‘It’ll iron out, one way or the other; especially now he has his awesome big brother on his side.’
‘I wish I could have your confidence in me.’ He gave her a tiny, hopeful, rather adorable smile. ‘I don’t suppose you can have a word at Hendry’s about a job for him?’
Phoebe would love to say yes. But she could think of nothing worse than suggesting wayward and unreliable Archie as an employee at the store where she was working hard to make a name for herself. Thankfully, there was no need to lie. ‘I’m afraid they’re laying off, if anything. They didn’t even fill my old job when I left the shop floor.’
‘I’m sorry for asking. It was a shot in the dark.’
‘Just you wait,’ Phoebe said with an encouraging smile, ‘this time next week everything will be forgiven and back to normal and Archie will be home.’
‘Yeah… I suppose you’re right.’ He got up and kissed her. ‘Listen to me… I should be asking you about your day. Let me make you a drink and then you can tell me all about it.’
Phoebe watched him fill the kettle. She didn’t much feel like talking about her day anymore.
*
Phoebe counted the notes again. She was certain she’d had a ten and a twenty in her purse when she’d left work the previous evening, and now there was only the ten. She marched through into the living room where Archie was still in Jack’s towelling dressing gown reading the sports pages of the Echo. She held back a deep sigh of irritation. Two weeks had passed since he’d moved in and he had not shown the slightest inclination of getting himself a job or a flat of his own. Often, he didn’t get out of bed until Phoebe had left for work and God knew how Jack managed to get his own work done with his brother’s constant and demanding presence every day. There were times, at first, when he had been good company despite the baggage he brought – a breath of fresh air in the house – and they’d had a laugh around the dinner table. But those times became less frequent the longer he stayed and the worse the friction between them became. Archie’s only redeeming feature now was that he was extraordinarily good with Maria and she seemed to love having him around. Even that would only take him so far, though.
‘Where’s Jack?’ she asked. ‘I thought he was in here with you.’
‘The old woman next door shouted him over to change a bulb or something,’ Archie replied, his eyes not moving from the paper. Phoebe wanted to snatch it from his grip and shove it in the bin. Chances were he was looking for something to bet on anyway so she’d be doing him a favour really, not to mention it being immensely satisfying.
‘You mean Doreen?’
‘Yeah, her.’
‘So, where is Maria?’
Archie shrugged.
‘Did Jack ask you to keep an eye on her if he was going around to help next door?’
‘Yeah, but I thought she was with you.’
‘I was in the shower!’ Phoebe stormed out. Maria wouldn’t be far away but it didn’t stop Phoebe’s annoyance at his lack of consideration. It wasn’t good enough for him simply to assume that Maria was ok; it was Archie’s job to check if Jack had entrusted her care to him, no matter how long it was for and how close Jack was to home. She marched back into the kitchen. ‘Maria!’
There was no reply. Phoebe ran to the bottom of the stairs. ‘Maria!’
Still nothing. Shit, where was she? Phoebe glanced at her watch. She was going to be late for work if she didn’t get a move on, but she couldn’t go out and leave things as they were. She raced upstairs to check but every room was empty.
‘Archie!’ she yelled as she clattered downstairs again. ‘I can’t find her!’
Archie ambled out from the living room. ‘Chill… she’ll be outside or something.’
‘Outside? What for? She ought to be getting ready for school.’ Phoebe pushed past him and through to the back door. Sure enough, the key was in the lock and it had been opened.
Maria was in the garden digging up the marguerite patch with an expression of intense concentration. She sang as she worked, lost in her own little world. Her hands were filthy and next to her lay a pile of blooms complete with roots and clumps of earth.
‘What are you doing?’ Phoebe cried.
Maria looked up and smiled. ‘Getting some flowers for Miss Poxon. She’s having a baby and she’s leaving today but Daddy forgot to get some yesterday. He said I could take some from the garden.’
