Players, Bumps and Cocktail Sausages (4 page)

She smiled up at me, and I felt like she’d jammed a knife into my heart. She believed what I said, even though we’d had a few conversations where I said I was ready, and so did she. What the fuck was wrong with women? How could you go from being ready one month to suddenly wanting to focus on other things the next? The last time she said she was excited to have a baby of our own was less than six weeks ago. What had changed so drastically in six weeks?

“We’ll give you another grandchild one day, Sarah, but we’re just enjoying being together right now.”

Just enjoying being together? When the hell were we ‘just together’? If we hadn’t committed to Miles’ birthday she would probably be out with her colleagues, and I would be at home. We hadn’t enjoyed ‘just being together’ in months.

I wanted to tell her she was being unfair, but I didn’t want to get in the way of what she wanted. If she wanted to wait another five years for kids while she concentrated on teaching that was fine, but she shouldn’t have told me otherwise.

My smile – which probably looked like a pissed off grimace – fooled everyone except my nosey sister.

“Uncle Jasper,” Everleigh screamed, and I wanted to thank her for interrupting right when I could sense Oakley asking for my help with something in the kitchen. “Come and help me and Leona make daisy chains! You said you would!”

I held my hands up. “Alright, diva, I’m coming.” How the fuck do you make daisy chains?  I filled the cooler with beer and we headed back outside. “You have far too much attitude for a three-year-old.”

“I’m almost four,” she replied as if that made all the difference. Everleigh growing up sucked. I had no idea what I would do on my days off when she was at school. Me and Oakley rotated our shifts at The Centre, the place Oakley opened after the trial was done so we could look after Everleigh. I loved spending time with her, so it was going to suck when I couldn’t do that as much.

After handing Miles the refilled cooler, I let Everleigh lead me to the corner of Cole and Oakley’s perfectly cut lawn where Cole’s niece, Leona and Holly were sitting cross-legged on the grass. I frowned.

“They’ve not left you to be babysitter?”

She smiled up at me. “No, it’s okay. I like hanging with them.”

“You can join the adults when you want.”

“Really, it’s fine. I love spending time with kids.”

I sat down and prepared to bullshit my way through making a necklace out of flowers.

“You know how to do this?” I asked.

“Daisy chains? Everyone knows how to make daisy chains,” she replied, brushing her light blonde hair out of her face.

“Uncle Jasper don’t,” Everleigh said and sighed.

“Wow, really?”

“I’m a man.”

Everleigh giggled. “Remember when you wore Mummy’s dress? You looked like a girl.”

“Yes, thank you, Everleigh.” I winced as I watched Holly try not to laugh.

“Hey, I’m comfortable with my masculinity, that’s how I’m able to put on a dress and not have it shrink the boys,” I replied, giving myself a mental high five at changing
my balls
to
the boys
before I’d started saying it.

“Of course,” Holly said wryly. “Perhaps the stories I’ve heard about you were less about a broken heart and more about hiding in a closet.”

My mouth dropped open. Sweet, shy, innocent little Holly made a joke like that – and a good one. If it wasn’t aimed at me, I would have laughed.

“There’s nothing PG I can think of to reply so just imagine my response.”

She laughed and shook her head as Leona tried to figure out what we were talking about. She was at that age where she was starting to understand what we didn’t say.

“Will do. Ready to make a daisy chain, girls?”

Leona and Everleigh nodded. I was sure Leona knew already, but she looked up at Holly like she wanted to be her.

“Okay, take your daisy and with your nail make a small slit in the stem. Everleigh, do you want me to help you?”

I looked on at them, picking grass because I would rather boil my own head than make a daisy chain. Holly was great with kids; she would be an awesome mum one day.

“How come you’re so good with children?” I asked. “You don’t have younger brothers or sisters, right?”

“No, but I have a lot of younger cousins.”

“You want kids when you’re older?”

She beamed and looked prettier, even with the overly dark eye make-up.

“Definitely.”

Why couldn’t Abby be that sure? She had already taken back saying she wanted them now, and had postponed our family. What the hell was I going to do if she decided in a couple years that she wanted to wait another couple of years?

