Chapter 37 #2
‘That’s silly. Jack and I, we were years ago. We’ve both moved on.’
‘That’s good to hear. For a moment, when I saw you together, I thought …’
‘You thought wrong,’ Bridie said adamantly.
‘Good, because I was rather hoping that you and Oliver …’
Bridie rolled her eyes. ‘Oliver is not in my good books right now.’
‘It’s not his fault that he told me.’
‘I know, I know. He already explained,’ Bridie said curtly.
‘I think you should give him another chance.’
What did she mean, another chance? They weren’t dating. Bridie thought it was time she put her mum in the picture. ‘I hadn’t agreed to go out with him.’
‘But you did sit together for quite some time over a cup of coffee and arrange to meet him again at the café before all this blew up with the theatre.’
‘How do you know that?’ Bridie sighed when she realised that it was a stupid question. She imagined her mum’s spies had been around on Saturday – friends from her knit-and-natter group must have been in the café.
‘At least think about it. Oliver is such a nice boy.’
Bridie sighed. ‘I know.’
‘Now, about Jack. I know you said this … arrangement you have with him getting involved in your theatre is just between friends, but if he does happen to produce a contract, you will take the contract to a solicitor before you sign anything?’
Bridie could feel the colour rising in her cheeks. ‘Yeah, of course,’ she said, trying her best to sound nonchalant. ‘Am I that stupid?’
‘I don’t know – are you?’
Bridie was desperate for her mum to go. It was none of her business.
Jack had explained why he needed a contract.
Bridie understood. He ran a business, so getting involved in the theatre, even though they were old friends, still meant he had to draw up a contract even though no money would be changing hands between them until she made some ticket sales.
In the meantime, it was necessary as he identified the costs and what he would need to pay the contractors from the business.
Bridie wasn’t about to explain all that to her mum.
She said, ‘By the way, I’m really busy, so if Dad wants to see Barney he will have to come to me in Cobblers Yard.’
‘You’re too busy to drive down the road to Pettistree?’
‘Yeah. Unless you want to take him home to see Dad?’ Bridie knew that wasn’t going to happen. Now she’d taken Barney, her mum wouldn’t have him back in the house, even if it was just for a visit.
‘No, no I can’t do that. I don’t want a dog in the car with me.’
Or in the house. Bridie smiled knowingly. She didn’t want that either, in case they – or rather, her dad – had a change of heart and she didn’t get Barney back.
‘You know, your dad is quite busy with the annexe.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. The builders have come back to finish the inside – there’s the plumbing and then installing the kitchen and shower room. And you know what your dad’s like – he’ll want to be there checking everything is done properly.’
‘Ready for Grandad.’
‘Well, um, hopefully. If we can persuade him to leave his flat and come to live with us.’
‘I won’t hold my breath,’ Bridie quipped, suddenly feeling crestfallen at the thought that she’d been so busy, she’d forgotten to give her grandad a call.
‘Is Grandad alright? I’ve forgotten to call him.’
‘Yes, he’s fine. I spoke to him just the other day and told him you’d found a new job, and you’d been settling into a flat your employer provided.’
‘She’s not just my employer. Hannah is my new friend, as are all the shopkeepers in Cobblers Yard.’ She caught her mum frowning at that comment. Bridie said excitedly, ‘I must phone Grandad, tell him the news about the theatre!’
‘No!’ Her shrill voice stopped Bridie in her tracks. Of course her mum didn’t want her to tell her grandad. This was why they’d all fallen out – over her dad’s past.
Bridie bit her tongue, keeping that thought to herself.
In any case, she realised she wouldn’t make the call to her grandad just yet, even though she missed her visits, and their chats, so much.
But her grandad hadn’t called her back either, and that was bothering her.
Had he been too busy, or had he forgotten?
Or was it something else? She suddenly had a horrible thought – he’d somehow seen that mortifying social media post her sister had shown her mum. She bet Kate had told him about it too.
Thinking of her sister, Bridie changed the subject. ‘I heard that Kate and Andy have … fallen out, and she’s moved back in with you.’
‘Yes, that came out of the blue.’
Bridie bet it had. Kate’s life had always appeared picture-perfect, just like their brother Jeremy’s. Bridie was the one whom they’d expected to return home. Bridie knew Kate was the last person they’d imagined would turn up at their door.
‘Every marriage has its ups and downs,’ she said sagely. ‘I’m sure things will iron out soon.’
Bridie shrugged. ‘I guess.’ She wouldn’t know. She’d never been married. ‘Maybe things will look up when Kate gets another job.’
‘Another job? What’s wrong with the one she has?’
‘The one she has? She lost her job – remember? Now, she’s looking for another one.’
