely believe her ears. She’d honestly imagined that was it as far as she and Len were concerned. A thought that saddened her. Because, for all their “relationship” – if it warranted the term – wasn’t ideal, it had been nice doing something different; and having someone to do something different with.

‘I did think about getting you chocolates,’ he chuckled. ‘But I thought …’ He cast her a meaningful glance.

‘What?’ Jenny raised a bemused brow.

‘Well, you know how you women are about your weight and all.’

Jenny blinked. Was he serious? Or merely jesting? She decided it must be the latter. The man did, after all, have impeccable manners. He wouldn’t possibly stoop so low as to insult a lady.

‘Anyway,’ he continued – a little awkwardly, she thought – ‘I wondered if you’d like to go to the pub again one night this week. For a meal or just a –’

The sudden blasting of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 indicated the ringing of his mobile. He tugged it out of his trouser pocket and raised it to his ear.

‘Oh, Ria. Hi.’ He affected an apologetic expression, before turning his back to Jenny and taking a few hurried steps away from her.

‘No. Not yet,’ she could hear him saying. ‘Getting there, though. Yes. Yes. I’ll keep you informed. Okay. Speak soon. Bye.’

‘Sorry about that,’ he said, bustling back. ‘Ria.’ He raised his eyebrows in mock despair. ‘You know what she’s like.’

Other than looking like a slightly faded Parisian fashion model, Jenny didn’t have the faintest idea what the woman was like. ‘She’s very glamorous, isn’t she?’ she remarked, in the absence of any other observations.

‘Is she?’ muttered Len. ‘I can’t say I’ve noticed.’

Jenny arranged to meet Len at the Duck Inn on Thursday evening. In the meantime, she had other things to occupy her mind. Like what to do about Harriet.

‘Hasn’t she settled?’ the girl who answered the phone at the kennels asked, despair clouding her every word.

‘Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly,’ replied Jenny as she observed Harriet lying in the garden, looking decidedly unimpressed. ‘She just seems a bit … miserable.’

‘Hmm. Just a moment, please.’

The girl covered the receiver. Jenny could hear muffled voices in the background. A few seconds later, she returned.

‘Peter says he’ll pop out and take a look at her this evening, if you like. He’s our behaviour specialist.’

‘Oh. Right.’ The information caught Jenny off guard. She’d imagined a drive back to the kennels so the vet could check the dog out or something. ‘Well, that would be great. If he doesn’t mind.’

‘He doesn’t. We have your address on record. He’ll be there around six-thirty.’

“Peter”, Jenny discovered at the appointed time, turned out to be the man at the kennels who’d introduced her to Harriet. So preoccupied had she been that day, though, she hadn’t paid him much attention. Opening the door to him this evening, the first thing she noticed was his lovely warm smile. The second, the missing button on his checked lumberjack shirt.

‘Thanks ever so much for coming out,’ she said, as they walked through to the lounge. ‘I really didn’t want to bother anyone, but I’ve tried everything and she still seems really depressed.’

‘Is it any wonder, living with you?’ Phyllis sniped. ‘We’re all depressed. It’s like living on a knife edge.’ She directed her next comment to Peter. ‘We never know what she’s going to do next.’

‘Really?’ Peter ran a hand through one side of his greying curls, causing them to stick up at a comical angle.

‘Mother, this is Peter from the kennels,’ said Jenny, tossing Phyllis an imploring look. ‘Peter, this is my mother.’