The Distance Between Us Page 7

‘It sure is. I just don’t feel like I’ve got the stamina this year.’

  ‘We’re getting older, that’s why.’

  ‘That’s probably got something to do with it. The thought of being cooped up in the city with a whole load of boisterous children… They have too much energy for their own good sometimes.’

  ‘You can hardly complain with that garden of yours.’

  ‘You’re right. We are very lucky. Though I wouldn’t mind moving to the countryside and having even more open space. We were at Becca and Andrew’s last weekend. Their house is the dream – they even have a pool! If we lived there I wouldn’t need to entertain the kids at all – they would happily spend the entire day swimming.’

  ‘That sounds ideal.’

  ‘Maybe one day…’ Tasha sighed. ‘Anyway, enough of that. Any more Mrs Perfect stories to cheer me up?’

  ‘Funny you should ask!’ Flo rolled her eyes, delighted to move onto her favourite subject. ‘It was the school fete on Saturday…’

  ‘Of course! How was it?’

  ‘Awful. I got roped in as a volunteer for face painting, not exactly my forte but I thought I’d give it a go… I mean, how hard could it be?’

  ‘Pretty hard, I imagine!’ Tasha laughed.

  ‘Well, Mrs Perfect didn’t think so. She was the other face painter and oh, my God, the contrast. The queue for her table went around the entire playground. No one wanted me to do theirs. It was like comparing a three-year-old’s self-portrait to Rembrandt. I mean, I knew she was arty after the cupcake debacle and I would never willingly have pitched myself as her direct competition. The poor kids who got landed with me! I could only feel sorry for them – I couldn’t stop apologising!’

  That reminded Tasha that she had better get baking for her children’s school fete the following weekend. She had promised to contribute to the cake stall and the mums in charge – both of whom Tasha found more than a little terrifying – undoubtedly frowned upon shop-bought produce.

  After lunch she drove to the supermarket, arriving home a short while later armed with the ingredients needed for a huge baking session.

  ‘Let me help you with that,’ Javier said, appearing as if from nowhere as she unloaded the boot full of shopping from the back of her car.

  ‘Oh, don’t worry. I’ll manage.’ Tasha smiled. She felt a little flustered and caught off guard, standing in front of him in her leggings and vest top. ‘Thanks though,’ she added.

  ‘It’s no problem,’ Javier said. She noticed the spicy smell of his aftershave as he reached across her to lift some bags out of the car. ‘My mother always told me I should help a lady carry her shopping.’

  ‘I’m trying to instil some similar manners in my own son, but so far I seem to be failing miserably!’ Tasha laughed. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Fine, thank you,’ Javier said. ‘Enjoying this lovely weather.’

  ‘It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?’

  ‘You look like you’ve caught the sun. It suits you.’

  ‘I’ve been doing rather a lot of gardening. Any opportunity to get in the sunshine! Have you got a garden?’

  ‘A small one,’ Javier replied. ‘Do you want to come and see it?’

  Was there a flirtatious edge to his suggestion? No, she told herself. She was being delusional.

  ‘Maybe another time…’ Tasha realised he would shortly be following her into the house. He was her neighbour… surely there was nothing untoward in letting him help her with her shopping? Besides, it would seem churlish to refuse the help he was offering. By the time she had unlocked the door she hadn’t thought of a reason for him not to, so he ended up following her inside and through to the kitchen.

  ‘Nice place.’ Javier looked around in admiration as he put the bags down. ‘Wow! Look at your garden! It’s about five times the size of mine!’ He moved over to the sliding doors. ‘I had no idea the gardens were so much bigger on this side of the road.’

  Tasha laughed nervously. Something about him made her feel slightly awkward in his presence. ‘Yes, I am lucky,’ she said. ‘In many ways.’

  Javier grinned. ‘How are the children? And your husband?’

  ‘Charlie is well, thanks. And so are the children. Somewhat hot and bothered in this heat.’

