Chasing What's Already Gone (Second Chances Book 1) (16 page)

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

We get a nice early start, and by the time Ed and I get the van packed, I accept the fact that I must have been, in Ed’s words, “half-crazy” to imagine I could have done this on my own. But we manage to get everything into Ed’s van, with still enough time to give the flat a man-clean before we start our return journey.

I am quite interested, so I ask Ed, “Have you got a wife or a regular girlfriend waiting for you at home?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“You’re not…”

“No, not at all. I don’t know what’s up with me; my life seems to be a series of one-night stands. After a while, they all start to look the same in my memory bank. Maybe that’s my problem: I’m looking for someone who’s different, someone who doesn’t exist.”

“So they’ve all been blonde, slim, with long legs.”

Ed thought for a while. “More or less yes, you’re probably right.”

“Seems like not the worst problem in the world to have.”

“It is in a way. I like the idea of someone permanently fighting my corner. I wish you the best of luck with your Jessica; sounds like what I’m looking for.”

“Hey—I saw her first.”

“Is she blond and slim with long legs?”

“No, she is not.”

“Ah—forget it, then.”

We both laugh. We’re men. We skirt around the serious stuff.

We pull up at the Lodge at eleven-thirty and the delivery people with the three-piece suite are already waiting, as is Bill. “Hello, Bill. You did get my message, didn’t you? That I would be here at noon.”

“Yes, I did, Danny. I had plenty of time on my hands and I wanted to ask you a personal question.”

“Of course you can, Bill. Fire away.”

“I was wondering if I could bring Mary up later on today, to have one last look around. I have been carefully considering it, and I think it would be good for her to see the lodge with someone else’s possessions in place. Help her to move on, to accept the future by closing a door on the past.”

“Bill, it would give me the greatest pleasure to meet your lovely lady, regardless of any motive. I would say the later the better if possible, say between four and five. Would that suit you?”

“It will, Danny. We’ll see you later. Oh, by the way, will your Jessica be here?”

“Fingers crossed she will, Bill. See you later.”

I can hear the delivery men taking the three-piece suite out of their van. I open
my
front door for the first time, feeling incredibly emotional. What a dope.

Ed comes up and whispers in my ear, “It might be worth offering these guys a drink to get the double bed upstairs. It looks like a job for the professionals, if you ask me.”

It turns out to be sound advice—it takes the men ages to manoeuvre the bed into the larger bedroom, via a flight of stairs suitable for a bungalow. But I pay them well for the actual time they spend and they leave, so Ed and I start unpacking his van. We manage about fifteen undisturbed minutes before the florist’s van arrives. My new friend gets out of the van carrying several small vases beautifully decorated with colourful bouquets.

“They are so lovely. I appreciate you doing this for me.”

“No trouble for me—it’s what I do. Have you got ten pounds on you?”

“Yes.”

“Pass it over then.”

I’m not sure why but I pass her a ten-pound note and she returns to the van. She comes back carrying a hessian bag bursting at the seams, and passes it to me.

“You’re a man, so no doubt you’ve got no tea, coffee, milk, or sandwiches to get you through the day. Here you are. The farmhouse cake is on me.”

I give her a big kiss on the cheek before she can avoid me.

“I suppose that girlfriend of yours has left for pastures new by now.”

“Don’t be silly; how could she resist me?”

She makes a face as if she is going to be sick.

“Thank you so much for all this.” I lift the bag of goodies. “Please tell me your name.”

“Ruth Cable. Ruth to my friends. You can call me Mrs. Cable.”

She is funny.

“Ruth, would you like to see Mrs. Collins again? If you do, she is coming here between four and five tonight.”

I’ve caught her unaware, but I can tell the idea appeals to her, so I encourage.

“I think it would be nice for her, as well. You know, memories from the past to comfort her now she has left her home of the last forty years.”

“Do you think?”

“I do think, and you would be more than welcome, although it will definitely be standing room only.”

“I will do my best. It’s not a promise but I will do my best.”

She is coming. Full house at Cotswold Lodge. I look to the skies—good, no chance of rain.

