Page 33 of A Chance in a Million
‘I’m sure he will.’ Veronica sat down at the kitchen table and looked across at Jane. ‘How did it go with David yesterday?’
‘He got his tooth fixed. He said it’s stopped hurting.’ Jane busied herself at the coffee machine.
‘Yes, he told me, but I was wondering how things went between you and him.’
Jane glanced around in surprise. ‘It was fine. He was a bit taciturn at first but we did a fair bit of chatting.’ This was stretching the truth but she felt she had to give his mother an encouraging account of how the day had gone.
‘That’s good to hear.’ There was a pause and Jane realised that her employer was maybe feeling a bit reticent, but she soon saw her rally. ‘He’s got to get out more. He needs somebody to talk to. I’ve been speaking to Flora and she feels the same way. It’s not natural for a man in his thirties to lock himself away and bury himself in his books like this.’ Jane set down her coffee in front of her and Veronica looked up and produced a little smile. ‘And before you say it, I’m aware of the irony that while the son can’t get away from books, his mother can’t start writing one.’
‘Still no ideas?’ Jane sat down opposite her and felt the dog sit down heavily on her foot as she did so. ‘Dino, get off, you great lump. You’ve got a bony backside.’ Shifting her foot slightly, she tried again in her most encouraging tone. ‘Have you considered a change of genre? Maybe try turning your hand to a thriller or a detective story? You know what they say about a change being as good as…’
‘I don’t know, Jane, I honestly don’t.’ The frustration in Veronica’s voice was plain to hear. ‘What about you? Started your romance?’
Jane told her how far she had got with her planning of the book while in the back of her mind the suspicion began to dawn that maybe Veronica had had an ulterior motive in sending her to Venice in the company of her son. Was her boss counting on her to shake him out of his depression and his near hermitic state? Could it be that Jane now found herself in the position of having to provide encouragement and support not only to her employer but also to her employer’s son? That was quite some job description and one that had been singularly lacking from the sheet the solicitor had read out to her. The other question was how Jane felt about adding this to herTo Dolist.
The answer didn’t require much thought. It was a resounding yes. Nothing would give her greater pleasure than to cheer him up and maybe, just maybe, get him to a stage when he might be prepared to shave off the unsightly mass of hair that threatened to smother him, and reveal the very handsome man she had spotted in the photo. What might happen after that, of course, was anybody’s guess. Determined not to waste time, she made a suggestion.
‘I was going to pop across to see him in a minute to ask if I could borrow Dino for my walk. Maybe I could try to persuade him to come too.’
‘That sounds like an excellent idea, but don’t get your hopes up too much.’ Veronica was still looking gloomy. ‘That trip to the dentist yesterday was his first excursion out since he came back from France.’
Jane took a sip of her coffee. ‘Has he always been so antisocial?’
‘Very much the opposite. He was always very outgoing.’
‘Lot of friends?’
‘Loads – male and female. He’s been back in Italy now for two years and, as far as I know, he hasn’t been in contact with any of them.’ This struck a familiar chord with Jane but she didn’t comment other than to ask the same question she had already asked, to which she received the same answer.
‘So what happened to make him suddenly want to go off the grid?’
‘You’d better ask him.’ An unmistakable pall of sadness flooded across Veronica’s face. ‘He doesn’t want to talk about it, but I know it would help him if he could only begin to open up.’ She looked across the table at Jane. ‘Somehow I get the feeling you might be the one to get him to start.’
‘That’s what your mother-in-law said. Why me?’
‘The army: you were both in it and you both left under unhappy circumstances.’
Jane just nodded. ‘I certainly did and I owe you the full story, but it’s tough. Maybe it’s the same for him but it brings back so many bitter memories. I promise Iwilltell you what happened. I haven’t really told anybody yet.’
To her surprise, Veronica smiled back at her. ‘You see? This is why I think you and David should be able to talk. Shared experiences, shared suffering and, hopefully, shared healing.’
In spite of herself, Jane had to ask. ‘Suffering? Was he wounded too?’
Veronica reached across the table and caught hold of Jane’s hand. ‘I’m afraid so, but what about you? You’re all right now, aren’t you?’ She looked genuinely concerned.
‘I’m fine, thanks.’ Jane had to take another sip of coffee before continuing. ‘So, what about David? Was he invalided out?’
‘Not exactly.’ Veronica squeezed her hand before releasing it. ‘But it’s best if he tells you himself.’
What on earth did ‘not exactly’ mean?
Half an hour later Jane was just about to go over to see David to ask if he wanted a walk or at least if she could take Dino with her – although the dog had set up camp in her kitchen and was sleeping peacefully under the table with his nose on her feet – when she had another visitor.
‘Ciao, Jane.’
‘Hi, Beatrice. No Linda today?’
‘No, she’s got the same tummy bug that Di had yesterday.’
