A Small Town Affair

by Chrissie Loveday

‘Let’s see how it goes. What time are you on duty tomorrow?’

  ‘Around the middle of the day,’ he murmured, not specifying exactly when.

  ‘You could always come to café for some coffee.’

  ‘I’m not sure. Maybe. Let’s go to bed. I feel as if I could sleep for days.’

  ‘All right. If that’s what you want.’

  She lay awake beside him. He’d fallen asleep as soon as he lay down. She cuddled close to his back but he seemed unaware of her. Her mind was still turning over and over and sleep was far away. How was he going to take the news? He must surely be pleased, even thought their future was still somewhat uncertain. Tomorrow, it had to be.

  For whatever reason, when she awoke the sickness seemed less intense. It was fortunate as Jay lay in bed, watching her get ready for work.

  ‘You’re very beautiful,’ he murmured lazily. ‘It’s such a pity you have to be at work this morning.’

  ‘Well, we can’t all be idle slobs. What are you going to do today?’

  ‘Haven’t decided. I might so something exciting like the washing or go shopping.’

  ‘Proper housewife, aren’t you?’

  ‘Watch it you. Get yourself off to work.’

  ‘I forgot to say. The insurers say I can have a hire car for a couple of weeks. I’ll call the garage and see what’s available.’

  ‘Great. That will be good. If we ever have time to use it. Still, make a change from going everywhere by bus.’ She looked at him quizzically. She hadn’t used a bus in years but he seemed to use it regularly. ‘If you need to go anywhere of course.’

  ‘Where do you go on the bus?’ she asked innocently.

  ‘Into town usually. Shopping and stuff,’ he hedged. ‘Aren’t you going to be late?’

  ‘Yes. I’ll go. See you this evening. We must have that talk.’ She reached over and kissed the top of his head. He smiled and blew her a kiss.

  When she was having her morning break, she saw Jay rushing down the hill and leaping onto the bus as it was leaving. Odd, she thought. He’d said he was working the lunchtime shift. She gave a shrug. Obviously, something had come up. She thought no more about it but he was not home when she arrived back. She began to prepare something for supper and left it ready to finish off when he got back. She went across to the hotel to see if he was there at eight o’clock. Nobody had seen him all day and the implication was that he had the day off. Why had he said he was working, in that case? She saw another service bus coming in and was relieved to see him getting off it. She went down the hill to meet him.

  ‘Hallo you. Where’ve you been all day?’

  ‘Had some business to sort out. Sorry I wasn’t back. Hope you didn’t wait to eat.’

  ‘Course I did. I’ve cooked supper and it’s waiting to be heated through.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I got something in town.’

  ‘You might have called or texted. I needn’t have bothered to cook.’

  ‘Sorry again. Didn’t think. Do you want to go to the pub and have something there? I think there’s a band on tonight.’

  ‘We still need to talk, Jay. I have something to tell you. It’s important.’

  They arrived at the caravan and he looked at the little table, carefully laid and with a candle ready to light.

  ‘I’m sorry. I’d no idea you’d go to any trouble.’ She shrugged trying not to let her irritation show. Where could he have been for so long? ‘What’s so important?’

  ‘Only our whole future together. I assume you do want us to have a future?’

  ‘Of course I do. But it’s too soon to discuss it in detail. I think you need to make things up with your parents first and foremost. Whatever they said at the time, I can’t believe they’d reject their only daughter.’

  ‘And if I don’t?’

  ‘As I said before. You’ll regret it.’

  ‘Actually, there’s something you should hear first.’ He stared at her and frowned. ‘I’m pregnant. You’re going to be a father.’

  ‘What?’ he almost yelled. ‘You can’t be. You can’t possibly be having my baby. I don’t believe it. No, no, no.’ He got up and stomped around the tiny room. ‘No Gina. Georgie. No. You’re not having my baby. Damnation. No.’

  ‘That went well,’ Georgie muttered. ‘I’m sorry Jay but it’s true. I am pregnant. I did a test yesterday and it was positive. Is positive. I’ll show you if you don’t believe me.’

