Chapter 11
Alice
Alice had no idea how Jamie was feeling as they entered the Jolly Pirate for his welcome dinner. All she knew was how nervous she felt. She had told herself numerous times all day not to worry. Her friends were lovely people and they were giving Jamie a second chance.
She glanced at Robson behind the bar, then at the Jolly Roger flag pinned to the wall behind him. Normally she’d walk into the pub with a big smile on her face, ready to greet everyone, but a lot of the regulars had stopped supping their drinks and were now staring at Jamie.
Jamie, at her side, seemed relaxed enough, but he was good at hiding his emotions, and each time she had asked him since his release from prison if he was okay, he had told her he was just fine.
Red hair caught her attention as Spencer made his way through the small crowd by the bar to come her way.
His hand shot out towards Jamie. ‘All right, mate.’
Jamie shook Spencer’s hand. ‘Hello, Spence.’
Alice swallowed hard, wondering if Spencer was going to follow up with talk of the past, mostly the part about the smashed window of his family’s flower shop.
‘I hear you’re doing well,’ said Spencer, his blue eyes not moving from Jamie’s face as he lowered his hand.
‘I am,’ Jamie replied.
Alice smiled as Beth joined them. ‘This is Spencer’s partner, Beth.’
‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Jamie.
‘You too. Come and meet our little one. Not so little anymore. He’s just turned one.’ Beth gestured across to a quiet corner where two prams sat side by side. ‘He’s asleep at the moment, but come and take a peek.’
Alice watched Jamie go off with Beth to meet Archie, then she turned to Spencer. ‘Thanks for being kind. I know you don’t owe him anything, and you could have made things difficult, but—’
‘Hey, Al, stop stressing. Lottie said he’s turned over a new leaf, so I’m willing to give the bloke a chance. We all know what he used to get up to around here, but that was years ago, so I’m not going to judge him on his past. Lord knows I’m not the same man I was two years ago, let alone eight.’
‘A lot of people are saying the same thing.’
‘If we only judge people on their mistakes, it wouldn’t exactly encourage anyone to change, would it?’
‘No, I guess it wouldn’t. And most of us do change as we get older. Live and learn, and all that.’
Spencer lightly stroked her arm. ‘You always were a good mate to him.’
‘I always knew he had a good heart, that’s why. When I look back, I think if he’d had some sort of therapy as a child, perhaps he wouldn’t have gone off the rails.’
Spencer glanced over at Jamie and Beth talking by the prams. ‘Maybe.’
Alice chastised herself as she remembered that Spencer had a tough childhood for a while. ‘Sorry, Spence. I know you went through a lot as a kid as well, and you didn’t go around breaking the law.’
‘No, but I had my aunt to ground me.’ He sighed, then smiled softly. ‘Anyway, we’re all different. As long as he’s doing good now, that’s what matters. Not a lot we can do about the past, but at least we get a shot at being the best we can be today so we can have a better future.’
‘I know he really wants to just settle down and have a peaceful life.’
Spencer breathed out a small laugh. ‘Don’t we all.’
Lottie came over with Samuel. ‘All okay?’ She was looking at her brother.
Spencer nodded. ‘I shook the man’s hand. I’m giving him a chance.’
Lottie smiled. ‘Good. The more I’ve had time to think about Jamie, the more of a chance I want to give him. He’s one of us, and I want him to feel welcome in his home.’
Alice felt so relieved, she almost flopped onto Sophie as she approached with Matt.
‘When are we eating?’ asked Sophie. ‘I’m starved.’
The change in conversation made Alice’s smile grow. There was no way she wanted to talk about Jamie’s past all night, or his new life, for that matter. All she wanted was a bit of normality for him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ginny and Will chatting to Jamie and Beth, so she decided to join them.
She didn’t want to be away from Jamie’s side for too long in case he needed moral support.
But just as she went to speak, Demi came over to let them know a roast with their names on it was ready to be served.
Jamie’s hand brushed against Alice’s as they made their way over to a long table, and she wasn’t sure if he wanted her to hold his hand.
They sat side by side, and he leaned into her slightly. ‘You stopped stressing yet?’ he whispered, adding a small smile.
Alice chuckled. ‘Am I that obvious?’
‘To me, yeah.’
‘I just want them to like you.’
‘I know.’ He glanced at the group settling into their chairs. ‘So, how’s the Hub going? Running smoothly?’ His tone was confident, friendly.
Sophie answered first. ‘Yes, we’re doing so well. I can’t believe how needed it is around here.’
‘We weren’t expecting to help as many as we do,’ said Ginny, taking a napkin Will offered her.
Robson and Demi came over, serving the dinner.
‘The food bank is used the most,’ said Samuel. ‘And now the café is open some evenings for free meals, we get a few people come in there, too.’
Will nodded. ‘You wanted to do some voluntary work, Jamie. You can help out one evening there if you like.’
Alice started to cut her roast chicken as talk of the Hub continued. It was one of her favourite things to discuss, and even though they weren’t having one of their meetings about the place, it still felt a tad strange that her mum wasn’t there to join in.
Lizzie, Luna, and Jed were all missing from the group. She knew Jed was at choir practice with the Berry Buoys, singing sea shanties, and the only reason Will wasn’t there with him was because he had a bit of a sore throat.
Benny was with his grandparents for the evening at the B&B, as Luna had offered to sit at the front desk while Lizzie and Benny cooked dinner.
It was the Port Berry way to lend a hand, so there wasn’t anything odd about looking after someone’s business.
Alice had helped Mabel no end throughout the years, and she often jumped behind the bar to serve when Robson’s pub got busy and there wasn’t enough staff for the rush.
One time she even worked in Berry Blooms, as both Lottie and Spencer had flu.
That was her biggest work challenge, as making up bouquets wasn’t as easy as it looked.
The conversation switched to Sophie and Matt’s upcoming wedding, and Alice smiled to herself at the glow on Sophie’s face each time she spoke of her big day.
It was so nice sitting with her friends and Jamie. It was something she had wished to happen for so long. Looking at him happily chatting to Matt as though they had known each other for years brushed away the last of her concerns.