Summer at Lavender Bay

by Sarah Bennett

  The two boys had spent Saturday running semi-wild around the farm with a panting Bastian in tow. His mum had come up trumps with a homemade pizza lesson which had proven a huge success with both the boys, but particularly Michael, and Jack had made a mental note to pair him with Sam to see if it was an interest that could be nurtured.

  Another round of giggles ensued from the two boys who were now ensconced in Noah’s room in a giant makeshift bed Jack had made by dragging Noah’s mattress onto the floor and placing it next to one from the spare room. With his mum’s help, they’d covered the two with a king sized fitted sheet and added a mountain of quilts, pillows and cushions to create a part-bed, part-den configuration the boys had been thrilled with. He and Jason has always loved to camp out on the living room floor, so this was an homage to those fond memories. With a bittersweet ache in his chest, Jack pulled the door half-closed and left them to it.

  ‘How are they?’ his mum asked after Jack flopped down on the opposite end of the sofa to her. Bastian settled next to him, his head pushed into Jack’s lap demanding ear-scratches.

  Jack reached for the bottle of beer she’d placed on the side table ready for him and took a deep draft. The cold, bitter brew hit all the right spots and he closed his eyes in brief appreciation. ‘All right, I doubt there’ll be much sleeping going on, but it’s just so good to hear Noah laughing.’ A lump formed in his throat, and he scrubbed his fingers through Bastian’s fur until the burn behind the back of his eyes faded.

  ‘I’m glad Michael’s mum packed extra clothing for him, they’ve been through two outfits already.’ Sally smiled, fondly. ‘I’ll run everything through the washer and dryer on Sunday night so it’s all clean for her.’ She shook her head. ‘I had enough on my plate with two of you, I don’t know how she can manage four!’

  Jack rolled his head to the side to smile at her. ‘I’m glad I’ll have Sam and Owen to help me corral them tomorrow, they’re a real pair of dynamos.’

  His mum nodded. ‘You and Jason were exactly the same at that age.’ She took a sip from the glass of wine beside her. ‘I thought I’d come into town with you tomorrow. It’s been ages since I had a good browse around, and most of the shops will be open. I can watch a bit of the football too, maybe drop into the pub for a drink…’

  ‘The pub, eh?’ Bloody hell, she was about as subtle as a juggernaut.

  She gave him a not-so innocent shrug. ‘It’d be rude of me to be in the bay and not pop in and say hello to Eliza.’

  ‘Of course.’ Knowing there was no point in saying anything once she’d made up her mind, Jack turned his attention to the TV. It was some talent competition, though he couldn’t work out which one. Not that it mattered, they all seemed to follow a similar format—over-confident contestants, sneering judges, and the occasional knock-out performance.

  His eyes glazed as his thoughts strayed, as ever, to Eliza. Their impromptu date in the barn had been one of the most intimate experiences of his life, though they’d done no more than kiss and slow-dance together. If anyone had asked him, he’d have said he wasn’t a dancing kind of guy, but for Eliza…a slow smile stretched his cheeks. For Eliza, he’d be all that and more.

  Watching her work, seeing the excitement in her grow as she’d mixed and stirred those basic ingredients into something beautiful had filled him with pleasure. He wanted her new venture to succeed, and though he hadn’t mentioned it when she’d popped back to collect her soaps the next day, he could see a day when their combined careers blended into something they could build a future on. He didn’t want to jump the gun and risk spooking her, but in the secret recesses of his heart he was busily building dreams of them running the farm together.

  Sunday dawned bright and clear, the temperature already nudging the high teens when Jack stepped out into the backyard with a cup of coffee. The boys had still been whispering when he’d turned in last night, but had been dead to the world when he’d peeked around the door a few minutes earlier. The bed-den looked like a whirlwind had hit it leaving behind a tangle of boyish limbs, quilts, and one smug-looking chocolate Lab. Bastian had thumped his tail once at Jack’s glare but hadn’t abandoned his prime spot in between the two boys. Once the weekend was over, there would have to be some ground rules laid down regarding dogs and beds. Again.

