Page 12 of Just the Beginning

Jago nodded. ‘Ryan and I have been talking about it for a while, but any time we try and bring it up, Davy’s always told us that he has everything in hand and not to worry about it.’

Rick scuffed his shoe over a patch of damp moss that had formed near the base of the steps, making a mental note to speak to the maintenance team about it before the summer crowds arrived. The last thing they needed was someone slipping over. ‘I’d just seen Anya at the café and it was clear she’s pretty desperate to find a job. If Davy takes her on then it solves two problems at once.’ He glanced down again at the moss. It would be dark soon. There were lights on the quayside, but it would be easy for someone to miss it in the shadows. Crouching, he pulled his keys out of his pocket and scraped the patch away.

It only took a minute, but when he straightened up it was to find his father smiling at him. ‘You always have to be the one to fix everything, don’t you?’

Rick dropped his gaze, uncomfortable at how often he’d heard the same accusation recently. ‘I didn’t want anyone to hurt themselves.’

Jago clapped a hand on his shoulder. ‘It wasn’t a criticism, my boy, far from it. And as for getting Anya to help Davy out, it sounds like the perfect solution.’

They headed up the steps, Jago leading the way. ‘Your mum texted earlier saying she can’t be bothered to cook, so I’m going to call in the chippy. Do you want anything?’

‘No, thanks. I’m heading over to Anya’s in about an hour.She’s going to make supper while we thrash out the details of her job. Davy told me I could sort it out because it was my smart idea.’

His dad chuckled. ‘That sounds like him.’ They reached the road, both pausing and glancing both ways on autopilot before heading across towards the bright lights of Good Cod! where there was a short queue already waiting. ‘You don’t have to wait with me,’ Jago told Rick after they’d greeted everyone.

Rick pulled out his phone and checked the time. ‘I’ve got an hour before I said I’d go to Anya’s. It won’t take me long to get showered and changed.’

Jago smiled and nudged Rick’s shoulder with his own. ‘It’s nice to spend time with you, even if it’s just a few minutes. It feels like we’re ships that pass in the night at home.’

‘Yeah, sorry, I’ve been working on a funding proposal and it’s taking a lot longer than I expected.’

‘Hey, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. You know your mum and I love having you around the place, but we know you’ve got better things to do than hang around with a couple of old farts like us.’

‘Hardly that, Dad.’ His parents were both as fit and as active within the community as he was. In fact, he swore they had a better social life than he did. Being the only one of the four brothers who still lived at home sometimes felt a bit weird to Rick. Liam was off in London doing something complicated with numbers and enjoying the high life with his girlfriend. Harry had moved out years ago, going to live with their grandparents when he was still at school because he was off the rails and in danger of dragging his twin brother, Ed, with him. He’d eventually been diagnosed with severe dyslexia, but by then he’d developed such an aversion to school it had been almost impossible to get him to go. Their parents had paid a smallfortune in fines from the local authority, but nothing could shift Harry from the safety of their grandfather’s boat shed. Things hadn’t got any better after school, and for a while it had looked like Harry might end up in jail, or worse. Rick could still remember the sound of their mother crying herself to sleep.

Harry had settled down now, thank God, and being away from his direct influence had helped Ed focus on his own studies. He’d moved out to go to university and never really settled back home afterwards, so it had been little surprise when he and their cousin Matt had decided to get a place together. The only thing that had been a surprise was the fact they’d been able to find anywhere to rent.

The rise of the short-term rental market and the popularity of holiday lets meant that properties had become a premium in the village, so it had suited Rick to stay put. With the others gone, their parents had let Rick convert one of the now spare bedrooms into a study and lounge for himself. It wasn’t quite the same as having his own apartment, but he had enough space to do as he wished, and that was enough for now.

Rick waited until his father had placed his order and the pair of them wandered back outside to wait. ‘I love spending time with you guys. My proposal needs a bit more work but the submission deadline is the 16th. Why don’t I make supper for us the following Friday? I can see if the twins are free. Harry will probably be busy at the restaurant, but if we eat late he might make it for dessert or at least a drink, and unless Ed’s got a date, he’s never knowingly turned down a free meal.’

His father beamed. ‘That would be lovely. It’s been too long since we were all together.’ His smile dimmed a little and Rick knew he was thinking about Liam. Thankfully, a voice called Jago’s name from inside the chip shop, distracting him. Rick added another mental note to his seemingly never-ending list toget in touch with his elder brother and see if there was any chance of him coming home for at least a weekend over the summer. He supposed he’d have to extend the invitation to Caroline. A memory of overhearing his brother’s girlfriend mocking their mother’s accent surfaced and he grimaced. Maybe not. Why the two of them were a couple, Rick would never know. Love did funny things to a man’s brain, apparently. Then again, at least Liam was in a settled relationship rather than wasting years pining over a woman who had never wanted to be anything other his friend.

8

‘And the fairy princess and the blacksmith lived happily ever after.’ Anya closed the book and set it on the floor by the bed. ‘Lie down now,’ she said, lifting up the top of Freya’s quilt to encourage her daughter to do as she was told.

‘But I’m not tired,’ she protested, a telltale pout appearing.

Not tonight, please. She knew all the change must be unsettling, but sticking to a routine was vital. Everything had gone to pot after Drew’s death, and Anya had needed the comfort as much as Freya had, but once the initial shock had passed, Anya had worked hard to establish a new normal for them both. If she backslid now it would make settling in that much harder. ‘You will be once you lie down.’

‘But—’

‘This isn’t a discussion, Freya. Now lie down, please.’

Freya’s bottom lip worked like she still wanted to protest, but she did at least shuffle down in her bed until her head was resting on her pillow.

‘That’s my good girl.’ Anya leaned forward and kissed herforehead. ‘How about I put your special light on and you can listen to one of your sleepy stories?’

‘Yes, please.’ Freya rolled on her side, tucking one hand beneath her cheek, and Anya could feel her watching her as she fumbled for the plug for the little lamp that cast coloured lights across the walls and ceiling. They’d seen it in the central aisle in Aldi, where in any given week you might find a slow cooker sitting in between a screwdriver set and a cuddly toy. It always reminded Anya a bit of the prizes conveyor belt they used to have at the end ofThe Generation Game. She flipped the power switch on and lines of soft pink and white light illuminated the room. Retrieving her tablet from her bedside table, Anya opened her relaxation app and scrolled through to the kids’ stories section. She clicked on Freya’s favourite playlist and set the volume low.

‘How’s that?’

‘Thanks, Mummy.’ Freya already sounded sleepy.

Anya stroked her hair and kissed her once more. ‘I’ll only be in the next room, okay?’

‘Okay. Mummy?’

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