Chapter Seventeen

Assuring her that his house wasn’t about to burn down in her absence, David managed to convince Sophie it was okay to leave her family in his care and ‘chillax for five’ with her friend. Having checked which friend, where and what time she’d be back, he then headed upstairs in the hope of interesting Jake in helping with the dog hunt, musing the Dee dilemma as he went.

There was no doubt that what Sophie had recounted sounded like the ludicrous ravings of a demented old woman, but the fact was, Dee, as far as David could see, was at the early stages of Alzheimer’s: confused sometimes, yes, but lucid a good part of the time. It wasn’t his area of expertise, and it was a cruel disease, some people experiencing more rapid deterioration than others, but still, it just didn’t add up in David’s mind.

Hearing Dee as he passed the main bedroom insisting, ‘He’s trying to do away with me!’ David was apprehensive. Very apprehensive.

‘No, Mum,’ he heard Andrea say as he detoured to the bathroom to check something out, ‘Jonathan doesn’t want to do away with you. He wants to …’ she trailed off then, put you away probably not sounding like a much less sinister option, David guessed.

Easing the lid off the cistern on the supposition that the old lady had actually been determined to hide something in there, he almost laughed. There atop the water floated a plastic beaker from the kitchen. Parking the cistern lid to the side, David fished the beaker out and unscrewed the top, half expecting to find Dee’s wandering teeth inside.

Nope, definitely not teeth. Mystified, he extracted the piece of paper tucked inside the beaker, which had been quarter-folded and folded again, opened it and quickly scanned the contents, then, ‘Bloody hell!’

Well, well, Eden was right, after all. With age does come forgetfulness. Eva had quite clearly forgotten she’d misplaced her policy document – in David’s toilet cistern. He had no idea what was going on, but one thing was becoming abundantly clear, personal dislike aside, Jonathan Eden’s odd behaviour – his disappearing when his house had burned down, his ferreting around in Eva’s house while she was lying unconscious on the doorstep – was becoming more and more questionable.

So, what did he do about it? Have a quiet word with Eden, threaten to break his neck if he caused Andrea any more grief? And he cheerfully would, David realised, which wouldn’t do him any great favours in Andrea’s eyes, if his instincts turned out to be wrong.

No, speaking to Eden, who wasn’t likely to be very forthcoming, wasn’t an option. David really didn’t like the guy, probably because he didn’t want to, he realised, but before he spoke to anyone, he needed to get to the bottom of what was going on. Eden had been searching for this document in Eva’s house and Eva knew damn well he had. Question was, why? And why had Dee got it? More intriguingly, why was she hiding it?

It looked like the only way to shed any light on it was to speak to the insurance company direct. No doubt they’d have data protection protocol in place, but he’d got the investment details to hand, and Eva’s personal details, date of birth, etc, would be on record at the surgery. David just hoped the floating document wasn’t anything to do with fraudulent activity. Eva might appear as tough as nails, but the fact was she was old and possibly unwell.

Tucking the document into his pocket as he heard Andrea emerge from the bedroom, David quickly replaced the cistern lid. He’d copy it downstairs on the printer, he decided, then make sure it was back before Dee noticed it was missing, which was bound to have her more agitated than she already was.

Which was clearly very agitated. ‘I might be old, but I’m not demented,’ David heard the old woman shout after Andrea.

Meeting him on the landing, Andrea sighed and eyed the ceiling.

‘He’s up to no good, you mark my words.’ Dee’s head appeared around the doorframe behind her. ‘Just because Eva thinks the sun shines out of his bespoke-suited bottom, doesn’t mean he isn’t.’

‘Ooh, Mum!’ Andrea scrunched her eyes and her fists closed. ‘You don’t even like Eva,’ she said, whirling around to face her.

‘Yes, but it doesn’t mean I want her dead, does it? If I wanted that, I’d have strangled the old lesbian myself years ago. What are you staring at?’ The latter was addressed at a surprised David, before Dee twanged her head back and demonstratively closed the door.