‘She’s lost her job? What are you talking about?’
Bridie looked at her in surprise. ‘What do you mean – what am I talking about?’
Bridie repeated the conversation she’d had with Kate about losing her job, being offered another post, effectively a demotion, and refusing it, thinking she’d walk straight into another job. Turning down the job she had been offered without discussing it with Andy had clearly not gone down well.
Layla had texted during the week to ask when she could visit the theatre again. Bridie had asked after Kate. She was apparently still at their parents’ house and still job hunting.
Her mum looked stunned. ‘I don’t understand. She goes out very early every morning, all dressed up for work to catch the train to London.’
Bridie pursed her lips. It sounded as though she wasn’t the only one keeping secrets. ‘Perhaps Kate is getting the train to London to look for work.’ Bridie wondered if she had decided to make use of a season ticket she most likely still had.
Bridie didn’t see the point in that. Most jobs now involved online applications rather than visiting companies in person, although she imagined Kate probably knew a lot of people and was doing networking.
Even so, that didn’t change the fact that she had moved in with their parents and had not told them.
‘But she never mentioned to us that she’d lost her job.’
Bridie guessed why. She wasn’t the daughter who screwed things up – that was Bridie.
It was one thing having a row with Andy and deciding to have some space by decamping to her family home, but it was another thing entirely to admit to making a mistake by turning down another well-paid job just because she was too proud, and too stupid, to accept a demotion.
‘You know, things are starting to add up.’
Bridie frowned, wondering what she was talking about. ‘What do you mean, Mum?’
‘Your sister. Dad decided to go to London one day.’
‘Was he seeing Grandad?’ Bridie asked hopefully.
Her mum shook her head. ‘No, it was a former work colleague’s birthday, so he wanted to pop along, use up his season ticket, and have a drink at the local bar near where he used to work. Catch up with the guys he’d worked with for years.’
Bridie knew what was coming next. ‘So, he intended to go with Kate one morning, thinking they could catch the train together, just like old times.’ Bridie added, ‘Let me guess – she decided not to catch the train that day after all.’
Her mum nodded. ‘Kate got really flustered, said that there was a change of plan, and she was working from home instead. Our home, obviously.’
‘Obviously. Except she wasn’t working from home,’ Bridie said matter-of-factly, trying very hard not to enjoy this; the golden girl had fallen off her pedestal. ‘Unless you count filling in online job applications working from home.’
So, she wasn’t going into London, thought Bridie. She was probably spending time in the library in Aldeburgh making online job applications. She couldn’t be getting far because if she had secured a position, she and Andy would have patched things up.
Bridie thought of a better use for her time. She could help out in one of Hannah’s shops in Cobblers Yard, earn a bit of money, and apply for jobs in the evening. But of course there was no way she’d do that; shop work was beneath her.
Bridie said, ‘I spoke with Hannah, who said she’d take her on. I told Kate I’d speak to Hannah because she’s preparing to open the bridal shop next door and will need staff. But of course, Kate wouldn’t stoop so low.’
‘Her expertise lies elsewhere,’ said her mum.
Bridie looked at her. ‘Well, so does mine, but that didn’t stop me taking the job to bring in some money.’
‘You were on the stage.’
‘Yes, and Kate worked in the City – neither of us did shop work.’
‘But it’s different. Kate works as an investment banker.’
Bridie glared at her mum. ‘Worked,’ she emphasised.
Bridie knew what her mum was implying – Kate’s job was far more skilled than merely flitting about on the stage entertaining people, even though Bridie had worked just as hard as her sister and put in the same long hours.
The difference was that Bridie hadn’t been to university.
But it took talent and hard work to dance, sing, learn lines and entertain people.
Bridie didn’t bother telling her mum all this. Her dad would understand.
That thought had popped out of nowhere. Bridie raised her eyebrows.
Her mum noticed. ‘What is it?’ She searched her face.
Although Bridie didn’t share the thought, something else occurred to her, which she did voice. ‘You know, you’re right. My circumstances are different to Kate’s. I’m setting up my own business, just like Hannah.’
‘Are you talking about this crumbling, run-down wreck of a theatre?’
Bridie glared at her mum. She hadn’t even been inside.
‘It will never work, Bridie. You’re wasting your time. I suggest you stick to shop work.’
Bridie slowly nodded her head when it dawned on her that her mum would never tell Kate that getting another job in investment banking wouldn’t work, and she’d be wasting her time.
‘Goodbye, Mum. Don’t come to the theatre again, unless I invite you.’
‘To the play you’re holding?’ she scoffed.
‘Yeah – that.’
And more besides, thought Bridie. My big reveal about Dad.