Their conversation at the wedding had been interrupted but the mention of a boyfriend and the old ‘teammate law’ had made Nico withdraw from Hannah. And yet, immediately after the wedding, her relationship had ended?
Finally reaching the table through the throng of chattering customers, he distributed the drinks. Hannah, Maria still flaked out on her shoulder, sent him a fleeting smile as she listened to Leesa talk of the unbroken yellow sand of Calangute Beach in Goa.
The urge to try and get closer to Hannah burst into flame inside him but he forced himself to sit down and think the situation through. He was off to Sweden on Friday. Hannah was wrapped up in Carlysle Courtyard. She’d just come out of a long relationship and he hadn’t discovered how she felt about that. Then there was his single-dad baggage …
As if that baggage wished to emphasise its presence, his phone began to ring.
Josie rolled her eyes. ‘At least it can’t be work, Dad.’ It gave him an uncomfortable insight into how used she was to work intruding in their life. He saw Vivvi on the screen and said soothingly, ‘It’s Grandma.’ Presumably she was responding to his calls and texts at long last. ‘Hold on,’ he said into the phone then, glancing round the table, ‘OK to leave the girls for a minute while I take this?’ Reassured by a round of good-natured agreement he moved to an empty table in the far corner.
‘Sorry,’ Nico said to Vivvi. ‘Thanks for returning my call. We need to talk about Maria—’
Vivvi bulldozed over him. ‘Loren’s going into rehab for twenty-eight days.’
‘Rehab?’ Nico repeated stupidly. ‘Rehab’ was a word he associated with celebrities.
‘She’s been assessed and they’ve offered her a place on their drug addiction programme,’ Vivvi ploughed on. She sounded weighed down with exhaustion. Something rustled and Nico imagined her reading from a piece of paper. ‘Residential withdrawal detoxification then individual and group addiction therapy. She’s been diagnosed with depression and addiction. Red’s terribly down too, after his op, and not trying to help himself.’ Vivvi’s voice caught on a sob. ‘I’m so worried. It feels like they’re giving up and leaving me to deal with everything.’
Nico struggled for how to react. ‘I’m sorry to hear it,’ he said eventually but it echoed inadequately in his ears.
Vivvi sniffed. ‘I’m at my wits’ end. Loren’s impossible. She’s got no interest in herself, let alone what her dad and I are going through.’ She blew her nose.
Nico closed his eyes, realising what was coming next. He could hear it before his ex-mother-in-law said the words. ‘I’m afraid there’s no way we can look after Maria at the moment.’
He let out his breath so slowly it made his head spin. ‘You’re assuming I’ll keep her?’
Vivvi gave a strangled, angry laugh. ‘In the circs. If it’s not too much trouble.’
A silence elapsed while Nico wondered quite where Vivvi got off with that bit of snark. But he didn’t have time for hurt feelings. Nico had exactly the same decision to make as he’d made twice already. He could continue to look after Maria or ring Gloria Russell to try and get social services to arrange something.
He tried to imagine himself handing Maria over to some nameless, faceless authority and her wrinkling her nose as she quavered. ‘Bye, Mydad!’
‘I know we didn’t quite get round to sending the child maintenance payments,’ Vivvi said suddenly, perhaps realising that she could have sweetened her approach. ‘But everything’s so shitty we forgot. If it makes a difference, I’ll do it now.’
‘It’s not my central concern.’ He groaned, then sighed and collected himself. ‘Josie and I are booked to fly to Sweden in five days. Cancelling and disappointing everyone’s not an option so Loren’s going to have to authorise me taking Maria.’
‘Oh, Nico. You’re a good man.’ Vivvi was almost gushing now.
‘So people keep telling me.’ He let that sink in then said, ‘I’ll have to call you later because there’s a lot to sort out and I’m not at home. I’ve never taken anyone else’s kid on a trip before and don’t know how it works.’
‘Of course, of course.’ Vivvi was all compliance now.
Nico shoved his phone back in his pocket and returned to the Goodbody table to stew silently, his pleasure in the gathering ruined. And Hannah? Vivvi’s phone call had proved that he’d been right to hesitate. His baggage just grew by the day.
It was several hours later that he sat down at his new kitchen table with