  He lingered over his coffee, enjoying the peace and quiet before what promised to be a long, hectic day. It might be his last chance to play hooky for a while, though, so he was determined to make the most of it. Noah wasn’t the only one who would benefit from some fun new memories. The new rose plants were being delivered tomorrow. Jack reckoned he had one week, two at most before the lavender would be ready to harvest so the coming few days would be the only chance to get the roses planted. After that, it would be final checks on the distillery, and many anxious hours pacing the rows out in the fields watching for the perfect moment to begin cutting.

  Claws skittered on tile, and he turned towards the open kitchen door in time to see Bastian trot over to his bowl where Jack had tipped a few biscuits whilst making his coffee. Jack ignored the dog in favour of the tousled, nervous looking boy standing barefoot opposite him. He offered Michael a reassuring smile. ‘Good morning, did you sleep well?’

  Michael nodded. ‘Noah’s still sleeping.’

  ‘That’s all right, we’re not in any hurry this morning.’ The boy looked nervous, as though he wasn’t sure if it was okay for him to be there. Conscious of his size, Jack moved slowly and easily through the kitchen to put his cup next to the kettle. He switched it on then turned to rest his back against the counter. The position allowed him to bend his knees a bit so he didn’t tower quite so much over the small boy. ‘Would you like something to drink?’

  Michael licked his lips, eyes darting from side to side. ‘Yes, please.’

  ‘Why don’t you take a seat, and I’ll see what we have.’ Jack steered the boy towards the kitchen table and got him settled in one of the chairs, then opened the fridge. ‘Right then, sir. On today’s menu we have orange juice, milk, orange juice, water, orange juice, beer, coffee, or—’ he glanced back over his shoulder and waggled his eyebrows at Michael ‘—orange juice.’

  ‘You’re silly,’ Michael giggled, clearly delighted at Jack’s teasing. ‘Orange, please.’

  ‘An excellent choice if I may say so, sir.’ Jack made a big show of folding a tea towel then draping it over his arm like a waiter. He found a clean glass, placed it before the boy with a flourish, then poured some juice into it. With a sweeping bow, he backed away from the table to more giggles.

  Having made himself another cup of coffee, Jack took his own seat at the table opposite Michael. ‘Are you enjoying yourself this weekend?’

  Michael nodded. ‘Yes. There’s lots of room here, and you didn’t get cross when I got dirty yesterday.’

  Knowing he needed to tread carefully, Jack took a sip of coffee to give him time to ponder his answer. It must be tough for the kid with three younger siblings, and he could only imagine how much washing they generated on a daily basis. ‘Things are a bit different here because we live on a working farm. I spend a lot of time working in the fields, so dirty clothes are a way of life for us. I’m also lucky because I work right here, at home, so it’s much easier for me to help out with things like the washing and ironing. I bet your mum has her hands full looking after all of you and with your daddy out at work all day.’

  The boy looked solemn. ‘He works at night sometimes too, and at the weekend.’

  ‘Because he loves you all, and he’s trying very hard to give you everything you need. I bet he misses you.’

  ‘I miss him.’

  Jack’s heart ached, and he rubbed a hand across his chest as though he could ease the weight of the pain in those three sad words. He racked his brain for something that might help. He wasn’t a technical whizz, but he could use his smartphone well enough. ‘Why don’t we make a video for your daddy today? We can send it to him and then you two can watch it to
gether. Do you think he’d like that?’

  To Jack’s relief, Michael grinned. ‘I can score a goal for him!’

  ‘What a great idea, I bet he’ll love that.’ Deciding to steer the conversation back to safer topics, Jack pushed his chair back. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Let’s go and wake Noah up, and then we can have breakfast.’

  ‘Slow down, you two!’ Juggling a cold box, a rucksack stuffed with a blanket and a change of clothes for each of the boys, and Bastian’s lead, Jack walked as quickly along the promenade as he could.

  ‘Noah James Gilbert, you stop right there!’ The sprinting boys froze on the spot, as did half the grown men on the prom at his mother’s strident tones.

  ‘Jesus, Mum, you scared me half to death, never mind Noah.’

  His mum blew on her nails before buffing them on the front of her pretty peach sleeveless blouse. ‘Still got it,’ she said. ‘Seriously, Jack, you need to be firmer with him sometimes or he’ll run you ragged.’ He knew she was right, but he hated to raise his voice to Noah. He watched as the two boys slunk back towards them, faces a picture of contrition and he had to admire how effective the right tone was.

