Page 105 of An Unholy Affair
Jack: Minx, it’s nearly midnight… Go to sleep XXX
Eveline: Will do. Glad you’ve arrived safe and sound. Sweet dreams and hope to speak tomorrow xxx
Jack: Definitely XXX
‘Dack! Dack!’
Jack’s navigation out of dreamland started with a high-pitched version of his name, followed by excruciating pain as his niece jumped onto his airbed and landed straight on his junk.
‘Fu—aaggghhh!’ he yelled, rolling onto his side.
Betsy giggled and patted the side of his face. ‘Wakey-wakey, Dack-Dack.’
He opened his eyes to see his mum’s slippered feet in the doorway.
‘I’ve made you a cup of tea,’ his mother said.
‘Nana!’ Betsy slammed into Patricia’s legs and hugged them.
Jack sat, the bed squeaking and shifting uncomfortably beneath him, and took the mug from his mother. ‘Thanks. What time is it?’
‘Almost seven-thirty. We let you lie in.’
Seven-thirty is a lie in?His mind went to Eveline. She would have been up an hour and a half already.
‘I’m going to help with Betsy’s breakfast,’ Patricia said. ‘Can I make you something?’
Jack blinked. His mother was behaving very,verystrangely. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Fine, thank you. I slept very well.’
Betsy toddled back to him. ‘Nana sleep with me!’
‘Come along, darling,’ his mum said to her. ‘Let’s leave your uncle to get dressed and we’ll help with breakfast.’
‘Pantakes?’
His mother took her hand. ‘Let’s see what your mummy says, shall we?’
As the door closed, Jack stared at it, wondering if the house had teleported to an alternate universe. He wasn’t going to jinx it by asking his mum why she’d suddenly turned into grandparent of the year, but it was weird as fuck and picked at the edges of his painful childhood memories.
He turned on his phone.
Eveline: I hope you slept well. I also wanted to say thank you for putting up the electric fence. It seems to be doing the trick! xxx
Jack: Glad to hear it. Let me know when you’re free today and I’ll take a walk and give you a bell XXX
Jack put his phone down and got washed and dressed. His sister’s bedroom door was closed, so he crept downstairs. Steph was coming out of the kitchen, hissing into her mobile.
‘Fuck’s sake, Andy,youhandle it. Em only gave birth yesterday—’ She nodded at Jack and rolled her eyes as she passed him to enter the living room. ‘And I’m legally allowed two weeks of parental leave.’
The door shut behind her and Jack carried on into the kitchen. Inside, Betsy was kneeling on a chair at the kitchen island holding open a cookbook, whilst his mother stirred a bowl of pancake batter.
‘Can I help?’ he asked.
His mum looked up. ‘Can you get me some more milk from the fridge? It’s looking a bit thick.’
Jack’s hand stilled on the fridge door. It was covered with photos of Betsy, including several of him, holding her at various stages of her life. There were none of his mum or dad. It couldn’t have been clearer that Jack had been in the UK and stayed here many times before. Not one of those trips had included a visit to Foxbrooke.
