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‘Oh, do shut up, Toby!’ She turned to Thea. ‘Do you want to watch it? You’ll find the DVDs in the cupboard by the sofa.’
Thea shook her head. ‘I think I’ll pass, but thanks for offering.’ Thea had no intention of spending her holiday watching some rubbish American TV drama. Besides, she had enough on her mind and doubted she’d be able to concentrate on it. She’d found out her sister wasn’t leaving hospital any time soon, which meant that Mark had better step up and start working from home because she couldn’t stay there looking after her niece and nephew indefinitely.
It had occurred to her that perhaps Mark was having an affair. But now she didn’t know what to think because she’d found out something since visiting the hospital that had thrown her. The operation to insert a pin had gone well, and there had been no complications with the broken leg. That wasn’t the problem. But the baby might be.
Thea had not expected to walk out of the visit with her sister finding out that Jenna was in the early stages of a pregnancy. That’s why they were keeping her in for observation after emergency surgery; her leg had been broken when she’d tripped over the dog and fallen, so they needed to check there were no other complications. Apparently, surgery was generally safe for pregnant women, although Thea imagined that her sister would have delayed surgery until she was further along, or even until after she’d given birth, if that had been possible.
Thank goodness that so far, things were okay, medically speaking. She hadn’t lost the baby. But after speaking with her sister, Thea had got the impression that Jenna was not okay. She’d been in floods of tears when she’d told Thea she was pregnant.
Thea didn’t understand. She’d have thought her sister would be over the moon. It had taken a long time to conceive with the twins, to the point that they’d had to go down the IVF route. She’d always said she’d been lucky on her first IVF round to get pregnant, and to have twins – a boy and a girl. But Jenna had always wanted a house full of children, and now she was getting her wish. That’s what Thea had told her sister, thinking it would cheer her up. Instead it had just brought on more floods of tears.
At least the twins had not been in the hospital room at the time. They’d both been sitting in the car after their brief visit, during which Jenna had reassured them that everything was okay, and had not revealed that she was pregnant.
Before Thea had left to take the twins to this restaurant for an early evening meal, Jenna had made her promise not to tell them. Thea sat eating her pudding, a lovely velvety chocolate fudge cake, wondering why Jenna was so upset. And why she couldn’t tell the twins. Of course it would be a shock – they were thirteen, and their mum was having another baby – but in light of how difficult it had been for her to get pregnant in the first place, the whole family should be supportive of the new addition to their family – Mark included.
But Mark wasn’t there. He should be. Jenna needed him. Thea had asked her what had happened when she’d told Mark she was pregnant. That was when the floods of tears had started again, and Thea hadn’t been able to get anything more coherent out of her. At that moment, the nurse had come in; visiting hours were over. The nurse had given her a look as if to say,your presence is clearly upsetting my patient.
Thea had slunk out of the hospital room and walked back to the car where she’d left Katie, Toby and the dog. She’d been lucky to fit in a solo visit during visiting hours that afternoon, considering she’d had to leave Katie at the hospital, and go and find Toby, who had seemed to have been out walking the dog for a considerable time. Except that he hadn’t been walking the dog; he had been in Cobblers Yard. She’d been so surprised when she’d discovered the bookshop door was unlocked, and had stepped inside to discover none other than her nephew in the shop.
She stared at Toby across the table. Toby stared back. She guessed that he, too, was thinking about the bookshop as they finished their pudding in silence.
Thea glanced at Winston. She’d kept checking he was okay. The dog was sitting outside the restaurant with a chew bone from the local pet store she’d discovered along the high street. He was being very well-behaved; Thea had discovered the way to Winston’s heart, and a well- behaved dog, was a good supply of treats.
Her eyes roved back to Toby. He looked uncomfortable un-der her gaze. As well he might. Her mind replayed her return to Cobblers Yard, when she had thought she might find Toby in the old antique store, but had gone through the open door of the bookshop after spotting a light on.
The young lady who was serving them interrupted her thoughts. ‘How is everything? Can I get you anything else – tea, coffee?’ She looked at the two teenagers seated with Thea. ‘Soft drinks?’
‘I’d like another coke,’ said Katie.
The young lady wrote it down in her little notepad.
Thea thought she might as well have a cup of tea. She was in no hurry to return to Jenna and Mark’s house, have the kids disappear to their rooms, and spend the evening in the company of four walls, a clingy dog, and an endless day of nothing ahead of her. She already longed for something to do. She thought, I might have to resort to those DVDs of Katie’s after all.
She was used to her own company in her flat, but that was different. She could do things at home, like tidying up, cleaning, a bit of decorating – if she fancied it. It was different living in someone else’s place.
She decided that the next day she could visit some of the beautiful Suffolk Coast and have a long-drawn out lunch, read a book, be on holiday.
Unfortunately, she didn’t know how to be on holiday, and the thought of a book brought to mind the bookshop again, and the conversation she was still intending to have with her nephew about what, exactly, he was doing there.
Chapter 36
As soon as Katie and Toby walked through the door after arriving home from Aldeburgh, they headed towards the stairs, intent on disappearing to their rooms. Thea wasn’t surprised. Why would they want to hang around with their aunt? Even so, Thea said, ‘Toby, I want a word.’
Her inquisitive niece, already partway up the stairs, halted and turned around when she overheard Thea. ‘What about?’ she asked.
Toby quickly said, ‘It’s nothing, just about the dog.’
Katie regarded him a moment. ‘Yeah – whatever.’ She didn’t believe him, but flounced up the stairs, checking her mobile phone.
‘Have you got homework to do, Katie?’ Thea called up the stairs.
Thea heard a door close upstairs without any response.
Toby, who had also been on the stairs, turned around and looked at Thea.
Thea saw the look on his face. He didn’t want to talk about it. But she’d kept up her end of the bargain – not to bring up the issue of where she’d found him in front of Katie while they were having dinner in the restaurant. Now, he had to keep up his.She wanted an explanation – the one he’d refused to give when she’d found him in the bookshop.
Toby headed down the stairs. Thea walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on. She waited with her arms folded for him to come in. She shut the kitchen door behind him and beckoned him to sit on one of the stools in front of the kitchen island.
