Chapter 18
Jamie
Lottie had invited Jamie up to her house to work on the Hub’s website after lunch, Will having mentioned that Jamie wanted to get into web design.
Jamie had jumped at the chance, not only because of his interest, but because he really wanted to be good friends with Lottie again.
Nothing much had happened with Buffy the snowman in the last three days, which was a relief for Alice, but frustrating for Jamie. He was determined to catch the delinquent, thinking him probably young and, like Jamie years ago, doing stupid dares with his gang.
Whistling a merry tune as he strolled up Berry Hill, Jamie took in the spectacular view of the harbour. Every so often, he would simply stare out to sea, amazed it was his view once more.
He knocked on the large coastal home, then presented Lottie with a poinsettia as soon as she opened the door.
Lottie grinned. ‘Did you buy that from my shop?’
‘Nope. Supermarket.’
‘Well, thank you anyway. Come in.’
Jamie perused her home. ‘I don’t remember these houses being so big inside.’
‘I inherited George’s house, and Sam bought Ginny’s so, with mine in the middle we knocked three into one.’
‘Oh, yeah, I can see that now.’ He followed her into an office on the ground level. Large patio doors revealed a neat garden and a greenhouse at the back. ‘Not much used to change around here.’
‘Not much has changed since you were last here. A couple of shops along the front, oh, and the mini supermarket up the road.’
‘I like that it’s the same.’
Lottie smiled and offered tea, which he declined. ‘Before we get into some Christmas designs for the website,’ she said, ‘I wanted to ask you if you’d be willing to be one of the guests on there.’ She tapped a microphone set up on the desk that he hadn’t noticed on entering.
‘What do you mean?’
‘I interview people and post their stories on our website. You can listen to some of the others here first to get the gist of things, but basically, they talk about social issues, life changes, reform, trauma, that sort of thing. It can help others in similar boats, and it can stop them feeling so alone. I thought your story might be of some use. What do you think?’
Jamie wasn’t sure if talking about his past would stop someone else from committing crimes. What could he tell them about prison other than it was one of the worst experiences of his life?
‘You can think about it and get back to me,’ added Lottie softly.
‘I don’t mind answering your questions, but I’m not sure how helpful my story can be. I’m just someone who got into trouble and paid a hefty price.’
Lottie moved her wheelchair closer to the desk, placing her hands by the keyboard. ‘Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of you talking about having cancer as a child.’
‘Oh.’ It wasn’t something he spoke about much. ‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘Like I said, you can think about it. This interview wouldn’t go out till February. And if it makes things easier for you, I can give you a list of questions. You can write down your answers, ready for the time.’
He wrinkled his nose as he glanced up from fiddling with his hands. ‘Do you think people would want to listen to me saying how lonely I felt? How much I missed school? How I just wanted to be like the other kids?’
Lottie gave a small shrug. ‘That’s the thing with these interviews — my guests talk about hard subjects.
Afterwards, there are always comments left by listeners saying they could relate.
There could be a parent out there who hears your story, then understands the kind of things their child might be keeping to themselves. ’
It certainly was something to think about, but it was also like rubbing salt in a wound. He tried to quickly weigh up which part of his life was the hardest to talk about and realized he held quite a lot of baggage.
‘I guess it would be like a therapy session,’ he questioned, more so to himself.
‘A lot have said that.’
Jamie couldn’t decide on the spot what would be best for him, so he agreed to take a list of questions home and mull it over. He figured he’d listen to what the others had to say during their interviews as well. He was sure Benny would let him use the laptop to check out the Hub’s website.
Lottie smiled. ‘I think that would be for the best, too. I’m sorry if I come across a little pushy. I just get excited for the Hub because I know the interviews help.’
‘That’s okay. I can see how passionate you are about this.’
‘I love the Hub. There are times when someone walks in looking so lost and sad, then after they’ve had a chat and a cuppa with one of us, they’ve perked right up and show signs of hope in their eyes. It’s a marvellous thing to experience.’
‘I’m booked in for my first shift with Matt the day after tomorrow. He told me to be prepared for a bit of a Christmas rush. Why does it get busier this time of year?’
Lottie shrugged slightly. ‘To be honest, I’m not entirely sure.
We have more food parcels to hand out. We get more donations come in, and we add extras like chocolate selection boxes for the kids.
It’s not always a fun time for people. Some are at their lowest for whatever reason, so we get more coming in just for company.
When we started, we thought we’d only get one or two walk through the door, perhaps looking for help filling out applications or wanting advice or a job. ’
‘I remember Alice telling me you were set up to help the homeless.’
‘We were, then we just expanded in all sorts of areas because people were coming in asking for the kind of help we weren’t expecting.’
Jamie was looking forward to helping out. He continued to chat about the Happy to Help Hub for a while before making a start on the website with Lottie, happy to listen to all her handy hints and tips.
It was nice not having any animosity between them, and he was so thankful she was making him feel comfortable and welcome, giving him and their friendship this second chance.
They spent a couple of hours together, then he headed home, whistling the same tune he’d arrived with. Things were definitely looking up.
It was just past four, and the sky was already dark, but the twinkling Christmas lights on all the shops along the harbour cheered the evening no end.