‘I’m not sure he meant like that; I think he was going to help you cut them.’ Phoebe rushed over to take the trowel from her. It looked as though Maria had managed to get into the locked shed somehow too, and God only knew what was in there that she could kill or maim herself with. Three adults in the house and still Maria had managed to get into danger. But the real culprit here was Archie. ‘Come on…’ Phoebe led Maria back into the kitchen to wash her muddy hands. ‘I’ll cut you some flowers when we’ve cleaned you up. You should have come to get me or Archie.’
‘Archie said he would come in a minute but then he carried on reading the paper. You were in the bathroom. I knew where the keys were so I could do it.’
‘I know you could, spud.’ Phoebe pulled a chair to the sink and ran the tap as Maria clambered up to wash. ‘But there are dangerous things in the shed and a grownup should be with you in there.’
‘I didn’t touch anything dangerous.’
Archie’s voice came from the doorway. ‘You’re not dumb like all the other kids, are you?’
Phoebe spun around. He folded his arms and leaned against the door frame, directing a challenging glare at Phoebe. She shot one right back.
‘You were supposed to watch her,’ Phoebe growled.
‘Nothing happened.’
‘That’s not the point.’
Archie shrugged. ‘What do you care? It’s not like you’re her mum or anything.’
Phoebe’s mouth dropped open. In any other situation it might have looked comical, but there was nothing funny about the simmering resentment that filled the space between them, so strong it was almost palpable.
Phoebe glanced at Maria. She was watching the exchange, a look of confusion on her face. ‘It’s alright,’ Phoebe said, trying to smile for her. ‘Why don’t you go and fetch your shoes and we’ll go next door to tell Daddy you’re ready for school?’
Maria nodded before climbing from the chair and running from the kitchen.
‘That was a vile thing to say!’ Phoebe snapped as soon as Maria had left the room.
‘True.’
‘Of course I’m not Maria’s mum. But right at this moment I’m about as close as she’s got.’
‘Don’t flatter yourself. You’re nothing like Rebecca and you’ll always be a poor substitute.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve never tried to be Maria’s mum. All I meant was there was nobody else looking out for her just then.’
‘It means that you think you can come into our lives and fix everything. Well, you can’t.’
‘Nobody can fix the problems you bring, it seems,’ Phoebe said to Archie in a low voice.
‘I’m not the one kicking off over every little thing…’ He began to mimic her. ‘Jack, this isn’t right, Jack, that’s not proper, Jack, I’m so OCD I can’t stop moaning at you… How he manages to get you to shut up long enough to screw you is a mystery.’
‘That’s uncalled for!’
He jabbed a finger at her. ‘No… you’re uncalled for! Jack was just fine before you turned up messing with his life.’
‘You mean he was a pushover who lent you money whenever you called and didn’t ask any questions?’
‘You mean like you do?’
‘I don’t borrow from him.’
‘Yeah, but I don’t see you paying the mortgage and you practically live here too. Maybe we’re not that different.’
Phoebe stared at him, blood rushing to her face and completely lost for words. What, exactly, was he trying to say?
The front door slammed and Phoebe looked past A
rchie to see Jack make his way up the hallway. ‘Come on, Maria!’ he shouted up the stairs as he passed. ‘Nearly time for school!’ His gaze fell on Archie and Phoebe. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I found Maria digging up the garden.’ Phoebe glared at Archie, daring him to argue. He simply shrugged.
‘Sorry about that, dude. I didn’t notice her slip out.’
‘Where is she now?’ Jack asked.
‘Upstairs getting her shoes,’ Phoebe said. ‘Luckily I found her before she got into any trouble.’
‘What do you want, a medal or something?’ Archie sniped. ‘She wasn’t wrestling Godzilla, she was just in the garden.’
‘She’d also been in the shed with all the pesticides and sharp tools.’
‘She’s not stupid,’ Archie growled.
‘She’s five!’ Phoebe shouted.
‘Woah!’ Jack stepped between them. ‘No harm has been done, right?’
‘Right,’ Archie said.
‘Then what’s this about?’