***

Because he insists on helping me, Edwin misses the first half of his football match, but listens to it on the radio whilst we are working. The local pub has Sky TV, so he leaves it until as late as he can before driving off in his van. Cotswold Lodge and I are alone together for the first time. I wander around the rooms, taking my time. It needs a fresh lick of paint in places, but I love the property. For the first time, I take a proper look at the garden, and it is so much larger than I realised. Behind the old garden shed, there is what amounts to a small orchard: five or six apple trees, some blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes, and a plum tree. At the base of the plum tree, there are dozens of fallers. I select one and taste it—absolutely delicious. I go back inside, collect Ruth’s bag, and carefully fill it with a couple of pounds of ripe plums. The good life! As I walk back into the house, an apple drops at my feet. How strange. Thank you, God.

I go back into the house and boil the kettle for the first time, and curse that I did not offer Edwin a drink. He has promised to pop back later this afternoon to give me a lift to collect the company van, which is still at the site. I sit down on my new sofa and sip my tea, slightly anxious because I have arranged for everyone to arrive between four and five. I do the maths—there could be almost a dozen people crammed into my hobbit house.

“Can you cope with that?” I am talking to the house—is that a good sign?

***

“Jess, shall we call it a day?” asks Gemma.

“Sorry—what do you mean?”

“I mean, that is at least the third time you have looked at your watch in the last five minutes. You’re not enjoying this, are you?”

“Well I’ve bought what I came here for, and…”

“You want to get to your hobbit house. Am I right?”

Jess drops her heads and swings her right leg from side to side. “Yes, miss. Sorry, miss.”

“Come on, let’s go. If we get there early, we might catch him scooting his harem off the property, and then we can see him for what he really is and get back to normal. Actually, thinking about it, we are more likely to catch him out having his afternoon nap. Maybe we ought to visit the shoe section before we go. I’m sure I saw some nice, fluffy slippers for sale last time I was there.”

“If we weren’t using your car, I would tell you to get knotted.”

“But we’re in mine, aren’t we? And we know why we are in my car, don’t we?”

Jess was nearing the end of a three-month driving ban, which she could not wait to be over.

“Not for much longer, thank goodness.”

“Amen to that.”

They both laugh and head for the car park.

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

When I have jobs to do I tend to graze, drift from one task to the other. The time when I’ve nearly finished doing a job is the trigger to start something fresh. It’s now just after three and I have abandoned a couple of the packing cases and I am hammering some nails in the walls so that I can hang up some of my favourite pictures, when I hear a car pulling up outside the door. I peep through the window to see my sister getting out of her car, quickly followed by Jeremiah, who is leaping all over the place.

I open the window and shout out,

“I’m sorry, only posh people allowed in this property—go away!”

Jeremiah jumps up and down, unable to control himself.

“Uncle Dan! Uncle Dan, is this really your new house? Can I come in, please?”

“Of course you can’t. We don’t allow naughty boys in here—go away.”

“Please, Uncle Dan.”

“Oh, go on then—just this once, mind you.”

My sister shouts out, “Dan, this is wonderful. Hang on, let me help Derek to get out of the car.”

“Hold on, I’ll come and help.”

“No, stay there—he needs to start doing things for himself.”

A hard taskmaster, my sister, but I know she is right. I turn around and my crazy nephew leaps into my arms. By the time I show Jeremiah his bedroom for when he comes to visit, Chan and Derek have made it to the lounge.

“This is the business, Danny.”

“It’s not bad, is it? Let me give Chan a quick guided tour.”

When we are upstairs, I ask Chan, “How is he? Is he coping with the wheelchair?”

“No problem at all. Jeremiah has helped. He keeps pestering Derek to give him a lift around the house and the garden. Derek knows it’s not for long.”

“That’s good. Well, within the next hour you are going to meet the new additions to my social circle, and Derek’s boss for the next few weeks.”

With that, I hear a car horn being sounded and look out the window to see Gemma’s Peugeot. Well, here goes. The Chan Test. Is Jessica Roberts ready for it? Will she pass it?

Chan has no chance to disapprove, because Jeremiah’s enthusiasm makes up her mind for her.

“Aunty Jess! Aunty Jess!” He does his full-throttle runny, jumpy thing and Jess scoops him into her arms. If that does not impress Chantelle, nothing will! Jess carries him down the path and passes him to me, but not before planting a kiss on my mouth. In front of an impressionable child!

Gemma hangs back, but I beckon her in.

“Hi, Gemma. Come on in, welcome to hobbit land.”

“Hi, Danny. This is gorgeous. It’s everything Jess said and more.”

