Hypnotized by whatever had caught his attention out beyond the window, the man continued staring into the distance.
“Daddy,” chastised Charlotte, squeezing in next to her father. “Uncle Marcus is here.”
Somehow the voice of his youngest daughter pulled his attention away, and he turned to peer down at her, puzzled, until her words sank in and he raised his eyes to Marcus. The tiredness in that first glassy stare broke Marcus’s heart. But like his older daughter, Tom recovered quickly and looked genuinely happy.
“Marcus,” he said, sitting up in his seat. “Nice to see you. How are things?”
“I’m—I’m well. How are you?”
Tom grinned brightly then, and the old attraction that Marcus had harbored throughout the years resurfaced. “We’re fine. Well, work is pretty full-on. But we’re doing fine, aren’t we, girls? Coping, you know? Grab a seat.”
When Tom indicated the bench seat opposite, Marcus thought he noticed his hand shaking slightly. “Tom, I’d love to, but I’m about to catch the train to Birmingham. My colleague is just getting her breakfast fix.”
Tom’s stoic grin and nod of resignation cut Marcus to the bone. After a quick glance over his shoulder to see if Tina loomed nearby and catching sight of her hat in a long queue two from the front, he sat down.
“What the hell,” said Marcus. “Five minutes can’t hurt.”
The problem was that after twelve months, apart from the usual pleasantries, Marcus had no idea what to say or ask. Fortunately Charlotte provided a commentary.
“Uncle Marcus has been very busy, Daddy. He’s been in the newspaper and all. Grandma showed us.”
Marcus chuckled. So he hadn’t been completely written off by the remaining Bradford clan. Without thinking, he picked up a clean paper napkin and offered it to Katie, pointing out the spill on the back of her hand. “That’s right, Charlie. We’re looking to open a restaurant in New York City. Do you know where that is, Katie?”
“Duh,” she replied, swiping at the stains before giving him the world-weary look so reminiscent of her late mother. “Everybody knows where New York City is. Even Charlie.”
“America.”
“Ah, but on which coast of America?”
Katie narrowed her eyes at him then, remembering an old game they used to play, when he helped her to revise for one or another of her school tests.
“I’ll give you a clue. Strictly speaking, America doesn’t have a north or south coast.”
“South coast,” shouted Charlie.
“No, Charlie,” said Katie, grimacing at her sister. “It’s either east or west.”
“West,” guessed Charlie.
“East Coast,” said Katie, and then to show she hadn’t just guessed, added, “same as Washington and Boston.”
“Well done, Katie,” said Marcus, nodding and smiling. “Maybe one day in the future Uncle Marcus can—”
He stopped short then when a sudden wave of sad realization overcame him. Tom had made things clear between them. There would be no more direct contact with either Tom or his goddaughters. His smile slipped and instead he peered down at his hands.
“The girls miss you, Marcus,” said Tom, as though reading his thoughts.
“I miss you all too. But I wasn’t sure if you were ready….”
He didn’t know how to finish the sentence, and Tom gave no sign that he understood what he was trying to say.
“I wasn’t sure I was welcome yet.”
But Tom didn’t hear, his attention drawn from the table to take in someone hovering over them all. When Marcus turned, Tina stood there, as daunting as ever, curiously studying the group. Marcus stood and quickly introduced her. After an all too hasty farewell to Tom and the girls, they left.
All the way to the station, the guilty feeling inside him grew. He had a duty, he reminded himself, as godfather to Raine’s children. Both she and Tom had persuaded him to take on the role, even though he had balked at the idea when first suggested. And one thing Marcus Vine never did was shy from duty. Nobody in this world was perfect—he had his fair share of faults, but turning from duty was not one of them. By the time he reached the station, he knew exactly what to do.
“Would you mind going and getting the tickets?” he asked Tina, who had managed to finish both coffee and breakfast burger on the walk to the station. “I really need to make a call.”