‘He should have been watching,’ Phoebe said, fighting to keep her temper in check.
‘I know, dude.’ Archie turned to Jack. ‘And I said I was sorry.’
‘I know you are.’ Jack laid a hand on his shoulder.
‘What!’ Phoebe stared at them both now. ‘He gives a half-assed apology and it’s all forgotten?’
‘I’m sorry you had to get stressed before work,’ Jack replied. ‘But Archie’s explained it and no harm was done and I can’t keep banging on about it, can I?’
‘What is wrong with you, Jack?’
‘Wrong with him?’ Archie cut in. ‘What the hell is wrong with you, psycho girl?’
‘That’s out of order,’ Jack said. ‘Don’t speak to her like that.’
‘Whatever. She started it.’ Archie didn’t wait for a reply. He turned and sloped off towards the stairs.
‘Where the hell are you going now?’ Jack called after him.
‘Bed,’ Archie shouted back.
‘Archie!’
‘Leave it,’ Phoebe said. ‘There’s no point. You have got to speak to him about responsibilities though. If I hadn’t asked him where Maria was there’s no telling what she might have got up to.’
‘Don’t labour the point, Phoebe. She didn’t come to any harm and things are hard enough as it is.’
‘Then tell him to leave. You said it would only be for a few days but he’s a part of the furniture now. Why can’t he go home?’
‘Because Mum still hasn’t forgiven him and Dad hasn’t managed to talk her round yet. You know all this; we’ve been over it a thousand times already. I’m doing my best here but it would help if you and Archie could just get along.’
‘We do get along… most of the time.’
‘You used to. It would make life easier for everyone if you both just tried a bit harder.’
‘Maybe your mother shouldn’t let him back home. Maybe it is time he got a place of his own. You said you would talk to him about that.’ It was probably the first and last time she would ever side with Carol Andrews but after checking her purse this morning she had good reason.
‘What does that mean?’
Phoebe hesitated. Did she dare voice her suspicions? ‘It’s just… well, some money has gone from my purse… I mean, I’m sure I had thirty pounds yesterday and now –’
Jack lowered his voice. ‘Are you accusing Archie of stealing from you?’
‘Not stealing, exactly… it’s like you said, he borrows –’
‘Don’t you dare!’
‘Jack?’
‘I don’t want to hear it Phoebe! Not another word! I know he’s getting under our feet and I know that things are strained but what you’re accusing him of is bang out of order.’
‘But…’ Phoebe’s glance went to the floor. What was the point? It seemed that the only person who was allowed to criticise Archie was Jack and if anyone else dared to point out his flaws they got blasted. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
Jack drew a steadying breath and took her in his arms. ‘I know you’re finding this hard. I’m trying to sort it. You have to trust me, ok?’
She nodded. ‘It just seems that you’re not getting anywhere.’
‘I am. It’s going to take time.’
‘I wish we could be how we were before.’
‘We will be. Just be patient, huh?’ He kissed her hair. Phoebe’s frustration subsided in his embrace. How could she stay angry when she knew how hard he was working to make things right? She just wished that waiting for the end result wasn’t so stressful. He looked down at her. ‘Need a lift into work?’
‘Sure, thanks.’
‘I’ll call Maria and drop you off first if you don’t mind being in a bit early. And I’ll sort this stuff, I promise.’
Phoebe had to believe that he would. Much more of this and someone was going to blow, and it would probably be her.