Andrea’s shoulders visibly slumped. ‘I don’t believe this,’ she said quietly. ‘I honestly don’t think I can take any more.’

She blew out a sigh as she turned to face him – and David felt himself reel on his feet. She was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks, and though he’d expected the trauma to catch up with her at some point, David was taken completely by surprise. Instinctively, he stepped towards her and folded her into his arms.

‘I’m sorry.’ Andrea pressed her face into his shoulder. ‘I just …’

‘Shhhh,’ David said as if quieting a child. ‘Tears are allowed, remember? Therapeutic, so they say.’

Andrea emitted a muffled laugh – and then cried harder, causing David’s heart to constrict. She should cry. It would do her good to cry, but he couldn’t bear to see her like this. Holding her close, he stroked her back, her shoulders, her hair. She smelled fantastic: clean, fresh air mingled with citrus shampoo – his, he guessed. It was better on her.

‘Okay?’ he asked, after a moment.

She nodded into his shoulder, lifted her head, and David’s breath caught in his chest. Her dancing green eyes were glassy with tears, and up close they were remarkable. She was … ‘Remarkable,’ he murmured as she moved in his arms, leaning into him, raising her face.

Feeling the soft brush of her lips against his, David was now utterly confounded. Knowing he shouldn’t, telling himself he shouldn’t, he pressed his mouth closer then, his heart paying no heed to his head, he pulled her tight, daring to take it further, gently parting her lips with his tongue, tasting her.

This was wrong. All wrong. He knew it was. So, why did it feel so damn right? Wrestling with his conscience, he groaned quietly inside as she slid her delicate tongue into his mouth, exploring, softly teasing. Breathing heavily, David eased back a little, needing confirmation. He searched her face, her eyes, saw what he needed to there, then, desire winning outright over caution, he locked his mouth back hard on hers. One hand tracing the soft curve of her back, one tangled in her mane of red and gold hair, he kissed her hungrily, allowing his lips to stray to her neck, her shoulders.

He wanted her; wanted to kiss her all over; every inch of her. To glide his hands … ‘Bugger!’ The sound of the boys’ bedroom door opening was like a thunderclap, instantly forcing them apart.

‘Er, we, er … Your mum, she … had something in her eye,’ David offered by way of weak explanation to Ryan, who, having watched his mother shoot flustered into the bathroom, was now regarding him coolly.

‘Rrright.’ Ryan cocked his head to one side. ‘Thus the mouth to mouth?’ he enquired drolly.

‘Er …’ David’s heart sank. Lying to Ryan, he wasn’t comfortable with. What had just happened with Andrea …? David felt his emotions colliding, astonishment, euphoria, fear. It had felt right. It had felt one hundred per cent right, but … In his wildest dream it could never be, with Jake not even beginning to come to terms with the loss of his mother. And what about Andrea’s kids? Had he taken leave of his senses?

‘Just don’t take advantage.’ Ryan shot him a warning glance as David sweated, wondering what the hell to say next. ‘Comprendre?’

Getting the message, David nodded, thankful that Ryan hadn’t pursued it with Jake able to overhear. ‘I won’t,’ he promised earnestly.

Ryan regarded him a second longer and then, apparently satisfied, gave him a short nod back. ‘Jake and me are getting some munchies, if that’s okay?’

Snacks, David mentally translated. ‘No problem,’ he said as Ryan dragged his gaze away from him and drifted along the landing. ‘If you fancy though, we could grab a burger while we’re out.’

Ryan turned back. ‘Out where?’

‘Distributing leaflets,’ David supplied, hoping that Ryan wouldn’t think this was some feeble attempt to redeem himself in his eyes.

Ryan now looked definitely unimpressed.

‘Missing dog leaflets,’ David elaborated, guessing he probably did. ‘I thought we might put some posters up, while we were at it.’

