Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
J oyce finished washing the last of the dishes and put the bowl on the drying rack. The dishes would get put away tomorrow when she returned, but for now, everything was done. Her day was over.
She looked at Kyle, who was putting Ruthie in her swing. “You sure you’re all right if we go? I’ve no doubt your dad will be back soon. He can’t be out that much longer.”
Kyle laughed. “I’m not twelve anymore, Joyce. I can manage on my own.”
“I know.” She smiled. “I can’t help but worry about you. And our little angel.”
Kyle got Ruthie going in her swing, then came over to Joyce and hugged her.
She startled at first, then hugged him back. “What’s all this for now?”
“Because you’re awesome and I love you and I owe you for getting me to come back here.”
Well, if that didn’t beat all. He let her go and she patted his cheek. “You came back here on your own.”
“I came back because I had nowhere else to go but also because you let me know it was a safe place. That I could come back. You gave me the courage to do that.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “It’s so good having you both here.”
He smiled, the stubble on his cheeks scratchy against her palms. “I’m so glad that you and Beryl are going to help raise Ruthie. It means a lot to me that she’ll have both of you in her life.”
Joyce shook her head and went back to tidying up. “Enough of that now, or you’ll make me weepy.”
He laughed and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “Did you know Dad’s agent is shopping my book?”
“Is she? How exciting.”
“It is. A little nerve-wracking, too, but that’s to be expected with anything like this, I suppose.”
Beryl came in from Ruthie’s room. “All tidied up. Just need to get my purse and I’m ready to go.” She looked at Kyle, concern in her eyes. “You and Ruthie going to be all right if we go?”
Kyle started laughing and Joyce had to smile. “I just asked him that, Berry. They’ll be fine. He knows to put the baked ziti in the oven for forty-five minutes at three fifty.” She glanced at him. “Right?”
He nodded. “Right.”
“But if you need anything, just call and I’ll be right over.”
He rolled his eyes, still laughing. “I’ll be fine. We both will be. Have a good evening.”
Joyce gave him a nod. “All right then. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Just then, Mitch came up the steps, carrying the cooler. Fish tails stuck out from under the lid. “Who wants fresh snapper for dinner?”
“Oh, my stars,” Joyce said. “Now I know it’s time to go.” She picked up the loaves of chocolate chip banana bread, wrapped in cling film and aluminum, giving Mitch a sharp look. “Don’t go making a mess of that kitchen now. I just cleaned it.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll clean up.” He smiled at her. The bridge of his nose was pink from the sun.
“Did you have a nice time?” she asked.
“We had a great time. Jack caught three beautiful snappers. I told him I’d clean them and filet them, then bring him some. He said I should keep half, since it was my boat. Not about to turn that down.”
Kyle nodded. “Nice. Snapper is great.”
It was a lovely fish. Joyce shifted the strap of her purse a little higher. “If you wrap the filets up and save them for tomorrow, I’ll do them with that nice butter and dill sauce you like.”
“Yeah?” Mitch nodded. “It’s a deal. I won’t feel like cooking them anyway after I get through cleaning them.”
“Good, because I’ve already made you baked ziti for your dinner. See you tomorrow. Night, Ruthie.” With a wave of her hand, Joyce went down the steps, Beryl right behind her.
They went right instead of left, cutting through the path between the trees that bordered the property, and didn’t stop until they were at Harper’s door.
Beryl rang the bell. “We’re not going in.”
Joyce shook her head. They’d already talked about it. Tonight, they were staying in. At their place. They were each doing a deep-conditioning hair mask, which meant they’d have to sit for a full hour with that goop on their heads while wearing plastic shower bonnets.
Frankie answered. “Hi! How are you? Come in.”
Joyce shook her head and held out the wrapped loaves. “Just dropping these off. One for you and your family, one for Jack. You’ll see he gets it, won’t you?”
“I will,” Frankie said. “He and Harper just got back.”
“So did Mitch,” Beryl said. “With fish.”
“I heard.” Frankie tucked the loaves protectively against her body. “You sure you don’t want to come in?”
“It’s dear of you to ask,” Joyce said. “But we’re going to have to give it a miss. We just got off work and we’re having a sisters night in.”
“We’re doing a hair mask,” Beryl added.
“Doesn’t that sound like fun? Not to mention something I should look into myself.” Frankie touched her hair. “All right. Enjoy your night. Some other time then. And thanks for the bread! I know we’re going to love it.”
