Sunday's Child (21 page)

“Do I need a bucket of water?”

Cal broke the kiss slowly and glanced up, a broad grin on his face. “It might be an idea. You have one extremely hot niece here.”

Hattie's cheeks flamed and she held out her hand. “Look, it's beautiful.”

Aunt Laurie admired it. “It certainly is. Cal, you have exquisite taste.”

This time Cal blushed. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome. Do you have any plans for tonight?”

“No I don't, unless you count dinner for one in front of the TV. I was planning to take Hattie out to celebrate tomorrow night.”

“Good. Then you can stay and help us.”

“Help with what?”

“Hattie will fill you in while I cook dinner.”

Hattie looked at her. “Whose idea is it anyway?”

“Yours. Now tell him.” Aunt Laurie winked and headed into the kitchen.

“But I thought…Fine, OK, I'll tell him.” She hung her jacket up and sat to take off her shoes.

Cal put his hands on his hips, a comical expression on his face. “Will someone please tell me what's going on? You're not planning on getting married wearing lifeboat uniform are you?”

“I wasn't, but now you mention it I'll wear the uniform and you can wear the dress.” She grinned, propping one knee over the other to unfasten the Velcro on her new sneakers. Her broken arm meant tying shoe laces was impossible. “I spoke to Tom before we came home. I'm going to start organizing a whole week of fundraising. The idea being that we hopefully have enough to buy a new boat at the end of it. Or at least put a down payment on one.”

Cal just stood there, staring at her. His eyebrows shot into his hair and his whole body stiffened. “Is this just because I saved your life the other week or are you trying to make me feel better?”

“What?” She paused with her left shoe in her hand.

“The boat has only been gone a couple of days, not even that.”

“So? Tom liked the idea.”

“It's too soon.”

“It's never too soon. Cal, right now people are talking about the lifeboat. It's in the news. It'll be easier to fundraise now than in six months' time. And you said yourself the boat replacement is only temporary and fundraising could take years. So the sooner we start, the better.”

“Yes. Yes, I did, and yes, it can. Doesn't rule out the fact it's too soon. If anything, the money raised now should go to Trevor's wife and kids. I appreciate you wanting to get involved in things, Hattie, but really there is a time and a place and this isn't it.”

She pushed her shoe back on, irritated. “Fine, you just sit there and feel sorry for yourself. I have to do something to help and this is what I want to do.”

Pushing upright, she flung open the front door and headed out into the dark, not bothering with a coat.

How did they get from over the moon, happy as pie and getting engaged one minute, to having their first argument the next?

She didn't understand his reaction. Why was he so anti this idea? Tom had thought it a good one and of course some of the money would go to Trevor's family if worst came to the worst. She hadn't expected this type of reaction from Cal. She thought he'd be pleased she was getting involved in his life at the lifeboat station, not dismiss it out of hand.

How could she be his wife if she couldn't support him in the little things like this? Or by taking an interest in what he did?

Reaching the village church, she found the door unlocked. She pushed it open and went inside. The organ was playing, and a book lay open on the table at the front. Hattie walked slowly up the aisle and looked at the book. It was full of messages of condolence for the people who died on the train. She signed it and then went and sat down in one of the pews.

Her attention was caught by a huge stained glass window. A street lamp illuminated it from the outside, making it the only window visible against the dark night. It depicted a small lifeboat, being tossed on huge waves as it gave aid to a stranded tanker. Two men in lifeboat uniform watched down on the scene from above.

“That's my grandfather.”

She jumped slightly, not having heard his footsteps. “Oh…”

“Sorry, love. I didn't mean to make you jump. Here, put this on. You'll catch cold otherwise.” Cal put her jacket around her shoulders as he spoke, and then sat beside her.

“But it's a memorial window.”

“Yeah.” He took a sharp breath. “He and one other crewman were lost in that rescue. Along with the boat.”

