‘Look, over there!’ Harriet pointed to a table on the far side over by the front of the stage. ‘You go grab the table and I’ll get some drinks.’ She began to walk off before Nancy even had a chance to respond. Harriet reached the bar area and set about reading the cocktail menu. They needed something fruity and strong – today was shaping up to be quite a stressful day for the pair of them so Harriet was determined for it to end on a high.
‘I’d recommend a Singapore Sling, it has quite a kick to it.’
Harriet jumped and looked up startled to see Cameron smiling back at her. ‘You scared the life out of me – do you always creep up on women like that?’
‘OK, you make me sound like a pervert weirdo.’ He frowned, and Harriet laughed.
‘Hey, I’m not the one creeping up on women and whispering in their ear.’ She shrugged to add weight to her words.
‘Let’s not continue down this trail of thought.’ He grabbed the menu and opened it up. ‘But seriously, get the Singapore Sling, it’s amazing.’
‘Well, I might just do that; I’ll tell Nancy it comes as a recommendation from you.’
He nodded, not taking his eyes off the menu. ‘And can you tell her I said sorry for being a bit off earlier?’
Harriet leaned on the bar looking at him. ‘And why exactly can you not tell her yourself? I’m not your messenger.’ Maybe she should become a professional matchmaker – she was having far too much fun with this.
He looked back up at her. ‘I know … I … um … can’t.’
‘You, um, can’t what?’ She retorted. ‘She’s sitting just over there.’ She pointed to the table where Nancy had set up and was currently bouncing Tommy up and down on her knee. Harriet felt the disappointment settle in her stomach as she realised he must’ve woken up – she was hoping he was going to be down for the night. She could never fully relax when the children were around her. She always felt like she was fighting a losing battle, trying too hard at something that technically she should be a natural at. She found it so draining, but she had her professional image to uphold, and she couldn’t be seen to be struggling. And she really did want to enjoy it – she just wasn’t sure she knew how.
‘Well, you see, I’m here tonight with my sister and her husband and, well, we’re sitting all the way over there and I need to get the drinks back to them. If you could just send my apologies, I’d really appreciate it.’ He smiled and then walked off back to his table, no drinks in his hands.
Harriet frowned as she watched him leave. He was acting strange, just like Nancy had said.
Moments later she was back at the table handing Nancy her drink.
‘What is it?’ Nancy asked, eyeing up the liquid suspiciously and then taking a sip. ‘It’s strong!’
‘Yep and it comes recommended by none other than the very sexy Cameron.’ Harriet noticed the change in Nancy’s face. ‘That’s right, he’s here tonight and sitting right over there.’ She pointed to his table on the far side. He had his back to them, but you could very clearly see it was him. His broad shoulders sporting a tight fitted white T-shirt against the navy chino shorts he was wearing. He was leaning across the table talking to his son who was laughing hysterically at something. The pair looked the perfect father-son picture.
Nancy slapped her hand down. ‘Don’t point!’ she hissed. ‘I don’t want him thinking we are talking about him.’
‘But … we are talking about him.’ Harriet sipped the pink liquid – it was surprisingly sweet.
‘But we don’t want him to know that, do we!’
‘He has his back to us, will you chill out. Anyway, as I was saying before you assaulted me – he told me to pass on a message.’ Harriet took pleasure in watching Nancy’s face instantly show interest as she turned to face her. ‘He said to apologise for being stroppy with you this morning.’
‘I told you he was being weird!’
‘Yes, and I totally agree.’ Harriet sat down and leaned in a little. ‘He was weird with me too. I invited him over to speak to you himself and he went all funny and said he couldn’t and then walked back to his table without even taking his drinks with him.’
‘So now you’re scaring him off,’ Nancy laughed.
‘Listen, I know the guy is hot, but I’m not sure he’s the full ticket. Maybe you should let this one go.’
‘For the last time, I am not chasing him! No men in my life right now apart from Jack.’ Nancy sipped her drink. ‘And Tommy, of course’ she added, tickling his toes.
‘Yeah, so why is he up? Did he wake up by himself or did Isla poke him?’ This had become a regular thing of late. Harriet didn’t know if it was a jealousy thing or an attention thing, but Isla quite often woke her brother up so he would start crying.
‘No, she didn’t this time, he just woke up himself. I wonder if he’s teething because his face is all rosy and he is dribbling like a trooper!’
‘Yeah, he’s got one through at the top – it’s only just come in.’ She didn’t tell Nancy that it was in fact a stranger who had noticed this before his own mother did. And right on cue, he started whinging and rubbing at his face. ‘Here, do you want me to take him?’ Harriet reached out and took Tommy, and his crying increased. It felt like every time she held him or picked him up, he either started crying or his crying intensified. She couldn’t do anything right. It was like he could smell the fear, could sense that she was winging it. She bounced him on her knee and gently shushed him, hoping it would be calming and soothing. But instead, it came out a little erratic and forced.
