Page 56 of Her Last Walk Home

‘Is it?’

‘Yes, Gran. Listen, can I drive you home to your own house? I’ll light the fire and get you settled.’

Rose continued to stare at her surroundings. Chloe’s heart contracted when she noticed a tear break free from the corner of her gran’s eye. She hugged Rose and led her to a chair.

‘A cup of tea will do the trick.’

‘Chloe, isn’t it? My old brain is all muddled.’

‘Don’t worry about it. I’m like that in work. Two pints of Guinness become three Budweiser in the time it takes me to turn around to the taps.’

Rose nodded distractedly and wiped her eyes. ‘It’s cold in here. Did your mother forget to order oil again?’

Laughing while she made the tea in a pot the way her granny liked, Chloe said, ‘Yeah, Gran, something like that.’

43

Boyd found it difficult to recognise his own apartment when he let himself in after work. It might have been tiredness fogging his eyesight from the long day, but he suspected Grace had been busy. The last time he’d given the rooms a good cleaning had to have been before he’d been in Spain with Sergio.

He went to hug his sister, who, disliking human touch, shrank away from him.

‘Thanks, Grace, you’ve done a massive job with the place.’

‘I had great help.’ She ran her Marigold-encased hand over her forehead, streaking it with what looked like grease, then pointed to Sergio. The boy was dusting the window ledge. ‘My nephew is a topper.’

Hugging Sergio, who didn’t baulk at touch, Boyd said, ‘Did you have a good day with Auntie Grace?’

‘It was interesting.’ The eight-year-old handed him the dusty cloth. ‘Can I watch television now?’

‘Certainly.’

‘Not yet, he can’t. He has to finish his task.’ Grace rushed over. She swiped the cloth back and stuffed it into the boy’s hand. ‘You’re almost done.’

‘Mama had a cleaner in Malaga,’ he said softly, lowering his head to the job.

Boyd blew out air. Sergio rarely mentioned his dead mother. And in truth, Boyd avoided that conversation. He hoped Grace had kept her mouth shut about his ex-wife, though if the question was put to her, she would answer truthfully.

‘Both of you have done an amazing job. What about a takeaway to celebrate?’

‘Takeaway?’ Grace looked horrified. ‘I cooked a perfectly good beef stew. Sergio devoured it. Your plate is in the oven.’

Busying himself with searching for a knife and fork in the rearranged drawer, Boyd said, ‘How long are you able to stay, Grace?’

‘Is that an underhand way of saying you don’t want me here?’

‘God, no. Not at all. I was only?—’

‘Don’t forget it was you who asked me to come and help you out until you got a childminder for Sergio. Are you changing your mind?’

‘No, no. It’s great to have you here. Cooking and cleaning for free.’

‘I never said I’d do it for free.’ She divested herself of the gloves and put them in a basin of water to soak. Then she took an inhaler from her pocket and took a few puffs. ‘I have a life, Mark Boyd. But I want to help out my only sibling. We’re all that’s left of the Boyd lineage, except for Sergio, and he’s just a boy. It’s only right that we do things for each other.’

‘I’m a bit cash-strapped,’ he confessed. ‘I’m trying to figure out how to come up with enough finance to buy a house.’

‘I’m not talking about money. But if you need some, we can sell Mam’s house.’

‘It’s your home, Grace. You live there.’

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