Chapter 30
THIRTY
NICK
They sat, soot-stained, against the bonnet of Wren’s car, each with their arms wrapped around their chests. The fire was out, and the last of the smoke drifted from the shattered window in dusty tendrils against the darkening sky. The firefighters and paramedics had packed up and gone, leaving the window boarded up. The fire officer who’d pulled them apart had later explained that the likely source of the fire had been the washer-dryer – or more accurately, the shonky electrical socket that powered it. Nick wished he’d been surprised.
‘I did not have any of this on my bingo card for today,’ murmured Wren beside him.
‘Me neither,’ he agreed. ‘Although I don’t know what’s more of a shock – nearly being consumed by fire or finding you, yet again.’
Wren smiled wearily. ‘Definitely the latter. I mean… I don’t think I’ve got the energy for this right now, but how the hell did we randomly meet up in Italy when I knew your nanna all along?’ She faltered. ‘I’m so sorry, Nick. I’m sorry you lost her.’
‘Thanks,’ he said, swallowing the instant lump in his throat. ‘She was a good ’un.’
‘She was. I came to the wake. I can’t believe I didn’t see you there.’
‘That’s… weird.’
‘I’ve been to the Kitchen so many times. I’ve met your brother—’ She stopped and gasped. ‘I’ve seen a picture of you dressed up as Buzz Lightyear when you were little!’ She burst out laughing then clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes flickering between amusement and distress.
She looked up at the bookshop, and her face darkened. ‘I shouldn’t be laughing. My friend is going to be devastated. She owns this place – I’ve been staying here since Alex and I broke up.’ She paused and then her cheeks reddened. ‘You do realise that we broke up a while ago, don’t you? We weren’t together when I went to Italy, and we…’
Nick felt a somersault in his chest. The whole story of Alex and Laura still seemed shady, but for now he was just very glad Alex and Wren were no longer together, and that what had happened in Italy was free of any kind of scandal. His nanna would now wholeheartedly approve.
‘This is all my fault, you know. I thought I was being helpful, doing some loads of washing before she got back,’ Wren said, putting her hand to her forehead.
‘From having the baby,’ said Nick.
She shot him a look, eyebrows raised. ‘How did you know that?’
‘I know who Libby is – I’ve done a bit of work for her in the past. And however scary she might be, I can’t imagine she would blame you at all. She could probably blame her dodgy electrics though.’
He edged a little closer to her so their arms were just touching. ‘Are you okay, Wren?’ he asked quietly.
‘According to the paramedics, yes. Otherwise, I’m not sure.’ She gave a short rueful laugh. ‘Is it weird that I feel better having you here though?’
‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘We haven’t known each other long, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again. But we haven’t half packed in some escapades in that short time. I feel like I’m getting used to handling the aftermath of things together.’
‘I know what you mean. I can’t believe I’m going to say this again, but maybe we need another dose of post-traumatic food and drink.’
Nick laughed. ‘It seems to do the trick. Near drownings, muggings, fires…’ He glanced down at himself, his sooty clothes giving off the strong aroma of an ashtray. Wren looked and smelled much the same. ‘Listen, I think Libby’s kitchen and shower facilities might be out of order. Do you want to come back to mine? I can offer you a shower, a takeaway and there may just be a bottle or two of beer in the fridge. Not quite the same as the Italian wine, but it might be close enough?’
Wren sniffed at herself and wrinkled her nose. ‘Are you sure? I might need to borrow some clothes.’
‘Don’t worry – my brother’s got your back there.’
She pressed her palms against her eyes. ‘Ugh. I’m not sure how I’m going to break the news to Libby. She’s got a brand-new baby and no home to bring her to. You know, she only just had this place fixed up a month or two ago.’
‘I know,’ said Nick, looking up at the boarded-up first-floor window. ‘It was me that fitted the windows.’
Wren slowly turned back to face him. She stared at him, saying nothing, her mouth hanging slightly open.
‘What?’ he asked.