Still eyeing him suspiciously, Ryan considered. ‘Good idea,’ he eventually said, giving him a half-approving nod.

David dragged a hand through his hair, relieved. At least the kid hadn’t told him where to stuff his leaflets.

‘All right with you, Mum?’ Ryan called.

Cringing on Andrea’s behalf, David guessed Ryan’s thinking was on a par with his, that his mother was hiding in there mortified, probably with her ear pressed to the door.

‘Yes, wonderful idea,’ was Andrea’s rather high-pitched reply.

Coming back along the landing, Ryan gave him another one of his shrewd looks, reminding David that he might have a temporary reprieve but that he wasn’t off the hook.

David nodded, indicating he’d got the drift, and then, ‘Are you up for it, Jake?’ he asked and mentally crossed his fingers.

‘What?’ Jake answered from his room. A short response, but at least it was a response.

‘Distributing some leaflets in hopes someone might have spotted Ryan’s dog. What do you think?’

‘Yup,’ Jake said immediately. ‘I’m in.’

David watched Jake approach the door, not over-enthusiastically, but that, he guessed, was more to do with the Ryan style slope he was trying to emulate. ‘We thought we’d get a burger while we’re out, if you’re hungry, that is?’

‘Big Mac?’ Jake eyed him curiously.

‘Anything you fancy.’

‘Minty,’ Jake replied.

David closed his eyes and offered up a silent prayer of gratitude. Open adoration it might not be, but that was okay. He didn’t need hero-worshipping. If his son could learn to like him again, even love him a little, it would be enough.

‘Small problem,’ Ryan pointed out, going back into Jake’s room for his trainers. ‘All the photos we had of Dougal are on the PC we don’t have any more.’

‘No problem,’ Jake said, his feet already halfway into his trainers. ‘He’s a Yorkie, right? There’ll be loads of Yorkie pics online. We can run some off on my PC.’

And now David was truly grateful. By some miracle, that miracle being Ryan, his son was actually conversing; talking openly. Jake might never be the carefree ten-year-old he should be, but this was the closest he’d come in a long time. David’s attraction to Andrea was real. He felt it with every part of him. But could either of them really contemplate taking risks with their children’s emotions?

Posters printed, fifteen minutes later, they hit the shops. All of the shops. And in all of those shops, hushed whispers and curious glances were swiftly followed by smiles of greeting. David smiled dutifully back, exchanged pleasantries about the weather, but comments about personal issues, his and Andrea’s, he steered clear of.

Andrea, he imagined, wouldn’t want him speculating with people as to what started the fire, when the insurance might pay up, when the enigmatic Jonathan had showed up, which the girl in the Tiny Tots shop openly had.

Human nature was to gossip, David knew that, and, yes, he had built a brick fortress around himself initially. The walls were coming down a fraction now though, thanks to Andrea, but still he didn’t care to divulge more than he needed to, especially after what had happened between them.

‘What’s up?’ Jake eyed him curiously as they walked from the car park into the park, Ryan off in front to ‘check out suitable trees for posters’ he’d said. To give Jake and him some space, he meant. David appreciated it.

‘Nothing. Why?’ he answered, puzzled. He hadn’t spoken for the last couple of minutes, largely because his thoughts had drifted back to Andrea, the soft caress of her lips on his, her body pressed close to his.

‘You’re smiling,’ Jake informed him as if it were as unlikely as catching him flying, which, after all, David supposed it was.

‘Oh, right, sorry.’ David arranged his face into a frown, which better suited thoughts about Eden, which followed hot on the heels of thoughts about Andrea. Whatever had happened, whatever might or might not happen between Andrea and him, as sure as God made little green apples, Eden was up to something. David could feel it in his bones.

Jake’s eyes flicked back up to him. ‘That’s okay. It’s allowed.’ He shrugged awkwardly. ‘I don’t think Mum would have wanted us to be sad all the time.’

