St Piran's: The Fireman and Nurse Loveday (4 page)

He opened the car door, and Joey climbed onto his car seat. The little boy allowed Tom to fix the seatbelt, but Tom could
see by the look on his nephew’s face that Joey had retreated back into his shell again. He didn’t even wave to Flora. If only he could find a way of getting through to Joey. He was just going to have to try harder.

D
ESPITE
the fact that he’d lain awake half the night, worrying about Joey, Tom’s body-clock was relentless. He didn’t even need to look at his alarm to know that it was six o’clock. For pity’s sake, it wasn’t even light. And it was the weekend. Why couldn’t he just turn over, stick the pillow over his head and go back to sleep?

Ha. He knew the answer to that. Because Joey woke early, too, and Tom needed to keep the little boy safe. His life had changed completely. Nowadays, he couldn’t stay up until stupid o’clock watching films or playing online with his friends on a game console, or sleep in until midday on his day off. He had responsibilities.

Coffee, first. Tom dragged himself out of bed, then pulled on his dressing gown and headed for the kitchen. He blinked in surprise when he switched on the light and saw Joey sitting at the table in the dark, all dressed and ready to go out. Joey’s long-sleeved T-shirt was on back to front and he was wearing odd socks; Tom couldn’t help smiling. Cute beyond words. Part of him was tempted to ruffle his nephew’s hair, but he knew that the little boy would only flinch away, so there was no point.

And that hurt.

‘Why were you sitting in the dark, Jojo?’ he asked gently.

Joey said nothing, but glanced over to the doorway.

Of course. He couldn’t quite reach the light switch. Tom’s flat wasn’t designed for a four-year-old.

‘I’ll get a light put in here you
can
reach,’ Tom promised. An uplighter would be the safest. Or maybe one on a timer switch. ‘You look all ready to go out.’

Joey nodded.

‘Where do you want to go?’ And please don’t let him say ‘home’, Tom begged silently.

‘I want to play with Banjo.’

Flora’s dog had clearly made the breakthrough that none of the adults had been able to make, because this was the longest sentence that Joey had strung together since the accident.

It would be an imposition on Flora, Tom knew, but this was the most animated he’d seen Joey since the little boy had come to live with him. He couldn’t afford to let the opportunity slip away. Though going to visit Flora at this time of the morning would be a little too much to ask; he needed some delaying tactics.

‘OK, sweetheart, we’ll go and see Banjo.’
And Flora.
Awareness prickled all the way down Tom’s spine, and he squashed it ruthlessly. This wasn’t about his attraction to the sweet, gentle school nurse who had the most kissable mouth he’d ever seen. This was about his nephew. ‘But it’s a bit early to go and visit anyone just yet; it’s still dark outside. I’m not even dressed—and I don’t know about you, but I really could do with some breakfast first. How about we make something to eat, then go and buy some flowers to say thank you to Flora for looking after you yesterday, and a…’ What did you buy dogs? Tom’s parents had always had cats rather than dogs, and he hadn’t had the space in his life to look after an animal properly so he had no pets. ‘A ball or something for Banjo?’ he finished.

Joey nodded.

Tom put water in the kettle and switched it on. ‘What do you want for breakfast?’

Joey shrugged.

‘Juice? Cereals?’ Flora had got through to him yesterday by baking. Tom didn’t bake. He did the bare minimum when it came to cooking: stir-fries, pasta and baked potatoes were pretty much his limit. Anyway, suggesting cake for breakfast wasn’t exactly healthy.

But there had to be something they could do.

‘How about a bacon sandwich?’ he asked. ‘We can make it as a team. How about you’re the chef, in charge of buttering the bread and squirting on the tomato ketchup, and I’ll grill the bacon?’

Joey gave him a tiny smile, and went to the drawer where Tom kept the tea-towels. Without a word, he tucked a tea-towel round himself like an apron, the way he had in the photo Flora had shown Tom the previous evening, then fetched the butter and tomato ketchup from the fridge.

This was good, Tom thought. A positive step.

Joey buttered the bread while Tom grilled the bacon. Tom carefully laid the cooked bacon on the bread, then looked at Joey. ‘Over to you, Chef.’

Joey squeezed tomato ketchup over the bacon—a bit too much for Tom’s taste, but he’d wash it down with coffee and a smile because no way was he going to reject his nephew’s efforts. ‘Excellent teamwork. High five, Chef.’ He lifted his palm, hoping that Joey would respond.

For a moment, he didn’t think Joey was going to react—and then Joey smiled and touched his palm to Tom’s. Only momentarily, but in Tom’s view it was huge progress from the way things had been. And it gave him hope for the future.