  ‘I bet! I suppose I’m rather more used to it than you Brits.’ At this he laughed, his brown eyes sparkling. Suddenly she found herself wondering what it would feel like to kiss him, what his stubble would feel like against her skin. As soon as the thought entered her mind, her stomach fizzed with a desire so palpable it made her head spin. She tried to suppress it, shocked at herself. She blamed her subconscious. It clearly couldn’t stop the salacious train of thought that had started on her wedding anniversary.

  ‘I-I’d better get on,’ she said.

  ‘Of course,’ Javier said. ‘I won’t keep you.’

  ‘I’ve got to bake some cakes for the school fete.’

  ‘Ah – that explains all the shopping! Sounds fun!’ Javier raised an eyebrow. ‘I’ve got to get a move on myself… Making the most of a rare day off.’

  ‘Well, thanks for helping me.’ Tasha smiled. She wondered where he was going, who he might be meeting.

  ‘Anytime. I’ll let myself out,’ he called as he walked down the hallway. She noticed she had been holding her breath. She realised she had been half dreading, half waiting for him to make a move and try to kiss her. Don’t be so ridiculous, she scolded herself. As if he would be attracted to her!

  Tasha was shaken by the effect he had on her. She felt herself trembling slightly. She poured herself a glass of water. How utterly desperate she must be. She was a happily married woman; she shouldn’t be capable of thinking such thoughts about another man. What was wrong with her? Was she really that desperate? Tasha wondered whether Charlie ever felt like this about women he met at work. She hated the thought of it. It was like a mental betrayal. Yet it felt like a lifetime ago since she had had such feelings of attraction towards someone. She knew it was dangerous yet she couldn’t help but marvel at the power of desire – how it could lie dormant for so long and then flare up uncontrollably without a moment’s notice, taking your breath away.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘What shall we do with the kids this weekend?’ Tasha asked, looking up from her book as Charlie came into the bedroom. He had been working non-stop for the past two weeks, missing their school fete and the children’s sports day because he couldn’t escape the office. Now that things had calmed down a bit Tasha wanted to make sure they had some quality time together as a family to make up for it.

  ‘Not sure,’ Charlie said. ‘Have you got something in mind?’

  ‘We could have a picnic at Cannizaro Park?’

  ‘Great! I feel like I’ve hardly seen them all week.’

  ‘You haven’t!’ Tasha said.

  ‘Don’t start,’ he said, a note of warning in his voice.

  This immediately made Tasha feel defensive. ‘I’m not starting. I feel sorry for you, that’s all. When you work this hard you must really miss them.’

  ‘I do. I’m bloody knackered, to tell you the truth.’ Charlie sighed. ‘I’m not sure I’ve got the energy for all this any more.’ Tasha felt like echoing his sentiments. She never got sympathy for the lack of help she received from him when he was busy at work. She was just expected to manage as a virtually single mother of three.

  ‘You can always leave…’ she suggested.

  ‘But what about the mortgage? We’ve got so many financial commitments. It’s not as simple as that…’

  ‘I could go back to work. That would take some of the pressure off you in terms of money.’

  ‘Do you want to?’

  ‘I’ve been thinking about it quite a lot recently.’

  ‘Really? I had no idea.’

  ‘Well, we haven’t talked much about stuff like that lately.’

  ‘I suppose not. Well, what would you have to do to requalify?’

  ‘There’s
a whole induction programme I’d have to go through. It’d be a hell of a lot of work.’

  ‘How would you manage that? What would we do with the kids?’

  ‘I guess I’d have to revise at night and during weekends. And then there’d be placements, which I’d need to arrange childcare for. And eventually we’d have to find some wrap-around care: someone to take them to school in the morning, pick them up, give them tea, do their homework – that kind of thing.’

  ‘It’s worth investigating. But you always said you were glad you had left, that you didn’t want to be in that world any more… Have you changed your mind?’

  ‘No. Not really. That’s the problem. I’m not sure retraining would be the solution. I think I might be better off doing something completely different.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I’ve got no idea. I keep racking my brains to think what I’d enjoy, what I could use my skills for… but so far nothing obvious jumps out.’

  ‘Well, it’s definitely something to think about. If you think you might like to. You are right. Perhaps that would take the pressure off a bit.’

  Tasha was pleased with his response. Perhaps she would start looking into her options properly this week. The thought filled her with nerves and anticipation in equal measure.