‘Have you got any medicine to give him, take the edge off a bit?’
Harriet shook her head. Did Nancy know her at all? If you looked inside her bag you would find money, keys, perfume, her diary and a pack of mints. Even her changing bag was a little on the sparse side – always running low on nappies and wipes, all the essentials!
‘Here, I’ve got some of these sachet things – they’re great for on the go. You can have one of these.’
Harriet took the sachet from Nancy and tried to open it with one hand whilst holding onto Tommy with the other as he wriggled and moaned. ‘I can’t bloody do this with one hand, open it for me?’ She felt his head. ‘Does he feel hot to you?’
Nancy opened the sachet and then touched his forehead. ‘Yeah, a little. This will help with his temperature, bless him.’
Harriet squeezed the contents of the sachet into Tommy’s mouth as he flipped his head from side to side, refusing to take it.
‘Well, we managed about half the sachet, which is good considering Tommy has turned into the girl from The Exorcist and practically rotated his head backwards to avoid it!’ Harriet wiped her face with the back of her hand. ‘How the hell did I get it on my eyebrows?’
‘Mummy, I need a wee.’
‘OK, hang on a minute, let me just settle Tommy first.’
‘No, now, I need a wee nowwww.’
‘Isla, sweetie, you will have to wait a moment.’
‘Why don’t I take you?’ Nancy smiled at Isla but she wasn’t having any of it.
‘No, Mummy take me.’ She pouted.
‘You’re just being difficult because I have Tommy on my lap, aren’t you?’ Harriet turned to Nancy. ‘She keeps doing this, I don’t know if it’s a sibling jealousy thing?’
‘Might be, it’s fine. You take her, here, give me Tommy.’
Harriet handed over her son to Nancy. Tommy had thankfully stopped crying but was still a bit wriggly and whiny.
‘Come on then, you.’ She took her daughter’s hand and led her to the toilet.
‘Mummy?’ Isla said, coming to a halt outside the toilet.
‘Yes darling?’ Harriet replied.
‘Bend down here for a minute?’ Her rosy cheeks bulged as she smiled up at Harriet.
‘I thought you wanted a wee?’
‘I want to whisper something in your ear.’ She waved her hand, indicating for Harriet to bend down. As Harriet did, Isla moved Harriet’s hair away from her ear and leaned in. ‘This is the best holiday ever!’ she whispered.
Harriet leaned back, shocked at the sweetness from her daughter. ‘Aw sweetie, that’s lovely. What has been your favourite bit?’ They may have been crouched in a hallway in the entertainment complex with the dull hum of the DJ talking from the hall and various staff running around them, but this moment meant more to Harriet than she could even voice.
‘My favourite bit is you.’
‘Me?’ Harriet frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I get to see you and play in the water with you and eat yummy food.’ She leaned in again for a cuddle and this time she squeezed and didn’t let go.
Harriet fought back the tears. Isla wasn’t jealous of her brother taking Harriet’s time, she was jealous of her work.
Things definitely had to change now. She wrapped her arms around Isla and squeezed her back. She would treasure this moment forever.
***
Nancy looked down at Tommy slowly settling in her arms. She could remember when Jack had been this small. His perfect little toes and his perfect little face. What she would give to be back at that time when everything had seemed perfect. Happily married with a beautiful bouncing baby boy. And then everything had changed. Pete had become distant, Jack struggled with everything and Nancy saw her perfect life slowly fall apart, piece by piece.
She wouldn’t change Jack for the world and she loved him with every inch of her soul, but things were hard, life was hard. And ever since his diagnosis it had felt as though things were getting worse. Knowing what was wrong with Jack had made everything seem more real and there was no more hiding away from the fact that her son had a condition that meant he found the world incredibly hard to live in. Nancy wanted to take all his anxieties away and let him be the child he deserved to be, but she couldn’t, nobody could, and that was what hurt the most. When most children went to their mothers for support and reassurance, Jack went into himself and pushed everyone else away. He didn’t like cuddles like Tommy did and he hated being touched. Nancy grieved for the little boy she wanted and for that, she felt incredibly guilty. Mum guilt was a bitch!
After a few moments Tommy drifted off. His forehead was clammy and his little cheeks were rosy red. She cuddled him closer, resting her lips on his forehead as she soothed him.
‘Poor little guy, his teeth?’
Nancy jumped and looked over her shoulder at the soft voice behind her. ‘Hi,’ she said and smiled.
‘May I?’ Cameron gestured to the chair to Nancy’s left and she nodded for him to take it. As he sat down, Nancy watched him look down at Tommy and smile before meeting her eyes. ‘I wanted to say I was sorry about this morning, I rushed off and I think I may have appeared a little rude and that wasn’t my intention.’
