Page 24 of Fool Me Twice

It was the perfect solution for everyone. She reached for her phone to make the call, feeling her mood lighten, but just as she was about to key in the number, a video call request from Jaxon popped up on her screen.

“Hey, Mum.” He smiled, his handsome face filling the screen.

“You look shattered.” Evie’s eyes narrowed as she zoomed in on the dark circles beneath his eyes. “I hope you’re getting enough sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said with a flip of his hand. “We’ve just got offstage, but I wanted to check if everything was okay.”

“Yes, fine, everything’s fine.”

“And Dad, how’s he getting on?”

“Um, about that—“

“I really appreciate you looking after him.” Jaxon’s five-year-old face stared back at her. “I should have been more careful.” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have taken him out there. He wasn’t ready.”

“He’s a grown man,” she snapped. “I’m sure you didn’t have to force him.”

“No, but if I hadn’t been so desperate to get out there myself...” He trailed off, and Evie wanted to reach through the screen and wrap her arms around him. “It was all my fault; I shouldn’t have been so selfish.”

Evie sighed. How many times did she have to keep saying it? “We’ve already been through this,” she said. “Peter is a grown-up. You didn’t force him to do anything. Now stop blaming yourself.”

Jaxon half smiled, but she could see the agitation behind it. “I should have said no when the others were goading him into trying it, but I was desperate to catch some waves with the guys before heading off. I know, I know.” He laughed at the irony that he was going to Australia and some of the best surfing beaches in the world. “I was heading to Oz, but it’s not the same as doing it with your mates. And if you hadn’t agreed to look after him...” He sucked in a deep breath. “Well, I wouldn’t have been able to come. But I know you’ll look after him properly, and not just because he’s famous or paying you to do it.” Jaxon turned and said something to someone off-screen she didn’t catch. “I’ve got to go. Love you, Mum.” He turned off the screen before she had time to reply.

Evie slumped back into the chair and cursed. It looked like she was stuck with him.

Chapter thirteen

Evie wouldn’t say the three weeks had flown by, and she certainly wouldn’t say it had been all plain sailing. There had been times when Peter had acted like the spoiled, overindulged man-child she thought he was, complaining about this and that, but during these moments she visualised Jaxon’s face and generously attributed his behaviour to frustration rather than anything else.

Evie could have kissed the doctor when he finally gave Peter the go-ahead to begin physio. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, finding someone to take on the job was proving difficult, but they managed to secure three possibles and invited them along to the house for an interview.

Lena, a woman in her early forties, recognised Peter instantly, shyly confessing that as teenagers, she and her friends had dreamed of marrying the various band members when they grew up. In her case, it was Bogey – she’d had a massive crush on him, still did. Her face turned beetroot red when she admitted to kissing his poster every night before getting into bed.

Evie tried to steer the conversation back to Lena’s qualifications and experience, but somehow, she always managed to turn it back to her teenage infatuation with Bogey. Evie shot Peter a “can you stop now?” look, hoping he’d get the hint, but instead he continued to humour Lena. Yes, Amberlene’s death had hit Bogey hard. No, he’d never married. Yes, it was sad when the band had broken up, but these things happened. Evie made a point of looking at her watch in an over-exaggerated motion, thanking Lena for taking the time to attend and assuring her they’d be in touch.

Next up was Matej, who’d moved to the UK from his native Slovakia several years ago. Matej was a serious young man who spoke very good English and believed that in order to get the best from your body, what you put into it was very important. He didn’t do small talk and cut to the chase, presenting them with a copy of an exercise and healthy-eating plan he’d put together to aid Peter’s recovery.

After fifteen minutes of listening to Matej’s very detailed breakdown of his plan, Evie was longing for another of Lena’s fan-worship stories. Maybe the one about how she’d ended up with a tattoo of Bogey’s face on her left breast? At the time, Evie had shut her down, but anything had to be better than listening to Matej droning on and on about pulses and superfoods.

Evie felt her eyes closing as she doodled on the pad in front of her. Peter nudged her, making her elbow slip off the table. She looked up at him. His brows pulled together, and he scowled before returning his attention to Matej. Her eyes lingered on Peter’s profile as she began to sketch him, although her artistic talents leaned more toward a comedic caricature than a true likeness. Working away, she made his head three times the size of his body, rounded his belly, and drew a large dummy in his mouth.

Sitting back and admiring her work, she couldn’t help but giggle to herself, causing Peter and Matej to look at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Peter take in the drawing. She expected him to smile or roll his eyes – what she didn’t expect was the slump of his shoulders or the deep sigh that escaped his lips.

The third and final interviewee was a young local girl named Bex. She was about the same age as Jaxon, but Evie couldn’t recall anyone of that name from her son’s school days. Maybe she was new to the area, Evie thought, casting an eye over her resume. Bex had certainly had a lot of jobs, but she was lacking in practical experience.

Bex was a pretty girl with long blonde hair and a ready smile, and what she lacked in experience, she certainly made up for in confidence. Evie thought she might have been little Rebecca Whatshername – she struggled to think of the surname – but it was hard to tell beneath all the make-up and hair extensions. Her mother had moved into the area when Rebecca was maybe seven or eight. She’d been a quiet, shy girl, and they’d kept to themselves. No one really knew much about them, and as there’d been no man in tow, the gossip mill had gone into overdrive, with backstories like her being on the run from an abusive husband being bandied around. But no one knew for sure.

Giggling and stroking his ego, Bex soon had Peter eating out of the palm of her hand, and Evie was furious when Peter offered her the job ten minutes into her interview. “We’ll let you know,” Evie had contradicted.

“No need.” Peter struggled to his feet and held out his left hand. “When can you start?”

“What the hell?” Evie rounded on him as soon as Bex left. “Don’t you think we should have discussed it first?”

“What’s to discuss?” He held onto the table and then the worktop as he limped across the kitchen, toward the door. “I liked her and she seemed very... capable.”

Evie followed him. “Yes, but—“

“And since I’m the one who’s going to be spending all my time with her, it’s really up to me who I choose, isn’t it?” He threw her a triumphant look before hobbling out the door.

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