  He watched as she crouched before Noah and Michael. ‘There are a lot of people around today, so I am trusting you both to be big boys and make sure you always stay close to either Uncle Jack or his friends, okay?’

  ‘Yes, Nanna.’

  ‘Yes, Mrs Gilbert.’

  Jack gnawed on his lip to hide a smile as his mum patted both boys on the cheek and straightened up. ‘Right, let’s find a nice spot on the beach and get settled.’ She took each one by the hand and Jack followed after as she headed down the steps towards the beach.

  ‘Is that your mum? She’s terrifying.’ Jack turned to find Sam grinning at him, Owen a step behind. They were both clad in long casual shorts and T-shirts, same as him.

  ‘Here, make yourself useful, will you?’ Jack thrust the cold box at Sam. ‘And as I recall, your mum can give mine a run for her money.’

  Sam laughed as they jogged down the steps. ‘Don’t remind me! We must make sure they never meet, or they’ll be plotting world domination within the first half hour.’

  ‘Too late. Mum’s decided to pop in to the pub later and see Eliza.’ Jack rolled his eyes.

  ‘We’re doomed, then, mate.’ Sam grinned. ‘All mums are the same, right, Owen?’

  ‘I wouldn’t know.’ Owen shouldered past the two of them then strode across the beach to where Jack’s mum stood with the boys.

  Jack watched as he knelt on one knee before Noah and offered his hand to shake, before doing the same to Michael. ‘What the hell was that about?’

  Sam met his eyes. ‘Nothing good, I bet. He was kind of touchy the other night when we were talking about Michael’s situation. There’s a story there, for sure, but I’m not sure Owen’s the kind of guy who’ll share it.’

  ‘Probably not,’ Jack agreed. He’d have to be a bit more careful about what he said around him though. He knew from bitter experience that a stray remark could screw up your whole day.

  It took a matter of moments to get themselves settled, and the blanket spread out on the sand. Up and down their little stretch of the beach other groups were doing the same and Jack exchanged nods and waves with parents he recognised from the school run. His mum surveyed their efforts and nodded in satisfaction. ‘Right, if you’re all sorted out, I’m going to go and do a bit of shopping.’

  ‘Make sure you mention my name in the emporium, Mrs Gilbert, and the owner will give you a special discount,’ Sam said with a grin.

  ‘Oh really? Well, aren’t you a handy young man to know?’ She beamed at Sam.

  Jack gave his shoulder a playful shove. ‘Don’t be giving your girlfriend’s profits away.’

  ‘Beth loves me, she won’t mind.’ Sam suddenly didn’t look altogether sure about it though. He held out his arm to Jack’s mum. ‘I’ll take you up there and introduce you. It’s going to be hot today, so I might nip back to the pub and grab a couple of sun umbrellas.’ He aimed his second comment at Jack.

  ‘Sounds good. I’m going to go and get us signed in.’ He pointed to where Noah’s teacher stood a few feet away, clutching a clipboard. ‘See you in a minute.’

  To Jack’s surprise, Noah slipped his hand in his, obviously intent on going with him. He glanced over at Owen, who waved him on. ‘Michael and I will be fine, won’t we, mate? We can work out our winning tactics.’

  The pair were soon knelt down, heads together as Owen sketched stick figures in the sand. Bastian had claimed the blanket while no one was paying attention and didn’t look in any danger of moving. With Noah beside him, Jack began to walk.

  ‘Uncle Jack?’ Noah tugged on his hand, forcing Jack to stop midway between their blanket and the group gathering around the teacher.

  ‘Yes, buddy?’

  Big hazel eyes stared up at him. ‘Do you have a girlfriend?’ The earnest question blindsided Jack and he scrambled for how best to answer.

  In the end, he took the coward’s way out, hoping to deflect his nephew. ‘What made you ask that?’

  Noah shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Sam has a girlfriend and it makes him happy. I thought if you had a girlfriend then you would be happy too.’

  Out of the mouths of babes. Honestly, this sweet little lad would be the absolute death of him. Jack crouched down until they were eye to eye. ‘I’m already happy, buddy. I have you, and Nanna and Bastian. We’re happy together, right?’