  ‘These tests are never certain. Oh no. Not again. I don’t believe it anyway. Weren’t you taking precautions?’

  ‘No. You knew it was my first time.’ Her voice was feeble with the shock of his reaction.

  ‘But you wanted it. You invited me into your home. Naturally I assumed you knew what you were doing. Ridiculous woman. How could you? I can’t have children. I can’t.’ He went outside, slamming the door behind him, indicating she shouldn’t follow him.

  Her tears fell unchecked. Why on earth was he so angry? If he was so worried about it, he should have used contraceptives. Admittedly, she had given little or no thought to it. This was the very last reaction she had been expecting. She’d thought he’d be pleased. What had he said before she broke the news? Make up with your parents? He had treated her to a meal and champagne the very day he had learned who she was. How could she have been so stupid? He was just like the rest of the boyfriends she’d had. He wanted her for her connections and wealth. Her father was right all along. She should only ever consider marrying someone like Guy. He was an equal. But Guy? Sweet man though he was, she did not love him. She closed her eyes and could only see Jay’s handsome face and lithe body. There was nobody else she had ever met who came anywhere near to him. He had filled her life and her mind since they first met.

  Sobs wracked her body. Her eyes were swollen and she felt sick once more. She rushed to the toilet and was as sick as she had ever been. She splashed cold water on her face and sat down again. Jay’s reaction had been extreme and what had he said about not being able to have children? It was ridiculous. She had never been near anyone else. Round and round her mind went. What had he said? Not again? What on earth did he mean by that?

  She stood outside the caravan and looked for him. Perhaps he’d gone to pub to get a drink. She could have done with something herself and considered going to the hotel bar to get a brandy but in her current state, she didn’t want to be seen by anyone. There was no sign of Jay. She lay on the sofa, not wanting to go to bed in case he came back. By midnight, it was clear he wasn’t going to return.

  The next morning she felt dreadful. Little sleep and the upset had done their worst. She couldn’t face work and phoned Audrey to let her know.

  ‘Are you all right dear? Do you need anything?’

  ‘I’ll be fine. Sorry to let you down.’

  ‘No worries. I think the season is about over. You’ll have to think about going back to wherever you came from soon. Unless you decided to take up my offer of a permanent job?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. You’re right, I should think about going back to Hertfordshire.’

  ‘And what about your young man? Is he well or has he got the same bug as you?’

  ‘Oh ... he’s all right.’ She found herself near to tears again and clenched her fist, determined not to break down again.

  ‘Well get better soon and don’t hurry back until you’re quite well. I must say, you’ve looked a bit peaky for the last few days. You’re sure there’s nothing serious wrong?’

  ‘I’ll be fine. Thanks. See you soon.’ She switched off her phone and slumped down on the sofa. What on earth was she going to do? Where could Jay have gone? She showered and tried to make herself look a little more respectable. She decided to see if he was in the hotel or another caravan on the site. They couldn’t possibly leave things like this. There was a knock at the door. It was the duty manager.

  ‘Is Jay there? He hasn’t turned up for his shift.’ He was clearly irritated and snapped out the words.

  ‘He’s not
here, I’m afraid.’

  ‘So where is he? Not good enough. He’s becoming quite unreliable. He called in sick yesterday and now he’s failed to arrive for work and not even notified me.’ Georgie felt tears pressing again and managed to stammer,

  ‘He went out last night and hasn’t come back all night. I’m very worried about him.’

  The manager softened a little.

  ‘I know he’s been having time off to sort a few problems lately but I can’t let it affect his work. He’s become quite unreliable and this just doesn’t work in our business.’

  Georgie stared. What were these problems? He hadn’t mentioned anything to her and as far as she knew, he had been at work as usual. Except for yesterday, of course.

  ‘Did he say in what connection the problems were?’

