Chapter 1 #3
Alison spluttered with laughter. She could always rely on Rosie to tell it like it is.
She had to admit that, deep down, she shared her cousin’s belief that Drew wouldn’t have a clue what she was doing now.
There was no Drew. Not any more. Niall, bless him, had tried to comfort her with the assurance that his spirit had ‘moved on’ somewhere, but she’d only nodded and smiled to please him.
Drew was gone. That was half the trouble.
They’d been together since their early twenties, and she couldn’t say theirs had been a passionate love affair – the sort she’d read about in books and seen in films. It had been a quiet, steady companionship, really, but it had made them both happy enough and she missed him.
She missed his lively chatter and his smile, and the way he caught spiders for her and put them outside, and how he cheerfully emptied the bins, so she didn’t have to.
He’d been a lovely husband and a wonderful dad to Jenna, who’d adored him. Even so, she knew he’d have kindly but firmly dealt with their daughter’s demands.
‘Jenna doesn’t help,’ she said flatly.
Rosie nodded. ‘Still babysitting every spare minute?’
‘Yep. Don’t get me wrong. I love Jenna so much, and I love Hallie and Ada.
Of course I do. But sometimes I just wish I could have peace and quiet, you know?
I seem to spend most of my time dashing from here to work, to school, or Jenna’s house to mind the kids, or to Kelsea Sands to see Mam and Dad. ’
‘Speaking of your mam and dad,’ Rosie said, ‘are you going to open your birthday cards?’
‘I guess so.’
‘Wow, don’t sound too thrilled. Have you got so many cards you don’t need any more?’
The tears welled up again and Rosie groaned. ‘Now what have I said?’
‘Do you know what I got in the post for my birthday?’ Alison demanded.
‘Surprise me.’
‘A bloody NHS bowel testing kit! That was my birthday post! Can you imagine?’
Rosie grinned. ‘How very thoughtful of them.’
‘Wasn’t it?’ Alison said. ‘They also texted me to remind me to book a cervical smear.’
Rosie burst out laughing and handed her the carrier bag.
Alison decided she’d whinged enough and opened her cards. There was a lovely one from her parents, of course, and one from Uncle Christopher and Auntie Elaine, and one from Niall and his wife Kendra, plus a separate one from their children Ryan and Poppy, and one from Rosie.
‘Open your presents,’ Rosie urged. ‘Mind you, don’t get your hopes up.’
There was a necklace from her mam and dad, a beautiful, scented candle from Niall and Kendra, chocolates from Ryan and Poppy, and a gift box of soaps from Elaine and Christopher.
‘Old lady soaps,’ she said with a sigh.
‘I know! Told you not to get your hopes up. Mind you, you are sixty-two,’ Rosie said mischievously. ‘I didn’t get you a present as such, but I’ve written you a gift card. Look.’
She reached into the pocket of her jacket and handed Alison a note which read:
I owe you one trip to the cinema with nachos and dips thrown in, or a night out in the pub. Whichever’s cheapest.
Alison put her arms around her. ‘You’re a star,’ she told her.
‘I know.’ Rosie shrugged. ‘So, what are you going to do about your Jenna?’
‘What can I do? She works hard. Joel works hard. They need help with the girls, and they are my granddaughters.’
‘Well, can’t they put some childcare in place? After-school clubs or something? It’s not fair dumping it all on you.’ Rosie’s eyes twinkled with mirth. ‘Not at your age.’
Alison nudged her. ‘Watch it! Oh, it doesn’t matter really, except that I wanted to go home at the weekend and I had to miss it to take the girls to a birthday party at some fun palace.
I’d hoped I could just drop them off and make a getaway, but Jenna hadn’t warned me we were expected to stay to supervise.
’ She pulled the band from her hair, freeing her ponytail and reflected how odd it was that, after all these years, she still thought of Kelsea Sands as home.
‘Mam and Dad were very understanding but I know they wanted me there, especially with it being my birthday week.’
Rosie looked suddenly awkward, and Alison’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.
‘What is it?’
Rosie squirmed in her chair. ‘Sorry, Ali. Truth is, I didn’t just come to bring you the birthday cards. We were going to ring you, but your mam wanted me to tell you in person because she knew you’d worry, and she said you’d never believe anyone unless you could see their face.’
‘Worry about what?’ Alison asked, her nerves already kicking in.
Rosie gave her a pleading look. ‘Now, don’t get yourself all het up, but your mam’s had an accident. A fall. She’s all right,’ she added quickly as Alison gasped. ‘Well, mostly.’