‘Can we see Banjo now?’ Joey asked when they’d finished, his face eager.

‘Once you’ve washed your face and changed your shirt—
because they’re both covered in ketchup—and cleaned your teeth,’ Tom said. ‘And I need to wash up the breakfast things. Then we’ll go to the shop on the way.’

‘My singing isn’t that bad, you horrible dog,’ Flora said, laughing as Banjo started barking.

But then he went over to the kitchen door and barked again.

‘Visitors?’ Odd. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and it was too early for the postman. But there was no other reason why her dog would be barking by the front door. She switched off the vacuum cleaner and went to answer the door.

‘Oh—Tom and Joey! Hello.’ She hadn’t expected to see them today, despite telling them the previous evening that they could come round at any time. And it was incredibly early. Barely after breakfast.

‘We wanted to bring you something—didn’t we, Jojo?’ Tom said.

Joey nodded, all wide-eyed.

‘These are for you.’ Tom handed her the biggest bunch of flowers she’d ever seen. ‘We weren’t sure what colour you like, but Joey thinks all girls like pink.’

And there was every shade of pink. Bold cerise gerberas, tiny pale pink spray carnations, even some blush-pink roses.

Flora couldn’t remember anyone ever buying her flowers before—except her parents, on her birthday and when she’d qualified as a nurse—and it flustered her. ‘I, um…’ She felt the betraying tide of colour sweep into her cheeks. ‘Um, they’re lovely. I, um…’ Oh, help. ‘Do you want to come in?’

‘This is for Banjo.’ Joey was carrying what Flora recognised as a squeaky toy bone.

‘Thank you. He loves those.’

Just to prove it, when Joey squeaked the bone, Banjo
bounced into the middle of the room, bowing down and wagging his tail to signal that he was ready to play.

Be practical, Flora told herself. Don’t make an idiot of yourself. ‘I’ll put these lovely flowers in water,’ she said. ‘Would you like a coffee?’

‘I’d love one.’ Tom smiled at her, and she felt her toes curl. Which was crazy. She didn’t react to people like that. Anyway, he wasn’t here to see her…was he?

To cover her confusion, she turned to the little boy. ‘Joey, would you like some milk or some juice? ‘

Joey shook his head and continued playing with the dog.

Tom glanced at the vacuum cleaner. ‘Sorry, you were busy.’

‘It’s OK. I was only vacuuming. And you brought me those gorgeous flowers.’

‘It was the least we could do. You were a total star yesterday. We wanted to say thank you.’

He’d brought her flowers to say thanks for helping with Joey. No other reason. She squished the ridiculous hope that he’d bought them for the usual reason a man bought a woman flowers. Of course not. She already knew she wasn’t the kind of woman who could make men look twice; she was way too short, thirty pounds too heavy, and on the rare occasion she wore a skirt it was usually six inches below the knee rather than six inches above. Plus she spent most of her time with a red face, tongue-tied. No way would someone like Tom be interested in her.

As always when faced with a social situation involving adults, she took refuge in practicalities, gesturing to Tom to sit at the scrubbed pine table in the centre of the kitchen, then busying herself arranging the flowers in a vase. Once she’d put them on the table, she made two mugs of coffee, took the remaining brownies from the tin and put them on a plate, then
sat down with Tom and slid the plate across to him. ‘Help yourself.’

‘Thanks…’ he smiled at her ‘… but, lovely as those brownies are, I’d better pass. We’ve just had breakfast. Chef Joey there makes a mean bacon sandwich.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘I assume you grilled the bacon.’

‘But he did the important bit—he buttered the bread and added the tomato sauce.’

Joey clearly wasn’t paying attention to anyone else except Banjo, but then Tom lowered his voice. ‘I’m sorry we turned up unannounced. He told me this morning that he wanted to come and play with Banjo—and it’s the longest sentence he’s said in a month. I feel bad about taking up your spare time, but this was a chance to get through to him. I just couldn’t turn it down.’

‘It’s not a problem,’ Flora said, keeping her voice equally low. ‘I wasn’t doing anything in particular, just the usual Saturday chores.’

‘I don’t want to make things awkward with your boyfriend.’

She felt the betraying colour heat her cheeks again. ‘I don’t have a boyfriend.’ The boys at school had never looked twice at her, she’d never been the partying type as a student nurse, and she knew that she wouldn’t even be on the radar of a gorgeous firefighter like Tom Nicholson. Then a really nasty thought hit her. ‘Is it going to be a problem for your girlfriend, Joey coming here to play with Banjo?’

