Chapter 7: Friday 4 January

The work on Rebecca’s house continued apace the next week, with Pete working inside The Porter House and keeping an eye on Jason Denhope’s efforts outside rotovating, laying the weed suppressant and spreading the topsoil ready for turfing after the frosts had passed.

While the schools were closed until the second Monday in January, Annie spent all day with her father, helping inside, going with him as people heard he was getting his act together and asked him to quote on maintenance jobs and visits to builders merchants, where he also found tradesmen willing to pass him work here and there. Now that he had a business account and credit card he was able to get a mobile phone contract for ease of contact. Soon he was working away from Porter House more often than the internal jobs Rebecca could find for him.

On the Friday after new year, Rebecca rang her ex-husband in London. The call was answered by Hector, her husband’s gay lover, Hector Okinowu. She wished him a happy new year and asked to speak to Justin Simons, wanting to get back on friendly terms as both confess that they still have love for each other and both want to lose the bitterness which crept in during the divorce.

“I am so sorry, Becks, that I ruined my marriage, our partnership, even our medical practice. I thought my attraction to men was just a phase, a young man at college thing, and I really loved you, I still love you, but when I met Hector in that bar, well, we just clicked.”

“I know, Juss, I lost it when you confessed and, well, moving back to Sandmouth Bay and having that respite away from poor Ann and Mother ... You know, I feel have a new perspective on life—”

“What, do you have a new man in your—?”

“No, nothing like that, Juss, it’s only that I’m building new friendships and, well, now I just want to be able to right a few wrongs. Look, I would like you to ask Hector if he could do me a favour —”