Jess, not JB. Mm, changes afoot. Oh well, I suppose I can allow someone else that privilege.

“Hi, Jess. I’m Chantelle, Dan’s sister.”

Hey, this is getting ridiculous. The next person has to call her JB, and that’s an order.

Chan continues, “And this lump confined to a wheelchair through circumstances I find too embarrassing to retell is my husband.”

“Hi, Jess. It’s very nice to meet you.”

I give up. This is a conspiracy.

“Come on in. I will give you the Pearson guided tour, Gemma. It won’t take long, but beware of jumping nephews and falling apples.”

Ten minutes later, the six of us are sitting in the lounge. Derek has had to leave his wheelchair in the hallway. But it is not uncomfortable; it’s quite cosy in fact.

I take on the role of mine host.

“Who’s for coffee and who’s for tea? Oh, and I’ve got a nice farmhouse cake that needs demolishing.”

“Blimey, Daniel—talk about turning over a new leaf. You’re almost acting like an adult.”

“Oh, sis. Things were going so well.”

She jumps out of her seat and gives me a big hug. “Okay, no more mickey-taking today. Truce?”

“Truce.” I leave to boil the kettle. I’ve always been good at that. I expect the room to go quiet after I leave it, but exactly the opposite happens and at the centre of it all are question-and-answer sessions between my girlfriend and my sister. I might be safer in the kitchen for a while.

“Daniel, she is lovely.” My sister has snuck in and put her arms around me. “I wholeheartedly approve.”

I gulp. That might be just about the nicest thing she has ever said to me in her entire life. I cannot think what to say.

“Have you got any trays?” she asks.

“Mm—yes, over there behind the fridge.”

“Let’s load all this up and go back in.”

I kiss her on the cheek. I don’t care who knows—I love my crazy sister. We go back into the lounge and divide the cake and drinks between my guests. The three girls seem to be getting along like the proverbial house on fire. I must Google that—wherever does that expression come from?

When everyone has had their fill, Jess offers to help me tidy up in the kitchen. It turns out it is simply her evil plan to have a long snog with me. I don’t put up too much of a fight.

She whispers in my ear, “Your sister is crazy but adorable, and she has made it clear that she will hunt me down and kill me if I ever hurt you.”

“Did she say that?”

“Not in so many words, but the message was there.”

“Well then, you’d better treat me well, because she packs a powerful clout on her.”

“I’ll consider it.”

Another big kiss, which is interrupted by a knock on the back door.

“Hi. Can I come in?”

“Hi, Ed. Yes, come on in. Ed, this is Jess.” I’ve completely given up on fighting this losing battle. “Jess, this is Edwin. He says his friends call him Ed.”

“Hi, Ed. Nice to meet you.”

“Come on through, Ed, and meet the rest of the clan. This is my silly nephew Jeremiah, my sister Chan, and her disabled husband Derek. Derek, this is your new boss, Edwin Pedlar.”

“Ed.”

“Nice to meet you, Derek.”

“Oh, and this is Jess’s friend Gemma. Gemma, this is Ed.”

And I see it. I turn to look at Jess; she’s seen it as well. Something happened, something when their eyes met. I question Jess with a look and she answers back,
Yes, something definitely happened there
.

“Well, I think that’s all the introductions done.” I turn my back and make a small gesture of rubbing my hands together, just for Jess’s benefit.

“Hello, anybody in?”

I know Bill’s voice by now.

“We sure are, Bill. Hang on, I’m coming out.” I grab Jess’s hand and go out to the back door where Bill is paused, standing behind a wheelchair in which is seated the love of his life. She is obviously frail, but has a most delightful smile.

“It is such a pleasure to meet you, Mary. This is Jessica.”

“Hello, Mary. It is so lovely to meet you.” Jess reaches over the wheel chair and kisses the old lady gently on the cheek. “Please, come on through. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but you are the guest of honour today.”

From her lap Mary lifts a plate.

“I’ve made a blackberry and apple crumble for you.”

“Oh, that is so considerate. I have a feeling that will all be gone within minutes. After you, Bill.” Jess has got a natural way of putting people at their ease. I am guessing she has very little chance at work to use that skill. She provides the old couple with an introduction.

“Make way, everyone. This is Bill and Mary, who lived here in Cotswold Lodge for more than forty-three years.” The delightful atmosphere in the room is like nothing I have ever experienced before. I could almost cry with joy.