“You do too,” she said overly confidently. Did it show that much? I didn’t really care, having children was so important to me now. A few years ago I would have laughed if someone told me I would end up desperate to be a dad.

“Yeah, I do.”

“When do you think you will?”

I shrugged.

“I would tomorrow but apparently that’s not an option now.”

It was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. Pissing never satisfied, mind changing, evil, heart breaking women!

Chapter Four

Abby was already out of bed when I woke the next morning. I groaned. It was only seven in the morning and on a Sunday. What the hell was she doing up?

“Abby?” I called to see if she was just in the bathroom before I forced myself to get out of bed.

She poked her head around the corner of the door.

“Oh, you’re awake then?”

No, I’m sleep talking!

“Yeah.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake up. “What’re you doing up so early?”

“I’m meeting Carol and Brett at Wendy’s Cafe to discuss the Thorpe Park trip. Two parents have pulled out, and we’re having trouble with the coaches now too. We’re grabbing breakfast and sorting through the issues. I won’t be long, and then we can do something. Want me to bring you bacon rolls back?”

Sunday. It was the official day of rest, and she wanted a working breakfast. Leaving your bed before ten on a Sunday should be illegal and here was my wife dressed and ready to leave the house at seven.

“Right. Bacon rolls would be awesome.”

She blew a kiss and grabbed her handbag off the dressing table. “Only be a couple hours. Love you.” And then she was gone.

I wanted to call someone to complain, and normally I’d call Oakley but she was getting bored of me complaining and not doing anything about it. I was scared of doing anything about it. Actually I was fucking terrified. If Abby was cheating we would have to get divorced, sell the house and divide everything up. I would be a divorced man. I would have an ex wife. Abby would be fine with her new man, but I would be screwed. No one wanted to be the one left behind. I didn’t want to be in love with someone that left me for someone else.

The only thing that I knew would take my mind off what was possibly going on – yes, I was a fan of burying your head in the sand – was Everleigh. I dialled my sister’s house knowing they would already be up.

“Hello,” Oakley said down the phone.

“Can I have Everleigh for a couple hours? Pancakes at the diner.”

“Good morning to you too, Jasper.”

“Please?” I said.

She paused. “Sure. Any reason?”

“She’s my favourite person, and I want to take her to breakfast.”

“That’s the only reason? Is Abby going too?”

“I’ll pick her up in twenty,” I said and hung up.
Damn mind-reading sister.
There was going to be a lecture. There was always a lecture. I should speak to Abby about it; that’s what she’d say. Of course, she was right, but I wasn’t gonna do it.

I dressed and grabbed my keys. Abby had left one of her many handbags on the kitchen table – the one the watch was in. We had nothing coming up – not my birthday or an anniversary – so if the watch was gone that meant she took it with her today. To this Brett twat? I backed away, needing to trust her.

Oakley opened her front door as I pulled up. Great, she was ready to preach. She raised her eyebrow as I walked towards her.

“Don’t start,” I said.

“I’m not starting. I just don’t get many early morning phone calls from you on a Sunday. Actually, I’ve never received an early morning phone call off you on a Sunday.”

“Abby’s working for a couple hours, so I thought I’d use to the time to treat my niece.”

“Abby’s working?”

“Something about sorting out school trip shit.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I dunno. Everleigh ready?”

“Cole’s just putting her shoes on. Do you want to talk about it?”

I glared. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Oakley smiled one of her smiles that made me want to throw tomatoes at her.

“Seriously, it’s fine. If she wants to waste Sunday morning talking about work, that’s her stupid choice.”

I could see in my sister’s eyes she was thinking
but what about spending time with you
, blah, blah, blah. Would I prefer to spend time with my wife in the morning, yes, of course, but she had stuff to do. I’d survive.

“Everleigh,” I shouted past Oakley, ignoring her questioning look. If she kept raising her eyebrows at me, I was going to shave them off.

“Uncle Jasper!” Everleigh screamed, jumping up and down as she made her way to the front door. “Pancakes! Can I have chocolate?”

I grinned. “You can have whatever you want.”

“Yeah,” she cheered, jumping outside in one big leap that made Oakley tense up. “Let’s go, Uncle Jasper.”