  *

  The next morning, they packed the cool boxes with a picnic lunch and set off for Cannizaro Park. ‘Can we get an ice cream?’ Max pleaded as they passed the ice cream van on the way into the grounds.

  ‘Good idea!’ Charlie said.

  ‘No, you can’t!’ intervened Tasha. ‘It’ll spoil your appetite. You won’t want to eat your sandwiches.’

  ‘Spoilsport!’ Charlie laughed.

  ‘Mu-um!’ chorused Flora, Max and Bella as they went past the van, their eyes gazing longingly at the garishly bright pictures.

  ‘We can come back later,’ she promised.

  ‘But it might have gone by then,’ Max moaned.

  ‘I doubt it,’ Tasha said. She wished Charlie would be the responsible one sometimes. It was always Tasha that seemed like the killjoy.

  Before choosing a suitable picnic spot they went for a walk in the woods. Luckily, thoughts of the ice cream van were soon forgotten as the children navigated their way down hidden paths, searching for abandoned dens and secret hideouts. Charlie had a wonderful imagination and the children loved the stories he made up of little woodland creatures living in the dens and burrows they found. Under the mossy trunk of a tree stump Bella found a little ring of stones carefully arranged in a circle.

  ‘What can this be, Daddy?’ Bella asked.

  ‘Oh,’ said Charlie, assuming the solemn voice of a wise storyteller. ‘Well, this must be none other than a fairy meeting place.’

  ‘Wow!’ Bella’s voice was full of awe, her eyes widening at the thought. Max crept closer to examine the scene. Charlie went on to explain how all the fairies would gather to listen to stories from the elders, sitting on the stones like miniature chairs. He said that the biggest stone was for the fairy queen, the most important of all the fairies. Tasha laughed as Max and Bella listened, transfixed, to Charlie. It felt so different when she wasn’t the only parent in charge. Besides, they were always much better behaved around Charlie. Even Flora seemed more like a normal ten-year-old and less like a hormonal teenager in his presence.

  Later they ate their picnic under the shade of a huge oak tree: egg and cress sandwiches, Ribena, chewy bars and yoghurts. When they had finished Charlie bought them all Mr Whippy ice creams with flakes as promised, ensuring that the children were high on sugar and squabbling furiously in the back seats of the car for the journey home. Her interventions fell on deaf ears so Tasha gave up and checked her phone instead, trying to tune out the noise coming from behind her. She had missed several calls from her mother, and her family WhatsApp group showed a hive of activity, numerous notifications flashed up on her screen.

  ‘Oh, God!’ Tasha said as she caught up on the messages.

  ‘What’s up?’ Charlie asked, pulling the car into a space outside their front door.

  ‘It’s Ella. The poor thing has caught malaria!’ Her youngest sister was working for a charity in Haiti for a month as part of an extensive backpacking trip with her best friend Tammie.

  Charlie switched off the ignition and turned to look at Tasha. ‘Is she OK?’

  Tasha shook her head. ‘Apparently she’s in a critical condition. I’m going to have to call Mum.’ Charlie swiftly took the kids inside, leaving her in peace.

  ‘Darling?’ Lizzie answered on the first ring. ‘We’ve been waiting for you to call…’

  ‘Sorry, Mum, I was out with the children. I’ve only just seen the messages. What’s the latest? Is she OK? I can’t believe this...’

  ‘She’s in hospital in Port-au-Prince,’ Lizzie explained. ‘The charity organised transport to get her there. Apparently, she was in a critical condition but she’s now stabilised a bit. They are monitoring her closely.’

  ‘I can’t bear it!’ Tasha said. ‘Poor Ella.’

  ‘Stupid girl. She didn’t take her malaria pills.’

  ‘I did tell her she had to.’

  ‘I bet she just thought it would never happen to her – typical Ella.’

  Tasha could understand why her mother was cross. She was clearly extremely worried.

  ‘Well, she’s in the best place at least so try not to worry. And malaria is extremely treatable these days.’

  ‘If she was still critical I’d be on the first plane out there, but her condition seems to be improving and Tammie assures me that the doctors think she’ll make a quick recovery.’

