WALKING SLOWLY HOMEWARD with the evening sun on his back and a song on his lips for the first time in over a year, Ned thought about the talk he’d had with Tom. It had really made him see things differently and helped him face up to a lot of stuff—demons, he supposed they were, things he’d struggled to come to terms with. Now that he’d gone to see Ali, he felt as if he’d really got past all that. He’d misjudged her, he knew that now, and he’d laid all the blame at her door when he, too, had been guilty. He felt so much better after their conversation, as if he’d actually done something to feel proud of. Maybe it was time for him to get back to the way life was before, even perhaps have a little fun again.
On a sudden impulse he pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Nick’s number. “Hi, Nick...it’s Ned. Fancy a night out tonight, just a few pints at The Fisherman’s... We could even go into town later if you fancy it. Give Harry a call, too, if you like.”
The answer came at once. “Bit late for that, Ned, we’re already here. Hurry up and get yourself spruced up. We’ll order you a pint. It’s about time you joined us on a night out again.”
The three friends were on their second drink when the stranger came in to the pub. He looked sure of himself, assertive and well dressed, definitely not a fisherman or a farmer. Ned heard him trying to book a room and then he raised a glass to them and asked them about Ali.
Ned turned cold inside and Harry cast him a quick glance. “Might do,” he said. “What’s she to you anyway?”
The man took a long swig of his drink and looked at them with an arrogance that made Ned’s blood boil. “She’s my wife and Daisy is my daughter. I’ve come to take them home.”
When Ned stepped forward Nick placed a restraining hand on his arm, knowing his friend only too well. “Leave it, Ned,” he said in a low voice. “Just get the facts first.”
Leaving his companions at the bar, Ned went to find Tom, wondering what was going on. Had he finally accepted Ali only to find out that she really was a two-timing schemer after all, someone who just used people for her own ends as he’d first suspected? It would break Tom’s heart.
His mum was in the back, working in the kitchen. “Have you seen Tom?” he asked.
She shook her head, concerned at the expression on her son’s face. She knew how much he’d been struggling, but according to Tom he was over it now. “He should be here soon though,” she said. “He’s bringing Lily back and he wanted to talk to your dad about a problem with the boat... What’s up anyway?”
For a moment Ned hesitated, wanting to offload his worries; no point in upsetting his mum, though, he decided, at least not until he was sure. “Nothing,” he said. “It’s nothing important. If you see him before I do, will you tell him I need to talk with him?”
“Yes of course,” she agreed with a puzzled frown. Would there ever be a time when she didn’t need to worry about her sons, she wondered.
Ned saw Tom and Lily approaching as soon as he stepped outside. Something about the expression on his brother’s face rang alarm bells in his head. “Tom,” he called. “Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you about something.”
Tom stopped. “You go on,” he said to Lily before turning back to Ned. “Okay,” he said. “What is it?”
As Ned reluctantly told him that Ali’s ex was in the bar Tom cursed under his breath. “She told me he was here,” he said. “But she said she didn’t want to see him...”
“I’m sorry, Tom.” Ned reached across to give his brother a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “But I don’t think that’s how he sees it. He was bragging about how he’s come to take them home... Perhaps you should just go and ask him what he’s about.”
“Too right I will,” Tom agreed, heading off into the pub.
Jake was still at the bar, complaining that his food was taking too long.
“I believe you’re looking for Ali,” Tom said, stepping up beside him.
“My wife you mean,” Jake responded, glaring at him. “How do you know her?”
Tom hesitated for a moment. “She’s a friend of mine.”
“Not too good a friend, I hope,” Jake remarked with an amused, arrogant smile. “I’ve come to get her and the baby. We’re going to be a real family now and...”
“She told me you were over and your divorce will be through at any time,” Tom cut in.
Jake just shrugged. “Well you can’t be that good a friend or you’d know how fickle Ali is. She’s on and off with everyone but she always comes back to me eventually. This time we’re going to really try and make a go of it...for Daisy.”
“I don’t believe you,” Tom told him, longing to wipe the smug smile off his handsome face.
“Believe what you like but I was round at her cottage earlier and I’m going back there later on...to talk about our future.”
“I don’t believe that you have a future with Ali,” Tom said.
Jake shrugged. “Think what you like but it really has nothing to do with you.”
Anger bubbled as Tom forced himself to turn and walk away.
“I’m so sorry bro,” Ned said, “Perhaps we got Ali wrong after all...”
Tom set his jaw. “No, Ned... Ali told me it was over with him and I really believe she thinks it is. There’s a baby to consider in all this though. Whether I like it or not he is Daisy’s dad and Ali has to be sure... So I’m not going to interfere.”
“But don’t you think you should fight for her if you really care?” Ned asked.
Tom looked his brother in the eye, wanting to be honest. “The thing is, Ned... I believe her now, about Bobby and about her ex. It’s just...”
“What, Tom, it’s just what?”
“Oh I don’t know. To be honest, if it did go somewhere with Ali and me I’m still not really sure that I could ever expect her to be the wife of a fisherman. Let’s face it, Ned, it would be a life darkened by worry and possibly grief. She’s a journalist and he’s wealthy and successful, they’re far better suited than Ali and I will ever be. Even if we did get together, she’d probably end up regretting it.”
“If you’re having doubts about her then...” Ned began.
“I don’t have doubts about my feelings for her,” cut in Tom. “It’s the other way round... I’m just not sure if she really knows what she wants.”