‘There’s nobody serious in my life—just Joey.’ He smiled wryly. ‘Let’s just say my last girlfriend found it a bit hard to share my time. The way she saw it, I should’ve made my parents come back to England to look after him.’

‘How selfish of h—’ Flora clapped a hand to her mouth. ‘Sorry, it’s not my place to judge.’

‘No, you got it right first time. And she told me that the day
after the accident.’ For a moment, he looked grim. ‘Apart from the fact that we hadn’t been dating for very long, it wasn’t a hard choice to make. Joey comes first.’

‘Well, of course he does.’

Tom gave her an approving smile that made her feel as if she were glowing from the inside.

‘I’ve been thinking about your childminder issue. I could help out, if you like.’ The words tumbled out before Flora could stop them. ‘I finish at five, the same time as the after-school club—so I could meet him from there if you like. There’s only me and Banjo to please ourselves, and it’s as easy to cook for two as it is for one, so if you’re out on a shout or something he can have his tea here with me—if you think he’d like that,’ she added swiftly.

Tom looked surprised at her offer. ‘That’s really kind of you,’ he said carefully.

Oh, no. He’d obviously taken it the wrong way. She’d better explain. ‘Look, I just know what it’s like to lose both parents,’ she said. ‘And that wasn’t me trying to—well, you know.’ She blushed again.

Trying to come on to him? From another woman, Tom wouldn’t have been so sure. But with Flora, he knew she was genuine; he hadn’t known her long, but it was obvious that she was the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. She was offering to help because she was kind, because she cared, because she’d lost her own parents and she could understand exactly how Joey felt—and she wasn’t emotionally hopeless with the boy, the way he was.

‘I know it was a genuine offer,’ he said softly, ‘and I’m not trying to come on to you, either.’ Though he knew that wasn’t strictly true. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about Flora Loveday drew him. And it was completely unexpected because she was nothing like the women he usually dated. She wasn’t sophisticated, fashionable or glamorous. But
there really was something about her that made him—well, just
want
her.

Though, right now, he knew he couldn’t think about dating anyone. His life was too complicated. He pulled himself together. ‘It’s always good to make a new friend. Especially one as kind as you.’

She blushed even more, and Tom couldn’t help smiling. Flora was so sweet. And there was a vulnerability about her that made him feel protective. Strong.

‘And it’s really all right for you to help me with Joey?’

‘I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.’

Tom closed his eyes for a moment. It seemed as if his prayers had all been answered. ‘Flora, thank you. I have no idea what I would’ve done if you hadn’t offered to help.’

Looking embarrassed, she glanced away. ‘It’s not a big deal. Joey’s a nice little boy. But he might not want to come here.’

Tom smiled. ‘Considering that he was up before I was, this morning—and I always wake at six—and he’d got himself dressed, with odd socks and his shirt on back to front, ready to come and see you and play with Banjo… I think he’s going to say yes. But you’re right—we do need to ask him first.’ He looked over to where his nephew was busy making a fuss of Banjo, rubbing the dog’s tummy while the spaniel had his eyes closed in bliss.

‘Joey—can you come here a moment, sweetheart, please?’

Joey eyed the dog, clearly torn between making a fuss of him and doing what his uncle had asked, but eventually trotted over.

‘How would you feel about Flora picking you up from after-school club in future?’ Tom asked.

Joey frowned. ‘Carol picks me up from school.’

‘I know, but Carol has to go to live in London very soon,’ Tom said gently. ‘It’s a big change for you, I know, but I’ve
been trying to find someone you’d like to stay with while I’m at work.’

Joey’s hazel eyes turned thoughtful. ‘Would Banjo come, too?’

‘Banjo’s normally here during the day,’ Flora said. ‘But he’d be here to meet you when we got back from school. You could help me take him for a walk. Would you like that?’

Joey considered it, then nodded shyly.

‘And then I’ll come and fetch you as soon as I’ve finished work,’ Tom said.

‘Can I play with Banjo again now?’

Tom smiled. ‘Sure.’

Joey raced back to the dog and found the squeaky bone.

‘When do you want me to start picking him up?’ Flora asked.

Tom thought about it. ‘Carol’s right in the middle of packing everything now. It’s pretty disruptive for Joey, and I’m trying to keep things as calm as I can.’ Calm and relaxed, like it was here at the farmhouse, Tom thought. Everything was neat and tidy, though it wasn’t the kind of house where you’d be scared to move a cushion out of place. It was more that everything felt
right
just where it was, warm and welcoming and organised and comfortable. Just what Joey needed.