‘It’s fine, don’t worry about it.’ Nancy shrugged it off but then decided to be brave and ask, ‘I hope everything was OK? You seemed a little stressed.’ She didn’t feel as vulnerable with Tommy in her arms. He was acting like a barrier between them and it gave her a little extra confidence to ask questions she might not normally ask somebody she didn’t really know. Cameron noticeably closed off a little when she asked, and she knew she had pushed it. He wasn’t about to open up to her and that was fine; they hadn’t known each other long.
‘Yeah it’s fine, just life, you know? Can get a little stressful at times.’
‘You’re telling me,’ she said, almost under her breath as Tommy wiggled and had a little groan.
‘Little guy not feeling well?’ He leaned forward, placing his forearms onto his thighs and lessening the gap between them quite considerably. Nancy gazed back into his deep blue eyes and for a moment neither of them spoke. The sexual tension between them was intense. It wasn’t like anything Nancy had felt for a very long time and part of her felt guilty for that. She’d had a lot of good times with Pete, but towards the end, life had just got too much for them … and now, feeling how she did when she was lost in Cameron’s eyes, she started to question whether Pete leaving might be a blessing in disguise
Nancy forced herself to avert her gaze, looking back down to Tommy. ‘He’s just had some medicine so once that kicks in he’ll be sound asleep. Nothing like a good night’s sleep, eh?’
Cameron guffawed. ‘I wouldn’t know – what’s one of those?’ And he laughed, but Nancy sensed there was truth in what he said. Tommy started crying again. ‘Have you tried putting him up against your shoulder and patting him on the bum?’ Nancy looked at him and pulled a face. ‘I know he’s not a baby baby but I remember when Aiden was his age he still liked to have that gentle tapping when he was feeling a bit under the weather. Sort of a comfort thing.’ He shrugged. ‘Just a thought.’
Nancy manoeuvred Tommy round and tried what had been suggested. And amazingly, after a moment, he stopped crying and settled again, nuzzling his face into Nancy’s neck.
‘Well get you, Mr Genius. Shall we start calling you Father Teresa?’
Cameron held out his hands. ‘What can I say, I’m a pro.’
He smiled and Nancy noticed it lit his whole face up. He had a warm, gentle face and it was a stark contrast to the strained smile he had given her this morning. The more she studied his face, the more she realised just how much she liked looking at it.
‘So, judging by your wealth of knowledge, I take it you have always been a hands-on type of father?’ It was quite a forward question for Nancy. Maybe it was the cocktail, or the baby barrier shield she had with Tommy, but she felt relaxed enough with Cameron to delve a little below the surface with him. After all, she was on holiday. If she messed up then she would never have to see him again. Unless it came to light that he lived round the corner from her – then she really would be in trouble.
‘You could say that. From the moment Aiden was in my life I have made it my mission to make sure I’m always right there for him whenever he needs me. I wasn’t interested in being the dad that moans about getting up in the night or pretends to be asleep when the baby wakes up crying. Each to their own, but Aiden was my little miracle and I love every moment with him. Although I am a lot less smiley at 3 a.m.’ He winked at her.
‘Oh, so you decided to come over yourself then?’ Nancy heard Harriet’s voice as she crossed the dancefloor, even over the music playing. She inwardly cringed at her friend’s bluntness and glanced at her, willing her with her eyes to not wind him up. Clearly Harriet didn’t get it. ‘We were starting to think you were the new Jekyll and Hyde.’
Cameron looked confused at Harriet’s reference to the split personality and Nancy shook her head at him to indicate to just ignore her friend.
‘Is he asleep now?’ Harriet asked, peering over Nancy’s shoulder.
‘Yeah I think so.’ Nancy could feel her neck starting to sweat as Tommy nuzzled further into her. She pulled her long brown hair to one side to try and cool down and desperately hoped that the bead of sweat she could feel on her top lip wasn’t noticeable to Cameron; she casually wiped at it when he wasn’t looking. Tommy gave a little cough and wriggled.
‘So will you be joining us for a drink, Cameron? Where’s your little one?’ Harriet picked up her phone and swiped it so it lit up. A casual gesture that would go unnoticed by anyone, but Nancy knew she was discreetly checking her phone for emails. And she could see on the screen that she had an array of notifications already spread out on her homepage.
‘No, I won’t stay. You girls don’t want me sticking around. I just wanted to come and apologise.’ He turned to Nancy and looked her right in the eyes. She hadn’t had this much eye contact from a guy in she didn’t know how long, and she was enjoying the attention. ‘It was really nice to see you again,’ he said and rested his hand temporarily on her elbow before giving it a gentle squeeze as he stood up. ‘Maybe we can grab a coffee or something before you go home?’
‘I’d like that,’ she found herself saying. And the pair of them stared at each for a second, their gazes interlocked, the sexual chemistry ramping up a notch.
And it was at that moment that Tommy lifted his head and vomited all down Nancy’s chest.