‘So things are progressing well then,arethey?’
He shifted in his seat. Having stood her up last night, this was the one subject he especially didn’t want to get into. ‘As well as can beexpected.’
While avoiding his mum’s gaze, he picked up his spoon and dipped it in his bowl. He was beginning to wish that he’d made himself a salad instead. Unable to admit how he really felt about Maeve, he’d never been any good at lying to his mother and with every nervous tick and twitch on show, at least with a salad he could have stuffed his cutlery full of lettuce leaves to hide behind. As it was, he hadnothing.
‘I told you you’d like her, didn’t I?’shesaid.
Dan suddenly got up from the table. ‘Water?’ he asked. His mum failed to answer, but he decided to get her a drink anyway and, after grabbing a couple of glasses from the cupboard, he headed forthesink.
‘And last night’s date?’ she carried on. ‘How didthatgo?’
Dan’s hand faltered on the tap. She couldn’t possibly know he’d stoodMaeveup.
‘Why do you ask?’ he replied. He tried to sound equally as casual, but felt his body tense up as he waited for heranswer.
‘Noreason.’
Relieved to hear this, Dan felt himselfrelax.
‘It’s just that Missy called thismorning.’
Shit!thought Dan.Of courseshedid.
His mother always did have her ways and means of finding out what he’d been up to, sometimes before he’d even done it. However, rather than confront him on any of his wrong doings, she much preferred giving him the opportunity to own upfirst.
While standing there, he felt like a naughty schoolboy as opposed to the grown man he was meant to be, although he supposed on this occasion he only had himself to blame. Too busy playing the hero on Annabel’s behalf, he should have realised his mum’s friend would have been straight on thephone.
‘She wondered if everything is alright,’ she continued. ‘I mean according to her, poor Maeve waited and waited for you to get there, but you didn’t actuallyturnup.’
Dan could feel her eyes boring into him as she held out for some sort of explanation. And just like when he was a kid, he knew his deceit would be written all over his face, one of the reasons he never could get away with anything. He returned to the table and frantically tried to come up with a suitable excuse. Maybe he could say his car had broken down or that he’d ran out of petrol. Or that he’d bumped into an old friend en route and gotten waylaidcatchingup.
‘So,’ his mum continued. ‘If you didn’t spend the evening with Maeve, the only question is who did you spenditwith?’
Dan let out a long, hard sigh. The time had come to tell thetruth.
‘Annabel,’ he said. ‘Her name’sAnnabel.’
20
‘Higher!Higher!’
Annabel laughed. She couldn’t deny the little one’s bidding. Feeling such joy, she’d have stood there all day just to sense that smile and hear thatgiggle.
‘Mummy, I’m flying. I’mflying.’
Push after push, Annabel could almost feel the tummy tickles as the swing to-ed and fro-ed, carrying her charge backwards and forwards – a sensation she remembered from her own childhood. As she felt the sun on her skin and the love in her heart, Annabel couldn’t have been happier. She wanted the day to last foreverandever.
‘Daddy! Daddy! Your turn!Yourturn!’
With one last push, Annabel stepped back. More than content to share the excitement, she thought it only fair Daddy have his go too. Smiling, she turned; ready to give her husband a hug and a kiss before he took her place in front of the swing. Suddenly confused, she stared at the manbeforeher.
‘Dan,’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?Where’sTom?’
‘Tom!’ she called out. Annabel scanned her surroundings and looked for his face amongst the other dads. Starting to panic, she couldn’tseehim.
‘Tom’s gone,’saidDan.
He stepped forward, his arms out ready to reassure her, but Annabel recoiled. ‘No,’ she said. Her eyes still searching, he had to be here somewhere. ‘He can’t have gone.’ Her heart began to race. He wouldn’t leave her, notagain.
