Chapter 5
5
Jade felt oddly nervous when she pulled up outside Sarah’s little semi on Friday at six for their planned supper. She reached for the bottle of her friend’s favourite red wine that was rolling about in the passenger foot-well and wondered what Callum would be like.
All Sarah had told her, other than that he could cook, was that they’d met through work. Callum sold marketing databases for big companies, which was the same field Sarah was in, except she wrote the software, rather than sold it.
He also loved travelling and had a camper van, which Jade had just parked behind outside Sarah’s house. She glanced at its pristine paintwork as she climbed out of her Land Rover. That must have set him back a bit. It was almost new. Callum wasn’t short of money then.
Edging past it, she breathed in the scent of the pink roses that clambered up the front of the house as she went round to the back door. It opened just before she got there.
Sarah was smiling, her face unusually shy, and behind her was Callum, who wasn’t a bit like Jade had expected .
He towered over Sarah and had a good four inches on Jade. At least six foot three, he had flaming red hair and eyes the colour of amber and a gold hoop in one ear. He looked like a pirate from one of those swashbuckling films, and Jade had a brief, vivid image of him forcing people to walk the plank.
‘It’s great to meet you, Jade.’ He held out a giant hand, and she felt her own hand disappearing within his firm grip. She had an impression of warmth and strength and gentleness. ‘Sarah’s told me so much about you.’ His voice was soft, with a faint Scottish lilt, and there was shyness behind his smile.
Another contradiction, Jade thought a little breathlessly as the pirate image evaporated. ‘All good, I hope?’
‘Of course!’ Sarah interrupted. ‘Come on through, Ben can’t wait to see you.’
Ben, in a Thomas the Tank Engine tee-shirt, was sitting on the floor, watching television, but he leapt up when he spotted Jade, hurtled across the room and wrapped his arms around her legs.
‘Steady on, you’ll have me over,’ she said, hugging him. ‘So how are you, young man?’
‘Very well, thank you, lung lady.’
Jade giggled, as much at the seriousness in his grey eyes as his pronunciation. ‘You’re a bundle of trouble, you are.’
‘You’re a bundle of trouble!’ Ben shrieked in delight.
‘Don’t call your Auntie Jade names,’ Sarah chided. ‘Or she might not want to stay.’
‘I started it,’ Jade said, smiling. ‘Come and sit on my lap then, Ben. You’re not too big for laps, are you?’
He shook his head, put his thumb in his mouth and clambered up, a little more reticently than usual, which she put down to the fact that Callum was there. The balance in the room had changed. But it was a nice change. Comfortable.
‘We’re doing a barbecue outside,’ Ben told Jade.
‘Callum’s done us home-made burgers,’ Sarah added. ‘He’s made veggie ones especially for you – and they’ll be ready in about ten minutes.’
‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ Ben shouted. ‘I’m gonna be a vegan-arian when I’m six.’
Much later that evening, when Ben was tucked up in bed, and Callum had left them to their girlie chat and headed home, Sarah and Jade lounged on the sofa.
‘So, what do you think?’ Sarah asked, putting her hands behind her head and leaning back with an expression of such utter satisfaction it was obvious the question was rhetorical.
‘I think he’s awful. Big-headed, boring, ugly. Can’t cook either, can he?’
Sarah’s eyes widened in shock. Jade giggled and poured some more wine into their glasses, from her position on the carpet beside the coffee table. ‘God, you’re so easy to wind up. I think he’s great, you lucky cow. Has he got any brothers?’
‘No, he’s a one-off,’ Sarah said proudly, and unnecessarily, because Jade couldn’t imagine ever meeting anyone like Callum. When Sarah had told her he was a salesman, she’d conjured up a smooth-talking charmer, probably blond, because Sarah usually went for blonds. She hadn’t been expecting a Scottish flame-haired giant of a man who could cook like a top chef, which apparently he’d learned in his father’s Dundee restaurant.
‘What?’ Sarah asked, and Jade jumped.
‘I was just thinking Callum’s not your usual type. Why didn’t he go into the family business?’
‘Because he wanted to see the world – well, he wanted to see England anyway.’ Sarah giggled. ‘What did you think of his tattoo? He had that done in London.’
Sarah had made Callum show her the wolf, which was emblazoned across his chest, halfway through their second bottle of wine, and he’d blushed scarlet as he’d undone his shirt buttons.
‘The poor guy wanted the floor to swallow him up,’ Jade chided gently. ‘He’s obviously not an exhibitionist like you. But seriously, Sarah, I’m so pleased for you. It’s about time you met someone really nice.’
Sarah’s blue eyes were as contented as a Cheshire cat’s. ‘You see, there are some good ones out there. You mustn’t let one bad experience put you off men for life.’
‘I wasn’t planning to.’ Jade felt warmed by the wine and Sarah’s almost tangible happiness. ‘I’m over Antonio now. Seriously – I can’t imagine what I ever saw in him in the first place.’
