by Jenny Frame
“Dale, who are these people?”
What could she say? She couldn’t tell her the truth, but Mia knew already that Dale didn’t know other kids.
“Um…”
As she searched for some explanation, Mia looked from the picture to Dale and back again a few times.
“He looks like you,” Mia said.
Dale’s throat dried up instantly. “Just some new friends I met. The woman is called Becca and the boy is Jake. I’m helping his mum with a few repairs to her house.”
Mia smiled, seemingly happy with that answer. “They look really nice. What’s Jake like?”
Dale had a huge sigh of relief, and got up to switch on the games console. “He’s ten, just like you. He likes computers, maths, and—” She knew nothing about him. Her own flesh and blood, and she knew virtually nothing about him.
“What else?” Mia asked.
“He loves pizza. I know that.”
Mia smiled and handed her back the photo in exchange for one of the games controllers, and Dale put it back in her wallet.
“He sounds really cool.”
“He is.” Dale sat down and picked up her iPad to order pizza delivery.
“Okay, munchkin, what do you want on your pizza? Cabbage, onions, and anchovy?”
Mia made a puking noise. “No way, you always say that. You know I love just cheese pizza.”
Dale laughed and started to tap their order into the takeaway app. “I know. Okay. One large cheese, one large meat feast, garlic bread, cheesy nachos, potato wedges with dips, and, never forgetting, ice cream. How’s that?”
Mia bounced up and down. “Yes! Oh, can we eat the leftover pizza for breakfast?”
Dale gave her a wink and a smile. “Yep, breakfast of champions.” Then in a stage whisper she added, “Just don’t tell your mummy. ’Cause she’ll kill me.”
“Yes!” Mia gave Dale a high five. Mia suddenly looked serious. “It’s a shame your friend Jake can’t share our pizza and play with us. I bet he’d like that.”
Dale jovial mood was gone. She remembered Becca had said that Jake loved to have a movie and pizza, if she could manage it.
Jake and Becca were all on their own on a Friday night, in the middle of nowhere with no one to take care of them.
Mia must have noticed the change in her demeanour because she said, “Are you okay?”
Dale needed a moment, and gulped down the emotion. “Yeah, just give me a sec, okay?”
She made for her bedroom, placed her iPad down on the bed, and held her head in her hands.
I’m going insane.
These new emotions were so confusing and so hard to deal with. It hurt that she had a child and one on the way that she would never know. Maybe it would have been better if she had never found out about them.
Dale opened up her bedside cabinet and took out her mum’s Bible. It was the one thing of her mum’s that she most treasured. Her mum had been a devout Catholic and never missed chapel. Her Bible had been one of her most treasured possessions, and was full of keepsakes. There were bookmarks with Bible verses on them, religious poems, and one special card that said, To the best mum in the world, love, Dale.
“Fuck this,” Dale said angrily. She wasn’t going to ever give up on her children, like she had been, whether they knew about her or not.
Dale dialled the number of her favourite pizza chain. “Hi, I just placed an app order and want to place another large order, but first I wanted to check if you can deliver to the village of Plumtun.”
Dale sighed at the response. “I don’t care if it’ll cost a boundary charge, can you do it?
“Yes. I’ll give you my credit card number.”
* * *
Jake sat at the kitchen table completing his homework while Becca put away the few bits of shopping she had gotten, before making dinner.
Jake had been quiet on their way home. She had tried to get him to talk, but he just didn’t want to engage. It was such a worry having to do this by herself. Being a single parent meant she had no one to bounce ideas off of, and she needed ideas quickly. She wanted Jake to grow up and have normal friendships and relationships, but at this rate he would be closed off from everyone, and that would be her fault.
Of course he had been down in the dumps since she’d sent Dale away. Maybe Jake was telling her in his roundabout way that he was missing something from his life?
More guilt, to pile on top of the rest.
Becca’s mobile beeped with a text message, and she jumped. She rarely got texts except from Jake’s school or, on occasion, Trent.
She picked up the phone and her heart thudded unexpectedly. The message was from Dale. Becca had given her the number so she could make sure Jake was safely off to school before she arrived.
“Who is it, Mummy?”
“Oh, just…Trent.” Becca cringed inwardly at the lie.
Jake immediately scowled. “She doesn’t like me.”
“That’s not true, Jake.” Trent didn’t dislike Jake, but she did probably resent his place in Becca’s life. She’d barely acknowledged him whenever she’d seen him over the years.
Jake didn’t argue and went back to his schoolwork, giving Becca a chance to look at Dale’s text.
The message contained a picture—a selfie of Dale and the pretty little girl Dale had shown her a picture of before.
Hi, Becca, Mia and I are having a pizza and games night sleepover. We wanted to share with you, so you should be getting a pizza delivery any moment. It’s my treat, and I hope you’ll accept it. Just tell the wee man that you bought it. Have a good night, and look after yourself and the wee yin. Dale
Becca’s hand went straight to the baby. For the first time she felt care and concern for her and the kids, from someone apart from Sadie. Normally if anyone asked to help, or offered her anything, she would immediately panic and refuse, but with Dale’s message all she felt was warmth.