I unlocked my car and she ran to her door, letting herself in. Cole appeared behind Oakley, wrapping his arms around her.

“No kiss goodbye?” he said to Everleigh. She turned, shook her head, waved and got in the car.

“Too eager for food. She takes after you,” Oakley said, kissing Cole’s cheek over her shoulder. That was my cue to leave. I didn’t need to be seeing any of that soppy crap right now.

“So what’s wrong, Uncle Jasper?” Everleigh asked, leaning her elbows on the diner table. She barely reached so it looked more like she was just laying her arms out, but I knew the effect she was going for – ‘tell all’.

“Nothing’s wrong, Noodle. I promise.”

She sighed and shook her head. “Uncle Jasper, you just told a lie.”

My three-year-old niece was disappointed in me. Wow.

“Just grown-up stuff. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“But I love you.”

There was nothing that could keep me down when she said that. I smiled like a fat guy locked in a McDonalds overnight. I was suddenly so glad Oakley didn’t have anything planned and let me take Everleigh for a bit. This kid was my antidepressant.

“I love you too, but you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Are you sad?”

“If you ask your dad...”

She frowned, my joke going over her head.

“Never mind. I’m not sad.”

“Is it Aunty Abby? Are you in the dog house?”

I laughed, my eyebrows shooting up.

“What?” Where the hell did that come from?

“Mummy said Daddy was in the dog house when he broke her favourite mug. Did Aunty Abby break your favourite mug?”

I loved her weird little innocent mind.

“Yeah, she broke my favourite mug.”

She nodded. “Don’t worry, Uncle Jasper, I’ll buy you a new one. Ooh, can I have a chocolate milkshake? I promise won’t tell Mummy and Daddy.”

“Sure. You can have whatever you want.”

She grinned a face-splitting smile and pushed her empty plate away.

Oakley informed me that she and Cole had popped to The Centre to sort out an air conditioning issue in the ballet room, so I was to take Everleigh there. Going into work on your day off felt wrong.

“Where’s Mummy and Daddy?” Everleigh asked as soon as we got out of the car as if I had some radar.

“Office, probably. Let’s go find them.”

I walked into reception with Everleigh hanging off my arm – literally. Blinking in shock, I shook my head. Holly sat behind the desk with Oakley.

“Hey. What’s going on?”

Oakley looked up, her eyes lighting up as she spotted her daughter. “Hey, baby, you enjoy your pancakes.”

Everleigh nodded theatrically.

“Yep. Where’s Daddy?”

“In the office, go find him.” The only reason she let Everleigh go off alone was because the office was behind the reception desk and she had to pass her to get to it.

I walked up to the desk and leant my arms on the surface. “You’re working here now?” I asked Holly.

She nodded, blushing. Jesus, I only asked if she was working here not what colour her underwear was.

“Yes, part-time until I go back to uni. Your other receptionist started maternity leave early, apparently.”

Wow, no one tells me anything!

“Yeah,” Oakley said, her attention now back on us. “Olivia’s not been feeling well and decided to start maternity two months earlier than planned. She’ll take nine months off rather than six now.”

“Oh. She okay?”

“She just needs rest. Thankfully Holly’s available, so I don’t have to advertise for the maternity cover position until September. I’m just going to check on Cole and Everleigh, make sure she’s not rearranging the paperwork again. Can you show Holly the booking system?”

I shrugged.
Not like I have anything better to do.

“Sure.”

Oakley smiled and left.

Holly bit her lip and whispered, “Thanks.”

“It’s fine. Okay, budge over.”

Holly moved her chair, and I pulled the other one up. It was clear that she wasn’t used to being so close to men by the way she let her hair fall in her face, half hiding her face. So shy.

“This your first day?”

“Yeah. I’m scared I’ll do something wrong and get fired.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’ll probably do something wrong, who doesn’t? You won’t get fired.”

She smiled and her shoulders relaxed. Wow she was really worried about messing up. Christ if I had a pound for every time I screwed something up I’d be rich.

“Thanks, Jasper,” she said. Her eyes had less black kohl around them today. It made her look softer and not like she was about to gut me and eat my insides.