Page 59 of Just the Beginning

Steve rocked back, eyes wide. ‘I thought you and Davy were getting on like a house on fire. What happened?’

She shrugged. ‘It’s fine.’ It wasn’t anything close to fine, but she wasn’t going to get into it. Steve was a nice guy, but she wasn’t about to bare her heart and soul to him. ‘It was only ever a temporary measure, something to get me back on my feet until I got settled in.’

‘Oh, sure. No, no, I get it. Well, for what it’s worth I think it’s a shame because Davy’s never been happier than since you started working here.’

Which Anya supposed only went to show that Davy could be as deceptive and false as his great-nephew. ‘Well, I need to get back to Freya, so I’ll leave you to it.’ She shouldered her bag and took a few steps towards the door.

‘Hey, Anya?’ She turned to look back. ‘If you hear anything about Davy, will you drop me a text?’

She nodded. ‘Of course.’

‘Thanks.’ Steve’s brows drew down. ‘If they keep him in, who’s going to look after this place?’

‘That’s something the family will have to sort out.’ She’d agreed to come back because it was clear Rick had been in a state earlier, but she hadn’t forgiven Davy for what he’d said to her. She hoped he was going to be okay, but he wasn’t her problem. Perhaps her mum had been right all along and she should’ve taken Freya and gone to stay with them. After all, there was nothing keeping either of them here. It had been kind of her aunt and uncle to invite them to stay, but they would surely be relieved to let everything go back to normal. She felt a twinge of guilt about leaving Chloe in the lurch, before brushing it away. Her cousin had likely only included her in her business plans because she felt sorry for her. Chloe would be just fine on her own, and no doubt glad to get her home back once they moved out.

She let herself into the summer house about fifteen minutes later to find Chloe and Freya sitting together on the sofa,Frozenonce again playing on theTV.

‘Not this again!’ Anya said, dredging up a smile from somewhere. Whatever her problems, Freya didn’t need to get drawn into them.

‘Mummy!’ Freya jumped up and ran over for a hug. ‘Chloe wants to stay for tea. I told her we’re having nuggets!’

‘It was an offer too good to refuse,’ Chloe said, holding out her arms to catch Freya and pull her back up on the sofa. She turned to meet Anya’s eyes as she set her bag down on the kitchen counter across from them. ‘Mum had something to do, so I said I’d hold the fort.’ The brightness of her tone was a stark contrast to the worry etched on her face. Obviously word about Davy had started to spread around the family.

‘Thanks. I got held up at work, but I’m glad you’ve agreed to stay for tea. The nuggets are optional, though.’

Chloe pressed her hands to her chest as though shocked Anya would even suggest such a thing. ‘No way, I’m only here for the nuggets.’

Anya laughed as she opened the little freezer above the fridge and pulled out two bags. ‘Right then, potato faces or chips?’

With Chloe’s help, Anya managed to make everything seem normal for Freya. After dinner, Anya found a pack of cards and they played snap and go fish until it was time for Freya’s bath. The excitement of the extra company soon wore her out and she was yawning her little head off as Anya dried her and got her into her pyjamas. She didn’t even want Anya to read her a story, happy to lie down with her audiobook and her coloured light painting patterns across the room.

Anya pulled the bedroom door to and found Chloe with a dishcloth in her hand, drying the last of their dinner things. ‘Oh you didn’t have to do that.’

Chloe set aside the towel and gave her hug. ‘It was the least I could do. Have you heard anything yet?’ She sniffed back a sudden tear. ‘I suppose it’s a miracle he made it to the age he has without anything serious until now, but when Mum told meearlier about Davy having cancer—’ She stopped herself, eyes widening in horror. ‘Oh, I shouldn’t have broken it to you like that! I wasn’t thinking!’

Anya hugged her again. ‘I found out this morning. Let me see if I’ve had a message from Rick.’ She went to double-check her phone, but there wasn’t so much as a text. ‘Nothing.’

Chloe swallowed, but did her best to smile. ‘No news is good news, isn’t that what they say?’

Anya hugged her again. ‘Let’s hope so. Do you want a coffee?’

Chloe nodded. ‘Let me message Mum and see if she’s spoken to Dad since he called her earlier.’

They’d just sat down when there was a quiet tap on the door and Helen let herself in. ‘Your dad just called, so I thought it’d be easier to come and update you both rather than trying to explain it all in a text.’

Anya jumped up. ‘Come and sit down. The kettle’s just boiled; do you want a drink?’

Helen shook her head as she took a seat in the armchair. ‘I am awash with tea as it is.’

Anya sat back down. ‘How bad is it?’

Her aunt gave her an appraising look. ‘You knew?’

‘About the cancer? Only since this morning. I opened a letter about Davy needing to go in for a scan by mistake. We had a bit of a row about it.’ She rubbed a hand over her face as a wave of tiredness washed over her. ‘And then Rick and I had a much bigger row about it.’

‘Poor Rick,’ Helen said, shaking her head. ‘He’s in everyone’s bad books.’

‘So he bloody well should be!’ Anya clamped her mouth shut for a moment. ‘Sorry, never mind about that now. What did Uncle Ryan tell you?’

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