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CHAPTER 4
“Hey, have you eaten?” Heather greeted Sam as he entered her spacious, designer kitchen. Tall and slim, with brown eyes and long, dark, wavy hair similar to Sam’s, she was a prettier version of her brother. “I’ve saved you some stew.”
On Thursdays, Heather always collected Chloe from school, which allowed Sam to work late and play a game of badminton with Daryl.
Last April, Heather had convinced Sam to move to Portishead. She’d told him often enough how much she loved helping him out with childcare for Chloe. It also meant with less of a commute from Swindon to Bristol, he saw his daughter more too.
Heather lived in a similar townhouse to Sam; both were new-builds on the hill above Portishead marina. They were within walking distance of one another. Heather and Tom had a larger house, with four bedrooms, whereas Sam’s was a three-bedroom.
“Oh, great. That would be lovely.” Heather always fed Sam. Maybe she’d made another promise to Jade, or their own mother, that she’d make sure he ate well. These past four years had been tough, but life was getting steadily better, and had certainly improved once Sam made the decision to move away from Swindon and the home he and Jade had shared. He’d worried he’d lose his memories of Jade, leaving the house, but Chloe was a constant reminder of her mother.
As Heather dished up Sam’s dinner, she called out, “Chloe, your dad’s here.”
“Leave her, sounds like they’re having fun.” He could hear the three girls laughing in the front room.
“Yes, they’re playing Hungry Hippos. Daisy and Scarlett love that game.” Heather pulled a face. “I do not. I would say it keeps them quiet…” She paused to listen. There was a bashing, scraping noise and lots of screaming and laughter. “But it’s more that they play nicely together with it.”
Sam tucked into his beef and ale stew. Heather had slow-cooked it and the meat was falling apart, moist and succulent.
“Sam…” Heather paused, eyeing the door behind Sam, as if to make sure the girls wouldn’t disturb them. “Chloe confided in me today, on the way out of school.”
“About what?” Sam’s mind raced.
“Oh, don’t panic.” Heather gave a little chuckle, as if reading Sam’s worried expression. “She talked about her mum and then said how she would like you to find someone else. I think she had been talking with friends at breaktime. Amber was discussing her mum. And Toby’s mum, Selina, has got a new boyfriend, and Toby was saying how much he liked him. Chloe’s worried you’ll be lonely, and that her mum wouldn’t want that.”
“And what did you say?”
“I agreed that Jade wouldn’t want you to be on your own, and I told Chloe I’d made her mum a promise. So, I told her not to worry: Aunty Heather has it all under control.” Heather tapped her nose.
“Right.” Sam forked another mouthful of stew. “Where’s Tom?” he asked, wanting to change the subject.
Then there was a deep, manly laugh from the lounge, making the girls scream and giggle louder. Heather raised an eyebrow, with her hands on her hips. “He’s winding up the girls. We’ve all eaten.” Sometimes Tom got home from work at the same time as Sam arrived, and the two men would talk as they ate together. Other times, his work being flexible as a self-employed electrician, he was already home in time to eat with his family.
Tom entered the kitchen, wearing jeans and a polo shirt, and not his workwear, which meant he’d probably been home for some time. “Hello, Sam, I thought I heard you come in. Fancy a beer?” Tom kissed his wife, then went to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of Stella. Sam’s brother-in-law was over six feet tall, with a stocky frame and blonde hair showing no sign of grey yet. He looked intimidating but was as soft as a teddy bear and had the growl of a kitten when it came to it.
“Go on, then,” Sam said. “Thanks.” With a pop and clink, Tom opened them up and placed one in front of Sam. Tom gave his wife an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder, then drank from his own bottle.
Sometimes Sam envied his sister and brother-in-law. Yes, they had their fair share of arguments like any ordinary married couple, but Tom seemed to keep his family unit together. That’s all Sam wanted — his family unit back.
Heather opened her laptop and sat down opposite Sam. Tom gave a frown over her shoulder that only Sam could see. He hunched over his wife to get a closer look at the screen.
“What are you doing, darling? Looking for a toy boy? Isn’t one man enough for you?”
“I’m setting Sam up on an online dating site.” She smirked at Sam, then looked up at her husband, who dropped a kiss onto her lips.
“You’re what?” Sam said, half choking on a tender piece of beef he was chewing.
“Come on, it’s about time you got yourself back out there. I’m giving you the push. I promised Chloe I was on the case, so I’d better stick to my word. And if Joe can settle down, you certainly deserve a second chance.”
“Heather…” Sam scowled.
“She’s got a point, mate. It’s been a while now. And Jade wanted you to live, not linger,” Tom said, swigging his beer.
Sam rolled his eyes. “Did Chloe put you up to this?”
“She’s concerned that you’re not dating because of her.”
“That’s ridiculous.” But was it true? Was he nervous of meeting someone else because of Chloe? What if they didn’t like his daughter? What if Chloe didn’t like his new woman?