*
Four weeks had never gone by so quickly. And the damage had been insidious and relentless. Archie was still hanging around like an increasingly bad smell, steadfastly refusing any hints that it might be time for him to move on. Phoebe should never have stayed over last night either. Today was the biggest day of her life, and already it was sliding away from her. She and Archie had sniped at each other all evening and she’d drunk too much and stayed up too late as a result. It had been made worse by her foul mood on waking and Jack’s stubborn refusal to admit that something now had to be done about Archie. He kept promising that he was doing all he could, reminding her that these things had to be handled properly and took time. Archie had a recognised addiction, he said, and it had to be treated as such if it wasn’t going to be his undoing. All that Phoebe could see was a sarcastic youth who actively enjoyed causing tension between her and Jack. She had seen the evidence of Jack’s words – leaflets around the house about local help centres for people like Archie, scrawled notes on phone pads from counsellors that Jack was trying to persuade Archie to see – but gambling addiction or not, all she wanted was for Archie to stop making her life so difficult. Just like the rest of the family, he seemed intent on driving Phoebe out because she wasn’t Rebecca. Or maybe he was that contemptuous of everyone. And, the longer things dragged on, the more stubborn Jack seemed to become in his defence of his brother. It was as though Archie was getting under his skin, gradually becoming a normal part of his existence, and Phoebe could see a day looming where Jack wouldn’t want him to leave even if he offered. There had been spats, of course, and stern words full of disapproval, but even those seemed fewer these days. Phoebe had to face the truth that Jack liked having Archie around. Increasingly, she’d started to wonder whether he actually preferred Archie being there to her. It was crazy to be jealous of a brother, but there it was.
Today, however, she needed to focus on the thing she and Dixon had been planning for weeks, and she had to get it right.
Jack peered around the bedroom door as she got ready. ‘Would a coffee help? It’s freshly ground… your favourite with the cinnamon in…’
Phoebe tried to smile. It was his way of making up without either of them having to admit there had been a problem in the first place. It was how things always were nowadays. ‘Sounds amazing.’
He left the cup on her bedside cabinet and came up behind her as she stood at the mirror. He reached to kiss the back of her neck, but Phoebe shook him off. It was a sudden and instinctive response. In that instant she couldn’t bear him to touch her. She was still angry and frustrated and bringing her a coffee wasn’t going to fix that so easily. She could see his reflection in the mirror as she buttoned her blouse. He looked hurt, and she knew she had wronged him in a way he didn’t deserve, but she couldn’t help the anger she felt. She tried constantly not to direct it at him, but instead at the situation they found themselves in. She knew Jack was a good, kind man who could never kick Archie out, and she didn’t really expect him to. The fact remained, however, that Archie’s continual presence was disrupt
ing their lives more and more each day, and as Phoebe couldn’t be angry at anyone else, poor Jack was getting the full force of her frustration.
‘Archie and I had a talk after you’d gone to bed last night. He’ll leave as soon as he gets a job and finds somewhere to live,’ Jack said, stepping back from her.
Phoebe turned to face him. ‘He’s been saying that for four weeks.’
‘He’s sorry, and he means it this time.’
‘Really? Somehow I don’t see it happening. He’s never going to get a job and he’s never going to get anywhere else to live because he knows you’re daft enough to let him live here rent free.’
‘The guy’s on the ropes. He’s my brother and I have to look out for him.’
‘He has no one to blame for that but himself. I’ve been on the ropes but I never scrounged and I certainly wouldn’t take advantage of my brother.’
‘It’s what families do, isn’t it?’
‘Use each other?’
‘Help each other.’
‘You’re the one doing all the helping. He does little of anything except enjoy your hospitality.’
‘It’s not like that.’
‘That’s how it looks.’
‘You can’t judge from the outside.’
Phoebe planted her hands on her hips. ‘That’s just it, though. I’m not on the outside anymore. And right now, I spend so much time with Archie, I feel like I’m dating him as well as you.’
‘You don’t have to come over.’
‘You don’t want me here?’ Phoebe squeaked.
‘Of course I do! I just mean that you don’t have to come over if you’re sick of seeing him.’
‘And what’s the alternative? Is this you dumping me?’
‘Phoebe… you’re overreacting. I’m not saying anything of the sort.’
‘So now I’m unreasonable and overreacting? Great! Anything else you want to throw at me? Perhaps I’m crap in bed too! Let’s get all the insults out of the way in one go, shall we?’
‘Keep your voice down!’ Jack hissed.
Mishaps in Millrise: Parts 1-4 in one book – plus a little extra… Page 16
