Chapter Thirteen

Arnie woke early the next morning and was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for AJ who was still in bed, when his mother sent a text.

 

Be careful when you turn on the TV. Tara is all over the news. Don’t let AJ see.

 

For fuck’s sake. What now?

In less than thirty seconds, he’d typed his ex-wife’s name into a search engine and found the answer. Tara and Richie were still in Ibiza. At some point during the night, they had fallen legless out of a nightclub. Not much different from any other night, except Tara had gone flat on her arse. With her skirt around her waist and no underwear, she’d given the paparazzi exactly what they wanted. Most of the major news sites had pixilated or blurred out her crotch, but the photos left no doubt in the viewer’s mind about what they were looking at. The headlines that went with the images were beyond salacious.

Tara was a laughing stock. Again.

Keeping her exploits from AJ was as tricky as fighting fire. Each day it became a bit harder. And if she continued the way she was going, there’d be no way of protecting him from this shit when he went back to school in the autumn.

Damn it! Couldn’t they stop and think about someone other than themselves? Just once. The fact that AJ had witnessed an attempted murder did nothing to burst their bubble. Tara hadn’t picked up the phone once in the last week to enquire after him. Not that AJ seemed bothered about her either. He hadn’t mentioned his mother once.

Yesterday had gone so well too. After the wonderful afternoon with Dominic, AJ had come home around six and they’d enjoyed a laid-back evening in front of the TV with pizza and soda.

‘You’re in a good mood.’ AJ had said as he sent him up to bed at eight thirty.

It was true. He was elated. He hadn’t realized just how starved of sex—of a man—he had been. There was more to it than that. Dominic wasn’t any man, and the sex was more satisfying than any casual hook-up. It had been amazing. Physically and emotionally fulfilling.

The afterglow had lasted all night, and he still felt the effect of it this morning. Arnie was certain he had woken up with a smile on his face.

It had been that good.

Now Tara and Richie’s antics in Ibiza had taken the shine off it.

If he could keep the pictures from AJ, they might not ruin the day.

As the kettle boiled, Arnie went into the study. This had become a morning ritual. He turned on the CCTV monitor and watched the footage from when he went to bed, around eleven p.m. He brought up all the cameras and reviewed the material at a speeded-up frame rate, whizzing through the hours until dawn. He paid most attention to the front of the house, where the stalker had first appeared.

Nothing. Not so much as a cat or fox passing by.

Thank God for that. He wasn’t sure how he’d react if he saw the stalker on screen.

Yes, he knew. He would pack their cases and leave town immediately.

There were lots of reasons to stay in Nyemouth for the summer, but the risk wasn’t worth it.

He would take one day at a time and be prepared for anything.

There were footsteps above as AJ trod heavily to the bathroom. Arnie shut off the monitor and left the study, closing the door behind him. He was waiting in the kitchen when AJ came down, his hair all over the place.

“Can I watch Batman?” he asked, holding up a DVD.

“Sure you can,” Arnie said, grateful he didn’t have to think of a distraction to keep AJ away from the news. “Let me set it up for you.”

He turned on the TV and DVD player and left AJ happily watching the superhero while he got on with breakfast. He made a large plate of bacon sandwiches for them to share and sat on the sofa next to AJ with fresh orange juice. The boy was so caught up in the action on screen that he barely spoke.

“Eat up before it gets cold,” Arnie said, trying to break the spell of the cartoon.

He realized, in the sobering light of the morning, that he had to consider his priorities—AJ and keeping him safe. As hung-up on Dominic as he’d become, he couldn’t let him get in the way. Yesterday had made him appreciate, more than ever, that he missed the dynamic of an adult relationship and the intimacy of being with another man. He’d denied himself for too long. It was bound to resurface at some point. Such a basic human need couldn’t be ignored forever. But the timing was all wrong. He couldn’t get distracted by a love affair. Not now. Not when Tara was behaving like the world’s biggest idiot and a masked man had been hanging around the house.

Fuck it. What where they even doing here? He knew what he should do. Pack up and take AJ abroad for the summer. Out of the country, where no one could find them. That had to be the answer. They could always return to Nyemouth in the autumn if the police caught the man responsible. And if not? They would stay away for good. His parents would have to come to London when they wanted to see their grandson. They would manage.

And Dominic?

Forget him.

Arnie knew he couldn’t, but for the sake of his son, he might have to.

“How do you fancy going to Disneyland?” he asked.

AJ didn’t take his eyes off the screen. “In America?”

“Sure.”

“No.”

“Why not? You’d love it.”

“I don’t want to go on an aeroplane.”

“Oh.” This was news. “You’ve flown before, don’t you remember? When you were little.”

“I remember,” he said, still engrossed in Batman. “I didn’t like it.”

“What about Disneyland Paris? That’s a lot closer. We could even drive that far. Or take a train. We wouldn’t have to fly.” The idea of driving all that way seemed like a massive drag, but if that was what it took to get AJ away, it would be a small price.

“When?”

“I don’t know. I can look at tickets today and we could leave as early as tomorrow. How about that?”

Now AJ tore his eyes away from the screen. “I thought you meant, like half-term in October. Not now.”

“What’s wrong with now? Don’t you like the idea.”

He shook his head. “We’re supposed to be here for the summer. I’ve got plans.”