Some of the volunteers for the local charity shop were gathering outside their premises, dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz , and Jamie recognized Henry, wrapped in silver material, blusher on his cheeks.
‘Hello, Henry. What’s going on here?’
Henry beamed. ‘I’m the Tin Man, and we’re going to sing carols as we walk along the harbour to cheer everyone up and raise awareness for the shop.’ He held up a battery-operated lamp. ‘Look, I have a lantern I can swing.’
‘That’s brilliant, and you look great.’
‘I come in here a lot, so Mary said I can join in with the songs.’
The woman called Mary stepped forward. ‘Who’s your friend, Henry?’
‘This is Jamie. He’s new at being a volunteer.’
Jamie smiled at Mary, dressed as Dorothy.
‘Fancy joining in, love?’ she asked Jamie. ‘Only our scarecrow just pulled out at the last minute. Stage fright, apparently.’ She rolled her pale eyes. ‘It’s just a bit of “Jingle Bells” as we stroll around the harbour. You up for that? Come on, you know you want to.’
Jamie had to laugh. It was the last thing he was expecting on his way home. ‘Oh, go on then. I can get my holly jolly on and wave a lamp.’
‘Better than that,’ said Mary, shoving a straw hat on his head. ‘Here you go. And . . .’ She whipped out some blusher and reddened his cheeks, creating round circles. ‘We have ourselves a scarecrow. Right, let’s get this show on the road,’ she said to the women behind her.
Jamie chuckled, then joined in with the song, holding his lantern high while walking beside a happy Henry.
They were just getting into their swing, belting out “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, when a scuffle on the pavement outside the B&B had them all gasp in fright.
It took a moment for the scene Jamie was witnessing to register in his brain.
Buffy the snowman was bouncing on top of Lizzie who was splayed on the ground, a masked man beneath her. Benny was frantically trying to tackle the inflatable while Alice was screaming for help.
The streetlamps shone down like a spotlight on the commotion, and noise from the beer garden at the pub flooded out towards the conflict as customers ran out to see who had cried out.
Within seconds, Jamie took out the snowman with a rugby tackle, slid between Lizzie and the intruder, avoided flailing fists, and pinned the masked man, pressing his head deep into the gutter.
‘Jamie!’ Alice yelled.
Flashbacks of fighting in prison entered Jamie’s mind, temporarily blinding him, telling him to hit first. Hit hard. He pulled his arm back, ready to punch, but something snagged him. Suddenly he could see clearly again. Alice was clenching his hand.
‘Jamie!’ she shouted, and he met fear in her eyes.
He took a calming breath before looking back at the man unable to move beneath him.
A siren sounded in the near distance as a circle of men from the pub surrounded Jamie and Alice.
Jamie quickly tugged off the balaclava to see who he was dealing with.
‘Alan?’ Alice gasped.
‘This isn’t what it looks like,’ said Alan, tears in his eyes and nerves in his tone.
‘You!’ yelled Lizzie, waggling a shaky hand. ‘I’m going to get you arrested for this. We’ve got security cameras.’
‘I’m sorry, Alice.’ Alan sobbed. ‘I did it for you.’
Jamie pushed Alan’s sweaty head further into the damp road. ‘Scared her, destroyed her things — you did that for her, did you?’ Jamie pressed his finger into Alan’s cheekbone. ‘Did you set fire to her carpet?’
Alan looked up at Alice. ‘I’m sorry. I thought it would make you need me.’
‘She doesn’t need you,’ spat Jamie, glaring in his face.
‘Jamie, get off him.’ Alice tugged his arm as the sirens got louder.
Knowing there was nowhere for Alan to run, Jamie sat back, keeping his eyes firmly on Alice’s ex-boyfriend, blaming himself for her going out with the idiot in the first place.
Jamie couldn’t sit there stressing over Alice’s life choices.
She had every right to find a partner and settle down.
He was lucky she gave him her time at all, being under no obligation to visit him in prison or write.
But he couldn’t help but feel disappointed that not only had she hidden Alan from him, but she’d had a relationship with the man in the first place.
He truly believed she wouldn’t have found a boyfriend if he was by her side.
Pushing Alan away, Jamie stood, listening to some of the men from the pub jeer at Alan. A police car pulled up, and Lizzie rushed straight to the first officer on the scene to explain what had happened while Jamie watched Alice shield him as though trying to hide him from the police.
‘This creep,’ said Lizzie, pointing at a dishevelled Alan, ‘has been harassing my daughter. He just tried to cut Buffy.’
The police officer frowned, so Benny stepped forward to let him know who Buffy was and what had been happening lately.
‘And she bloody attacked me,’ Alan told the officer as he was brought to a stand. ‘Arrest her, not me. Look.’ He pointed at the B&B. ‘They said they’ve got security cameras. Check them. You’ll see what she did to me. It’ll all be on there. She drew first blood.’
‘I’ll give you first blood in a minute,’ snapped Lizzie.
Jamie felt Alice’s hands reach back for his, so he leaned closer to cradle her in his arms. ‘You all right, Angel?’ he whispered close to her ear.
Alice turned, showing puffy eyes and a quivering lip, and suddenly she flopped into him and cried.
He held her close, rubbing her back and telling her everything was going to be okay, but it wasn’t okay. Because the police didn’t just take Alan away, they took Lizzie as well.