Alphabet Weekends - Elizabeth Noble [71]
Tom had had no idea things were so bad. He stood up and went to her, put his arm round her shoulders. ‘It’ll be all right, Lucy.’
Why did people say things like that – issue platitudes when they had no idea if there was any truth in them?
‘How, Tom?’ She batted it right back to him.
‘He needs time. You two need a bit of space, maybe.’
And what about me? Lucy thought. He doesn’t even know the half of it. He sure as hell wouldn’t have his arm round me if he did. ‘Oh, yeah. Spoken like a childless bloke. How are we going to get that? And don’t even think of suggesting Cynthia. You saw what she was like at the wedding. She’s the last person he wants help from right now.’
‘Let me have the kids for a couple of days.’
‘I couldn’t do that.’ But already there was hope in Lucy’s voice. She desperately wanted to remember why she had chosen to spend her life with Patrick. She wanted him to push Alec away for her.
‘Of course you could. How about next weekend? Book something. I’ll move in here with Bella and Ed. Do the crazy-uncle thing for a couple of days. The two of you can grab a bit of sanity back. Have the chance to talk properly. That’s all it’ll take.’
‘Do you think?’
‘I’m sure.’ He patted her shoulder.
She laid her head on his hand, then kissed it. ‘You’re a poppet, Tom. Thanks. They’ll run you bloody ragged.’
‘You haven’t heard my plan yet!’
Tom’s mobile number flashed on her phone. She pushed the green button, tucked it under her ear and took another bite of her sandwich.
‘What the hell are you eating?’
‘Sandwich.’
‘With gravel in it?’
‘Pickled onions, if you must know.’
‘That’s disgusting.’
‘Did you ring me to discuss my choice of sandwich fillings, or was there something else?’
Tom loved the laugh in her voice. She just sounded happy. The radio station should give her that plonker’s job – she’d be a reason to switch on. ‘There was, as it happens. This week’s letter. My choice, I believe. The good news is, you don’t need any special equipment for this one.’
‘That is good news.’
‘Hang on – you might actually need a hard hat.’
‘I’m not, not, not going pot-holing, Tom. I really do draw the line at that.’
‘Since when did pot-holing start with a K?’
‘You’re such a smartarse.’
‘And you have disgusting taste in sandwiches.’
‘I may hang up before you get the chance to tell me.’
‘Don’t do that. I know you can’t wait, really.’
Natalie yawned theatrically into the phone.
‘K,’ he announced, ‘is for Kids.’
‘Aren’t we back at H for Hotel, now? And you remember what happened there!’
‘Don’t flatter yourself, darling. I don’t mean our kids.’
‘Please tell me it’s not goat kids.’
‘It’s not goat kids. It’s Patrick and Lucy’s kids. Bella and Ed. I’m borrowing them for the weekend.’
‘Why?’
‘Apart from the whole K thing? I want to evaluate your skills as a parent.’
‘Fuck off.’
‘There’ll be no swearing, for a start. Not very maternal at all.’
‘Why, Tom?’
‘Seriously? They need a break. Lucy’s pretty frazzled, and she and Patrick aren’t getting along brilliantly. I figured they needed a bit of space and I can give them that.’
‘And I get to help, I suppose?’
‘Well, yes. Strikes me we can kill two birds with one stone. Help Luce, and tackle the letter K. Unless you really fancied Karate or Kayaking, which I don’t imagine you do after the canoeing episode, or the previous front-runner, which was Karaoke…’
‘Kids will be fine. As long as you’re not going to be all Victorian about it. I’m not just chief cook and bottle-washer, you know.’
‘It’ll be an excellent opportunity for you to observe my positively Pied Piperesque way with little people. Part of my irresistible charm, you probably aren’t aware.’
Natalie laughed. ‘Okay, big-head. Although you should know that the real Pied Piper was a very dodgy bloke indeed, who kidnapped real children and did horrible things to them. So let’s go with Mary Poppins, shall we? Sad though I am to be missing the chance to hear you massacre Sinatra, I’ll go with K for Kids. What time d’you want me?’
Kids were probably not this much fun