“What plans?”

“I’m having a sleepover with Conner and Indina at their house tomorrow night. And then they’re staying here for the weekend and bringing Benji over.”

He couldn’t help laughing. “When was all this decided?”

“Yesterday.” He returned his attention to Batman.

“I guess that means we’re staying here.”

AJ patted his father’s knee. “We can still go to Disneyland in October. If that’s what you really want.”

 

* * * *

 

They spent the day in the Newcastle, the closest major city. He took AJ to a dinosaur exhibition at the Natural History Museum and followed it up with a movie matinee. The film about a giant shark seemed a little on the scary side to Arnie, but AJ loved every minute and wouldn’t shut up about it when he took him to a burger bar for food afterward.

It was a great day and went some way to easing the earlier apprehensions he’d had about staying put. AJ seemed unaffected by everything that was going on around him. Maybe Arnie should just accept that and let him get on with enjoying the summer. He could always insist on taking him back to London if the situation changed.

For today at least, everything seemed good.

“Dad, can I watch King Kong before I go to bed?” AJ asked on the drive back to Nyemouth. He was sitting in the rear seat playing with the plastic T-Rex he’d begged Arnie to buy him at the museum.

“No, it’s too long. You can watch it tomorrow if that’s what you want. Why don’t you take it with you to the sleepover, then you can all watch it?”

The idea seemed to please him. “Excellent.”

Arnie watched him in the mirror, absorbed with his dinosaur. Another day had gone by and he’d managed to protect him from the salacious press coverage his mother’s behavior had attracted. Arnie happily took the small win.

“Dad?” AJ asked, as they drove north up the A1. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

The question startled him. Arnie tried not to show it. “I just don’t, son. I’m too busy for a boyfriend.”

The answer seemed to sit for a moment before AJ came back, “Don’t you think you should have one by now? At your age?”

“At my age? How ancient do you think I am?”

“Not that old, but most grown-ups have someone, don’t they?”

“Not everybody. Some people are on their own. And that’s fine too. Where did this question come from?”

“Nowhere. We were just talking, that’s all.”

“Who are we?” Arnie asked.

“Connor and Indina. They think you should get a boyfriend, and so do I.”

Arnie couldn’t help but laugh. “You have it all figured out. Do you have anyone special in mind, or am I allowed to choose for myself?”

“Indina says Gabriel is nice. From The Lobster Pot.”

Jesus, these guys had given this some proper thought. “Gabriel is nice,” he said, cautious, wondering where to take this next. “But he’s my friend. We went to school together. I couldn’t be his boyfriend.”

“Why not?”

Oh God. “There’s just…no romance between us, that’s all.”

“And does there have to be romance for you to be boyfriends?” AJ asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

“There does, yes. Lots of romance. And that’s just for a start. Why don’t you forget it, eh? If I do find a boyfriend, I promise to let you know. How does that sound?”

AJ shrugged. “Whatever.”

They got home after seven. Arnie ran AJ a bath, and while he was soaking and playing shark versus dinosaur with his toys, Arnie checked the CCTV cameras. There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary.

He felt nervous about the house. It had seemed so secure when he had chosen it, and obviously it was—he had to remind himself of that—but seeing that guy creeping around the other night had unsettled him. Arnie hated it, paying so much attention their security and protection all the time. Unlike other celebrities, he’d never been the type to obsess about those things. Even when he was making big-budget movies and was the flavor of the moment, he’d always been relaxed about it, living in regular houses and apartments. Of course, he’d been on his own then.

Having AJ changed his outlook on everything.

He would check the cameras several more times before turning in that night—he knew that for a fact.

Maybe it would be different if he weren’t on his own.

If there were two men in the house instead of one.

And if the other guy were an ex-special forces officer, there would be nothing to fear at all.

AJ was tired after their day out. By eight thirty he was in bed and asleep. Arnie eased the dinosaur toy from his tight grip and put it on the side table. He left the night-light on and the door ajar before going back downstairs.

And now he was all alone, pacing the floors.

What the hell was wrong? Being alone had never bothered him before. At home there would often be lines to learn in the evening, and if not, he would read a book or watch a film or TV series. There were a million things he could do to occupy himself. Right now, the temptation was to go back into the damn study and check the CCTV.

No way. He refused to go down the route of paranoia. It would never end.

But the house was so large and empty around him. Wandering through the living room and kitchen, all he saw were sparse surfaces and clear spaces. As he poured a small glass of wine, AJ’s earlier question ran through his mind. ‘Why don’t you have a boyfriend?’

Good question, son. And what’s the real answer? Because I’m scared. Because I won’t allow it. I’m stubborn. I’m stupid. Because there’s no romance in my life.

Whose fault is that?

Nobody but his own. He made excuses. Created obstacles. Like AJ. Like Tara. The press. Bad publicity.

It was all crap.

Tomorrow AJ was going to his cousins’ for a sleepover.

He wondered for a second whether the kids had planned it that way. Maybe when they’d had their little discussion about his personal life and lack of a significant other. Had AJ arranged his own childcare so he wouldn’t have to?

No, that was ridiculous. They were children—they didn’t think about such things.

But it gave him a night off. With nothing to do in the big empty house.

Before he could change his mind, Arnie picked up the phone and called Dominic.