“I don't understand.” Hattie twisted in the pew to look at him, trying to read the expression on his face. “You said they rescued the people on the ship, that he was awarded an MBE for his part. But if he died, then how?”

“Yeah, they rescued the crew and then went back to secure the ship so it could be towed once the storm abated. Their boat never made it back to shore. He got the MBE posthumously. Gran collected it from the palace.”

“He went back, just like you did.”

Cal nodded. He slid a hand into hers, holding it tightly.

“How old were you when he died?”

“I was nine, but I remember it like it was yesterday.” Myriad emotions crossed his face, his eyes glistening in the lamplight. “Gran was distraught. The whole town turned out for the funeral. I remember it was a horse drawn carriage, huge black horses and a glass hearse. There was a spray of white flowers spelling his name in big letters. It stopped at the house, and at the lifeboat station. The church was packed, so much so that the congregation spilled over onto the pavement outside.” His voice cracked.

“It's OK.”

He visibly struggled for control. “Sorry. I've never spoken about this to anyone. He told such wonderful stories about the lifeboats, played in the park with us. He built us a slide for the back garden. Things were never the same after he died. A lot of memorials sprung up all over. There was an appeal and fundraising for a new boat. They named it after Grandad. But Gran got nothing. She struggled to make ends meet for years afterwards.”

“Why did you join up?” She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand, trying to keep him talking. That was why he was anti funding a new boat.

“Grandad was my hero. He helped save people and I wanted to do the same. He made the rescues sound exciting and worthwhile.”

“He died a hero, doing what he believed in.”

“Like Trevor,” he whispered.

“Trevor's not dead.”

He looked at his hand in hers. “His unborn child might never know him because of me. Because I made the wrong decision.”

“But Trevor made the decision to respond to the pager, to join the lifeboats in the first place. Was your grandfather the helm officer?”

“No. Going back wasn't his decision either.”

A new voice came from the doorway. “It was mine.”

 

****

 

Cal turned and swallowed, hoping he looked better than he felt. “Mr. Garrett.”

The old man moved slowly over to them, leaning heavily on the cane. He lowered himself into the pew in front and regarded them through his glasses. “I blamed myself for a long time. I lost the boat, the crew, and my friends. I felt I had betrayed those I considered my family.”

“How did you cope?” Cal asked. “You stayed with the service.” Hattie started to get up, but he didn't let go. He needed her here, couldn't do this without her. “Please, don't go.”

“OK.” She sat back down.

Mr. Garret held his gaze. “My faith, friends, and the counseling the service provided. Take them up on that, by the way. I had nightmares for weeks afterwards, second guessed every shout and every decision I made for a long time, too. And asked myself the same questions I expect you are right now.”

Cal looked down, afraid he was going to throw up. “It was my fault. I got told to stand down, but I went back.”

“Your lass is right. We all know the risks, but saving lives is what we do. If you hadn't gone back, what would have happened to Ellie?”

“She'd be dead,” he whispered.

Mr. Garrett nodded. “And I would have lost my granddaughter and unborn great grandchild.”

Cal's head jerked up, his mouth opening in shock.

“She told me you kept your promise. You came back. That meant so much to her. You also pulled her husband from the water a while before. She thought he'd drowned. Nick thought the same thing about her.”

Hattie squeezed his hand. “See…”

Mr. Garrett smiled. “Because of you and your decision to go back, I still have my family. Trevor wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over that. Your gran told me the same thing at Sid's funeral. She looked me in the eye and told me to man up and get back out there. She told me when God pushes you to the edge of a cliff, trust Him fully because two things can happen. Either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly. She said that Sid was flying with the angels now and that God had caught me because I still have people to save.”

The dam within Cal broke. Tears fell like rain. He was dimly aware of Hattie wrapping her arms around him, holding him, but he also felt God there, comforting him and assuring him that everything was under control and He had caught him.

 

 

 

 

21

 

Hattie sat on the bottom stair looking over to where Cal was sanding down the new doorframe.