An image of her ex-boyfriend flashed into her mind. Dark eyes he’d inherited from his Italian grandmother, a tangle of black hair, a sexy pouting mouth, which could transform instantly from sultry to sulky if he didn’t get his own way, and a body that drew admiring glances on the beach.
It was hard to hold on to the image – dark eyes were fading to cool grey ones, and, disconcertingly, she saw Finn’s face again. She hadn’t told Sarah about their two chance meetings. Partly because she’d have had to confess she’d gone to pieces in front of a stranger, which would have meant admitting she wasn’t as over everything as she wanted Sarah to think. Finn was an attractive stranger too; it was a shame he wasn’t local. She’d half hoped she’d bump into him again. But she hadn’t, which probably meant he was back in Nottingham. Pity.
She sighed and Sarah, who’d obviously misread her expression as regret that she and Antonio were finished, threw a cushion at her.
‘The bloke was sex on legs. I could see exactly what you saw in him. And he was a complete two-timing bastard as well. I bet he’s doing the dirty on that young receptionist by now. He’s not the type who can stay faithful for more than a few months.’
‘Six in my case.’ Jade was surprised it didn’t hurt any more. At the time it had been pretty painful. But then Antonio’s betrayal had been overshadowed by her mother’s sudden death.
‘I’m surprised he hasn’t been sniffing around here, now you’re a rich heiress.’
‘He wasn’t exactly broke himself,’ Jade chided, because whatever else Antonio had been, he’d never been a sponger. ‘Besides, I can’t see him leaving Bristol. He always hated the countryside. He hates the smell and he doesn’t like animals much. Strange he ever decided to be a vet. He was quite good at it, too.’
‘So, he was hardly a long-term option, was he? For a woman who prefers animals to people.’
For once, Jade was far too relaxed to rise to the bait. She yawned and stretched her arms above her head and then rubbed her eyes. ‘I think it’s time I curled up on your sofa bed. Some of us have to get up at the crack of dawn. I may only have a handful of animals at the moment, but they still need looking after.’
‘You can help me finish this wine first,’ Sarah pressed, refilling their glasses. ‘I’m glad you’re over Antonio. You can do far better.’ She paused. ‘Bugger, I’ve just remembered Callum made us a lemon meringue pie, too, because I told him it was your favourite. Shall we have some to mop up this alcohol? He’ll be disappointed if we don’t eat it.’
‘I’ll get it,’ Jade offered, escaping to Sarah’s tiny kitchen and poking about in the fridge, which was filled mainly with cans of beer. The pie, tucked away at the back, was a beauty, all white curly peaks topped with golden brown, and she felt her mouth water .
She cut them both a slice and as the lemon scent hit her nostrils, she was transported back to a long-ago day in her mother’s kitchen.
She’d been about seven and had just come in from school when she’d discovered a whacking great lemon meringue pie cooling on the top shelf of the larder. She’d needed a chair to reach it and she’d struggled with her conscience because she knew it was for the guests’ dessert and pinching a slice was going to end in trouble. Then again, the pie was massive. No one was going to miss a little slice. There’d be plenty left for the guests.
She’d reached up, pushed the giant-size coffee tin across, and, taking care not to knock the butter portions over, inched the plate towards her.
‘Jade Foster, whatever do you think you’re doing? Get out of there, this minute. Do you hear me?’
Jade had jumped violently and after that, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Half on and half off the shelf, the plate tilted and then overbalanced and the lemon meringue pie slid between her hands and the whole lot went crashing onto the tiled floor.
Her mother was beside her in an instant. ‘You naughty, naughty little girl! How many times have I told you to not to come in here and help yourself?’ Jade felt her arm seized roughly and she was half lifted, half pulled from the chair, which also overbalanced. She scraped her knee on one of its wooden legs, felt the stinging hotness of the graze, and the hurt of her mother’s digging fingers. Through a red haze of tears, she heard the angry voices.
‘What’s going on? Oh, good heavens, I am sorry, Elizabeth, I didn’t realise she was in there.’ That had been Brian, the chef, with his hideous red face and sharp eyes.
‘It’s not your fault. She knows she’s not allowed. Bloody hell, look at this mess. Get a mop, can you. And you, my girl, can go straight to your room. Go on.’
‘But… I only wanted… some pie… and, and…’ Tears were getting in the way of her voice. She wasn’t sure which was worse, the beautiful pie smashed to pieces on the larder floor, more lemony now it was broken, or people staring at her. Her mother’s face was blotched and furious and her voice hot-edged with crossness.
‘If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times, you do not just help yourself to food. That’s tonight’s dessert you’ve ruined. What am I going to give the guests now?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘No, I don’t know either. Go on, get out of my sight and stop snivelling. Or I’ll really give you something to cry about.’
