The Family Next Door(54)

“To the hospital? Is everything all right?”

“She’s physically fine…” Barbara drifted off, glancing at Mia.

Ange read between the lines. Physically Essie was fine. Mentally was another story.

Ange felt a twist of guilt. She’d noticed Essie didn’t seem herself these past few weeks. She and Fran had even discussed it, at Essie’s place. Why hadn’t she reached out to her? Why hadn’t she offered to help out with the girls, bring her a few meals, pop by for a chat? Ange knew what Essie had done last time, with Mia. Now she was unwell again and no one had helped her. She couldn’t help feeling that she, like all the neighbors, should shoulder some responsibility for that.

“Of course I’ll look after them,” Ange said, taking Polly from Barbara. “Why don’t you give me Essie’s keys and I’ll take them home and give them dinner and put them into their own beds? Then you can come back whenever you’re ready.”

“That would be wonderful.”

Barbara found the keys and handed them over and then kissed the girls good-bye. By the time Ange had brought the girls into the foyer, Lucas was there.

“What’s going on?” he said.

“Essie isn’t well and is going to the hospital. I said I’d take the girls back home and look after them for a few hours.”

Lucas nodded. Ange didn’t have to tell him not to ask any more. He squatted next to Mia. “So I suppose we’re going to have to get you home somehow. Hmmm. I don’t suppose you like piggybacks?”

Mia glanced at Ange, then back at Lucas. She nodded shyly.

“You don’t?” Lucas cried. “Who doesn’t like piggybacks?”

She smiled. “I do.”

“You don’t?”

Now, she was flat-out giggling. Even Polly was smiling. “I said … I DOOO!”

Ange watched Lucas. The Lucas who had affairs and illegitimate children. The Lucas who also understood when to ask questions … and when to give piggyback rides.

“Hold on tight,” he said to Mia as he hoisted her onto his back.

Ange told the boys where they were going (she often left them home alone while she popped over to the neighbors) and then she and Lucas walked across the road to Essie’s. The house was in a surprising state. Breakfast dishes were stacked in the sink, toys were strewn all over the place, a half-eaten sandwich sat on the coffee table. Usually, when Ange went over to Essie’s it was clean and welcoming, with everything in its place.

“I’ll get the dinner started,” Lucas said, as Ange did a sweep of the room, gathering up the dirty dishes and taking them to the kitchen. When the boys were little, they had a similar routine—one of them tidying while the other made dinner. Later, one would read stories while the other did the dishes. No matter how stressful her day had been, when Lucas showed up, things made sense again. For years, Ange had listened to women talk about how their husbands were terrible with the kids, how they always did the wrong thing, or forgot to check the temperature of the bath, or did up the diaper too tight … or something. Ange had always nodded and smiled while being secretly smug. How lucky she was! Lucas wasn’t one of those husbands. He checked water temperature, and made lunch boxes and sang songs and put children to bed. He was a dream husband!

A dream husband to two women.

Ange unstacked and stacked the dishwasher, gathered the toys into their wicker baskets, and folded the laundry and put it away. Meanwhile Lucas had found a jar of pumpkin and zucchini mash for Polly, and had got some pasta and veggies started for Mia. When it was ready, he pretended the pasta was worms, which had Mia laughing hysterically. How is it possible? Ange thought. How can you be such a good guy and such a bad guy? How can I love you so much … and hate you so much.

After dinner, they bathed the girls. Then Ange sat on the couch feeding Polly a bottle while Lucas played trains on the floor with Mia.

“Thanks for helping,” she said to him.

He smiled at her. “It reminds me of when the boys were little.”

“Me too.”

Mia rammed a train into Lucas’s foot. “Oww,” he said, theatrically, rolling around while Mia chortled. “A train ran over my foot!”

“I don’t suppose you get to do this with Charlie very often,” Ange said.

Lucas glanced over, still holding his foot and pretending to wince. He raised his eyebrows. “Sorry?”

“Erin’s little girl?” Ange continued. “Your daughter?”

Mia rammed Lucas’s foot again, but this time he didn’t react. Frustrated, she tried again. And again. Ange scanned Lucas’s face for confusion or bewilderment, but it wasn’t there. All that was there was understanding.

“How did you know?” he said.

Finally the tears she’d been waiting for welled up in her eyes. “I know,” she said, “because you just told me.”





39


ISABELLE


When Isabelle opened her eyes the next morning, Jules was beside her, fast asleep. Until that very moment, Isabelle hadn’t been aware of how much she’d missed the weight of his body beside her, his slightly woodsy, minty scent. She basked it in for a moment until everything came flooding back.

She jerked upright and reached for her phone. She’d texted Essie twice last night. Even though she hadn’t been optimistic for a response, she was disappointed to find no messages. If she’d had Ben’s number, she would have called him but she didn’t. And since she had no intention of talking to Barbara, it left her out of options.