“You’re very welcome. Night,” Joyce said, even though it wasn’t even five yet.
She and Beryl headed back through the trees. Once they were in their house and changed into their relaxing clothes, Joyce got out the hair mask. It came in a big tub. They were going to slather it on, cover their hair with cheap plastic shower caps and sit with it while they had leftover spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and watched some telly.
Joyce read the instructions. “Berry, listen to this. It says you can leave it on longer than an hour if you want.”
Beryl had just turned the kettle on. “How long?”
“Overnight if you want.”
Beryl made a face and shook her head. “I don’t think I’d like that. How would I sleep?” She looked into the tub of product, as Joyce had just unscrewed the lid. “Looks like salad cream. No, I don’t want that on overnight. Maybe a bit longer than an hour, though. Might as well get our money’s worth, don’t you think?”
“I do.” Joyce sniffed the stuff. It was pleasant enough. Faintly floral. “As soon as we get some tea made, let’s get to it.”
“All right.”
The kettle clicked and soon they had two mugs ready to go. They put those on the coffee table and Joyce went to work, spreading the thick hair mask onto Beryl’s hair. Once she was done and her shower cap on, she did the same for Joyce.
They looked at each other and laughed.
“We’re a right sight, aren’t we?” Beryl sat on the couch. “Bring a few of those biscuits over, would you?”
“You’re going to ruin your dinner.”
Beryl sipped her tea. “I’m old enough that if I want to ruin my dinner, I will.”
Joyce rolled her eyes and brought the biscuit tin to her sister.
Beryl’s phone rang from her purse on the kitchen counter.
“I’ll get it for you,” Joyce said. She fished the device out of the handbag and gave it to Beryl.
“It’s Neville.” She pushed the shower cap off one ear and answered. “Hello, dear. How are you?”
Joyce took her usual seat. Something had to be going on. Neville rarely called. At least that’s what Beryl had led her to believe. Joyce helped herself to a biscuit. She was looking forward to putting her feet up and watching some EastEnders . They’d heat up some of the leftover spaghetti and have a nice, relaxing night.
“But Neville…” Beryl frowned. “I’ve already accepted the job. I’ve started it, in fact.”
Joyce didn’t like the sound of that.
Beryl stared at her mug, blinking. “I suppose that’s possible, but I don’t feel like that’s something that will happen. I have your aunt and there are some lovely women next door and—” She nodded. “Yes, I know. I’m very aware of that.”
After a long silence, Beryl sighed. “Yes, dear. I will. You, too.” She hung up.
“Everything all right?”
Beryl shook her head. “Neville doesn’t think I should move here. He thinks I’ll regret it and then it’ll be too late. That I’ll miss all my friends. And…”
“And what?” Joyce asked softly.
“That I’ll expect to come and live with him, and he thought I should know now that he doesn’t have the room.”
Joyce frowned. “He’s a proper idiot, he is. Until you talked to him, you were all set. Are you telling me you’re having doubts now?”
Beryl was slow to answer. “I don’t know. What if he’s right?”
Joyce got up and went to sit by her sister on the couch, putting her arm around her. “He’s not. Aren’t you enjoying being here?”
“I am.”
“And if you don’t move here, how are we going to do another episode of Lucas’s show?”
A tiny smile lit Beryl’s face. “That would make it hard.”
Joyce hugged her, their shower caps crinkling against one another. “Listen. You’ve got me and you’ve got the girls next door and you’ve got Ruthie, Kyle, and Mitch. And Bunny. And Lucas. Do you honestly think you’ll miss your friends in Devon with all of us here to keep you entertained?”
Beryl’s smile widened. “Not for too long, I suppose. Still, he might be right. I might get homesick. And what if I get depressed? I already feel a little off for having talked to him.”
“I know just what will cheer you right up.” Joyce went to the kitchen counter, got her laptop, and brought it back, scowling over her idiot nephew. He ought to be strung up for getting his mother upset. She set the computer on the coffee table and opened it up, pushing the power button to bring it to life. “Let’s have a look at all the new comments on our episode, shall we?”
Beryl nodded, her smile returning. “Do you think there are new ones?”
Joyce had already looked on her phone at lunchtime. Not only were there new ones, but they were all lovely and full of nice things. And there were a lot of them. “I don’t know. We’ll have to see.”