God’s sake.’
‘Well, she finds it tough. And so she goes overboard sometimes. She doesn’t mean anything by it.’
‘Bullshit.’ The muster room door opened and Jane saw Alex look out. She lowered her voice. ‘Fix it. This is your last chance.’
‘Janey –’
She hung up on him and shoved her phone into her pocket. For years, Steve had chased after everygirl who worked as his PA in his sheetmetal company, and by some miracle he’d never been sued. Deb had just been the last. To Jane’s amazement, they got married and were still together five years later. When she looked back, she wondered why the hell she’d stayed with him for so long. Even the kids agreed.
‘We all knew how unhappy you were,’ Breanna had said over coffee soon after the wedding.‘I get that you didn’t want to disturb my schooling, but some things are more important.’
Jane loved her kids. She loved that they were grown too, off living their own lives: Breanna with her delightful girlfriend, Alice, both of them graphic artists in Melbourne; David, a year older and single, working for the Commonwealth Bank in Adelaide; Glenn, two years older again, married and runninga Cheesecake Shop franchise in Brisbane with his lovely Laura. Jane’s friend Tracey Chapman – not the singer – whose own kids lived in the next suburb thought it was terrible, but for Jane it was great. The kids called on the phone most weeks, emailed now and again, and they all got together a few times a year. What more did you want? She’d raised them to go out into the world, not stay underher wing.
Alex opened the door again. ‘Coffee?’
‘Sure.’
She looked out at the wet street and the leaden sky and the wheeling seagulls once more, feeling like she’d drawn a line in the sand. Steve had his ultimatum now, and if he didn’t tell Deb the truth about where he was spending his evenings, or at least persuade her he wasn’t spending them in Jane’s arms – a thought thatmade her shudder – he had nobody to blame but himself when the cops came calling.
Inside the station she found Alex in the kitchen, filling their cups. ‘Sorry if I was yelling. Deb’s been up to her tricks again.’
‘She’s persistent.’
‘And deranged.’ She got the milk from the fridge. ‘I left him. Why the hell would I go back?’
Alex smiled. ‘Hey, see the note Mick left onthe table?’
Mick had scribbled that Ken had slipped a lumbar disc and would be in hospital for a couple of days while they decided about surgery.
‘Ouch,’ Jane said, as much for the nurses who’d have to look after him. He’d hate being stuck in bed.
There was an arrow on the bottom of the sheet of paper, and she turned it over. She looked at Alex. ‘It’s a girl. Mick and Jo arehaving a girl?’
He grinned. ‘I rang him when you were outside. They had a scan, they’re at twenty-four weeks and everything’s fine.’
‘That’s fantastic.’
Mick and Jo had been trying with IVF for years. Jane wasn’t surprised they’d held off telling people for so long.
‘Do you remember seeing your own kids like that?’ Alex said. ‘I couldn’t stop staring at Mia on the screen.The tiny face. The hands and feet.’
Jane nodded. ‘They must be over the moon.’
‘They’re having a girl; Lauren and Joe had girls – there must be something in the water. You better watch out.’
‘Oh, that’s funny,’ she said. ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, because it has been a long time, but don’t you need to have sex to get pregnant?’
‘Don’t ask me. I’m as dateless as you are.’
Jane took the cup he held out. You not only had to have sex, you had to be fertile, and she’d gone through early menopause two years ago.
‘How’s Mia today?’ she asked.
‘As delightful as she was yesterday.’ Alex sat in one of the recliners and turned on the TV. ‘Morning shows. What crap.’
She guessed he didn’t want to talk about her. ‘Don’t grumble. If you found somethingyou
‘Well, she finds it tough. And so she goes overboard sometimes. She doesn’t mean anything by it.’
‘Bullshit.’ The muster room door opened and Jane saw Alex look out. She lowered her voice. ‘Fix it. This is your last chance.’
‘Janey –’
She hung up on him and shoved her phone into her pocket. For years, Steve had chased after everygirl who worked as his PA in his sheetmetal company, and by some miracle he’d never been sued. Deb had just been the last. To Jane’s amazement, they got married and were still together five years later. When she looked back, she wondered why the hell she’d stayed with him for so long. Even the kids agreed.
‘We all knew how unhappy you were,’ Breanna had said over coffee soon after the wedding.‘I get that you didn’t want to disturb my schooling, but some things are more important.’
Jane loved her kids. She loved that they were grown too, off living their own lives: Breanna with her delightful girlfriend, Alice, both of them graphic artists in Melbourne; David, a year older and single, working for the Commonwealth Bank in Adelaide; Glenn, two years older again, married and runninga Cheesecake Shop franchise in Brisbane with his lovely Laura. Jane’s friend Tracey Chapman – not the singer – whose own kids lived in the next suburb thought it was terrible, but for Jane it was great. The kids called on the phone most weeks, emailed now and again, and they all got together a few times a year. What more did you want? She’d raised them to go out into the world, not stay underher wing.
Alex opened the door again. ‘Coffee?’
‘Sure.’
She looked out at the wet street and the leaden sky and the wheeling seagulls once more, feeling like she’d drawn a line in the sand. Steve had his ultimatum now, and if he didn’t tell Deb the truth about where he was spending his evenings, or at least persuade her he wasn’t spending them in Jane’s arms – a thought thatmade her shudder – he had nobody to blame but himself when the cops came calling.
Inside the station she found Alex in the kitchen, filling their cups. ‘Sorry if I was yelling. Deb’s been up to her tricks again.’
‘She’s persistent.’
‘And deranged.’ She got the milk from the fridge. ‘I left him. Why the hell would I go back?’
Alex smiled. ‘Hey, see the note Mick left onthe table?’
Mick had scribbled that Ken had slipped a lumbar disc and would be in hospital for a couple of days while they decided about surgery.
‘Ouch,’ Jane said, as much for the nurses who’d have to look after him. He’d hate being stuck in bed.
There was an arrow on the bottom of the sheet of paper, and she turned it over. She looked at Alex. ‘It’s a girl. Mick and Jo arehaving a girl?’
He grinned. ‘I rang him when you were outside. They had a scan, they’re at twenty-four weeks and everything’s fine.’
‘That’s fantastic.’
Mick and Jo had been trying with IVF for years. Jane wasn’t surprised they’d held off telling people for so long.
‘Do you remember seeing your own kids like that?’ Alex said. ‘I couldn’t stop staring at Mia on the screen.The tiny face. The hands and feet.’
Jane nodded. ‘They must be over the moon.’
‘They’re having a girl; Lauren and Joe had girls – there must be something in the water. You better watch out.’
‘Oh, that’s funny,’ she said. ‘Correct me if I’m wrong, because it has been a long time, but don’t you need to have sex to get pregnant?’
‘Don’t ask me. I’m as dateless as you are.’
Jane took the cup he held out. You not only had to have sex, you had to be fertile, and she’d gone through early menopause two years ago.
‘How’s Mia today?’ she asked.
‘As delightful as she was yesterday.’ Alex sat in one of the recliners and turned on the TV. ‘Morning shows. What crap.’
She guessed he didn’t want to talk about her. ‘Don’t grumble. If you found somethingyou
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