Tom said goodbye to his brother and left the pub, more confused than ever. Talking to Ned had made him face up to all his doubts—about Ali, about himself and about his way of life.
He’d go and see his dad. Talking boats and fishing always took his mind off his problems; when he finally set off for home, just after nine, his head was still full of doubts and recriminations.
* * *
AFTER TOM AND Lily left, Ali made sure that Daisy was settled and then sat and waited for Tom to come past on his way home. He might not intend on stopping by but she had to make him listen to her, had to make him see that she and Jake really were over. If necessary she’d wait all night.
Darkness fell and outside Ali could hear the swish of the tide rushing up the shore, but still there was no sign of Tom. Daisy mewled in her crib, like a little kitten wanting attention, and Ali gently stroked her baby-soft hair back from her face. Daisy had just slipped back to sleep when she heard a knock on the door. Jumping up, her heart echoing in her ears, she ran to answer it... So he had stopped by after all.
“Hello,” said Jake as she flung the door wide. “I’ve come to see my daughter.”
She moved forward to block him but he stepped boldly around her.
“Aren’t you going to put the kettle on?” he asked. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“How dare you just walk into my house,” cried Ali, as Jake marched inside and shut the door behind him. “You have no right.”
He looked at her with an amused smile. “I have every right. You are my wife and the mother of my baby... Where is she by the way?”
“It’s over between us, Jake, I told you that. You are Daisy’s dad and you can see her, on my terms, but you have no right to just come walking into my life like this. I want you to leave right now and I’ll sort out a suitable time for you to meet her.”
“No time like the present,” Jake said. “Come on, Ali, you owe me that at least.”
“I owe you nothing, Jake,” Ali said, picking up her phone. “And if you don’t stop harassing me then I’ll call the police.”
“Oh Ali...” Jake stood in front of her, sounding sad and morose. “We were in love once, don’t you remember? Surely you don’t begrudge me seeing the child that was born of our love.”
Panic flooded over Ali; he had no right to make her feel guilty, no right to just invade her privacy like this. “You can see Daisy and then I want you to leave,” she said.
As if on cue Daisy began to cry. Jake hurried toward the sound, stopping next to the baby’s crib to stare at her in awe. “Let’s get back together, Ali,” he said, reaching across to take her arm. “We were good together once and now we can be a real family... All that...stuff, was just a midlife crisis, it meant nothing to me. This—this is real.”
“No, Jake,” she insisted. “We’re over and you’ll just have to get used to it.”
“Well then just let me feed her,” he pleaded. “Let me hold my daughter in my arms and give her a bottle...then I’ll leave, for now.”
“When you see Daisy again, it’s on my terms only, Jake,” she said. “I set the rules; I already told you that. You can give her a bottle and then you have to go.”
As he sat down on the settee and took Daisy in his arms, Ali stood impatiently and waited for Jake to get tired of the job. Daisy took her milk greedily, sucking hard on the nipple until it was gone. Ali rushed to take the bottle as soon as it was empty. “There,” she said. “I’ll take her now.”
When she reached out her arms Jake ignored her, refusing to let go. “Please, Jake,” she said. “She needs changing...give her to me.”
He lifted her up against his chest when it happened. One minute there he was, all smart and tidy in his stylish clothes, and in the next spit-up covered his chest and jacket.
Ali wanted to laugh, wanted to tell him it served him right, but she bit her lip and took the baby. “I’ll just see to Daisy and then I’ll do something about your clothes,” she said.
“Never mind the baby,” he roared, “Get this stinking vomit off me...now.”
“Baby comes first,” Ali told him, hiding a smile. “This is just part of being a parent.”
“Tell you what, Ali,” he said coldly, standing up. “Maybe I’ll come another day. I wanted to give us another chance but I can see that trying to convince you tonight is just a waste of time.”
Ali stood, Daisy in her arms. “Tell me the truth, Jake,” she said. “I know you too well to believe that you’ve come back here to try and be a family man when you’ve never wanted kids. What is it really...money perhaps?”
To Ali’s surprise he seemed to shrink before her. “If you must know I’ve been made redundant,” he admitted, looking anywhere but at her. “And I’ve let a couple of mortgage payments slip... Truth is I’m in trouble, Ali.”
“Oh Jake,” she responded, touched by his obvious distress. “Why couldn’t you just be honest with me in the first place? We might be over but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect what we once had. If money is the problem then that’s easily solved. Look... I don’t care about the house and I’ll never come back to live in the city so why don’t we just renegotiate the settlement so that you keep it?”
Jake frowned. “And what do you get out of it?”
“All rights to my daughter...and peace of mind. Sell it right away and rent somewhere until you get another job. And you will get another, trust me. You just have to put in the effort. Now give me a minute to see to Daisy and then I’ll clean you up a bit before you go.”
“And you really did mean it, about the house I mean?”
“Of course I meant it. It’s just a house and there are more important things than money. Now tell me the truth, Jake, do you still want to play a part in Daisy’s life?”
“To be honest, I’m not really sure I’m the fatherly type,” he said, pulling a face at the wet patch on his chest. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want some involvement. I mean, I want my daughter to know who I am at least.”
Ali nodded, relieved that he was willing to take a back seat. “That’s fine with me. Sort out your finances and your job and then we’ll see where we are...agreed?”
“Agreed,” Jake said. “And, Ali...”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.”