Becca couldn’t believe Dale was having a sleepover with her god-daughter on a Friday night. The ladies’ woman Trent had described was getting further and further away from the reality of who Dale was.
There was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Becca said quickly.
She hurried to the front door as quickly as her baby bump would allow, and opened it to find a young delivery driver, laden down with pizza boxes and other food parcels.
“Ms. Harper?”
“Yes, that’s me.” Becca took the two pizza boxes from him to help him out.
“Thank God. I thought I’d never find this place.”
That’s the point. No one can. We’re safe here.
“Here’s your order, hope you enjoy.”
Becca couldn’t refuse it. The thought was so kind, and she knew how much it would have cost Dale to get this food out here.
“Jake? Can you help me?”
Jake came running from the kitchen, and his eyes lit up with joy. “Pizza! Mummy, did you get us pizza?”
She had to lie. Again. “Yes, I thought we’d have a treat for movie night.”
Jake hugged into her side. “Thanks, Mummy. I love you.”
This was the first time Jake had smiled in a few weeks, and it was all because of Dale.
“I love you too, Pooh Bear. Let’s get these things to the kitchen.”
* * *
Belles was alive and bouncing as usual on a Friday night. Over at a corner table sat Ash and Lisa. They had been there two hours now, and still no Dale McGuire.
“You told me she’d be here, Lisa. I hope I’m not wasting my time,” Ash said.
“No, she’s always here, every Friday and Saturday. She starts here and sometimes goes on to another club.”
Ash tapped her fingers on the table. She was starting to get restless. “Maybe we missed her coming in?”
Lisa laughed. “Nobody misses Dale McGuire coming in, believe me. She has a posse of girls around her in seconds.”
Ash grabbed Lisa’s wrist without warning. “Listen, this
is not a joke. I need to find McGuire and, through her, Victoria Carter. I have a lot riding on this, and you have your career.”
She let Lisa go and embarked on a softer approach. Ash stroked her cheek and whispered softly. “Now tell me, does she have a friend here that knows where she lives?”
“The only one she really talks to properly is Mac, the owner. She’s working behind the bar.”
“Okay, I’ll go and see if I can get her to talk. You stay here.”
Ash sauntered over to the bar and tried to catch Mac’s eye.
She eventually saw her. “What can I get you, mate?”
Ash gave her a friendly smile. “A white wine and a vodka martini, please.”
As Mac got the drinks, Ash tried to engage her in conversation. “It’s a great place. Are you the manager?”
“Cheers. I’m the owner,” Mac said.
“It’s a good crowd too. You must have a lot of regulars.”
Mac looked at her suspiciously. “Some, yeah.”
“I heard Dale McGuire comes in here a lot.”
Mac handed her drinks. “She does. That’ll be £15.90.”
Ash got out her wallet and handed over the money. “Has she been in yet? I’d really like to see her.”
Mac looked her up and down. “I think it’s safe to say you’re not her type, mate.”
Ash laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not one of the girls looking for that kind of attention. No, you see, I’m looking for someone, and I had information that Dale knew her.”
“No, she’s not been in and she normally is by this time,” Mac conceded.
This was becoming one big waste of time. She’d given up an awards dinner with her lover for this. “Maybe you’ve seen the woman I’m looking for then?” Ash took out the photograph she had of Victoria Carter and showed it to Mac. “She has some connection to Dale McGuire, so you might have seen them together.”
Mac looked and Ash saw a moment of recognition in her eyes, but she replied. “No, sorry.”
That was all Ash needed. There was definitely a connection, and she just had to be patient and find her. Her next stop was clearly going to be McGuire’s Motors headquarters.
I will find you, Vic, and you’ll make me a big story again.
Chapter Nine
Dale couldn’t wait to see Becca again, but work commitments meant she couldn’t get back to the vicarage till Tuesday.
She got out of her van, grabbed her tool bag, nearly ran to the back door, and knocked. When Becca opened the door, her heart fluttered and her mouth went dry. Every time Dale saw Becca, she saw something different and more beautiful in her.
“Morning,” she said.
“Good morning, Dale. Can I get you coffee?”
Dale was surprised at how open Becca was being. “Yeah, I’d like that. I could do with one.”
“Take a seat,” Becca said.
Dale sat down at the kitchen table while Becca poured the coffee.
“I wanted to thank you. The food you sent on Friday night, it was really kind.”
“You’re welcome. I hoped you would accept it but I wasn’t sure.”
Becca brought over her coffee, and sat at the table with her. “I normally wouldn’t but it was such a kind thought and it was from you and your god-daughter. Then Jake saw the delivery and I got his first smile for a few weeks.”
As soon as Becca said that she clammed right up, as if she’d said too much. Why was Jake unhappy, Dale wondered?
She was about to ask that question when Becca quickly changed the subject. “I was surprised you were babysitting on a Friday night. I thought you told me your life consisted of going out and having fun on the weekends? That’s what you told me, anyway.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Jake, and the baby.
How could she explain to Becca without freaking her out? “I always love to have Mia to stay, and maybe I’m just getting old, but in the last year or so pubs and clubs are looking less appealing. I’ve just been going through the motions really.”
