Page 20 of Just the Beginning

‘No. Ignore him, Mum, he’s being a di—’ It only took a raised eyebrow from his father for Rick to swallow the word. ‘He thinks he’s being funny.’

Ed held up his hands, his face the picture of innocence. ‘What? I just assumed you’d be thrilled that Anya’s back in the village given how often you wrote about her in your diary.’

If Anya caught wind of any of his nonsense, Rick would never forgive him. ‘I was fourteen, for God’s sake, just a stupid kid. I don’t want to hear another word about it, understand?’ he said in a dead-flat tone, and Ed winced as he finally got the message that Anya was one thing he was not prepared to be teased about. He knew his brother was only messing around, but there were times when he pushed a joke too far.

Ed held his hands up again, but his expression was serious this time. ‘I was just mucking about, Freddie. I’m sorry.’

Rick nodded. ‘Fair enough. Look, you can take the piss out of me as much as you like, but after everything Anya’s been through, the last thing she needs is to be subjected to any more gossip, especially when there’s no foundation for it. I helped Anya out because she’s a part of this family now, that’s all.’

It was too early to check on the ragu, but Rick got up and did it anyway, channelling his frustration with his brother’s teasing into the wooden spoon until little flecks of tomato sauce spattered the top of the hob and more than a few landed on the front of his T-shirt. At least he’d chosen black, he thought, dabbing at the spots with a wet dishcloth after returning the pot to the oven. He could hear murmuring behind him, but whatever his father was saying it was too low for him to catch the words. Probably just as well.

By the time he returned to the table the conversation had turned and Jago was recounting a story about the lifeboat being called out from Port Petroc, the largest town along their part of the coast. ‘A couple of blokes on paddle boards got taken out by the current near the Black Rocks,’ his dad said, shaking his head. ‘Didn’t even have life jackets on, stupid fools. Thought they knew what they were doing because they’ve paddled around their local lake a few times.’

Rick frowned. ‘What were they doing near the rocks?’ The Black Rocks was a notorious outcrop about five miles south of Port Petroc with a nasty rip current that had caused more than a few boating disasters.

‘They’re down for the week with their wives and spotteda pretty beach, a lovely quiet spot.’ Jago said the last bit in a sing-song voice, clearly quoting something that had been said. ‘Didn’t occur to them to wonder why no one else wassunbathing there, nor to read the massive warning signs in the car park, for that matter. Luckily one of the wives called for help as soon as she realised they were a lot further out than she expected, and the crew managed to get them off the rocks with the D class.’

‘Were they all right?’ Rachel asked, brows drawn down.

‘A few scrapes and bruises, but other than that they’re fine.’

‘It’s the start of the silly season,’ Ed observed, plucking an olive from a bowl in front of him and popping it into his mouth.

Rick sighed, hoping very much it wasn’t a sign of things to come. They’d all been raised to respect the sea, and not just because of their father’s job. Every child at the village school was given safety lessons in the run-up to the summer holidays, and the council had a ring-fenced fund for lifeguards during the peak months of July and August. It was a big expense for a small village, but they all knew the grim truth – one disaster could ruin a season, and when so many of their livelihoods were bound up in the holiday trade, it was a price everyone deemed worth paying. ‘Speaking of silly season, are you looking to pick up some hours at The Hire Hut again this year? I need to start recruiting, so I want to give you first dibs.’ Ed was in the middle of a part-time marine biology PhD, dividing his time between his course and an administration job he hated but which paid him just enough to keep a roof over his head while studying.

That shifty look from earlier appeared on his brother’s face. ‘I, uh, I’m not sure yet.’ Not meeting his gaze, Ed began forking bits of cheese and cold meat onto his plate.

Was he worried that Rick was mad at him because of his teasing about Anya? ‘Well, I’ll need to know one way or the other by the end of next week.’

Ed nodded. ‘Sure. Look, I don’t mean to mess you around,there’s just a chance I might be able to pick up some extra hours at work, and no offence, but it pays better.’

Rick supposed that made sense. ‘Things improving at the office, I take it?’ Normally Ed couldn’t wait to get out of there.

His brother gave him a funny little smile. ‘Yeah, you could say that.’

‘I’m glad things are looking up for you. I mean, I’d always rather have you around but we’ve all got bills to pay, so I get it. I won’t have any problems filling the job, so don’t worry if you’ve got a better offer.’

‘Yeah, cheers, like I said I’ll let you know asap.’

Ed still looked a bit unsettled, but at least Rick had made it clear to him he was happy to have him. His phone buzzed and he pulled out and read the brief message from Harry.

Can’t make it 2nite. Russ sick.

‘Harry isn’t coming,’ he told the others as he typed a reply back. ‘Russ is sick, so I guess he’s taking charge tonight.’

U ok?

The only reply was a meme of a burning rubbish dumpster floating down a flooded street. Rick chuckled and set his phone back down. As long as Harry was joking, he was fine.

‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ Rachel said. ‘We hardly see him these days.’

‘He has to work in the evenings, love,’ Jago said, reaching for her hand. ‘And the responsibility will do him good.’

She squeezed his hand. ‘I know you’re right, but sometimes I feel like we need to book a table at the restaurant to spend any time with him.’

Jago grinned. ‘Now that sounds like an idea! It’s Ma’s birthday in August. Why don’t we get the whole family together for a party at the restaurant?’ He started counting on his fingers. ‘With all of us, Ma, Pa and Davy, Ryan, Helen and the kids, plus Anya and Freya, of course, that’ll be what? Thirteen? Fourteen?’

Rick ran a quick mental calculation through his head. ‘I make it thirteen, unless you were counting a seat for Harry.’

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