Chapter 42
‘How’s your belly?’ asked Nick as his dad walked out of the bathroom, doing up his fly.
‘Much improved, thank you, Nicholas. Not that it’s any of your concern.’
‘I can be concerned about your health, can’t I?’ Nick adopted his best air of innocence.
‘More like concerned about when we’ll be out of your hair,’ said David. ‘Speaking of which, your mother and I would like to talk to you. She’s in the garden. How about you make us a pot of coffee and join us out there?’
‘All right,’ said Nick, his heart sinking. He ducked into Emily’s room to find her completely engrossed in the latest colouring book he’d bought her. ‘How are you getting on?’ he asked.
‘Mmm,’ said Emily, too distracted to bother with things such as words.
Nick smiled, kissed the top of her head, and left her to it.
A few minutes later, he carried a pot of coffee, mugs, milk and sugar on a tray into the garden.
Rather than sitting on the deck, his parents were at the garden dining set on a terrace below.
Even for someone who didn’t have a single green finger, Nick could recognise the beauty of his parents’ garden and the work his mother put into it.
It was a riot of colour, gorgeous scents intermingling on the breeze.
Saffron Bay’s bees were in heaven, unsure where to land given they had so many options.
‘Thank you, Nicholas,’ said Elaine, as Nick laid the tray on the table.
‘You wanted to speak to me?’ he said.
‘Your father wanted to speak to you,’ said Elaine, giving her husband a pointed look.
‘Oh no,’ said David, ‘don’t you be passing the buck on to me, Elaine. We’re both in agreement about what we have to say.’ He wagged a finger. ‘I shan’t be made out to be the bad guy. You said it yourself, Nicholas could benefit from a little tough love.’
‘Tough love?’ A series of worst-case scenarios swarmed in Nick’s mind. Homelessness? Exile? Hard labour?
‘Your mother and I have concluded it’s about time you started paying rent,’ said David, picking up his mug of coffee and adding a generous spoon of sugar.
Nick hid a smile as his father took a sip of the brown liquid and grimaced. He couldn’t understand why anyone would drink coffee if they didn’t like the taste. But David liked to look sophisticated.
‘You want me to pay rent?’ asked Nick. ‘How much rent?’
‘Given there are two of you taking up space now, we feel five hundred pounds a month should cover all your expenses.’
‘Our expenses?’ said Nick. ‘Five hundred pounds a month? Have you any idea what I earn?’
‘Probably not all that much,’ said David. ‘I presume you’re on minimum wage?’
‘Yes,’ said Nick.
‘Then you’re going to have to learn to budget, aren’t you?’
‘What about all the things I need to buy for Emily?’
‘Buy for Emily?’ Elaine raised an eyebrow. ‘So that hussy Carla has you spending your hard-earned money, has she? Are you sure you’re not being scammed, Nicholas?’
‘Mum,’ said Nick, ‘Carla has raised Emily on her own for five years. If she were to backdate all the child maintenance payments I owe her, it would be enough to bankrupt the lot of us.’
Elaine pursed her lips, her silence covering her inability to admit being wrong.
‘Paying rent will instil a little self-discipline,’ said David, ‘which you’re in great need of.’
‘And actually,’ said Elaine, ‘five hundred pounds a month is a bargain for what you’re getting here. This is the best house in Saffron Bay. How many other people could spend five hundred pounds a month and get a property with private access to the beachfront and far-reaching sea views?’
She had a point, Nick thought. On the other hand, how many twenty-seven-year-olds were still living with their parents?
Five hundred pounds was half his monthly wage.
He’d been thinking he’d need to get a car as soon as Emily went back to the city, and what money was left after rent wasn’t going to stretch far.
Nevertheless, for once he could see where his parents were coming from.
Resisting would only cause them to dig in harder and probably charge him more.
‘Fair enough,’ said Nick. ‘I’ll pay you your rent. When do you want me to start?’
His father choked on his coffee. ‘You’re not going to argue with us?’
‘No,’ said Nick. ‘There’s no point. And besides, you’re right.’
‘We are?’ Elaine frowned. Nick couldn’t tell if it was suspicion or sunlight causing her eyes to glint.
‘You’ve been extremely generous to me,’ said Nick, ‘and for so long, I’ve taken it for granted. It’s time I stood on my own two feet. And asking me to pay rent is completely reasonable.’
‘Oh,’ said Elaine.
‘If I’d known it would be that easy,’ said David, ‘I’d have asked you for rent years ago.’
‘And perhaps you should have.’ Nick realised it was true. The penny had finally dropped that the privileged life he’d led up to this point had done him no favours.
Before the conversation could go any further, Emily came running out into the garden.
‘David!’ she cried as she ran up to the table, waving a piece of paper in his face. ‘David, look! Do you like my picture? I made it for you.’
She placed it on the table in front of him, and he made a show of peering at it. ‘Very nice, dear, very nice.’
‘Can I see?’ asked Elaine. It was more like a command than a request.
Emily glanced at Nick. The girl wasn’t used to being spoken to by his mother. He nodded slightly, and Emily took the picture over to her.
‘That’s Nick,’ she said, pointing. ‘That’s David, and that’s you, Elaine.’
Nick noticed the muscles under his mother’s skin playing with emotions.
‘Would you like to join us for our tea party, Emily?’ Elaine asked.
‘Is there cake?’
Elaine tutted. She caught Nick’s eye and arched an eyebrow. ‘Nicholas, in the absence of cake, perhaps you could go to the kitchen and get Emily a glass of juice? I’ll think you’ll also find a packet of biscuits in the cupboard.’
Nick left the table without a word. In the kitchen, he filled a jug with orange juice and grabbed a glass from the cupboard. Were his parents thawing towards Emily, or was that wishful thinking? He stuffed a packet of biscuits in his pocket and carried the jug and glass outside.
From the decking, he looked down and saw Elaine wandering the garden, Emily by her side. His mother bent down and pointed to a rose bush. Emily leaned forward and sniffed a flower. A brief conversation followed, and even from a distance he could tell his mother and daughter were both smiling.
When he reached the lower garden, David didn’t notice him approach the table, his eyes fixed on Elaine and Emily, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Nick set the jug and glass down, and David jumped. He grinned at Nick.
‘Those two seem to be getting on better?’ He held his breath as he waited for a response.
David took a biscuit from the packet and chewed it slowly. ‘You know,’ he said eventually, ‘she always wanted a daughter. A granddaughter might suit her if she lets it.’