They were interrupted as Reggie came back to take their order.
Phyllie frowned as he waited, pen poised. ‘I’m not sure I’ve got any appetite left, Reggie. I’ve had a shock.’
Hannah’s stomach churned. She should never have put this on Phyllie. What was she thinking? Could her heart even take these kinds of shock?
The old lady suddenly grinned. ‘I’m only kidding, nothing could shock me these days, and my granddaughter’s revelation is nothing compared to what I’ve seen and heard during my lifetime. We’ll have a ploughman’s and the zucchini fritters.’
Reggie refilled their drinks and took their order to the kitchen.
Phyllie raised her glass again. ‘Here’s to getting through difficult times. It might take a while, but Damien will come around.’
Hannah raised her glass to meet Phyllie’s, hoping with ever fibre in her body that her grandmother was right.
Hannah dropped Phyllie home before making the drive to East Malvern to pick up Amy. She’d stopped after her second glass, which meant Phyllie finished the remainder of the bottle. She got out of the car when they reached Phyllie’s house, took her arm and helped her along the driveway.
‘I’m not drunk!’
‘I would be if I drank two thirds of a bottle with lunch.’
‘The cheese and bread absorbed the alcohol. I’m fine.’
Hannah gripped Phyllie’s arm as she stumbled and laughed. ‘You’re not fine. You’ll let me deposit you in front of the television with a cup of tea or coffee, and you’ll stay there until Nat gets home. Do you hear me?’
Phyllie saluted. ‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Can I give you a hand?’ A deep voice called from the top of the driveway. Hannah turned to see a good-looking guy in his thirties walking towards them.
‘Hey, Phyllie,’ he said, smiling at the two of them. ‘You look like you’ve been out partying.’
Phyllie laughed. ‘Leon, meet my other granddaughter, Hannah. And no, I haven’t been out partying, just enjoying being alive.’
‘And a bottle of Prosecco,’ Hannah murmured. So this was the ‘goat boy’ she’d heard so much about.
Leon laughed and took Phyllie’s other arm and the two of them helped her into the house. She flapped them away as soon as she was settled in her armchair, insisting she was fine.
‘Thanks for your help,’ Hannah said as Leon walked her back to her car.
‘No worries. Phyllie’s amazing, I’d do anything for her.’ He cleared his throat. ‘You don’t happen to know if Nat is about, do you? I was hoping to have a chat with her.’
‘She’s at our father’s house, looking after my daughter. I’m about to go and collect Amy now. I’m not sure what Nat’s plans are after that though. Sorry. Would you like me to tell her to get in touch with you?’
Leon thought about it for a moment then shook his head. ‘No, that’s okay. I’ll catch up with her later.’
Twenty minutes later Hannah continued on her way to East Malvern. She wasn’t sure what to tell Amy, if anything, about Damien’s whereabouts. She wondered where he’d gone and whether he’d come home that night. As she pulled to a stop at a red traffic light her phone pinged; it was her mother-in-law.
Damien’s with us this afternoon, and we’ve suggested he stay here tonight while he comes to terms with things. Just letting you know so you don’t worry. His next shift is Tuesday, so he’ll be home before then to collect his uniform. I know what you did was for us and I’m sorry you now have to deal with the fallout. Much love, T. xx
Tears filled Hannah’s eyes as she read the message. Having Trish on her side meant so much. Hopefully she would be able to convince Damien that Hannah had only had the best intentions.
She pulled over and dried her eyes before reaching her father’s driveway. She wasn’t in the mood for any questions today. Nat’s car was on the road. Her thoughts shifted from her own problems to her sister’s. She wondered what had happened with the money Eliza’s brother had invested. The returns sounded too good to be true, but as neither Eliza nor Nat had invested their own money in his scheme, she’d have to put her cynicism aside and believe there were good people in this world. Ironically, she’d have to log in to the chat room and ask Nat; she couldn’t ask her in person.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Nat was laughing at an impersonation Amy was doing of her teacher. The high-pitched voice and flapping hands were not something Nat could imagine having to put up with all day, but then again, she was pretty sure it was massively exaggerated.
‘I’m sure she doesn’t sound like that.’
‘She does. She’s worse, in fact.’
Nat grinned. She’d had a lovely afternoon with her niece. Amy’s love of old movies had seen them venture out to a vintage cinema in Elsternwick that was showing the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life. It was a fabulous movie, and she couldn’t imagine she’d have seen it without Amy twisting her arm. After the movie, they’d had a look around the shops before coming back to her father’s. He was now making them all hot chocolate.
The sudden shrill of the doorbell drew Amy’s attention from the impersonations, and she hurtled down the hall.
Nat guessed it must be Hannah. No doubt her sister would be glowing from a child-free weekend and all the sex she and Damien would have had. She sat down at the kitchen table and accepted the hot chocolate her father placed in front of her.
‘You spoil us, Dad.’
He laughed. ‘A hot chocolate is hardly spoiling you. I’d better get back to it and make some more. I’m sure Hannah will want one.’
‘I’ll make them,’ Sue offered, her cheeks flushed from the cool afternoon air. ‘Let me just wash my hands as they’re covered in dirt. I’ve planted a whole bed of Asian greens this afternoon. We’ll be feasting on mizuna, tatsoi and bok choy before we know it. I just need Amy to help me feed them and we’ll be done.’
Nat smiled. Sue was always planting vegetables she’d never heard of, although bok choy was at least familiar.
Amy’s cry of ‘Mum!’ as the front door opened confirmed it was Hannah. Nat couldn’t hear their conversation, but Hannah’s boots clicked on the polished floorboards as they approached the kitchen.
Hannah entered the kitchen with Amy by her side, giving her a running commentary on the film.
‘Hot chocolate?’ Sue asked.
Hannah nodded. ‘Lovely, thanks.’ She smiled at Nat, her arm snaking around Amy’s shoulders. Her face was pale. Actually, it was deathly white.
‘Thanks so much for taking Amy to the movie today. It sounds like she had a fantastic time.’
Nat hesitated. It was a simple thank you, but that was unlike Hannah. Usually, she’d be quizzing them on the film’s ratings, on what they had from the candy bar. Did they have Coke or any other soft drink? A lecture would then follow on the perils of sugar-filled food and drinks. Something was off. Hannah looked terrible.
‘Are you okay? You look very pale.’
Hannah’s white cheeks flushed at the question. ‘I’m fine, thanks. Just a bit tired.’