‘Everything all right?’ Matt asks quietly as we’re clearing away.
‘I’ll tell you later. When everyone’s gone.’ I don’t want this getting out until Shelby knows, but I feel I can confide in Matt and, goodness knows, I need to tell someone. Bev would usually be my first port of call, but how can I burden her with even more than she’s already dealing with at the moment?
It’s late afternoon when Shelby calls. Obviously no matinee today.
‘Hey,’ he says. ‘How are you?’
I can’t tell you how pleased I am to hear his voice. ‘All the better for your call.’
‘Something wrong?’
I should have made a list. ‘Alan’s in hospital. A mini-stroke. I’m waiting to hear from Bev to see how he’s doing today.’ She’ll phone me when afternoon visiting finishes with an update, I’m sure. ‘I might try to get to see him later, if I can.’
‘That’s awful. I always thought Alan was fit and strong for his age.’
‘Me too.’ It’s a salutary lesson.
‘Give him my best. And Bev too. How are you managing without them?’
‘Lucas has stepped up to the plate.’ Now that we’ve cleared the air between us, he’s working really hard this afternoon.
‘Good lad.’
‘And the mayor has taken a few days off work and is here to help us.’
‘Oh.’ He sounds less thrilled about that.
Best to move on to safer ground and, of course, there is Lucas’s revelation left unspoken. Having fully intending to pave the way for a conversation with Lucas about it, I now can’t bring myself to tell him. Instead, I stick to ‘How’s the show going?’
‘Good,’ he says. ‘Very good. I’m really enjoying being back on the stage and the show is different every performance. There’s a well-known comedian playing Wishee-Washee – Joe Peters . . .’
Well-known to everyone except me, obvs.
‘ . . . and he goes off-script every night. He’s known for it. We don’t know what to expect next. Keeps us all on our toes. You’ll love it. I take it you’re still able to come on Wednesday evening?’
To be honest, with all that’s going on, I hadn’t given it another thought. ‘I . . . er . . . um . . .’
‘Don’t let me down, Molly. You promised.’ His voice hardens. ‘I’ve already booked the tickets for you and Lucas.’
‘Right,’ I say. ‘Right. I’m sure it will be fine.’ How am I going to square this circle? There’ll be students in the next day. ‘Perhaps another night would be better?’
‘Perhaps not at all?’
‘No, no. I don’t mean that. We’d love to come. Lucas and I are both looking forward to it.’ Lucas is refusing point blank to be there, but now I have bargaining power. I add brightly, ‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
If Shelby thinks I’m telling big fat fibs then he lets it go. ‘You’ll come up for the evening show? We could grab some dinner beforehand?’
‘Yes,’ I say, still thinking that I’ve no idea how we’ll both manage to leave the farm without Bev to babysit. This is all too complicated. The only good thing is that it might give us a chance to sit down with Shelby and tell him Lucas’s news face to face. How else will we be able to break it to him? That would surely be better. ‘That’ll be great.’
‘You could sound a bit more enthusiastic, Molly.’
‘No, I am. Really. I’m distracted with all that’s going on.’ ‘What else is there?’
‘Oh . . .’ I wrack my brains. ‘This and that. Nothing for you to worry about.’ That’s a blatant lie. ‘We’ve got a pregnant sheep,’ I blurt out.
‘I’m very pleased for you,’ he says, but doesn’t sound all that thrilled. I’m dreading his reaction when he finds out he’s to be a grandfather. I groan inwardly. ‘Well,’ he sounds very decisive. ‘I’ll leave you to your sheep as I have to get ready for this evening’s performance.’
‘I’m glad it’s working out well for you,’ I say earnestly. ‘I miss you.’
‘Not too much longer. The weeks seem to be flying by.’
For some not for others, I think.
‘Bye,’ Shelby says. ‘Give my best to the big guy. I’ll try to catch you tomorrow.’
He hangs up and I stare at the phone, so much left unsaid.
Chapter Forty-Eight
I walk up to the workshop with a heavy heart. The dogs, perhaps sensing my mood, stay close to my heels. Little Dog keeps smiling up at me in an encouraging way. Does he know that my heart is wounded?
Lucas and the students are all gathered round the nativity backdrop, paintbrushes in hand. Matt looks over and grins at me as I appear. There’s an inn with THE THREE KINGS painted in wonky letters across the top and a big yellow star at the top of it.
‘Busy bees,’ I say. ‘Looks as if you’ve done a great job.’
I think there’s more paint on the students than on their wooden scenery, which makes me smile, but they are obviously all quite pleased with their handiwork.
‘Clean up, guys. Home time soon.’
I usher the students to the sinks and watch them scrub paint from their hands and faces. After that, I supervise them cleaning their brushes. Matt tidies away too and when we’re done, we all walk down to the yard.
‘Aurora’s picking me up,’ Lucas says.
‘OK.’ I don’t want to see her, to have that awkward conversation, so I’ll try to make myself scarce. ‘Take your key to the van. I’m hoping to go up to the hospital later and might be out when you come home.’
‘I can take you,’ Matt say. ‘And Bev, if she’d like a lift. I know how tiring it can be going back and forth for hospital visits.’
‘That would be very kind of you. Can I offer you some supper as a thank you?’
‘As long as you wouldn’t mind me jumping in your shower? I’ve got clean clothes and stuff in the back of my car.’
‘That’s fine.’
So we see the kids off for the day and I keep out of the way when Aurora drives up in her car and toots her horn. Lucas rushes out. I think he’s as keen to keep her away from me as I am to avoid seeing her. I feel cross that, in this day and age where it’s so easy to avoid an unwanted pregnancy, they have both been so irresponsible.
Matt gets his clothes from the car and I find him some clean towels before showing him how my shower works. Then I go to find something for supper. I decide to have a night off being vegan – it feels too much like hard work – and opt for knocking together some omelettes. So I quickly nip out to the tea room to pinch some cheese from Bev’s stash in the kitchen.
While I’m cracking eggs, I wedge the phone to my ear and call Bev. ‘Matt’s still here and we’re going to come and collect you to take you to the hospital once we’ve had a bite to eat.’
‘That’s great. It feels like I’ve only just got home from visiting this afternoon and it’s time to go back. I’m so glad not to be going alone.’