Jade stopped crying and ran. The unfairness of it all was bubbling into her throat, but there was no arguing with her mother when she was in this mood. She didn’t go to her room in the family annexe where she and Mum lived, though. She raced out of the door at the other end of the kitchen and through the games room, past the darts board and the pool table and out of the side door, which led on to the little yard where they grew runner beans and tomatoes.
Felix, her cat, was lying on an upturned milk crate, flicking his tail in the sun. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his warm ginger fur. Someone would come in a minute and tell her off again, but she didn’t care. She hated them both, Mum and Brian, but most of all she hated the guests.
‘Bloody guests,’ she sobbed, and Felix wriggled a bit, but he didn’t move away. Felix was the only one who understood. No one else knew how she felt, what it was like to always come second to the guests. He began to purr and she buried her face in his soft body .
‘Bloody guests, bloody guests, bloody guests,’ she’d whispered, her voice matching the rhythm of his purrs. ‘Bloody guests, bloody guests, bloody guests.’
‘Jade, what are you doing? I thought you’d fallen asleep out there.’ Sarah’s voice jolted her back to the present.
‘Sorry, I was daydreaming.’
‘Hey, you’re not upset because I mentioned Antonio, are you? That was a bit insensitive. I didn’t mean to rub it in…’
‘I wasn’t thinking about him – and you haven’t. Honestly.’
‘Wow, that does look good, doesn’t it? There’s some squirty cream in the fridge, shall we have that too?’
‘You’re not supposed to have midnight feasts when you’re our age.’
‘I know. I’m going to be as fat as a pig soon. Callum loves making puddings.’ Sarah squirted cream liberally over their plates and rolled her eyes in ecstasy. ‘I definitely recommend a man who can cook. By the way, I thought I saw a face from the past the other day in the village.’
‘Really? Who?’
‘The man from the Christmas party.’
‘What Christmas party?’ Jade frowned, and then realisation slowly dawned. ‘Are you talking about Ben’s father – the one you…’
‘Shagged in a field,’ Sarah finished quietly, moving across to shut the kitchen door. ‘Keep your voice down. Yes, I am, but that doesn’t make him Ben’s father.’
‘Why didn’t you say so before?’ Jade gasped, coming very close to dropping this plate of lemon meringue pie as well. It must be the wine. She was too shocked to argue with Sarah’s illogical statement. ‘Where was he?’
‘He was going into the Post Office in Arleston. It probably wasn’t him. I don’t think he lives round here or I’d have seen him before. It was probably just someone with the same colour hair. To be honest, I doubt I’d recognise him anyway, after all this time, even if I did bump into him. I think I’m a bit paranoid. I probably only thought I saw him because we were talking about him the other day.’
‘Yes.’ Jade swallowed a mouthful of lemon, which was exquisitely smooth – just the right balance between tangy and sweet. ‘I’m sure that’s it.’
‘Have you seen that picture?’ Sarah asked her, gesturing to the fridge door, where Ben’s latest drawing was held up by two Thomas the Tank Engine fridge magnets.
Jade gazed at the stick family. It showed two women, one blonde, one dark, a child, and a man with a blob of vibrant red hair. They were standing outside a house with a big smiley yellow sun in the sky. Underneath the picture, scrawled in loopy, childish writing were the words ‘My Family’. Jade felt a lump in her throat. She’d always thought of Ben as family, even though they weren’t related. It was good to know he felt the same.
Sarah’s eyes shadowed and she blinked a few times. ‘I know you think I was wrong not telling Ben who his dad was, but you can see why I did it, can’t you? It wasn’t just for me. Ben’s happy, too. He loves you and he loves Callum. And the past is done with. Finished. A closed chapter.’ She underlined her words by drawing a swift line in the air with her hands.
Jade nodded slowly. They’d had dozens of arguments about this when Ben was a baby. It was one of the few things they’d ever totally disagreed on. But Jade understood her friend’s decision, even if she didn’t agree with it. Sarah had been dumped in a children’s home when she was six months old. She’d subsequently been adopted by parents who loved her but Ben was the only biological family she’d ever had. Jade knew Sarah’s reasons for not contacting his father stemmed mainly from fear. She’d been scared he might fight her for custody and, more worryingly, that he might win. She hadn’t dared risk it.
And now, as Jade looked into Sarah’s anxious eyes and then back at the picture, which summed up how Ben saw the world, she was almost certain that Sarah had been right. There was no guarantee Ben’s father would have wanted a child. He certainly hadn’t bothered to contact Sarah again. He could have made an effort, if she’d meant more to him than just a one-night stand.
‘I’m so happy at the moment,’ Sarah went on, blinking rapidly. ‘I’ve never felt like this. I’ve never had a proper family before. I don’t want anything to spoil it.’
‘Nothing’s going to spoil it,’ Jade said firmly. She abandoned her pie and went to hug her friend. She hoped her words wouldn’t come back to haunt her.