Page 11 of Loving Netta Wilde

It stopped her in her tracks for a heartbeat. She hadn’t anticipated a statement like that. Not from him.

Colin had been on Netta’s mind all afternoon. For once, it was nothing to do with something he’d said to upset her. It was him, the sorry state of him, his lack of … everything. And that thing he’d said to her earlier on about being glad she had a good life. It really sounded like he meant it. It just wasn’t Colin. In the end, she’d decided to take Neil’s advice, which was why she was standing on her parents’ doorstep.

Her mum let her in. ‘I suppose it’s that bloody Colin.’

‘You suppose correctly.’

‘Kettle’s on and I’ve just baked a fruit cake. Come in and sit down.’

‘Well, that wasn’t quite what I was expecting,’ said her mum, half an hour, one cup of tea and a slice of cake later. ‘I thought you were going to say he’s been stirring it up again.’

‘I don’t think he’s got it in him, Mum.’

‘You’re not feeling sorry for him, are you?’

‘Of course not, but I can’t just leave him to shuffle about the house like some ghost. For one thing, it’s not fair on Liza and for another, Will’s coming home next week.’

‘He’s still not talking to Colin then?’

Netta shook her head. ‘Apart from the odd awkward moment when they’ve bumped into each other, it’s been about five years.’

‘Well, in that case, we’d better do something. It’s not doing Colin any good skulking around on his own all day. He needs something to take his mind off things. Something positive that will help to sort him out.’

‘Painting might do that, but he’s not doing any. All of his equipment’s locked away in his house. Frank’s offered the use of his studio but he seems to have lost all interest.’

‘Something else then.’ Her mum glanced out the window. ‘Your dad’s here. Let him in will you, love? He’ll have his hands full.’

Netta opened the front door and was nearly knocked over by Minnie, the youngest of Maud’s offspring, excitedly greeting her. Behind Minnie, Netta’s dad was carrying a box full of vegetables from his allotment. ‘Hello, sweetheart. If I’d known you’d be here I’d have brought more veg back. I’ve got more than we can manage at the moment.’

Her mum was already in the kitchen, refilling the kettle. ‘She’s come to talk about Colin, Arthur. He’s gone very downhill.’

Her dad put the veg box on the worktop and started to sort through its contents. ‘He needs to get out of the house. Get the sun on his face. That’ll cheer him up.’

‘Simple and straightforward as ever, my love,’ said her mum.

‘Well sometimes, all a man needs is a spade and a sense of purpose to stop him feeling sorry for himself.’

‘And sometimes it’s a bit more complicated than that. Although, this time you might have a point.’ Her mum gave him a sweet smile. ‘Didn’t you say you and Clyde were about to start on a new project?’

He looked up at her with an onion in one hand, a bunch of carrots in the other, and an uneasy expression on his face. ‘I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.’

She gave him a kiss. ‘Think of it as doing your bit, love. Greater love hath no man and all that. Oh and by the way, Nettie, don’t worry about Will coming back. Worse comes to the worse, Colin can live here.’

8

TAKEN IN HAND BY THE EX-IN-LAWS

‘Did I mention Nan and Grandad are coming over this morning?’ Netta was talking to Liza, but Colin was all too aware the announcement was meant for him.

‘Oh cool.’ Liza was buttering toast. She had that look on her face that people used when they were trying to fake surprise and weren’t doing a very good job of it.

‘Yes, Grandad’s looking for some help at the allotment. Some kind of expansion project.’

Colin looked up from his breakfast. He hoped, he really hoped they weren’t suggesting… He saw their sneaky sideways glances towards his end of the table and realised that, yes, they actually were suggesting that very thing. He stood up abruptly before their next move ensnared him. ‘Well, I’ve got a few phone calls to make. Have a good day, both of you.’

‘I’m at the foodbank today, so I’ll be back earlier than usual.’ Netta threw him a more obvious, “I dare you to say something derogatory” stare. He pretended he hadn’t noticed. She’d started volunteering at the foodbank soon after she’d lost her high-flying, highly paid job. It had bugged him when he’d found out about it. Not, as she probably thought, because he didn’tagree with charitable works. He did. He just hadn’t agreed that she should have been doing charitable work rather than provide for her family. Obviously, that soon became academic when she discovered his belt and braces approach to their household finances, so he was long past the point of caring how she spent her time.

‘And I’m not at uni, I’m working from home. Frank’s home actually. He lets me use his studio,’ said Liza.

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