Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
JESS
‘We were actually thinking of going to the park as the weather is so nice,’ said Jess, when Declan knocked at her door.
‘Yay! Park!’ said Maisie, jumping up and down.
‘Just for an hour, as you have homework before bed, remember.’
Jess thought that maybe Maisie ought to have done it when she was in the shower rather than playing a game on her iPad but never mind.
‘Homework at her age?’ said Declan.
‘I know. It is literally only writing a sentence, though. Handwriting practice,’ she told him. ‘And actually, I think it’s a good idea if habits are formed early. I was traumatised by the amount of homework we were given in high school.’ She laughed.
‘True enough,’ said Declan, remembering the same thing, along with the excuses he gave when he had forgotten to do it.
The still warm sun at six thirty bathed Jess’s arms as she walked along in her sleeveless dress.
It seemed to be the beginning of a heatwave according to the weather reports, so tomorrow evening, if the weather was fine, she would walk the fifteen minutes down to the beach with Maisie and maybe have an ice cream.
It was the beginning of summer, and soon enough, the beach would become their regular haunt.
Maisie loved the beach and would often bump into some of her school friends during the summer months.
Jess enjoyed it too. Plus, it hardly cost anything.
Jess would take a bucket and spade in a rucksack, along with a sandwich and some water.
The only outlay would be an ice cream, and maybe a coffee for herself from the van that was a permanent fixture throughout the summer months, near the usually crowded beach.
They would return home before sundown and Maisie would sleep like a baby. It was so different in the winter months, when the evenings would often drag. She wished the summer could go on forever.
Jess and Declan fell into step as they headed towards the park, chatting about their respective day.
Declan told Jess that he had taken a day off but never went into details.
‘Did you do anything nice?’ she asked as they neared the park that was already busy with people enjoying the sunshine.
‘Not really.’ He shrugged. ‘I went for a bit of a walk this morning, but mainly I just felt like a day chilling. It’s days like this when a garden would be nice, though,’ he mused.
‘I know what you mean.’ Jess smiled. ‘I don’t know what we would do without the park.’
As soon as they arrived at the play area, Maisie dashed off to an empty swing, thrusting her legs high into the air until she gained momentum.
Declan and Jess took a seat at a nearby bench, and Jess watched Maisie, her hair flailing behind her as she enjoyed herself, without a care in the world.
‘She’s really good,’ observed Declan. ‘I thought she would have been asking for a push by now.’
‘Give it time,’ said Jess. ‘Although she is quite independent.’
Her daughter had dressed herself as soon as she was able to, and often resisted Jess’s help, especially when it came to brushing her hair, but Jess would insist. There was no way she would allow her into school with tangled hair, despite her protestations.
A couple of minutes later, Maisie spotted a friend from school and made a beeline for her.
She waved over at Jess, before ascending the steps of the wooden climbing frame that had a rope bridge running across it, and a slide on the other side.
‘I’m sorry about Saturday night,’ said Declan, as Jess kept half an eye on her daughter.
It hardly seemed five minutes ago that Maisie had fallen from the very same frame, yet determinedly attempted it again the next time they had visited. Jess realised how much her confidence had grown as she now negotiated the rope bridge with ease.
‘I won’t lie, I was a bit puzzled by your sudden change of mood,’ Jess admitted.
‘I can explain that,’ he said, his heart rate beginning to increase. If there was to be any future for them, he would have to tell her the truth.
‘And just so you know, I really enjoyed our date,’ he told her.
‘I did too,’ said Jess.
She wondered whether he would tell her about the woman she spotted him with in Southport.
It was not the meeting with his cousin in Southport he was about to explain, though, but rather his reaction to the two blokes in the street, when he heard someone call Jess’s name.
‘I thought it was you.’ She smiled at the woman in the jeans and white T-shirt, with a young boy in tow.
Jess introduced her as a friend from work, and the two began a conversation. After a minute or two the boy tugged at his mother’s hand and pointed to an empty swing.
‘I’ll have to go.’ She smiled, as the little boy raced off. ‘See you in work sometime. Bye, Declan, nice to meet you.’
‘She seems nice,’ said Declan.
‘Oh, she is, we used to work together but do opposite shifts now. We have a catch-up on our works nights out.’
Which Jess realised were not as often as they once were, although even then they were maybe around once a month. She would never leave Maisie with anyone other than family, and her mum did not live locally anymore. At least not at present.
She supposed she should have asked her dad to be a little more involved in his granddaughter’s life, although last time she had mentioned visiting his new place, Maisie had shaken her head.
Jess was not sure why, as his new partner had treated her well by all accounts, even buying Maisie some little toys and a new hairband, yet she had not been keen to return.
They had ended up meeting at the beach for a walk, which seemed to be the pattern of things, although less frequently these days, she realised with regret.
She wanted her father to be a part of her and Maisie’s life, yet deep in her subconscious it felt like a betrayal to her mum.
She would never forget witnessing her mother’s raw grief when her long marriage came to an unexpected end.
Or the guilt she carried after seeing her father out with the other woman.
‘It’s nice that you socialise with your work friends. My colleagues don’t do that so much,’ Declan told her. ‘Although I do play Sunday football with a couple of the blokes and go for a drink now and then.’
He had lost touch with some of his friends from his younger years when he had moved away from his old neighbourhood.
He was about to talk to Jess about the evening they had gone out, when Maisie come haring towards them asking politely if she could have an ice cream from the nearby van.
‘I’ll get these,’ said Declan, standing. Her little friend joined them, and after sending her to check with her mum if it was okay to have one, the two children sat on the grass enjoying their ice creams with flakes poking out.
Maybe the park was not the place to discuss personal matters, he considered, especially as Maisie was having such a good time. He did not want the mood to change.
‘Anyway, back to Saturday night,’ said Declan. ‘I just need you to know that I had a great time. And I would love to do it again.’
‘Would you?’ she asked him. ‘I felt like you regretted it at the end of the evening,’ she told him honestly, remembering how disappointed she had felt when he never moved in for another kiss.
‘I’m sorry.’ He exhaled deeply. ‘I didn’t mean to confuse you like that.’
‘Did it have something to do with the blokes who walked past us near the station?’ asked Jess. ‘You seemed a bit unsettled after that as I recall.’
‘In a way, yes,’ he admitted. ‘Look, I was wondering, could I call over once Maisie is in bed and explain properly. That is all I want to do,’ he said, holding his hands up. ‘Nothing else. I really enjoy spending time with you, Jess. And I owe you an explanation.’
‘Okay.’ She nodded. ‘I will text you when Maisie’s asleep, although with these light nights, it seems to get later.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘Fine.’ Declan nodded, just as Maisie reappeared and asked him to spin her and her friend on the roundabout.
‘Not too fast after that ice cream,’ said Jess. ‘Unless you want to deal with vomit.’
‘Noted,’ said Declan as they all strolled towards the roundabout.