Gary knew it was now or never. It was time to air his idea. ‘Kelly, love, sit down. I want to ask you something.’ He was shouting from the kitchen.
‘I’m busy.’
‘No, you’re not. This is important. You know the lady who runs the choir and her partner had a fire in the house. It was an accident, but her kitchen is ruined.’
‘Don’t I know it! Your clothes still stink of smoke and gave me a load of washing. I told you they were lezzies, didn’t I?’
Gary ignored her. ‘They’re good people through and through and I want to get them sorted before Christmas.’
‘You’re no kitchen fitter. It’s up to them to sort it out with their insurance company.’
‘But it’s nearly Christmas and it’d be good to get them back in their own home, don’t you think?’
‘I don’t care one way or the other.’ Kelly picked up her OK! magazine again.
‘Don’t be like that, love. I’ve enjoyed singing, meeting some decent guys and making friends.’ Kelly put down her magazine with a sigh. ‘By the pool we have that built-in kitchen area we hardly use. It’s got cupboards and a sink, grill, fridge and all that white stuff. It was a great idea at the time, but a waste of money. Now if we removed the fittings and put them in their house…’
‘Give away our lovely granite worktops? You must be joking.’
‘No, I’m not. I want to give them a kitchen, so they can come home for Christmas. We can decorate and tile it, to give them a surprise.’
‘You don’t owe them anything. Our pool bar will look ridiculous!’
‘Who’s to see it in the winter? Come summer, we can replace it. It’s not as if we can’t afford it. It would be a gesture of support. I like Ariadne – she’s a great. You would, too, if you got to know them.’
‘It’s your money. Nothing to do with me, is it?’ Kelly turned to her magazine again.
‘Yes, it is, and I did it all for you, so I could give you the moon and the stars, but it all turned sour and changed us into a pair of lazy, selfish gits.’ Gary could feel himself stirred up by Kelly’s indifference.
‘Speak for yourself. What brought this on?’
Gary pulled the magazine out of her hand. ‘Some home truths, if you must know, and I think it’s about time I told you them. We’re living on money that isn’t truly ours.’
That made her look up. ‘What do you mean not ours? We won the lottery big-time fair and square.’
‘Not exactly fair, love.’ Gary felt his cheeks flushing, his heart pounding and his knees going weak. The moment of confession had come. ‘It wasn’t my ticket.’
There was a moment of silence, as Kelly took in what he had said. ‘Don’t be daft! I saw it and the numbers. You and Gran always used birthdays and house numbers.’
‘It was Gran’s ticket, not mine. I played online so all we had to do was look them up to see the results. She wasn’t that bothered, so I did it for both of us and they were registered to me. Her numbers were different from mine, so when I saw the draw, I declared hers to be mine and claimed it. She often forgot to give me any money over the years. I reckoned they were both mine. She never knew. Besides, you know we never got on, but I did do her numbers out of habit. She was never interested in us and never forgave me for not being her pride and joy. The numbers weren’t mine. They were hers, but no one challenged me.’
‘How could you? She was your gran and she brought you up when no one else would.’ Kelly stared at him.
‘I saw her right. We gave her everything she needed to make life comfortable, but she could be an ungrateful cow at times and made my life misery when I was a kid. You have no idea. This was a way to pay her back. She died in comfort and we gave her the best send-off, no expense spared. Besides, I wanted you to have everything we never had, make your dream come true. She was old and frail and I put her in a nice home.’ Gary began to cry. ‘It’s never felt right what I did but I did it for you.’ He paused. ‘There, it’s out now. I’m a fraud, living off someone else’s money. We’re no better than anyone else, thinking we’re one up on everyone cos we’re rich. I can’t give it back, or make it up to the old cow, but it don’t sit easy, Kelly, and never has. I can’t go on living like this. I have to make amends.’
‘By giving our pool kitchen to a pair of dykes?’ Kelly snapped. ‘No one knows our business. It’s all in the past. Your gran’s dead and you can’t change that. You paid for them tickets for years, so what if some numbers were her choice? You’ve done nothing wrong in my book. You did it with the best of intentions to give us this wonderful life. ’
‘But it’s not wonderful, is it? The one thing I can’t give you is a baby. Perhaps God’s punishing us for me being a cheat.’
‘Hang on, Gary, there’s still time and hope, as long as we keep trying.’ She nudged him. ‘I love you, warts and all. So we’ve had a bit of luck, that’s all anyone needs to know. She ain’t here to haunt us. She lived the life of Riley in that home, never seen her so cheerful. You didn’t abandon her. You made it up to her, as best you could, and she could be an ungrateful woman. Give those old dears that kitchen, if it makes you happy. I don’t care. All I care about is you and me, and I’m glad it’s out in the open. I never knew you felt so guilty. But I wish you’d told me before.’ Kelly came over to give him a hug. ‘We can keep this secret. No one need ever know.’
‘But I know and I have to make up for it, do something useful. Perhaps it’s time I got a proper job,’ Gary said.
‘What – here? There are no jobs. Do you want go back home? I suppose we could try another round of IVF.’
‘Not yet. I’m staying put and organising that kitchen as a surprise. I have to do something to make amends.’
‘You’re a deep one,’ Kelly said. ‘Making me feel guilty for letting you think I’d only love you with money to spend, spend, spend. It wasn’t like that, Gary Partridge. You and me were happy enough when we were broke. I suppose we went a bit mad. I felt like a celebrity, not a shop girl from the East End, and all the time you was carrying this guilt on your back like a sack of coal. I’m sorry I’ve been such an ungrateful bitch, love.’
They sat holding hands and Gary felt as if the burden was shifting. He wasn’t a bad lad. He had just yielded to temptation when it landed on his plate. He’d have to live with that knowledge, but from now on he would give, instead of acquiring more and more things. ‘You don’t mind, then, about the kitchen?’
Kelly smiled. ‘You always was the kindest out of us both. I’m just a silly old moo. Perhaps I could help too.’
That was the best thing Gary had heard in months. It felt like an early Christmas present. ‘You can be the scrubbing maid on all fours.’ He laughed, pushing her down onto the cushions.
‘Oh, Sir Jasper, I’m all yours!’