When they got back to the flat, Wren went straight in the shower, so Nick raided Travis’s stock room for the least garish ensemble he could find. He settled on some jogging bottoms with a subtle grey zebra print and a T-shirt that surprised him by just being plain black. He laid them on the bed then went to the kitchen to open two bottles of beer, hearing the shower turn off. He respectfully stayed away from the hallway as she scampered from bathroom to bedroom, and he gave her about twenty minutes before knocking gently on the door. There was no answer, so he edged open the door to find her fast asleep on the bed, her wet hair wrapped up in a towel. The back of the T-shirt, which he’d neglected to check, had the word Hellraiser printed in purple lettering. The irony of this wasn’t lost on him. She looked so peaceful he didn’t have the heart to wake her, so he took a shower himself, grabbed some clean clothes from the laundry pile and went back to the living room.
He took a sip of his beer and looked at the note his mother had left on the coffee table. It explained, briefly, that she had to catch an earlier flight back to work or she might lose her spot to some ‘upstart fresh out of drama school’ and that she’d call soon. There was a trail of kisses on the page that doubled the character count.
‘She always did like to overcompensate for her absence,’ came a voice from behind him. Travis sat down next to him on the sofa, wrapping his velvet dressing gown tighter around his middle and resting his legs on the coffee table.
Nick sighed. ‘If the singing jobs ever dry up, at least she’ll always be able to get a job as a magician’s assistant.’
‘Trouble is, you never know when she’ll pop up again after she’s disappeared. Adds a layer of extra suspense to the show.’
Nick smiled and shook his head. Their mother would never change. She wasn’t a woman to be tied down, by geography, family or even simple good manners.
‘So…?’ said Travis, raising his eyebrow.
‘So?’
‘So, who do you have in your room? You’ve opened two beers, and unless you had two showers, then you must have company.’
Nick reached down and picked up the other bottle, passing it to Travis. ‘She’s asleep. And it’s a long story.’
Travis took a drink. ‘Well, I’ve got time. Mine’s asleep too.’ He winked and settled back into the cushions.
‘Who…?’
‘Never you mind; tell me about you. I never thought I’d see this day. I thought you’d sworn off women.’
‘It’s not like that. It’s… weird.’
Travis’s eyebrows shot up, and he almost spat out his mouthful of beer. ‘Please tell me you’ve not gone from Benedictine monk to the subject of a Louis Theroux documentary in one fell swoop.’
‘Not that kind of weird. It’s a weird situation. Do you remember that journalist that interviewed Nanna? You met her at the Kitchen.’
Travis nodded eagerly.
‘And do you remember that girl I talked about from Italy? The one from the kayak trip, who helped me find my… sperm donor.’
Travis’s head cocked to one side. ‘Wait, wait. There’s two of them in there? Seriously, Nick, Louis is assembling a camera crew as we speak.’
Nick laughed. ‘Give over. No. They’re the same person. I’ve just met her again, after her friend’s bookshop caught fire. Which also happens to be the one I replaced the windows in a while back. One of which almost flattened her.’
Travis’s jaw dropped, and he placed a palm to his chest. ‘That was her ? That is weird. Hold on – I met her.’ His face broke into a knowing grin. ‘She’s pretty.’
‘She is. But she’s just here to sleep – no funny business. She’s been having a rough time.’
‘So have you. Maybe you have some common ground there.’
‘To be fair, a lack of common ground isn’t the issue here. It’s actually spooky how much we’ve crossed paths without even realising. And I don’t want to rush things. But I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her, and now she’s here .’
‘Maybe it’s fate.’
‘It’s a funny sort of fate then. Every time we’ve met, there’s been some kind of disaster. Getting stuck in a cave in Capri, getting mugged, nearly getting burned to death. I can’t work out if the universe wants us to be together or if we’re destined to kill each other.’
‘Okay, you’ll have to fill in some of those blanks for me later. But maybe you’re destined to be together and die of old age in each other’s arms. Like The Notebook .’
Nick steepled his fingers together and smiled, despite his exhaustion. ‘I’m not sure what notebook you’re on about. But it would be nice if you’re right.’
They sat and drank in silence for a while.
‘Listen, bro,’ said Travis, ‘you know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. But now that Nanna’s house is sitting empty…’
Nick turned to look at him. ‘Yeah? Well, that might be an idea. Until we sell it.’
‘There’s no rush. The money’s not an issue. But if you lived there, you’d instantly have a room for Ruby.’
In all the chaos of late, Nick had barely had time to think of practicalities. But Travis was right. If he moved in there, he could do up the spare room within days. Ready for his girl. If Callie and he could reach an agreement, of course. And she had said she was willing to talk.
‘I could do that. And even if Callie says no, then at least I’d be out from under your feet.’