He glanced at her. “Penny for your thoughts.”

“They aren't worth it.”

“OK, a quid then.”

“Not even that. Ha'penny perhaps. I was thinking about Steve. Maybe I just go out. That way I'm not here when he arrives in a bit.”

“Coward.” He wiped the wood down with a cloth and ran his hand over it. “Running away doesn't solve anything.”

She scrunched her nosed up at him. “Don't care. I love my brother, but really don't want to see him right now.”

The doorbell went. “Hattie, can you get that?” Aunt Laurie called from upstairs. “I'm trying to make the beds.”

“OK.” Hattie pushed up and headed to the door. She opened it and for a moment she was tempted to shut it again.
Help me be nice to him, Lord.
“Hi, Steve.” She held out her arms to him for a hug.

He ignored them, staring at her. “Hattie.”

She dropped her arms, and moved to one side. “You'd better come in. Aunt Laurie is just making the beds.”

Steve stepped over the threshold and stopped short at the sight of Cal coming into the hall.

Hattie smiled, her heart turning cartwheels at the sight of her fiancé. The tight shirt did nothing to hide his six-pack. “Steve, this is my fiancé, Cal. Cal, this is my twin brother, Steve. I know you two already know each other, but figured I'd do a proper introduction.”

Cal held out a hand and smiled. “It's nice to finally meet you formally. Hattie talks about you a lot.”

“Fiancé?” Steve's eyes remained ice. His hand barely made contact before he dropped it. Hattie was about to call him on it when his phone rang. “Excuse me.”

Cal moved to Hattie and slid an arm around her. “It's all right,” he whispered.

“No, it isn't. He's being downright rude.”

Cal gently turned her face to his and kissed her. “I said its fine, love, and I meant it.”

Her heart fluttered in her throat and her breath caught. He'd called her that in the church, but she'd thought she'd misheard him. “What did you call me?”

“Love,” he repeated. “Because you are.” He fingered the engagement ring on her right hand. “I can't wait to see this on the finger it belongs on.”

Hattie smiled. “Actually in some European countries they wear it on the right anyway. But I can't wait to wear it on my left hand. It's beautiful. Can't believe you got the size right.”

“Just a good guess. Just bear in mind your left ring finger may be a different size.”

Steve hung up. “I have to go. I've got some business to attend to. I've got a meeting with Markus Kerr.”

“Oh?” Her heart sank. “I thought you'd come to see me, not Markus.”

“You'll keep. This is business and a potential investment. It's important.”

“Thought I was,” she whispered, tears burning her eyes. She blinked them away, not wanting him to know how deeply hurt she was. “Nothing changes does it?”

“And when I get back, we'll discuss the return of my money.” Steve headed out, shutting the door behind him.

Hattie just stood there. “I don't believe that just happened. He didn't even want to see the ring.”

Aunt Laurie came down the stairs. “Was that Steve?”

“He came, he saw and he left.” Hattie sucked in a deep breath. “He's gone to see Markus on ‘business'.” She put brackets around the word business.

“I thought he was coming to see you?” Aunt Laurie hugged her.

Hattie hugged her back. “So did I, but I was wrong. What's the betting he'll still try to marry me off to Markus?”

Cal raised an eyebrow. “Wait a sec. You're already getting married. To me.”

“And we told him that, just now. But Steve has some ulterior motive here. Everything is business and has a price. Markus already said Steve approved his proposal.” She pushed her hands through her hair. “Steve never listens to anything I say, anyway.”

“Don't worry about him.”

She turned to Cal and hugged him, then ran a hand down his face. “I'm marrying you and nothing is going to stop me from doing that.”

He leaned into her touch, catching her fingers with his lips. “Good. Maybe we elope.”

“Or just post the banns today and marry in three weeks' time in which ever church can fit us in.”

Cal's eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Very.” She held his gaze. “If it has to be in a registry office, then so be it. Or we catch the next flight to Vegas and get married in twenty-four hours.”