Chapter 12
Noah had almost given happy hour at the pub a miss, he was so shattered, but after a whole day with Eva, he clung to the promise of some respite. And he already had Geraldine lined up to come over, he didn’t want to mess her around.
Noah made his way from the signal box cottage to the Whistlestop River Inn. Steeped in history, with wonky walls, ancient beams and floorboards that creaked, the pub had a remarkably large beer garden out back overlooking the river itself. He’d come here once before since his arrival in town, but on his own, on an evening when he was much in need of a pint while Geraldine had her first shift with Eva, a short shift to test the waters for all of them.
The incredible sameness of days when looking after a baby was something that took a lot of getting used to and even though Noah and Eva had had a good day together without many meltdowns from either of them, his calmness had dissipated when he got a letter through the post and instead he felt tension, a sense of foreboding as to whether he was making the right choices in this situation.
Noah had started his search for Cassie’s former partner Paul to no avail. Social media had drawn a blank and so had online forums for offshore workers with jobs on oil rigs. Nobody seemed to have heard of the guy. After Cassie died and Noah cleared out her flat, Cassie’s former landlord had agreed to have the new tenant pass him any correspondence and he’d send it Noah’s way should anything turn up. There would possibly be the odd person or business he hadn’t yet informed of his sister’s passing. Today, a brown envelope with Noah’s handwriting – he’d left a few large, stamped, addressed envelopes with the former landlord to make it easier – arrived. He’d opened it to find a white envelope inside and that envelope had revealed a letter from none other than Eva’s father. The letter, to Cassie, was brief and to the point. The man wanted contact. ‘I’d like to see my child’were his exact words before requesting Cassie let him know when that could be arranged.
Noah had expected to feel elated when he found the man, positive that things would turn out fine. But he didn’t. He was unsure, fearful, angry that the guy had run out on his sister and newborn baby. But you never knew what story people had until you asked it. There had to be a reason, didn’t there? A reason other than Paul not wanting to be a father. Had he panicked at fatherhood? If he had, Noah understood it more now he’d had parenthood thrust upon him. And perhaps now, by Paul stepping up to the plate, it showed he wanted to be the best father possible for Eva.
As he pushed open the door to the ancient pub, Bess spotted him first.
‘Noah, you’re here!’ Bess came over to him, bottle of beer held up high as she squeezed through the throng at the bar. ‘Half an hour of happy hour left, get in there!’ She gestured over to the bar.
Hudson, the patient and family liaison nurse, was getting a round in and kindly offered a drink to Noah, then, with a bottle of beer for himself and carrying a glass of wine for Nadia, he went to join the crowd. They were a great team, he’d settled in fast and tonight with beer, music and company, Noah should’ve felt on top of the world, especially given he’d found Eva’s father. So why did he feel like he had a hole in the pit of his stomach?
The games of pool started, followed by darts, then more pool. They had small bets going, they had a laugh.
‘How’s that baby of yours?’ Hudson, father of two, was on a rare night out but had already announced he was leaving by 11p.m. or the missus would be sending out a search party.
‘She’s sleeping through the night a lot more,’ Noah replied. ‘Probably four nights out of seven.’
Noah had told people that Eva was his niece rather than his daughter, but it felt like some sort of betrayal when he did, like he was saying she wasn’t his, implying she wasn’t wanted. And it wasn’t as simple as that. He never wanted anyone to think he was capable of cutting ties just like that.
Hudson rejoiced at his bullseye but was none too happy when Noah hit the triple twenty, the highest score on the board, to win the game.
‘I’ll stick to pool,’ Hudson grumbled but his attention was grabbed by the latest arrival at the pub and he bellowed over to Maya to come join them.
