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‘Anyway,’ Beverley continued, ‘to cut a long story short, it all blew up when Kate overheard Helen saying that Brett should never have married her. See what I mean when I say Helen is a cow?’
Annabelle was shocked. If what Beverley said was true, Helen was even worse than Annabelle thought. However, she told herself, she was only hearing Beverley’s side of the story. Before she passed judgement, she really should hear Helen’s side – but she couldn’t imagine asking her for it. ‘What happened then?’
‘Kate buggered off. She just upped and left. Went to Paignton or somewhere near there. Left us to get on with Christmas without her.’ Beverley shrugged. ‘I don’t blame her. All of us except for Brett and Sam were fighting like cats and dogs. Me and Helen were at each other’s throats, the girls were being right brats, and Brett was about as much help as a chocolate fireguard. He buried his head in the sand and hoped it would all go away.’ She fell silent, her eyes narrowed against the glare of the sun on the water as she stared out to sea.
‘And?’ Annabelle was agog. Beverley couldn’t just leave it there!
‘Kate had had enough. She disappeared and didn’t tell anyone where she was going. It wasn’t permanent – just for Christmas. She wanted to see how we managed without her. When Brett realised what his mother had said and how Kate must be feeling, he read us the riot act and went to fetch her back.’
‘Wow, that’s some story.’ Annabelle thought for a moment, then said, ‘How does Ron fit into all this?’
‘He was the one who gave Brett a clue as to where she might be. See, Ron used to like kipping down in the doorway of the shop Kate works in. Kate used to buy him food now and again, and supplied him with coffee and clean clothes. They got to chatting one day near Christmas and she told him she felt like running away, and that the south coast sounded good. Anyway, after she did a runner, Brett was trying to find out where she’d gone, and he bumped into Ron. The rest is history. Oh, apart from Brett inviting him to Christmas lunch as a thank you.’
‘That doesn’t explain how he came to live with you.’
‘Pepe,’ Beverley said with a purse of her lips. ‘I love him to bits, but that dog can be a menace. Ron used to be a dog handler, you know. In the army.’
‘He did mention it.’ Annabelle was intrigued. ‘Do you know what happened? Why he ended up living on the streets?’
‘Not the full story, no. It’s something to do with his marriage breaking up, his mum dying, and there’s a dog in there somewhere, but I don’t know the details. It sounds to me like he had some kind of a breakdown.’
‘The poor man.’
‘He was only supposed to come to me for a couple of weeks, just until he taught Pepe some manners, but I’ve got used to him being around the place.’ Beverley shot Annabelle a look. ‘I know what you’re thinking – that he hasn’t done a very good job with Pepe – but I assure you he has. Pepe running off this morning was very unlike him. I don’t know what got into him. He must have heard Ron go out for a walk and thought he should have gone too. The little sod.’
‘Ron or Pepe?’ Annabelle asked dryly.
‘Ha ha.’ Beverley scratched behind the dog’s ears and he let out a groan of pleasure.
Annabelle shaded her eyes with her hand. The four figures could still be seen clambering about on the rocks. ‘Kate and Brett seem to be OK now.’
‘They are.’ Beverley’s reply was emphatic. ‘They appreciate each other more, and Brett’s got a new job as the manager of a golf course, which means he’s happier. He helps around the house now as well, instead of leaving it all to Kate, and the girls also do their share. Don’t get me wrong, Ellis and Portia still fight, just like me and Helen, but we all try to get on a bit better.’
Annabelle gave her aunt a sideways look.
‘OK, me and Helen have a tendency to revert to our old ways – I mean, you’ve met her, so you can’t blame me for winding her up – but we are trying to get along, hence the holiday. Helen is uppity and frosty, and I appreciate that she can be hard work, but it’s not all her fault. I sometimes go out of my way to annoy her, especially when she forgets herself and treats Ron like the hired help.’
Annabelle leant back on her hands and stretched her legs out in front of her, suddenly feeling pleased that her mum had talked her into coming on this impromptu holiday. It was nice getting to know Aunt Beverley properly. When she was younger, Annabelle hadn’t had a great deal to do with her, content to leave the chatting to her parents. She hadn’t been interested in the lives of her elders – she’d been too wrapped up in her own life, she supposed.
But now, though, she was enjoying talking to her.
‘What about you, lovey?’ Beverley asked, breaking into her thoughts. ‘How are you coping?’
Annabelle sat up and tucked her legs in. She made a seesaw motion with her hand. ‘So, so.’
‘Do you miss Australia?’
‘Er, actually, now I come to think of it, not as much as I thought I was going to. I miss my house, but I think I only miss it because it was mine and I could do what I liked in it. I miss my job, but not because of the job itself but because of the independence it gave me, and I miss my friends.’ But apart from the odd text or two, none of them had really reached out to her. She missed Pauline the most. They messaged each other a couple of times a week, but it wasn’t the same as having a proper chinwag over a coffee.
Beverley tutted. ‘It’s the children I feel sorry for. How could their father do that to them?’ She shook her head and covered Pepe’s ears. ‘The bastard.’
‘Exactly. I don’t know what he was thinking.’
Beverley said, ‘He probably wasn’t thinking at all. Or at least, he didn’t think his business would go under.’
‘Any sensible person would realise that’s a possibility,’ Annabelle pointed out. ‘And he should have told me he’d taken out a loan against the house. At least I could have prepared myself.’
Oh, lovey, it must have been a shock.’ Beverley patted her hand, and Annabelle felt tears gathering behind her eyes.
