Page 55 of Could It Be Magic?
48
After a night spent in less than peaceful slumber, Thea decided she wasn’t going to let Ed continue to play on her mind. He’d had too much power over her and their relationship when she’d been living with him, and she wasn’t going to allow him to do the same after so much time apart. If he wanted the children to meet, then it was going to be on her terms, not his. She looked at the message he’d sent again:
Thea, Sorry to contact you out of the blue. I understand Cora and my son Ben have been in touch. We should discuss how to proceed. Please message me when you have a moment to discuss next steps, and we can arrange a conversation. Ed.
Thea wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed or relieved at the curt tone of his words. The message said all it needed to say, and no more. But there was so much she wanted to know – the details that would make this meeting easier. Was Ed still in a relationship with Ben’s mother? If so, where were they living? How long had they been together? She felt a sting of something she couldn’t quite identify: not jealousy, but a sense of injustice that he seemed to have moved on, to have made a new life for himself after summarily wrecking the life they’d had when he’d walked out on her and the children. Anger was there, too; if his other son hadn’t contacted Cora, would he have bothered to get in touch with her? Was his message just a reaction to an unfortunate situation enabled by the children’s use of social media?
But all of this was getting her nowhere. She sighed. She’d spent far too long already composing replies, which ranged from courtesy to rage. She just needed to respond and then forget about it until they’d come up with a strategy. Grabbing her phone, she texted back as neutrally as she could, suggesting a phone call when it was a good time. Then, determined not to let Ed and their past get her down while she had another lovely day with the children to enjoy, she deliberately left her phone upstairs, and went down to make breakfast.
Later on, as she’d predicted, Tristan and Charlotte arrived on the doorstep, having chosen to walk off the excesses of the previous day. Persuaded off the sofa by Comet, who was raring for a longer walk, the children headed off into the woodland, leaving the adults to natter and stretch their legs.
‘It was such a nice day yesterday,’ Thea said. She’d grabbed her phone again, but as yet hadn’t had a reply from Ed. Nick had sent her a couple of texts, though, and she’d replied to him. She was hoping she might see him over the next day or two.
‘It really was. Here’s to many more to come.’ Tristan, who had the ability more than anyone to sense when there was something on Thea’s mind, looked at her intently. ‘Everything all right?’
Thea paused. She needed to talk to someone, and since Charlotte was ahead with the children and Comet, it seemed as good a time as any to confide in her brother. As she filled him in, Tristan’s expression turned from shock to outrage.
‘That absolute twat!’ he fumed. ‘How dare he waltz back into your life, on Christmas Day of all days, and start making demands about the kids. Who the fuck does he think he is?’
Thea shrugged. ‘He’s the kids’ father, if nothing else.’
‘Not that you’d know it, after all this time.’ Tristan stopped walking and put a hand on Thea’s arm. ‘How are you handling it?’ His tone was a little gentler as his anger subsided.
‘I’m OK, I guess,’ Thea kicked at an embedded stone on the path with the toe of her walking boot. ‘It’s all been a bit of a shock, but Ed and I owe it to the kids to do things in a civilised way, even if he has been out of my children’s lives for so long.’ She took a breath. ‘I’m going to suggest I meet him, without any of the kids, and then we can work out what happens next.’
‘Are you sure you want to do that?’ Tristan asked. ‘It’s been over eleven years since you split up. And if this new child of his is only ten, he didn’t really hang around, did he? Doesn’t that piss you off, even a little bit?’
‘Of course it does!’ Thea booted the stone, having dislodged it from the ground. ‘But what’s the point in holding onto all that? It is what it is, and we’ve both moved on with our lives. All I need to be sure of is that he’s not in the same place with the gambling addiction that he was when he left. I won’t put my children at risk.’
‘You’re a whole lot calmer about this than I thought you’d be, sis,’ Tristan replied. ‘I mean, I wasn’t living with the guy, and I still want to feed him to the loan sharks – feet first!’
Thea laughed. ‘That’s my brother – protective until the end.’ She hugged Tristan. ‘I know it’s difficult to understand, but I’ve managed to build a life of my own, to move on. Ed can’t hurt me any more. If there’s a way that Cora and Dylan can get to know him, and this half-brother of theirs, without our old emotions and our past getting in the way then I have to try to make it work.’
‘Just don’t go promising anything that’ll backfire on you, sis.’ Tristan hugged her back. ‘I don’t want you getting hurt again.’
‘I won’t.’ Thea paused. She felt a little emotional as she asked the question she’d been wanting to broach since they’d started talking about the Ed situation. ‘When I do agree to meet him… will you come with me, Tris? I think I need my brother by my side if I’m going to get through this.’
Thea saw Tristan swallow hard before he replied gruffly, ‘Of course I will. Name the time and place and I’ll be there.’ He paused before adding more playfully, ‘And I’m not joking about the bloody sharks!’
That afternoon, feeling a whole lot better about what she was going to do, Thea took a deep breath and arranged a meeting with Ed.
49
Two days later, with the kids safely ensconced on the sofa at home, arguing over who got to play which character on Dylan’s newly acquired Sword Fighter 3 game, Thea headed out of the house and down to the Star and Telescope pub in the centre of Lower Brambleton. Ed had been more than happy to travel to meet her, so she figured she might as well gain the upper hand and meet on familiar territory. As she pulled up in the car park, she wondered which of the cars was his. When he’d left her, he’d only the clothes on his back.
Tristan, glowering in the passenger seat beside her, turned and looked her in the eye. ‘Are you sure about this? You don’t have to do it, you know.’
Thea smiled at her brother. ‘You and I both know that’s not true. It’s better all round if the kids get to know each other and the adults behave in a civilised way.’
‘You don’t owe him civilised,’ Tristan muttered. ‘You don’t owe him anything.’
Thea was grateful for his protective streak, but she also knew she was right. ‘I’m glad you’re here to keep an eye on things,’ she said. She reached out and touched his arm. ‘I’m sure Ed won’t want any trouble, either. It’s been a long time.’
‘I’ll be at the bar if you need me,’ Tristan said. ‘All you have to do is say the word, and I’ll be right there next to you.’
‘I know. And I appreciate it.’ Thea and Tristan headed into the bar of the Star and Telescope, which was reassuringly busy on this ‘Betwixtmas’ day. Lots of locals, it seemed, had taken the time off between Christmas and New Year, and while Thea felt nervous about being spotted conversing with Ed, she was grateful for the public place. Taking a deep breath, she headed through to the lounge area of the pub, keeping her eyes peeled for him. If this meeting went well, then she’d consider allowing the children to come along next time.
Over in the far corner, near the large fireplace that dominated the space, a man was sitting alone at a table. He was looking down at his phone, and so as she paused at the entrance to the lounge, Thea had the advantage. She noticed that his hair was grey, and that he was heavier set than he had been when they’d been together. He was dressed tidily in a polo shirt and dark jeans, with a jacket slung over the back of the chair. She couldn’t help wondering if he was playing the online slot machines while he waited. Heading across the lounge towards him, he looked up as she approached the table.