David swallowed. ‘No, I, er …’ He swallowed again and attempted to clear his throat. ‘I don’t think she would have done, Jake. She preferred to be around smiley people.’

Would she have wanted him to be happy, though? Find happiness again in a relationship? Somehow, knowing her as he did, that she genuinely did hate to see people miserable, David doubted Michelle would have condemned him to spend his life on his own.

Maybe he would find happiness again. One day.

‘Dad?’ Jake said, after a pause.

Dad? David closed his eyes. ‘Yep?’ he managed.

‘Can we have a dog? We were going to have one, weren’t we, before …’ Jake trailed off, for reasons that were obvious to David.

‘Depends,’ he said, now struggling hard to keep his emotions in check.

‘On?’ Jake squinted up at him.

‘On whether we find Dougal.’ David nodded towards Ryan, who, having found a suitable tree, was now nailing a poster hard to it.

Jake followed his gaze. ‘Oh, right.’ He contemplated. ‘And if we don’t?’

David contemplated in turn, his mouth twitching into a smile. He had a distinct feeling he was being manipulated here. ‘Give it a couple of weeks, hey, until Andrea and her family have got themselves sorted, and then we’ll start looking around,’ he relented. ‘But only if you’re prepared to do your share of the walk—’

‘Yesss!’ Jake whooped. ‘And if we do find Dougal, my dog and Ryan’s dog can be mates, can’t they?’ At which Jake set off at a run to help Ryan out, leaving David firmly grounded. Whatever he did, he realised, where Jake’s future was concerned, mistakes were simply not an option.

Having fretted herself into a state of exhaustion, Dee now lay on the bed napping, her expression still one of pursed-lipped silence, which she’d adopted when Andrea had apparently ‘taken Jonathan’s side’. She was wearing one of David’s jumpers, purloined because it would keep her warm, she’d said, until she’d got the Aga going. The Aga in her little river fronting cottage Andrea knew she meant, feeling emotionally drained and as confused as her poor mum must be. Gently, she covered her with the duvet and then gathered up an also sleepy Chloe. She’d pop her down on the sofa, Andrea decided, collecting ‘new Igglepiggle’ from the bottom of the bed and closing the door quietly behind her.

‘CBeebies,’ Chloe demanded, once tucked comfortably up with all of David’s cushions, one determined little hand outstretched towards the TV and a thumb wedged in her mouth.

Andrea was tempted to ease her thumb away, but thought better of it. It obviously offered Chloe a little comfort at a time she sorely needed some. ‘All right, darling,’ she smiled, tucking yet another of David’s sheets under her baby’s chin, ‘but quietly, hmm? Nana’s sleeping.’

Popping the DVD in, Andrea was grateful for Ryan’s foresight regarding essentials required to maintain some sort of normality. He might still be sloping about with his skinny jeans hip level, but he’d gone from monstrous teenage stage to mature young man almost overnight; in the absence of the man who should be in their lives, Jonathan, who was still missing more often than not, Andrea thought angrily.

Her anger, though, soon subsided, ousted by overwhelming guilt. She’d kissed David. It hadn’t been a chaste peck on the cheek. It had been long and lingering, full on and passionate. Andrea’s hand strayed to her mouth in the wake of David’s lips hard against hers, his tongue, gently searching, sending shockwaves through her entire body and her emotions into complete chaos.

Leaving Chloe with her lush eyelashes tickling her cheeks, seeking to entice her to sleep, Andrea slipped silently from the room. Her arms wrapped about herself, she pulled her shirt tight. David’s shirt. It smelled of him. Pulling the collar to her face, she inhaled the intoxicating smell of clean cotton suffused with the aftershave she knew to be his: a spicy oriental fragrance, with cinnamon and orange blossom undertones, which lingered in the fabric even after he’d washed it. It was nice, sensual, yet masculine – and comforting, somehow.

