want to paint and get out the house, leaving bath time to their partners; older folk, it’s company for them – we can advertise in the care homes.’ Maddie wistfully thought of Olive cheering her on. Go, Maddie.
Later that day, Greg dropped Ed off again, but this time, he wandered in behind Ed, without an invitation. Maddie bit her lip to stop herself from grinning like an idiot as Taffie bounded up to him. ‘You silly old sausage.’ Taffie rolled around by his feet as Greg tickled his tummy, then he scooped him up in his arms, sat down in a chair and plonked Taffie in his lap like it was the most normal thing in the word.
‘Tea?’
He looked up at her from under his baseball cap and nodded. ‘Yes please. Do you want any help?’
‘Sure. Can you fill the kettle; make the tea? I’ll just butter some malt loaf from the café.’
He popped Taffie back on the floor and fiddled around with the kettle as Maddie carefully spread thick, creamy butter onto some slices of malt loaf. Ed came up behind her and snatched a piece. ‘Starving!’
They sat round the table and Ed poured everyone tea, took a big gulp of his, then scraped his chair back and crossed his legs. ‘Hard bloody work today!’ He grinned at Greg.
‘Yup, but you’re a natural, with the kids I mean.’ Greg reached over and took a slice of loaf. ‘We’ve had some instructors who have literally no idea how to speak to kids. They treat them like adults, shout at them even,’ Greg said, then bit into a chunk of loaf.
‘Yeah, well I’ve got a pretty good teacher.’ Ed playfully tipped the front of Greg’s baseball cap forward.
‘Hey!’ Greg laughed.
‘I’m taking a shower,’ Ed said standing up. ‘I’m covered in salt.’
Greg helped Maddie to clear up. She was acutely aware of the silence, but didn’t want to break the spell. Once they’d finished, Greg wandered into the lounge to look for Taffie. He was curled up on the rug by the hearth. Greg bent down and stroked the little dog’s fur. As he stood up, he glanced at the mantelpiece and stared at the photos. She couldn’t place the look on his face as she stood in the doorway watching him, his hands thrust into the pockets of his shorts, his head to one side.
‘Would you like to stay for supper?’
He turned abruptly to her. ‘No. I need to get back to the centre, but…’ He paused. ‘Thank you.’
She went over to the sofa and sat down. Greg picked up the photo of Ed in the paddling pool from the mantelpiece, then came and sat next to her. Taffie bounded up and snuggled by his feet.
‘She couldn’t have kids you know,’ he said, turning the photo around in his hands. His eyes were solemn.
‘Who?’ Maddie spread her hands out on her lap.
‘Tiggy.’
Maddie leant back on the sofa with a thump. Suddenly it all made more sense.
‘I had no idea.’
Greg pushed his fringe off his face and turned to her, nodding. ‘I know you didn’t.’
‘Is that why you broke up?’
‘Partly – because of the strain, yes. Four rounds of IVF puts massive pressure on any marriage, but especially when you’re part Greek, and your mother and father make you feel like a failure if you don’t produce grandchildren. Tiggy came from a very large family – her parents used to ask Tiggy every month if she was pregnant. It was exhausting. Sometimes,’ he said softly, turning the photo around in his hands, ‘sometimes I think I wanted them more than her, that she was just going along with it to please me and her parents.’ He ran his thumb along the edge of the photo. His eyelashes brushed his cheek as he looked down at a grinning Ed splashing a plastic boat in the shot.
Maddie folded her arms across her chest. ‘You said—’ she coughed, not knowing if she wanted to ask ‘—partly. That was partly to blame, the strain – and what else?’ She was aware of her breathing.
‘Because I couldn’t give her all my heart, Maddie.’ Greg stared at her.
‘Where was the rest of it?’ It came out like a whisper.
He shifted on the sofa and looked at her. ‘I think you know the answer to that.’
‘Why are you telling me now?’
‘To make you understand.’ And with that, he put his hands on his knees, got up slowly and went into the hall.