Page 65 of Sanctuary at MacLeod's Cove
Sam cleared his throat and took a step back. ‘OK. I guess if it were the other way around, I’d feel the same. So, what do you intend to do?’
‘If Alistair really is here, I need to find him and meet with him on neutral ground. I can’t have him lurking around the house at any time of day or night. It’ll terrify Liam, not to mention me. No, I need to meet him during the day when there are plenty of people around. And I need to make him understand that there is no longer any possibility of a future between us. I’m going to call him later this morning.’ She pressed her lips together. ‘Although it’ll have to be when Liam is distracted because, obviously, I can’t go to work now.’
‘I think you should go. Liam will be fine. Your mother’s here, and so will I be.’ He arched his eyebrow as she opened her mouth to contradict him.
She grimaced. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘You do what you think best, Jen. You know your son, and you know your ex, so do whatever you think is necessary.’
She nodded, appreciating Sam’s words, and feeling strangely buoyant. It was only after she’d taken a few steps away from him that she figured out why she felt so good. She smiled. He believed in her, and he respected her. She liked that.
Chapter Eighteen
In the end, Jen had decided not to go to work. There was no way she could leave Liam, even if the threat was imagined. So they’d spent the day around the house, flanked by Kate, Sam and Dan, who also called in and stayed most of the day. Jen had no doubt that someone had told him what had happened. Megan, Lucy’s friend, and sundry other friends and neighbours also dropped in. It seemed her family and community were rallying around to make sure no harm came to her and Liam. It made her feel safe. She felt even safer when her attempts to contact Alistair came to nothing.
Ultimately, she had to concede that if Alistair had travelled all the way to New Zealand to find her, presumably he’d wanted to talk to her. Had that been the case, he would have responded to her many messages. The thing that had finally tipped the balance had been talking to her London neighbour, Barbara, who’d helped her escape through her garden. She’d reassured her that Alistair had gone to Scotland for a short break. He’d even given an address for her to forward his mail.
It was a huge relief and had comforted Jen enough to agree with everyone that she should attend the dance after all. And that, to do anything else, would be to allow Alistair to continue to control her wherever she was in the world.
Still, as she stood outside the hall with half the village milling around her, she wished Lucy and Kate were there beside her. But they had tickets for a concert in Paraparaumu that night. Kate hadn’t wanted to go, concerned that the heavy rain forecast might lead to yet another slip either north or south of MacLeod’s Cove, or both. It had happened before, effectively cutting the village off from the outside world. But Lucy had dismissed her concerns out of hand. And, of course, Lucy had got her way. But now Jen wished she hadn’t.
She looked around for Liam. He was playing with another boy she recognised from school. She smiled to herself. Whatever else was going on around him, he was settling in.
When Jen had pressed, Megan, his teacher, had said that Liam had burst into tears a few times when things had got too much, but she’d been nearby and had comforted him. And his friends had, too. She’d reassured Jen that each time it had happened, he’d recovered more quickly than the time before and that it was happening less frequently. He was going to be alright.
She watched as the boys climbed up the bank at the side of the village hall and then rolled down it again, covered in grass. Suddenly the sun vanished, and she glanced up at the sky. The weather had changed. The setting sun had disappeared prematurely behind a bank of clouds advancing along the horizon. She shivered, and wandered over to check out the notices and cards in the community noticeboard, between Lucy’s café and the dairy. Tarot cards, ukulele group, drumming at the summer solstice. She was busy reading another card when she heard a step behind her. She turned to see Sam looking over her shoulder.
‘Fancy the ukulele group? They meet in the library every Thursday.’
‘And you’d know because you’re a member?’ she said, with a grin.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘I’d know because I’ve just read it off the card.’
She laughed. ‘I can’t imagine you with a ukulele.’
‘I’m offended that you can’t see me as musical.’
They fell into step as they walked towards St. Andrews Hall, its warm glow spilling out into Beach Road.
‘I’m not saying that. Maybe…’ She took a step away and tilted her head to one side and pretended to assess him.
‘Something sexy like a bass guitar?’ he suggested, with a raised eyebrow. ‘Hm,’ he nodded, satisfied at the thought. ‘I can see myself standing at the back of a group, giving that rhythmic strum.’
‘No,’ she said, banishing the image from her mind, ‘more like a drummer.’
He huffed a laugh. ‘True. Bashing the hell out of something is more my style.’ Sam glanced at the bench outside the hall, along which sat three boys, including Liam. ‘Looks like Liam’s fitting in fine.’
Jen smiled. ‘Better than I ever could have imagined. But I’m not leaving him outside. I still want him where I can see him.’
‘Fair enough.’ He glanced over at the boys. ‘Hey, boys, you coming in?’
‘Yep!’ they called back before running ahead of Jen and Sam.
Sam greeted people as he entered, and Jen recognised a few faces, too, one of whom engaged her in conversation.
‘I’ll grab us some drinks,’ Sam said. ‘Still enjoy a white wine?’ he asked with a smile.
‘Absolutely,’ she said. ‘Some things never change.’