Was that what it was, her seeking some kind of solace in his arms? A weak moment of madness? No. Andrea’s skin tingled and her pelvis dipped as she retraced the exquisite trail of his mouth soft on her throat, her shoulders. She’d wanted him. Wanted to feel his hands on her body, searching, touching, making love to her in the way she knew that he would. She could almost feel him inside her, making her feel whole again. Feel wanted and special.

Andrea swallowed, knowing now that Jonathan hadn’t made her feel that way for a long time, preoccupied as he perpetually seemed to be; her fault, too, possibly, but wasn’t that the core of the problem between them? That the intimacy had gone somehow. She couldn’t remember when.

Was it more than a mad moment for David? she wondered, making a cup of tea for something to do. Had she compromised him? Was he even now regretting it?

Slowly, she stirred the tea, absent-mindedly watching the whirlpool that formed at the heart of it – and then almost knocking the cup over as the backdoor swung open behind her.

‘Thought I’d slip in the back,’ Jonathan said as she spun around to face him. ‘Are the kids in?’ He smiled, causing Andrea’s guilt to multiply tenfold.

‘No,’ she said, a hand to her throat as if the evidence of David’s kisses was scorched there. ‘They’re out … with David. The boys, that is. Sophie’s at Hannah’s and Chloe’s asleep—’ Andrea stopped, her eyes dropping from his face to the bump under Jonathan’s overcoat, which seemed to be moving.

And yapping. Frenziedly.

‘Dougal!’ Andrea cried, overjoyed as his little blond-Beatle cut appeared over the top of the coat, followed by two sparkly chocolate button eyes. ‘Oooh, Dougal!’ Her tea abandoned, she flew across to pluck the now very frenzied dog from Jonathan’s precarious grasp and hold him up high.

‘So, do I get a kiss?’ Jonathan asked hopefully as she cooed and made kissy faces at the dog. ‘Or do I have to grow some fur and a tail first?’

Oblivious to the front door opening, Andrea laughed, then, pulling Dougal – plus manically lapping tongue – from her face, she leaned up to press a grateful kiss on Jonathan’s cheek; but dropped quickly back down as joyous whoops from the boys alerted her to their presence behind her.

‘Bloody hell!’ Ryan gawked, eyes agog as he looked from Dougal to Andrea to Jonathan. ‘Dougal!’ he exclaimed ecstatically, then – laid-back Ryan nowhere in evidence – he moved like greased lightning across the kitchen to gather an equally ecstatic, scrambling Dougal to him.

‘Come here, little guy. What have they been doing to you, hey, mate? Tell me all about it and I’ll get them for you.’ Bundling him in his arms like a baby, Ryan nuzzled the little dog close and serious face licking ensued.

‘And me, I’ll get ’em, Dougal,’ Jake enthused, following Ryan across the kitchen to stroke the dog’s wriggling, waggily rump.

Foregoing admonishments for snogging the dog, Andrea smiled delightedly, her gaze falling on David as she did. David’s gaze faltered for a second, but when he looked back to her, he was smiling, albeit uncertainly.

Rightly or wrongly, Andrea felt a huge surge of relief. She’d been sure he’d feel so awkward he wouldn’t know where to look.

‘Can I hold him?’ Jake asked, bouncing alongside Ryan. ‘Can I, Ryan? Can I?’

His son’s exuberance obviously evident, David’s smile widened, reminding Andrea that whatever she felt, whatever David might feel, their children’s emotions were absolutely paramount.

‘Thanks, David,’ she said, wishing she could convey how pleased for him she was that here, at last, was a glimpse of the uninhibited, carefree little boy Jake should be. ‘David’s been out putting up missing dog posters with the boys,’ she filled Jonathan in. ‘We’re all really grateful, aren’t we, guys?’

‘Very,’ Jonathan said, with a short smile. ‘Pity it was such a waste of time,’ he added, sounding not the least bit grateful and extremely sarcastic.

‘Jonathan?’ Andrea looked at him askew.