  Noah nodded. ‘Yes. But, if you had a girlfriend then you could have a baby and I could have a little brother or sister. Michael has a brother and two sisters.’

  There he was trying to keep everything on an even keel, and Noah was busy weaving dreams that would turn all their lives upside down. Jack swallowed. ‘I don’t think babies are going to happen for a long time yet, buddy.’

  Noah’s face fell like Jack had told he’d never be able to have ice cream again. Damn it, he was making a real mess of this. It would have been easier to laugh off the comment, but he hated to do that. He’d promised himself he would be honest with Noah to the best of what he thought a child his age could cope with.

  He put his arm around Noah’s shoulder and pulled him into a hug. ‘I do have a new friend. Her name is Eliza, and she makes me happy, but we’re still getting to know each other.’ Jack pressed a kiss to the boy’s temple. ‘You are the most important thing in the world to me, buddy, and I need to make sure that Eliza and I can be friends for a long, long time to come before I bring her into your life too. Do you understand what I’m saying?’

  Noah squinted up at him, a deep furrow between his brows. He was so expressive, Jack could almost see the little cogs whirring in his brain. ‘I think so. She’s your girlfriend now, but she might not be forever?’

  ‘Exactly. You’re such a smart boy.’ Jack gave him another hug.

  Noah hugged him back. ‘If Eliza does become your forever girlfriend will you have a baby then?’

  Jack swallowed a laugh. ‘I don’t know, maybe?’ He and Eliza were so far away from even broaching this subject, hell, Jack wasn’t ready to even entertain the idea of having a kid. He glanced down at Noah and amended the thought to another kid.

  ‘Okay then.’ Noah gave him the gift of his sweet smile then skipped away across the sand towards his teacher. Jack could only shake his head and follow him. Life was so much simpler when viewed through the eyes of a little boy. If you were lucky enough, you had adults in your life who you could trust to take care of you and keep the bad things at bay. Whatever it took, whatever sacrifices he might have to make, Jack was determined never to betray Noah’s trust in him.

  ‘Bloody hell, I’m getting too old for this.’ Sam collapsed onto his knees on the blanket then rolled onto his back beneath the shade of one of the two large umbrellas he’d stuck into the sand.

  ‘Me too.’ Jack flipped the lid open on the cold box and drew out a couple of bottles of water, th
rew one to Sam and opened the other. ‘I don’t know how Owen can keep going.’ The round robin matches had been concluded, and everyone was taking a break before the finals. Well, almost everyone.

  Using one elbow to prop himself up, Sam watched Owen racing down towards the surf, two screeching boys and one barking dog in tow. ‘He doesn’t even look winded, bastard.’ The insult was said with a hint of admiration, maybe even a hint of affection.

  ‘He’s all right, isn’t he?’ If Jack was honest, Owen was more than all right. Noah could be a little wary around new people, but he’d taken to the tough-looking man with alacrity. And Michael looked at him like he was some kind of superhero. The adoration appeared to be entirely mutual; Owen had endless patience around the two boys, taking time to explain things and showering them with praise for the smallest achievements.

  Sam pushed himself upright, propping his elbows on his knees, his water bottle dangling down between two fingers. ‘I like him a lot. He’s got some great ideas about the restaurant, and I feel so much more confident about the whole thing now he’s in my corner. I’ll be glad when the meeting with the bank is over tomorrow, I just want the place to be finished so I can get on with the bit I love—feeding people.’

  Jack nodded, keeping his eyes trained on the activity down by the water. He watched Noah like a hawk, ready to jump up at the first sign of trouble, but he needn’t have worried. Owen kept the two boys contained without spoiling their fun as they splashed around. Any time one or the other of them looked like he might take a step deeper, Owen was there herding them back to the shore like a huge sheepdog. ‘I bet you can’t wait. I feel like that about the harvest, we’re so close now and I know it’ll be a nightmare few days, but I just want to crack on with it.’

  ‘Eliza said she might head over and see how it all works. She’s really getting into her new business thanks to the oils and stuff you gave her.’ Sam gave him a sideways glance. ‘It feels like I’m getting my little sister back, and I think you have something to do with that.’