‘No. Jade slayed him,’ Poppy said airily, as Jade led her to the door.
‘With a single blow of my bug-slayer sword,’ said Jade, rolling her eyes good-naturedly over her shoulder.
‘A single blow? Wow. You’re a braver man than I am,’ Mark said, looking suitably impressed as he headed for the back door.
‘Daddeee, she’s a girl!’ Poppy called from the hall.
‘I know, I noticed.’ Mark called back.
* * *
Rather than barge in and possibly frighten her, Mark tapped on the workshop door and waited.
‘It’s open,’ Mel shouted, after a moment.
‘How’s it going?’ Mark asked, going in.
Mel stepped away from the sculpture she was working on. ‘Truthfully,’ she said, brushing her fringe from her face with the back of her hand, ‘crappily.’
Mark looked her over, hopefully not too obviously. She had clay on her face. He might have wiped that off with his thumb, a few weeks back, brushed her soft lips with his own. Now? He felt he was walking on eggshells, never quite sure how she’d react. He might do better to check how the land lay first.
‘You’re probably pushing yourself too hard,’ he ventured. ‘You should take a break.’
Mel glanced at him despairingly. ‘Thanks for the advice, Detective,’ she said, with a definite hint of sarcasm. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m miles behind with my orders. But then, you’ve obviously been too busy elsewhere to notice.’
It looked like the ground underfoot was going to be tough going. Mark sighed. ‘Which means?’
‘Nothing.’ Mel shrugged, picked up a modelling tool and went back to her work. ‘It’s just you’ve been a bit distracted lately.’
Mark looked at her askance. ‘That’s hardly fair, Mel,’ he said, wondering how to point out that the only thing he’d been distracted from was his job.
‘No, nor is being treated like an invalid.’ Mel shot him a look, a flash of fury in her eyes. ‘Or an idiot.’
Mark staggered inwardly at that. He hadn’t been. Had he? He sifted through his memory – though he was so bloody tired, he could hardly think – and realised he probably had. Her I don’t need a babysitter comment came to mind, her obvious annoyance at him asking her if she was all right every two seconds. He needed to pull back. Give her some space. Stop acting as if he was her babysitter.
‘Right.’ He nodded, running a hand through his hair. ‘Well, if I have, I’m sorry. I’m concerned, that’s all. You can’t blame me for that, Mel.’
Mel looked him over – guardedly, Mark noticed. ‘So why so late?’ she asked him. ‘If you’re so concerned, I mean, why work so late?’
Because I have to catch up, too. I’m not exactly having a picnic here myself, Mark thought. ‘Work,’ he said. ‘The missing girl. We located a property that might have been a possible location. I needed to check it out.’
Mel looked momentarily saddened by that. Then she frowned. ‘With Lisa?’
And there it was, whatever was eating away at her. ‘Yes, with Lisa,’ he said exasperatedly. ‘I work with her, Mel. What do you want me to do?’
‘Tell the truth,’ Mel suggested, with another casual shrug.
‘The truth?’ Mark stared at her, completely confounded. She really did think he been screwing around, didn’t she? ‘Jesus Christ, Mel! I have no idea what’s going on in your head, but—’ He stopped, realising that what he was about to say would seem way below the belt.
Mel didn’t speak. Just carried on sculpting.
This was useless. ‘I should go and check on the kids.’ Kneading his temples, Mark sighed heavily and turned away before he said something he would certainly regret.
He got as far as the door before Mel stopped him. ‘I’m sorry!’
Mark took a slow breath and turned back. He needed to stay calm, he reminded himself, however bloody angry he felt. The fact was, Mel wasn’t likely to be rational right now. He knew that. It didn’t make it any easier though.
‘The kiln’s still not working properly, and everything seems to be going wrong – even the sink’s blocked up.’ Mel waved a hand in that direction. ‘And… me! Me, Mark! I’m going wrong,’ she shouted, clamping a clay-caked hand to her breast. ‘I can’t do a thing right for Evie. She seems to think Jade’s her mummy, and Poppy seems to prefer Jade’s company too. I… I can’t think straight any more!’
Mel looked at him, her eyes beseeching, her chest heaving, clearly desperate for understanding.
Mark wished he did understand. That he could. Right now, he felt confounded, shut out, utterly impotent. ‘I love you, Mel. You! I don’t look at anyone else, I don’t want anyone else. Can you please try and hold on to that?’
Mel pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. ‘I know,’ she said eventually. ‘I know you do. It’s just…’
She looked back at him, scanning his face hard.
Just what? Apprehension twisted inside him. She hadn’t said she loved him. Did she? Love didn’t come with a lifelong guarantee, did it? Might she want out? Could that be part of what was going on here? Mark took a step towards her – and there was a loud thump on the door behind him.
Fuck! He cursed silently, glanced back to Mel and then, arranging his face into something less than a scowl, turned to open it.
‘Sorry. I had to kick the door, rather than knock it,’ Jade said, holding a tray aloft. ‘Hope I’m not interrupting, but I brought Mel some tea out. She said her kettle wasn’t working earlier.’ She smiled past Mark to Mel. ‘I brought your tablets out, too, Mel. Just in case you forget to take them.’
Thirty-Seven
JADE
Jade wasn’t surprised to find Mark still in the lounge, drinking what appeared to be his second glass of whisky. He’d drained his first when he’d come downstairs, looking dishevelled yet sexy in his tracksuit bottoms and a T-shirt. Mel had drifted off to sleep before he’d come out of the bathroom and he hadn’t wanted to disturb her, he’d said. He really was a kind, caring man. Selfless. His own nights had been disturbed constantly, first by Evie waking, then by needy Melissa insisting on seeing to her and only succeeding in making her more fractious, and now by the silly bitch’s screaming nightmares. Still, though – Jade tried to be charitable – she couldn’t help those. Considering the amount of medication she was on, she’d been surprised Melissa had stayed the pace today, working on her stupid pottery in the garden. Jade did hope she was swallowing all the tablets. She’d have to keep her eye on that.
‘Do you mind if I join you?’ she asked, going on in. She couldn’t leave the poor man sitting there on his own, looking so utterly dejected, so desperately lonely. He was studying the bottom of his glass as if looking for answers. He needed company, the comfort of a good woman’s arms around him. Soon, my love. Soon.
Mark looked up at her, smiling wearily. What Jade would give to press her lips softly against his and soothe his worries away. ‘That bad, hey?’ he asked her.
‘No.’ Jade smiled reassuringly back. ‘I thought one red wine wouldn’t hurt, though, if that’s okay? It might help me to relax. Busy day.’ She yawned and stretched, making sure to expand her chest, showing off her breasts, covered only by a flimsy strappy top, to maximum advantage.
Mark looked at her, his eyes travelling fleetingly lower before moving back to her face. He smiled again, obviously having appreciated the view. ‘Help yourself,’ he said.