‘What does, “mostly” mean?’
‘She’s broken her arm,’ Rosie admitted. ‘Quite a nasty fracture. But you know your mam. She’s staying cheerful.’
‘But – but she must have come to Hull to the hospital! Why didn’t someone tell me?’
‘Dad tried,’ Rosie said. ‘Mam stayed at the A&E department with your parents, and Dad drove here to put you in the picture and maybe take you to the hospital if you wanted to go, but you weren’t in. He didn’t know where to find you so…’
‘When was this?’ Alison asked.
‘Wednesday afternoon. Your mam said it was your afternoon off, but you must have been out.’
‘I was,’ Alison said grimly. ‘I had to take Hallie to the dentist. Emergency filling. Joel and Jenna couldn’t get away from work.’
‘Aw, well, there you go.’ Rosie looked sheepish suddenly.
‘I’m sorry you’re only just hearing about this.
Truth is, I promised I’d come here to tell you yesterday, but I got an extra shift at the chippy last night and had to put off coming here.
Your mam and dad are going to kill me when they find out.
But look, don’t worry about your mam, okay? ’
‘But how will she manage? You know how useless Dad is!’
‘I’ll pop in every day to make sure they have everything they need,’ Rosie promised. ‘And so will Mam and Dad. And Seb’s lad Sam has offered to pick up any shopping for them and take them to the hospital if needs be, or anything else they need doing. You know how kind he is.’
Alison stared at her then promptly burst into tears.
‘Not again! What’s going on?’ Rosie patted her arm. ‘Since you turned sixty-two I think you’ve developed a faulty valve and sprung a leak.’ She smirked. ‘Good job it’s only your eyes that are leaking, eh? Unless there’s something else you haven’t told me.’
‘Let’s not even go there,’ Alison said, mopping her tears away with the sleeve of her jumper in a most unladylike manner.
‘Poor Mam. It shouldn’t be down to you, and Elaine and Christopher, to look after her and Dad.
And it definitely shouldn’t be down to Sam.
It should be me. I should be there for them.
Oh!’ She gave an impatient shake of her head.
‘Why are they so stubborn? Why do they have to stay in Kelsea Sands anyway at their age? I told them it’s too remote.
They should move somewhere closer to the shops and the doctor’s surgery. There’s not even a bus service there!’
‘I just told you, Sam’s offered,’ Rosie told her. ‘And there’s me if I’m not working. And Mam and Dad. Stop worrying, Ali. Like I said, they’ll be fine. We’ll make sure of it.’
‘If I could stay with them I would,’ Alison murmured. ‘You know that, don’t you?’
‘Of course. But you’ve got work, and the grandkids. We get it.’
‘I’ll be down to see them on Sunday,’ Alison promised. ‘I don’t care if Jenna and Joel have other plans. I’m not changing my mind about this.’
‘Great,’ Rosie said. ‘I’ll probably see you there then. I’d better be getting off,’ she added, glancing once more at the clock. ‘I hate driving in the dark as it is, and the road back isn’t exactly straightforward, is it?’
‘Are you sure you want to go back tonight?’ Alison stared out of the window, her brow creasing with anxiety. ‘It’s raining faster now. You can stay here tonight if you like. Go back in the morning when it’s light.’
Rosie tilted her head, thinking. ‘Tempting, but…’
‘You can call your parents. Let them know you’re staying here. They won’t worry then.’
‘I haven’t got anything with me, though.’
‘I can lend you some pyjamas. They’ll probably fit you better than they do me. At least you’ve got boobs to fill the top and your hips won’t strain the bottoms. And I have a new toothbrush in its packaging. You can have that.’
‘I suppose it’s something different to write in my journal… If I stay, can we watch that new Harlan Coben thriller on Netflix? I’m proper hooked on his stuff.’
‘Really?’ Alison wrinkled her nose. She didn’t like thrillers. They made her too tense and anxious. ‘I suppose so. As long as you’ll sit through Emmerdale first.’
Rosie groaned. ‘Aw no! You and your soaps.’
‘One soap, and it’s not up for negotiation,’ Alison said firmly. ‘I like the pretty scenery. Tell you what, I’ll make you a posh coffee to help you get through it.’
‘Ooh, one of those caramel ones? And do we get a hot chocolate before bedtime?’
‘Naturally.’ She’d start the diet tomorrow.
Rosie hesitated, clearly still not sure.
‘And I still have loads of that cake left,’ Alison said slyly.
Rosie grinned. ‘Looks like you’ve got yourself a house guest for the night.’