“You can’t be that old.”
“Thirty-six,” Dale volunteered.
“Oh my, I’d have guessed twenty-eight, thirty tops. You look after yourself then?”
“Not really, I suppose it’s genetics, but it helps if you’ve always had—”
“Boyish good looks?” Becca offered out of nowhere. The phrase stunned Dale, and Becca’s cheeks went a bright shade of pink.
She’s noticed me. Yes!
“I mean…um…” Becca faltered.
Dale decided to let her off the hook. “My regular hangout, Belles—I don’t know how or when it happened, but suddenly the women started to get younger and the music more likely to give me a headache. I mean, what’s wrong with Britney Spears and cheesy pop?”
This got her another smile from Becca. She was on a roll today. So far, she’d gotten smiles and no standoffish attitude.
She spotted the vitamins she had brought and the neck massager, out of its box, on the other side of the kitchen.
“Did you try the massager?”
“Yes, it was lovely. I’ve used it every night, while I read my book.”
Dale was so happy at the progress she was making. Becca was relaxing around her at last. “So, how are you and the wee yin?”
Becca smiled at the use of the baby’s nickname. “We’re fine. I get some headaches and dizziness now and again, but it hasn’t been as bad as it was.”
“That’s good,” Dale said. After a few moments of silence, she decided she’d best not test the limits of this new phase of their relationship. “Well, I thought I’d make a start on patching the roof for you, as best I can on my own.”
“Will it be safe to do?” Becca asked.
“Aye, I’ll be fine. Can you show me where the rain is coming in?”
Becca hesitated for a second, and then said, “Up in my studio is the worst. I’ll take you up.”
* * *
Becca led Dale upstairs to her studio. Why was she doing this? She’d never even brought Trent up here, but there was something about Dale that made her want to open up, no matter how wrong her mind told her that was.
“This is my photographic studio. It’s not perfect yet, but I hope one day when I can get the work done, it’ll work well for me. You can see the buckets and where the drips are coming in from the roof.”
She watched Dale walk through the attic room gazing at everything and anything.
“It’s a great space, and that’s all you need to start with. My business started from one lock-up. It had enough space for three cars at a time, and I built up and up, and bought the land around it eventually.” Dale turned around and gave her a wink. “Great things can happen from little beginnings.”
Becca’s stomach flipped, and she couldn’t blame the baby this time. It seemed like Dale was talking about more than business, but maybe she was just imagining it. She could almost feel an electricity sparking between them the more time she spent in Dale’s company. She tried to tell herself it was probably some biological urge to find a mate while she was pregnant, but she never, ever had that urge when in Trent’s company.
Dale picked up one of her business brochures and started to flick through.
“Man, you do a really good job. These pictures are excellent. You’re making me realize how bad McGuire’s Motors’s website is. It could really do with an upgrade and new photographs like this.”
Maybe that’s a way I can pay her back for everything? Becca thought.
Dale walked over to the plans she had hanging on the wall. “Are these the plans for the vicarage?”
Becca went over and joined her. “Yes, this is…was my dream until I had to halt work on the house. When I first viewed the house, I thought I could finally give Jake a proper childhood. Somewhere with wide-open spaces to play, somewhere we could have chickens, ducks, goats, somewhere to show him there’s more to life than a computer screen. I get frightened sometimes…”
Be
cca let her voice trail off. She couldn’t believe how open she was being or what she had been about to say. She was not going to be led down this road again.
“What?” Dale asked. “What frightens you?”
“Nothing.”
Dale groaned in frustration. “Look, you don’t have to censor everything you say to me. I’m not going to use it against you. I’m not here to hurt you, or steal Jake away. I’d love to know both you and Jake better, but that’s it. That’s the honest truth, but I accept you won’t let Jake see me, and I’m following every rule you give me. Why can’t you just trust me?”
That was the simplest question Dale could ask, and one to which she could give a truly honest answer.
“Because I trusted someone once, and they destroyed everything that I had. I’m never going to do that again.”
The simple honest answer silenced Dale.
“Shall we go back downstairs and I’ll let you get on?” Becca said.
Dale nodded and they walked towards the attic staircase, but Becca turned around and realized Dale wasn’t beside her. She had veered off to a corner of the room where she displayed all the pictures she had taken of Jake as he grew.
Becca walked over to join her and found Dale staring at one particular photograph of her holding baby Jake in her arms in the maternity ward.
Dale reached out and almost touched the picture. She was clearly having a deeply emotional response to a simple photograph, and seeing her reaction to newborn Jake was something that touched her heart deep inside.
“That was taken by one of the nurses, when I came back from theatre. I had to have a caesarean section because my blood pressure was getting too high. I wanted to remember that moment forever.”
“Was anyone with you when he was born?”
“No, no one,” Becca said sadly.
Dale took Becca’s hand.
She was stiff at first, but then she relaxed somewhat into Dale’s warm touch. “I took these photos, at all his different stages. First word, first step, first day at nursery, and then school.”
“Wow, he’s just so perfect,” Dale said, the emotion resonating in her voice.
