Page 35 of A Simple Mistake
“I’ve never attended a tea dance,” Jess’s father said, choosing his next treat from the tray of pastries, “but I’m grateful you suggested it.Jess is so much happier today.”
The music changed from a waltz to the Charleston, and the number of couples on the dance floor diminished.Jack could waltz, tango, and jive, but the Charleston was outside his repertoire.He watched Jess, who was fiendishly good at it, and who even looked the part.
“Where did Jess find that dress?”Jack asked, while he wondered if he had room for another scone or should take a spoon to the dish of jam.
“At a vintage fair, if you can believe that.”Jess’s father shook his head.“Glorified car boot sale, if you ask me.We were coming back from Cornwall and got stuck in traffic.My two spotted the sign, declared they needed a bathroom, so we pulled in.An hour later we hauled her out of the place with dress in tow.No idea if it’s genuine.”
“Doesn’t matter.She’s making it look the part.”
“That she does.”
Jack wondered if he sounded as fond when he spoke of Daniel and Nico.Gareth sat down beside him a moment later, and Jack handed him the rose petal jam—explanations superfluous.
“We have to do this again.”Tara and her husband re-joined the table, both flushed from dancing.“I’ve not tried to do the Charleston since before we had Carol.And look at the kids—don’t you just love watching them have fun?”
“Those masks were fabulous.Did you take photos?”
“Did you see Jess do the Charleston?”
“You couldn’t keep up!”
“And my feet are killing me!”
“I want to frame a photo for Carol.You should do one for Jess, too.And maybe send some pictures to Skylar.”
“This was so much fun!”
Gareth couldn’t get a word in edgeways, but he had no intention of interrupting the happy melee.While the adults had spent the afternoon enjoying food, conversation, and the occasional dance, the four teenagers had barely left the dance floor.They’d had fun experimenting with their new skills without Manville’s shadow hanging over them, and nobody had had the heart to stop them.
Relief had been palpable around the table.So much so, Gareth planned ways to thank Jack for his brilliant idea—and research the jam Jack had taken a liking to.It couldn’t be all that difficult to make jam from roses, right?
He slanted a glance towards the passenger seat.Jack had his eyes closed and a tiny smile curled the corners of his mouth.Like Gareth, he didn’t interrupt Daniel and Nico, but he also wasn’t in the mood to talk.Gareth let him be and concentrated on getting them home.
Nico and Daniel bolted from the car before he’d switched off the engine.“Wait here.Don’t go in yet.We have a surprise.”
Gareth stared at Nico.“What?”
“Just wait here, okay?”
The two ran off, and Gareth turned his head to see Jack looking as confused as he felt himself.“Any idea what this is about?”
“Not a sausage.”Jack slammed his door and parked his backside against the Ranger’s bonnet.“But I’m willing to give them the benefit, and so on.”
Gareth came to lean beside him.“Are you now?”
“I’m in favour of anything that drops the stress levels around here.If they want to take selfies in private or whatever it is they’re doing, then I say let them.”
Movement at the edge of his vision brought Gareth’s head around.“I don’t think selfies are what they had in mind,” he said, gaze riveted to the windows of Daniel and Nico’s turret.“Look.”
“What the fuck?”Jack had seen it, too.
A rope ladder dropped from the boys’ bedroom window.A moment later, a second ladder went up to the roof.And then Nico swung out of the window and started to climb, with Daniel right behind him.
“Nico didn’t say they’d finished the escape route.”
He most certainly hadn’t, or Gareth would have tested the thing.His heart was in his throat as he watched them cross the ridge tiles—still wearing their suits and smart shoes—and disappear down the far side of the roof.
For the longest time, nothing happened.
