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Ron could see that Portia was torn, and he guessed that on previous holidays she might not yet have been of an age where she wanted to flop down on a sunbed to top up her tan, but neither would she have wanted to take part in the children’s activities.
‘I won’t be coming with you next year,’ Ellis announced casually.
‘That’s a shame,’ Kate said. Her tone was mild, but Ron could see that she was hurt.
‘I’m going to go away with my friends,’ Ellis added.
Portia decided to try her luck. ‘I’m going to go with my friends, too,’ she said.
Kate stared at her youngest daughter. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘I’ll be sixteen! I’m allowed.’
‘No, you won’t be allowed. Sixteen is not old enough to go on holiday with your friends without adult supervision.’ Kate was adamant.
‘It’s not fair! You never let me do anything.’
‘I tell you what,’ Brett said. ‘To save all the bickering, none of us will have a holiday at all next year. How does that grab you?’
Sam looked mutinous and Portia rolled her eyes.
‘I don’t care,’ Ellis said, ‘because I’ll be going with my friends.’
‘How are you going to afford it?’ Brett asked and Ellis blinked at him. She clearly hadn’t considered how she was going to fund it.
‘Mummy, if Auntie Kate and Uncle Brett go on holiday next year, can we go with them?’ This was from Izzie. ‘It’s been fun. I don’t want to go home yet.’ The little girl bit her lip.
‘Neither do I, love, neither do I,’ Annabelle said.
Ron noticed that Jake didn’t say anything. His face had closed up like a flower turning away from the sun, and Ron wondered what the boy was thinking. Ron had spent quite a lot of time with the three younger children, the boys especially, and he could have sworn that Jake had enjoyed himself. Maybe he was wrong? Maybe Jake hadn’t enjoyed himself at all and couldn’t wait to get back to Brighton.
Although Annabelle wasn’t looking at him, Ron could sense her intensity, and he hoped that the reason she didn’t want to go back to Brighton yet was because of him. Because ofthem.
He felt the same way, and every time he thought about the days and the weeks ahead, his heart sank, because he couldn’t live with Beverley forever and he also needed to get a proper job. Annabelle and her children deserved a nice house and nice things, and at the moment he could provide neither. Admittedly, he did have his little handyman business, but it was hardly a proper business, was it? He just pottered about doing odd jobs for people who couldn’t manage to do them themselves. He could hardly support a family on what he earned.
Once again he pushed the dismal thoughts to the back of his mind, and reminded himself that he was going to enjoy the next day or so. Saturday would come soon enough, but for the moment he wanted to live for the present.
***
‘Fish and chips anyone?’ Beverley smacked her lips together. ‘How about rounding the day off at Beales?’
Kate clapped her hands. ‘Ooh! We haven’t been there yet. I’ve been told they do the best fish and chips for miles around.’
Ron held the car door open for the kids to pile into the back, and his mouth watered at the thought of crispy batter and hot, vinegary chips. He was knackered and didn’t feel like cooking. Not that he wasexpectedto do it, but he usually seemed to end up wielding a wooden spoon.
‘A perfect end to a perfect day,’ Brett said. ‘I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve had a wonderful time.’
There were murmurs of agreement and nods all round.
Today had been great fun, Ron thought. After lunch, they’d explored the rest of the park, and even Beverley and Helen had stopped bickering after a while. Beverley’s arthritis had miraculously disappeared once all the family were together, and she’d walked around the grounds without a murmur. Ron had even managed to grab a sneaky kiss with Annabelle as they rooted around the ruins of an old abbey, hanging back behind one of the tumbledown walls to snatch a swift embrace when no one was looking.
‘Later,’ she’d promised him, and his whole body had tingled with anticipation.
Right now though, he needed some dinner, otherwise he might well keel over from hunger.
The chippie had two parts to it – a takeaway section and an eat-in area – and when the majority decided that they preferred to eat in, Ron offered to grab his food to go, and walk over to the park opposite to eat his meal there. It wasn’t fair to leave Pepe in the car, and someone had to look after him because he wasn’t allowed inside the chip shop.
‘You don’t want to be eating your supper alone in the park,’ Brett told him.