“Well, I can tell you now, this is the most people that have been in this room together for at least forty years.” Mary says this with admiration.

I glance at Bill and he smiles back at me. He did the right thing bringing her here. I look out the front window and see a florist’s van arrive. This could be one body too many…I have a moment of inspiration.

“Ed, I know I was meant to be going with you to pick up the van, but it would be just a bit awkward if I left right now. I tell you what…” I interrupt Gemma, who is talking to my sister. “Gemma, you couldn’t help me out, could you? I need to get my van back from the site because I’m stuck for transport otherwise. Is there any chance you could drop Ed over there, so he can drive it back?”

She looks at Jess, who gives her a nod. Gemma nods at me.

“Hang on, Ed. Let me get the keys to the van.” As I pass the keys over I whisper, “I tell you what, Ed, it’s way too crowded in here. If you could spin it out, time-wise, for an hour I would appreciate it.”

“Yeah, why not? An hour, you say?”

“A bit more, if you can manage it.”

“No problem. See you later.” I am latching on to Jess’s expressions now. The look says
I could kill you;
the eyes say
Maybe, who knows?
Mind you, if I’ve got the eyes wrong I could be in serious trouble.

I go outside to welcome Ruth and ask her to follow me into the lounge, where I reintroduce her to her old teacher.

“Mary, I haven’t had a chance to tell you, but this is Ruth Cable. She was one of your pupils.”

From her wheelchair, the old lady stares up at my visitor. For a while nothing happens and then she exclaims, “Ruth. Ruth Cable. How are you, my dear?”

“All the better for seeing you, Mrs. Collins. So much better for seeing you once again.”

***

Whilst Gemma is driving back to his storage yard, Edwin Pedlar feels uncomfortable. It’s strange and unnerving to experience this lack of confidence. He glances over at Gemma, who is concentrating her gaze through the front windscreen.
Fair enough
, he thinks. She is a very attractive girl, but that has never been a problem before. It’s only five minutes until they reach the depot and they have hardly spoken a word.

Gemma breaks the silence.

“You’re not as confident as you look, are you?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean to say you look confident, Jack the Lad and all that, but I would guess that’s because you live a life neatly cocooned in your comfort zone.”

“My comfort zone?”

“Well, you certainly don’t pull girls with your sharp turn of phrase and quick wit.”

“Wow—why don’t you say it how you see it!”

“How I see it? Well, how I see it is that you’ve never had to try…with girls, that is. You enter a club or a room and you’re six feet tall, looking like you work out at the gym every day.”

“I don’t.”

“As I was saying, you look like you work out every day of the week, and you have this simple, boyish look on your face that gives the impression of being not very bright. I bet you’ve never been turned down or rejected in your life, and I also bet you’ve got dozens of notches carved in your headboard.”

Ed watches Gemma pull the car over to the side of the road. “You can tell all that from the couple of dozen words that have passed between us?”

“You fit a type.”

“That you’re not attracted to?”

“I am most certainly
not
attracted to.”

Ed recalls his conversation with Danny the previous day. Gemma is not that far wrong. He has had no problem, ever, in chatting up girls and taking them back to his place. It is something he has never thought about before, but he can’t remember ever having to make much effort. And at the time that was enough; all he wanted was the sex and it was always good, but…forgettable.

“I haven’t got a headboard.”

“Way too much information.” He hates breaking promises, but he might have to let Danny down this time.

“Danny asked me if I could not come back for at least an hour.”

“Oh, my God! I might have to cut my throat.”

“I think you’ve made your point, Gemma. Let me buy you a drink and try and convince you I’m not as bad as you think. There’s a decent pub less than a mile up the road.”

“I would love for you to buy me a drink, so you can discover what it’s like not to get rewarded for spending your money.”

Ed does not have clue how to respond, so Gemma puts the car into gear and drives on and into the pub car park.

***

Mary and Ruth find themselves tucked away in the corner and are soon chatting away about the old school days and members of staff long since moved on. Bill is happy to see his wife animated and content. He looks over towards me and mouths a “thank you.” Jess is nattering away with Chan and Derek, so I grab Jeremiah’s hand and take him out to the garden.

“Do you want a job, Butch?”

“No.”

Mm.

“How about a job that gets paid?”