Noah looked to where the pilot in his crew was making her way through the pub in jeans and a simple white shirt, and although she beamed a smile, there was a sadness, a weariness behind her eyes, the same look he’d seen in the supermarket the day after her sister’s wedding. And after seeing that ex-husband of hers – he’d confirmed that was who it was with her in the car after talking about it with Bess when he got here – he could understand why her life might be hard right now. The way the guy had watched them, wound down his window so he could hear every word, it was creepy, possessive.
Bess gave Maya a hug and thrust a drink in her direction.
Noah put his pint glass on the windowsill in front of the stained-glass window so he could pick up the pool cue to start the game with Hudson. ‘This can’t be the original, can it?’ he asked, pointing up at the coloured glass. The tiny windows in the master bedroom at his cottage were original and had much more wear and tear than this one.
‘It’s not,’ Bess informed him. ‘The original one was a beautiful colourful period piece but vandals broke it.’
‘Charming,’ he said.
‘Yeah, that’s one word for it,’ Hudson remarked. ‘I could think of a few others.’
While Hudson took his shot at the pool table, Noah watched Maya some more. He wished she didn’t look so uncomfortable, like she wanted to walk away from the gathering at any moment. Perhaps whatever hold this ex-husband of hers had over her was taking its toll and she was tired of keeping up the pretence. She might even be embarrassed about the way her ex had behaved outside the pharmacy, looking at them like a disapproving parent when Maya was single and free to talk to whomever she pleased.
‘An anonymous donation was received a few months after the window was smashed to cover the costs of a new one. Nobody ever found out who did that either,’ Bess shrugged.
‘Someone with a heart,’ Hudson approved as Noah lined up his next shot. ‘Hey, Maya, our man here would like to know how long it was before Isaac slept through the night.’
Noah stuffed up the shot and cursed. ‘If you’re referring to me, I didn’t ask that.’
‘No,’ said Hudson, ‘but always helpful to know.’ He took his turn.
Maya smiled at Noah and told them both, ‘He’s eighteen. And I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night, let alone remember those early days with a baby.’
Hudson nodded Noah and Bess’s way. ‘And she’s responsible for getting you in the air and down to earth safely. Rather the both of you than me.’
While Noah circled the pool table, deciding on the best position for his shot, Bess and Maya sat on the stools behind them, out of the way enough for the cue not to be in their faces but not so far he couldn’t hear what they were saying.
‘What took you so long to get here?’ Bess asked and Noah assumed Maya said nothing – he didn’t hear anything – because Bess added, ‘Don’t tell me, Conrad again.’
‘I had to lie to him to come out and not have to head over there again, Bess. I’m sneaking around trying to have my own life in the same way I did when we were married. I told him I’m meeting you for drinks; I didn’t say anyone else would be here.’
‘Do you remember the time he found out it was the whole team?’ Bess asked.
‘Which time? He did it more than once. He’d show up, Isaac in tow.’
‘I seem to remember Conrad claiming he and Isaac were out for a father and son beer,’ Hudson joined in, which told Noah that his suspicion was correct, the whole team knew what Conrad was like and Maya’s feelings towards him.
Bess sniggered. ‘Yep, forgetting Isaac wasn’t even old enough to drink at that stage.’
Noah had to ask the girls to shift a bit to their right so he could take a shot. Hudson accused him of stalling and trying to out-psyche his far superior opponent.
Bess was still doling out advice behind him. ‘I know you feel you owe it to Isaac to do everything you can to give him a relationship with his dad, but there are only two people who can do that and neither of those people are you.’
Maya recounted some story about Conrad dropping plates; Noah didn’t quite catch it all as he continued with the game.
He moved out of Hudson’s way so he could get in at the right angle and caught more of the girls’ conversation.
‘It happens with major concussions, Maya. I’ll give him that,’ said Bess.
‘At least I’ve got custody of Whizzy now.’
Whizzy? Who was Whizzy?
Whoever Whizzy was, the girls clinked their glasses and smiled at each other.
It was only when Maya went off to the bathroom that Noah asked Bess what the deal was with their pilot and her ex-husband. He’d already mentioned bumping into her outside the pharmacy.