  ‘Some family business. But you’re a couple aren’t you? I’m sorry. I assumed you’d know.’ He watched as the girl seemed to crumble in front of him. ‘I’m sorry,’ he repeated. ‘I hope I haven’t breached a confidence.’

  ‘No, no. It’s all right. I’m just a bit upset. We had a row last night and then he didn’t come home and ...’ She broke off, unable to say anything more without breaking down completely.

  ‘Well, if he does contact you, let him know he’s on a final warning please. I can’t continue to employ someone who is unreliable.’

  ‘He’ll be leaving soon anyway, won’t he? When the college term starts again.’

  ‘What college? First I’ve heard of it.’

  ‘But I thought he was only here temporarily. For the summer.’

  ‘It seems you need to talk to him. He’s been working here for well over a year now. I’m sorry. I must get back. I have to find someone to cover his lunchtime shift as well.’

  ‘Of course. Bye.’ She shut the door and sat down again. The shock of even more of his lies was too much to handle. What were the family problems the manager referred to? As far as she knew the family he had were in Devon. He could hardly have been going to Devon by the local bus, especially not in one day. There was too much she didn’t know about this man she had believed was in love with her and whom she loved in return.

  What should she do now?

  Chapter Eleven

  Georgie drifted around the caravan and hotel grounds for most of the morning. Each time the service bus came into the village, she started to walk down the hill to meet it. But there was no sign of Jay. She felt physically sick, not just morning sickness but with the pain of knowing she’d been lied to, that everything she had believed was based on nothing. She had allowed him into her life completely and trusted him like no-one ever before. Perhaps she could understand why her parents had been protecting her so carefully. Should she call Jenny and share it with her? But what would she say? Jenny had warned her to take care. She would probably say it was her own fault for trusting him on so short an acquaintance. On the other hand, she was a good friend and would surely be sympathetic. She called Jenny’s number.

  ‘Georgie. What’s the news?’ At the sound of her friends voice, she felt tears running down her face once more and her words were choked.

  ‘Oh Jen, I’m in a terrible mess.’

  ‘Georgie .. What’s happened? Are you all right?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘What’s he done to you?’

  ‘Made me pregnant and now he’s run away.’

  ‘What do you mean? Run away?’

  ‘I told him and he was furious. Said terrible things like it couldn’t be his. Said “not again” and I don’t know what that means.’

  ‘Oh Georgie. I take it you are definitely pregnant?’

  ‘Oh yes. Test is positive and I’m still getting morning sickness. What am I going to do?’

  ‘You could go home. Whatever they say, your parents would take you back, without a doubt.’

  ‘I couldn’t. I can’t go back. Not like this. My father would be furious and never let me forget it.’

  ‘There’s the other solution of course.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You don’t have to keep it.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I couldn’t. No, never. Whatever the problems, I couldn’t possibly get rid of it. No, I’ll have to find a way of coping on my own.’

  ‘You’ll never do it all alone. Don’t be stupid. You’ve never had to manage in your life.’

  ‘I know. But I have been managing recently.’

  ‘Sort of. Have you got your car back?’

  ‘No, but the insurance company will pay for a hire car for a while. If it isn’t found, I’ll get compensation and then I can buy something smaller and use the difference. That’s what Jay and I had planned to do anyway.’ Her voice choked again as she thought of their plans, now in ruins.

  ‘I suppose Jay didn’t have anything to do with the theft of your car?’

  ‘Of course not. He was as shocked as I was when it went missing.’ She stopped and thought about it. They had never found out when the spare set of keys had gone missing. Perhaps Jay had organised it with someone. There were a whole lot of things she didn’t know about him.

  ‘Course he was. Is there anything else you know about him? Any clues to where he might be?’

  ‘Not really. Oh, the manager came over to see why he wasn’t at work this morning. He says Jay has worked here for months, not just the summer.’

  ‘Look, why don’t you bid farewell to Poltoon and come and stay with me for a few days. We can talk things through.’

  ‘I couldn’t. Suppose he comes back? There are so many things we need to sort out. Besides, I haven’t got a car yet.’