‘Why are you assuming she’ll say no? And also, you’re Ruby’s parent too. It’s a two-way conversation you should be having, not waiting to be handed down a judgment.’
Nick laughed sadly. ‘I know. But it’s complicated.’
‘Listen, Nick, Callie cheated on you. But she’s also a good mother, and otherwise a nice person. Deep down she has a good heart.’ He tapped Nick’s chest. ‘And so do you.’
Nick smiled in spite of himself. ‘You know, with this new-found wisdom, you’re starting to remind me of our nanna.’
‘Now, steady on…’
A door clicked down the corridor, and they heard the whoosh of the shower being turned on. Nick looked at Travis, then his eyes fell on a black sports jacket by the table that he hadn’t noticed before. It had a very familiar Newcastle United logo on the front. ‘Is that Liam?’ he asked under his breath.
Travis nodded, clamping his lips between his teeth to suppress a smile.
‘Trav, we need to talk.’ He looked towards the bathroom again and groaned. ‘I wish I didn’t have to bring this up – but I don't want you to get hurt.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Travis.
Nick swallowed. ‘Listen, I know you’ve become good friends, but… my watch went missing after we were in Italy. And I think I saw it on Liam’s wrist at the funeral. I sincerely hoped I was wrong, and I’ve turned the flat upside down just in case, but… it seems possible.’
‘Do you mean this watch?’ said Travis, peeling back his dressing-gown sleeve to reveal an Omega on his wrist.
‘Yes, the one that matches yours,’ said Nick, nodding at it.
‘Nick, this is yours. I borrowed it from your drawer.’
‘Why the… why would you do that?’
‘Because I gave mine to Liam.’
Nick blinked, lost for words. Of all the possible scenarios he’d considered, this one had never entered his head.
‘I… I’m serious about him, Nick. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the last few weeks, and… oh God, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m falling in love with him. I know those are words you never thought would come from my mouth.’
Nick thought he’d had enough surprises for one day, but at this, his jaw dropped. Travis sat back in his seat, looking uncharacteristically coy.
Then, with a sinking feeling, Nick remembered the shady-sounding phone conversation he’d overheard – something about meeting at an industrial estate and exchanging money. If Travis was falling for this lad, he needed to be sure his brother was fully informed, even if it felt like Nick was bursting his bubble.
‘There’s something else that made me worry,’ said Nick reluctantly.
‘Okay, what?’ asked Travis.
Nick repeated what he’d heard after the funeral.
Travis burst out laughing. ‘Oh my God, Nick, I’m cringing for you. Liam got an apprenticeship with a carpenter. He went down there the other day to have a look around the workshop and talk about his wages.’
‘Shit,’ said Nick, and he sat there in silence while Travis hooted with laughter.
‘You know, for a long time, I thought I was genetically incapable of settling down. Of falling in love, having a one and only. God knows, Tracey couldn’t be held down, and my dad is the North East’s answer to Hugh Hefner. I thought that bit of me didn’t exist. But it does.’ He got up and smoothed down his dressing gown. ‘And if I can admit that my Grindr days are over, then you have to agree that anything is possible, big brother. Nothing is inevitable. Talk to Callie, Nick – things can change. And on that sage note, I’m going back to my room to wait for my boyfriend.’ And he walked away.
Nick sat for a while, pondering. Being given a life lesson from his little brother was a strange and unsettling event, to say the least. And the point he’d made might take a while to sink in. Nothing is inevitable . It was a day of contradictions. Talking to Travis had made him realise that his story wasn’t already written for him, but the woman lying in his bed suggested otherwise. She felt as inevitable to him as the sun coming up in the morning and setting at night. He got up and went to her.
The lamp light was on as he lay down next to her on the bed, and she opened her eyes sleepily. ‘You’re here,’ she said, barely awake.
‘I’m here,’ he said, sliding an arm underneath her so her head rested on his shoulder. ‘You can go back to sleep. I’ll still be here in the morning. And the morning after that.’
She nestled closer into the crook of his arm, her weight pleasingly heavy against him.
‘That sounds nice,’ she murmured thickly. ‘But no fires. And no smashed windows.’
‘I can’t promise,’ he said, smiling against her hair. ‘We have form.’
Her arm wrapped over his chest, pulling him close. ‘It’s strange. We keep trying to kill each other. But I’ve never felt so safe.’