Chapter 8
Nick waited on the decking, watching Kitty and Emily making their way through the garden.
Could the girl really be his? He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
He turned and looked at the hammock. Was it only yesterday he’d been sunning himself without a care in the world?
A niggling feeling in his stomach reminded him he wasn’t actually carefree.
The lack of money, which yesterday was merely annoying, now seemed critical.
How could he look after a child without a penny to his name?
He shook his head, the weight of unexpected responsibility weighing him down.
‘Are you hiding out here?’ Carla stepped onto the decking, her curls lifting in the breeze. Her voice was gentler now, anger and desperation replaced by tiredness.
‘Not hiding, watching.’ He pointed to where Kitty and Emily were making their way down the wooden staircase. ‘You’re pretty free and easy with who you’ll let look after your kid.’
‘She’s a teacher. You told me so yourself.’
‘And you’ll take my word for that?’
‘I told you, I’ve spent enough time around you and have enough mutual friends for me to know you’re not dodgy.’
Nick frowned. ‘Yes, you said. But how do you know I haven’t changed since we last saw each other?’
A rosy tinge appeared beneath the skin on Carla’s cheeks.
‘You had me followed?’ Nick’s eyebrows shot up.
‘No, of course not. But if we’re putting all our cards on the table, I’ve been keeping tabs on you for years.’
‘How?’
‘Social media, mainly. You should stop accepting friend requests from people you don’t know.’
‘I don’t have you on my social media.’
‘I didn’t use my real name as I didn’t want you knowing about Emily. So, I used a fake name and photo. It was easy.’
‘What are you, police or something?’
‘Hopefully, one day. It’s always been my dream to join. Right now, there’s no way I could juggle shifts with being a single mum.’
‘So what do you do?’
‘I work as an emergency call handler. It gets me as close to the police as I can be for now. My boss is pretty good at giving me shifts that work around childcare.’
‘Where does Emily go when you’re at work? I thought you said you didn’t have anyone you could leave her with?’
‘I have a great childminder, but she’s not a live-in nanny. I can hardly send Emily to stay with her twenty-four-seven. It would bankrupt me, even if she were up for the idea, which she wouldn’t be.’
From the beach came the sound of a child giggling, and sadness bubbled in Nick’s chest. ‘You should’ve told me about her sooner,’ he said at last.
‘I should have,’ she said quietly. ‘I thought I was protecting her. And maybe myself, too.’ She smoothed down her hair and let out a long breath. ‘I can’t do it anymore. I’m running on empty.’
The words hung between them. For the first time, Nick believed her.
‘If I agreed,’ he said carefully, ‘because I’m still not convinced this is a good idea, how would this work?’
Carla’s head snapped up, eyes wide with sudden hope. ‘You’ll let her stay?’
‘I’m not promising anything. If I did… what exactly are you asking?’
‘A few days,’ she blurted. ‘A week at most. I’ll FaceTime her every night. She’s easy, really. She eats most things, sleeps through the night, likes Bluey, and hates peas. You’ll barely notice she’s there.’
‘You’ve met me, right?’ he said weakly. ‘I can barely look after myself.’
‘Which is why I’m giving you instructions.’ She dug into her bag and handed him a folder of papers. ‘Everything you need is on there – routines, allergies, the childminder’s number. And you can keep my passport if it makes you feel better. I’m not running away.’
Nick stared at the passport she pressed into his hand. Her photo looked younger, softer. The eyes were the same. Determined. Frightened.
‘You’ve got it all worked out, haven’t you?’ he said.
‘I wish I hadn’t had to work anything out,’ she whispered.
‘And when were you planning to do this? Tomorrow?’
‘Now,’ she said simply. ‘I thought I’d made that clear?’
‘Now?’
‘I need to get to Bristol tonight. Every hour I waste here is an hour less with Dad.’ She took a breath, steadying herself. ‘I understand this is asking the impossible. Please, Nick. Will you try? For her.’
Nick glanced at the beach. Kitty and Emily were crouched in the sand. Emily threw her head back and laughed at something Kitty said, curls bouncing in the sun.
Nick exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. ‘Alright,’ he said. ‘A few days. But if it doesn’t work, or she’s unhappy, you come and get her. No arguments.’
Carla nodded, relief flooding her face. ‘Deal.’
He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘And I want a DNA test done. Soon.’
‘I’ve got a kit in the car,’ she said.
He huffed a laugh, half disbelief, half resignation. ‘Of course you do.’
‘Thank you,’ she said quietly.
‘Don’t thank me yet,’ he grumbled.
Carla blinked hard, fighting tears. ‘I’ll get her things from the car. She’s got her iPad. FaceTime at six, always before bed. And if she wants to call earlier, she can.’
‘Right.’
‘It’s only for a few days.’
A few days. He could handle that, surely?
The large portrait of his parents hanging above the fireplace caught Nick’s eye through the bifold doors.
He shivered. According to the date on his watch, he had four weeks before his parents were due home from their cruise.
By then, Emily would be long gone, and he could put off the moment his dad found out all his worst fears were confirmed and his son was the failure he’d always thought him to be.
A shiver ran through him. If there were a way of keeping Emily secret from his parents, he’d find it.
‘I’ll make up the spare room.’