  ‘Well, you need to sort that for a start. How’s Audrey with all of this?’

  ‘I haven’t told her. Just cancelled work today but she says the summer’s nearly over and she doesn’t really need me much longer.’

  ‘Then it sounds as if you’re all clear.’

  ‘But I have to earn money. At least till I decide what to do.’

  ‘Have you any idea how much it costs to have a baby? I mean, to look after it properly. Provide stuff for it. Prams and cots and everything.’

  ‘I can buy second hand ones,’ she replied bravely.

  ‘Of yes, of course. I can just see your parents allowing their grandchild to live in a second hand pram. You’re in shock right now. Don’t do anything rash. Look around and see if there are any clues about where Jay might be hiding himself. Address book. Letters. Anything.’

  ‘I couldn’t. It’s like spying.’

  ‘For heaven’s sakes, grow up Georgie. You’re an adult with a baby growing inside you. Where’s the sparky friend I used to have? The one intent on taking over the Hetherington Hotel chain one day?’

  ‘She’s somewhere lost in emotions she never knew existed.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll give you a day or two to get yourself organised with a car and a plan and if that hasn’t happened, I’ll come down and bounce you out of it all.’

  ‘Thanks Jen. I’m sorry to be so feeble. You’re right. I need to get things sorted. I was just in shock I suppose. Promise you won’t call the parents?’

  ‘I’ll promise for now, on condition you make proper plans.’

  ‘I will. I feel better having talked it through.’

  ‘Must go. My boss is glaring.’

  Georgie made some coffee and started to look through some of the drawers. Jay had several drawers that he used for clothes and one for papers. Feeling terrible about doing it, she looked through his things. She picked up his bank statement and gritted her teeth to look at it. His wages were paid in monthly, as she would have expected. Not a great amount but with tips that weren’t shown, it seemed reasonable and in line with what their own hotels would have paid to a waiter. He also had the caravan supplied as living accommodation so presumably, that was deducted from his wage anyway. There were regular payments made each month. Just over a quarter of what he earned but it didn’t show where the payments were going. Perhaps it was money he as paying off for somethin
g? Or credit cards? But it was a regular sum and had been for several months.

  She warmed her icy cold hands round her mug and braced herself to look for more information. There was a small book with some addresses in it and a few phone numbers but most of his contacts would be stored on his phone, as hers were. Should she send him a text? It would have been easier than speaking to him but she still didn’t want to be the one to make contact first. She found nothing to indicate where he might have gone. Maybe he had a friend in the village he could be staying with? But it was such a small place, she knew many of the people he knew. It was such a shock that he disappeared this way. If only she had met his sister or brother, she would have called them. Despite everything, she wanted to see his handsome face and those gorgeous green eyes looking down at her once more. She put her hand on her stomach and wept tears of abject misery. Poor fatherless baby. What would be his or her future?

  It was the longest day she could remember. Nobody heard from Jay. She went to speak to the manager who said that if Jay didn’t return for his shift the next morning, he was fired with immediate effect.

  ‘But what about the caravan? Does that mean I have to move out too?’

  ‘Well, yes. I’m afraid so. You have till the end of the next week but everything must be cleared out.’

  ‘What do I do with all Jay’s things, if he doesn’t come back?’

  ‘You’ll have to store them in our trunk room if he doesn’t return. But surely he will come back to collect everything. Look, I’m sorry if I was insensitive earlier. I can see you’re upset and I suppose it means the end of a relationship for you. I don’t want to rub it in but you’re not his first lady friend. I suppose you must know that.’

  ‘You mean someone else was living here before me?’

  ‘I’m sorry, but yes.’

  ‘Do you know who she was? Or where she lived?’

  ‘It ended rather suddenly. Earlier this year. I believe she was a local girl. She worked in the kitchen here.’

  ‘So, does she live in the village?’ Georgie demanded.

  ‘In Redruth, I believe. But I’m not certain. Look, I shouldn’t say any more. You need to sort things out between you. Did you ever hear any more about your missing car?’