I start to cry, then, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. The tears roll down my cheeks.
Heather squints at me as if she has toothache and waits for me to speak.
‘I miss him,’ I tell her when finally I’m able to do so.
‘Joe?’ she asks. ‘Or Ben?’
‘Oh, both of them,’ I admit. ‘But Joe, well, that ship has sailed, hasn’t it?’
By way of reply, Heather merely sighs.
‘As for Ben . . . I don’t know how I’m going to cope without him,’ I say. ‘I love him so much. But then you get that, don’t you. You’re a mother.’
‘I do,’ Heather says. ‘But I don’t think anyone’s expecting you to cope without him, are they?’
‘He wants to live here,’ I admit. ‘He wants to live here with you and go to school up here with the girls. I was devastated when he told me, but I don’t think he noticed.’
Heather nods and looks like someone who’s trying not to look relieved.
‘So, you’ll get to see him in the holidays, then. That’s almost as long. And it’s probably better quality time than when he’s out at school all day anyway.’
I sniff and nod. ‘I know that,’ I tell her. ‘But it’s going to be so hard.’
‘Of course it is,’ she says. ‘But you know you can visit any time you want, right? We’ve got lots of spare rooms here at The Waves.’
I laugh.
‘Pricing will be jolly reasonable too,’ Heather jokes, with a wink.
‘I’m not sure how Joe would feel about that,’ I say.
‘No,’ Heather agrees. ‘Well, maybe not just yet. But one day soon. We’ll get there, won’t we? To being friends, I mean?’
‘Sure,’ I say. ‘We can try, at any rate.’
‘Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?’ she asks, and I’m touched by her concern.
‘I do,’ I tell her. ‘I’m at the Bay Royal.’
‘Oh, good,’ she says. ‘It’s supposed to be nice there.’
‘Could I borrow Ben again, do you think? For dinner? It’s just that tomorrow, I’m going to head home, so . . .’
‘Oh, of course,’ Heather says. ‘Take them all!’
I laugh. ‘Nice try, but I’ll just have Ben, if it’s all the same to you.’
She nods and smiles. ‘He’s your son,’ she says. ‘Don’t worry. We’re not going to forget that. We’re never going to forget that.’
‘Actually, Ben said – you know, for next week? He said he’d rather come to mine.’
‘Of course,’ Heather says. ‘I don’t blame him. If I had to make that choice, I’d rather go to yours too.’
She reaches out for my wrist again, but I snatch it away. ‘Don’t,’ I say. ‘Please don’t be too nice, otherwise I’ll cry again.’
‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘People being nice always makes me cry too.’
‘Is Ant doing the same thing?’ I ask. ‘Taking the girls in the school holidays?’
She nods. ‘Not that much, to tell the truth. Not as much as I would have thought. But it kind of suits me that way, if I’m being honest.’
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘I’m sure.’
‘Maybe later on,’ Heather says. ‘Perhaps he’ll take them more once things settle. Or maybe not.’
‘Did you know—?’ I start to ask, but Heather is speaking at the same time.
‘He’s got a girlfriend, now,’ she says. Then, ‘Oh, you know, do you?’
‘Yes, I saw her,’ I tell her. ‘She was there.’
‘What’s she like?’ Heather asks.
‘Skinny,’ I say, with a shrug. ‘Young. Very young.’
‘You don’t care then?’
I shake my head. ‘No,’ I say honestly. ‘No, I really don’t.’
‘No. Me neither. You know, Amy, just so you know, I always liked you.’
‘Why, thank you!’ I say, embarrassed at the unexpected compliment.
‘I just . . . I don’t know. I needed to say that for some reason. Because it’s true, I suppose. And I never said it.’
‘Oh, I just remembered,’ I say, standing. ‘I have something for you in the car.’
Heather follows me outside to the Mazda and I pop open the trunk. The sun is shining and gulls are screeching and swooping overhead, surfing the sea breeze.
‘Oh,’ Heather says, not sounding particularly thrilled as she peers at the contents. ‘The Buddha!’
‘I thought I should bring it back,’ I say. ‘It was a wedding gift from Reg. He brought it back from Thailand, I think. You said you liked it once, didn’t you?’
‘I liked it at yours,’ Heather says. ‘But it’s very big, isn’t it?’
I laugh. ‘You don’t want it at all, do you?’
‘It’s just so big,’ Heather says. ‘And so green.’
‘I can take it back home if you want,’ I tell her.
Heather stares at the Buddha for a moment and gently taps a finger against her lips. ‘Would you mind?’ she says finally, while brushing her hair from her eyes. ‘It’s just . . . I really . . . I don’t know . . .’
‘You’re right,’ I say, finally understanding. ‘It doesn’t belong here, does it?’
‘No,’ Heather says. ‘Not really. I mean, we could ask Joe, but . . . well . . . especially as it was a wedding present.’
I close the trunk just as Joe’s pickup arrives. He climbs out and comes to join us. ‘So, how are my favourite two ladies?’ he asks, gently resting a hand on each of our backs.
‘Um, I doubt that I’m still among your favourites,’ I say. ‘But that’s OK. I deserve it.’
Joe frowns, visibly considering the matter. ‘No,’ he says. ‘No, you’re definitely still up there, in the top two.’
I pop the trunk open, revealing, once again, the Buddha.
‘Ooh!’ Joe says. ‘The Buddha in the boot.’
‘Yes, we’re just discussing what to do with it,’ I explain. ‘Do you think Reg wants it back?’
Joe shakes his head. ‘He’d be mortified,’ he says. ‘It was a wedding present.’
‘It was supposed to bring us good luck,’ I remind him.
‘Yes,’ Joe says. ‘Exactly. Like I say, he’d be mortified. Just flog it, maybe, if you can? It’s got to be worth a bob or two. I don’t want it any more, that’s for sure.’ And with that, he slams the trunk shut. ‘I bought the paint,’ he tells Heather, ‘for the dining room.’
‘Ooh!’ Heather says, ‘Let’s see.’ She follows