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But Edwin, being of sound mind and fierce determination, had insisted, and neither Daniel nor his mum had any say in the matter.
‘Hello?’ his mum called, and he realised he’d been silent for a while.
‘I’m still here.’
‘Fancy popping round for your tea? I’ve made a hotpot.’
‘Lovely. I’ll be there after I’ve visited Grandad.’
There was a pause, then his mum said, ‘Don’t get cross, but Gina phoned me. She said she can’t get hold of you on your mobile.’
‘That’s because I’ve blocked her number.’ A bolt of fear hit him in the chest. ‘What did she want? Is Amelia OK?’
‘Amelia is fine, as far as I know. But Gina was upset,’ his mum said.
So, she was trying to get at him through his mum instead, was she? ‘Low blow, Gina,’ he muttered. ‘Low blow.’ He carried on in a voice his mum could hear, ‘Yeah, upset she was caught. If I hadn’t gone out that night, and had stayed in like I told her I was going to, I never would have caught her with her ex.’
‘She claims nothing happened.’
‘Tongues happened.’
‘Yuck. I didn’t need to hear that kind of detail,’ his mother replied, then hesitated. ‘It can’t be easy for Amelia to have you in her life one minute, then out of it the next.’
‘I know.’ Daniel pressed his lips together. It wasn’t easy for him, either. He missed the little girl like crazy, and he knew his mum was only trying to help, but… ‘I can’t say with Gina because of Amelia. If she was mine, it would be a different matter, but I’ve got no legal claim. I am just a guy who used to shack up with her mother.’
‘There’s no need to be crude. Two years is a long time in the life of a child.’
‘Yes, it is, and I would never have become so involved with Gina if I’d realised what she was capable of.’
‘The poor mite must be so confused. I bet she can’t understand why you’re not around any more.’
His mother had hit the nail on the head. Amelia didn’t understand. But she wasn’t his daughter, and even if she had been he wasn’t sure whether he could commit to living with someone who had been unfaithful. He missed the little girl dreadfully – more than he missed her mother, if he was honest – but he couldn’t take Gina back after what she’d done; and who was to say she wouldn’t do it again?
Better to stop it right here, than have it limp along for another few months. Their relationship was over. Amelia had a father and Daniel wasn’t it, although he’d wanted to be. That was the fella who Gina had been playing tonsil-tennis with – Amelia’s real dad. It was extremely telling about the state of their relationship that when Daniel had seen Gina and Carl kissing passionately, his first thought was how pleased he was for Amelia to have her parents back together.
Daniel had been devastated for the little girl when he’d heard on the grapevine that Carl wasn’t interested in taking up with Gina again, but at least it explained why Gina was hassling him now and wanting to get back with him.
Unfortunately for her, Daniel couldn’t forgive or forget.
Daniel pressed the buzzer and waited to be admitted to the care home. Having never had any experience of places like this, he didn’t know what to expect, and he was pleasantly surprised at the newness of the building and the landscaped grounds around it. Of course, he could only see the front of it from the car park, but his mother had assured him the residents had access to private gardens at the back of the home and they were equally as nice, if not nicer.
Once he’d stated his name and the reason for his visit over the intercom, the door opened and he stepped inside. Expecting to smell boiled cabbage and disinfectant, a waft of perfume drifted across his face from the vase of flowers on the main desk, followed by a hint of polish and the aroma of ground coffee.
The area he was standing in was light and airy, and appeared to be more like a hotel foyer than an old people’s home, he thought, as he walked up to the desk to ask where his grandfather’s room was.
‘Edwin? You’ll find him in either the games room or his bedroom,’ the woman informed him, and pointed him in the right direction.
Apprehensively, Daniel set off along the corridor, taking note of the framed prints on the walls and the serviceable carpet underfoot. Yep, it still reminded him of a hotel – a low-to-mid-range one, but definitely not budget, and a far cry from the grim hospital-type environment he’d been expecting.
The sound of laughter and raised voices drew him on, and he glanced into open doorways as he headed towards the noise, passing a dining room, a kitchen and several bedrooms along the way.
As soon as Daniel reached the games room, he spotted Edwin. His grandfather was seated in a wing-backed chair, with a mug on a table next to him, watching two gents playing what looked like a complicated game involving cards and a wooden board. A pile of plastic counters sat in front of each man, and a crowd had gathered around them.
‘He’s cheating!’ one very elderly lady shrieked, and others leapt in with various opinions, along with much raucous laughter and the occasional wave of a walking stick in the air.
Daniel took a moment to study his grandad, hoping the old man wasn’t feeling lost or lonely, and was relieved to see him smiling and joining in. A gentleman to his right leant across and said something to him, and Edwin nodded.
As reluctant as Daniel was to interrupt what could be a budding friendship, he was nevertheless desperate to speak to his grandad and hear from his own lips that Edwin wasn’t regretting the move. Mind you, it was early days and the novelty factor was still in evidence. Daniel would wait to see how Edwin felt about the home in a month or so.