  ‘OK. Well I’ll try calling her and see if I can get any more information. Maybe I can speak to her doctor?’

  ‘Good idea.’ Lizzie passed her over to her father next. Having reassured him, she then called Tammie, who was able to get Ella’s doctor to speak to her. By the end of the call she felt confident that the situation was as under control as it could be. Apparently, it had started off as a headache and escalated quickly. Luckily, Ella had managed to see a local doctor, who had spotted the symptoms. Her condition had deteriorated rapidly but Tammie had contacted the charity head office and they had arranged a medical evacuation straight to Port-au-Prince.

  Tasha felt quite shaken as she hung up the phone. She went into the house and found Charlie and the children watching Blue Planet in the sitting room.

  ‘Everything all right?’ he asked.

  ‘Is Auntie Ella OK?’ Flora said. All eyes were on Tasha as they waited to hear the news.

  ‘Yes, don’t worry, darlings,’ Tasha said. ‘The doctors in Haiti are looking after her very well.’ She filled Charlie in on what she knew. It had really taken her by surprise and she felt quite shocked. It occurred to her just how much she took her family’s health for granted.

  Later that night, as she lay in bed trying to drift off to sleep, she couldn’t stop thinking about Ella lying alone in a hospital bed on the other side of the world. She was grateful that Ella had Tammie with her, but she wished one of the family were there too. Childhood memories ran through her mind and she found herself welling up with tears. She wanted Charlie to hold her in his arms and comfort her, but he was still downstairs watching rugby. Tasha prayed that Ella’s condition would continue to improve. She was thankful that her symptoms had been diagnosed and treated so quickly. She knew only too well what might have happened had that not been the case.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Charlie looked up from his laptop the following evening. ‘I’m afraid I’ve got to go to Zurich next weekend.’

  ‘How come?’ Tasha asked, holding the steaming iron against a particularly stubborn crease on one of his shirts. The ironing pile was as high as Everest. Every time she thought she was making a dent in it, it seemed to spring back up to full height.

  ‘It’s with some prospective clients that we are trying to impress.’

  It hadn’t been too long sin
ce his last weekend away on business.

  ‘The only problem is…’ Charlie was hesitant. ‘It’s Aunt Marigold’s ninetieth birthday lunch on Sunday, remember?’

  ‘Oh, God. I had completely forgotten about that.’

  ‘You’ll have to go without me,’ Charlie said, looking apologetic.

  ‘Oh no way! You cannot do that to me!’ she groaned.

  ‘I’m afraid there isn’t much we can do,’ Charlie said. ‘It would be extremely rude to cancel completely. She’ll be upset as it is that I can’t make it.’

  ‘But it’s such a long drive. Can’t you just get out of the business trip?’ Tasha asked, knowing full well the answer would be ‘no’.

  ‘It’s really important that I go. I need to make sure I’m winning new business to secure my future in the company.’ Tasha knew this line off by heart.

  ‘I don’t want to go, full stop, but without you it will be a million times worse.’

  ‘It’s bad timing… But at least Becca and Andrew will be there.’

  Tasha knew that there was no point pursuing the matter. She was going to have to go, no matter how unpleasant the thought. Her good manners alone were enough to stop her pulling out at such late notice, especially knowing Marigold had such a soft spot for Charlie.

  Unfortunately, the heat wave had returned with a vengeance by the end of the week. Max, Bella and Flora had all slept badly on Saturday night – their rooms were too hot and stuffy even with fans blowing and all the windows open. Tasha had hardly slept herself. She felt utterly exhausted and the heat didn’t help any of their moods. The children had been bickering non-stop all morning, rubbing each other up the wrong way.

  ‘Mum, Max just took my spoon!’ Flora yelled.

  ‘Max, go and get one for yourself,’ Tasha said. ‘You can’t take Flora’s.’

  ‘FINE!’ Max shouted.

  He jumped from his stool and ran over to the drawer with a dramatic sigh. He took a spoon and slammed the drawer shut. Tasha really wasn’t in the mood for his temper.

  At that moment the phone rang. ‘Hello?’ Tasha said as she picked up the receiver.