Bess’s brows knitted together. ‘Why do you want to know?’
She didn’t miss a thing, but he wasn’t about to share how he felt about Maya – that she was unexpected, that from the moment he’d met her he knew there was something special about her, even though they hadn’t got off to the greatest start.
‘What, so you can ask me about my private life, about Eva, but I can’t ask any questions about anyone else without having a reason?’
Bess swigged her beer. ‘Didn’t say that, and how is Eva, by the way? I still know nothing about why you have your niece. I have my theories.’ Probably the correct one given the softness in her voice now.
‘Eva is good.’ Perhaps if he wanted any information about Maya, it was time to be honest about himself. And with Paul in the picture, things might be about to change.
Bess sat forward, intrigued as he recalled the story about Cassie, and when he finished she got up, wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. ‘I’m sorry, Noah, that’s really awful. You must be heartbroken.’
‘Taking each day as it comes. It’s all I can do.’ He picked up his beer before probing again about Conrad.
‘Maya is helping him out by taking him readymade meals, being there on and off. Apparently he’s not all that steady on his feet.’
‘You don’t believe it?’
‘Not for me to decide.’ She sipped from her bottle, disappointed to find it empty.
‘So if he’s her ex then why is she doing it for him?’
‘Ties… with her son, I guess she feels she should. I don’t know, I wouldn’t if I was her, but if there’s one thing I’ll say about Maya, it’s that she’s strong-willed and it’s difficult to change her mind about anything. She has a confidence in what she does. Good job, given she’s a pilot.’
‘Amen to that.’
After Maya returned, he watched as she and Bess took their turn at the dartboard for a game, which Maya won hands down to Bess’s immediate demands for a rematch.
Bess won the next three games and Noah had to wonder whether it was because Maya kept checking her phone and tapping in replies. Perhaps to her son? He had no idea. Although she didn’t look impressed by whoever it was, so it was more likely to be the ex.
Hudson waved his goodbyes to everyone, Nadia joined Noah in a game of pool and soon the gathering had whittled down to only the four of them.
Maya still seemed preoccupied by her phone.
‘Everything all right?’ Noah asked her when she slipped it into the rear pocket of her jeans yet again.
‘Of course.’ But even to his ears, not knowing her all that well, her claim sounded false. ‘Actually, I’m going to follow Hudson’s lead, get home.’
‘I’ll see you at shift tomorrow night then.’
Bess tried to persuade her it was too early to leave but had no luck and when Bess came over, shaking her head, he said, ‘I wonder if her and her ex will ever really be over.’
‘Dear God, let’s hope so,’ said Bess.
Noah made his excuses to leave too – he’d told Geraldine he’d be back at a reasonable hour, which to him meant this side of midnight at least.
He walked from the beer garden and along the track next to the water, keeping well away from the edge as if his actions might somehow transfer to Eva. Silly idea, but already he worried that when Eva was fully mobile and doing more than bum shuffling her way around the lounge, he’d have to be vigilant with their home backing onto the river.
Or would it even be a problem now he knew how to get in touch with Paul?
Eva had changed his life – well, Cassie had changed it by dying, but then Eva had come into his world like a paint bomb exploding and colouring everything in a totally different shade. Was he really going to hand it all over to Paul when his sister’s wishes had been for him to look after Eva? And if he was able to ask her now, would she really tell him she didn’t want Eva’s dad in her daughter’s life?
He passed the end of the alleyway that led from the river to the street not far past the pub and turned at the sound of rustling in the bushes, watched as a figure ran from this end of the alleyway to the other.
It was dark but Noah saw a definite flash of white beneath the streetlamp at the very end. It could be the person’s shirtsleeve illuminated in the light, but Noah knew it wasn’t. It was the white of an arm in a cast, the figure was male and definitely the right build to be who he suspected it was lurking out here.
Conrad. He’d put money on it. Keeping tabs on Maya.