‘Well, he’s found now, isn’t he, so …’ Jonathan shrugged, his gaze now fixed firmly on David, who, Andrea noticed, seemed as determined as Jonathan not to look away. Consumed with guilt now, Andrea glanced nervously between them.

‘You can help me give him a bath,’ Ryan’s voice broke the discernible standoff. ‘What d’y’reckon, little guy? Fancy a swim with me and Jake, hey?’

Relieved at the timely interruption, Andrea rolled her eyes about to make a witty comment about Ryan styling Dougal’s fur afterwards, anything to dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere, when David spoke.

‘Looks pretty good on it, doesn’t he?’ he asked, his eyes still on Jonathan. ‘Where did you say you’d found him?’

‘Park,’ was Jonathan’s short reply.

‘Coincidence.’ David furrowed his brow. ‘We’ve just come from there.’ He appeared to ponder then offered Jonathan a short smile. ‘Well done on finding him anyway, though. The kids have missed him, particularly Sophie.’

No answer from Jonathan, Andrea noted, whose attention was now diverted to the dog’s hairs on his coat. Trying hard not to judge him for being so uncaring, since Jonathan hadn’t bothered to pick up David’s cue and ask how Sophie was, Andrea turned to the door to see to Chloe, who was calling from the lounge.

‘There’s a clothes brush in the utility if you need one,’ David said to Jonathan behind her, sounding not very impressed.

Concerned at Jonathan’s peculiar behaviour, Andrea headed worriedly for the lounge, hearing Dee upstairs as she did, ‘I see he hasn’t done away with Dougal yet, then?’ she said, presumably talking to Ryan.

‘Yerwhat?’ was Ryan’s bemused reply from the bathroom.

‘Nothing you need to concern yourself with, young man. You just concentrate on making sure the bath is free of dog’s hairs when you’ve finished,’ Dee instructed, most definitely not sounding too muddled now.

Plucking Chloe from her nest of pillows, Andrea glanced at David as he came into the lounge after her.

‘Your mother sounds a little more lucid,’ he said.

He’d obviously also heard Dee dishing out her orders then.

Andrea nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said, confused, and wary of her heart’s sudden propensity to do a flamenco dance in her chest whenever David was near.

‘How is she?’ David asked nodding at Chloe, who was tearful, kneading her eyes with one hand, the thumb of her other still firmly wedged in her mouth.

‘Tetchy,’ Andrea supplied, planting a soft kiss on Chloe’s baby-soft cheek.

‘Bewildered, probably, by the strange surroundings when she woke up.’

‘Bound to be.’ Andrea hugged Chloe a little closer and then, wanting to dispel any uneasiness there might be between them, added, ‘Thanks, David, for all your help, with Dougal, as well as everything else.’

David offered her an easy smile. ‘No problem.’

‘I am so glad he’s been found safe and sound,’ Andrea said, transferring Chloe to one arm and reaching for Igglepiggle.

David reached it first. ‘Yep, definitely a small miracle,’ he agreed, picking the toy up from the sofa and handing it to her. ‘And he really doesn’t look too bad on it, does he? Considering he escaped an inferno and then got lost in the park for nearly two days, I mean. You’d think he might be bedraggled enough to need that bath, wouldn’t you?’

Andrea eyed him quizzically. ‘Meaning?’

‘Nothing, not really. It’s just …’ David shrugged awkwardly ‘… he looked a bit too well fed and groomed to have been wandering the streets, that’s all.’

What? Andrea blinked at him. Were his feathers ruffled now? Because of damaged pride? She couldn’t quite believe it. Narrowing her eyes, Andrea searched his face and realised they absolutely were. ‘Oh, David … Not you, too? What’s he supposed to have done now?’ she hissed, lest Jonathan overhear. ‘Plotted to murder the dog?’ Shaking her head despairingly, Andrea pulled her gaze away and walked past David back to the kitchen.