‘I’ve thought about that a lot too,’ he replies. ‘I haven’t said anything to him, because he’ll only give me a lecture about living my own life and all that stuff, but I’ve decided to come back permanently. Even if I’m not in this house with him, I want to be nearby. It’s not just because of him, before you say anything. I’ve been struggling a bit too, and I like to think we’ve been able to support each other. It’s good to hear him talking about Mum and coming out of his shell a bit. You’ve really helped there too, but you can’t be there for him forever.’

‘What about your work though?’

‘Not a problem. I can do that just as easily from here. Getting to the office will be more of a faff, but I’ll only have to do that a couple of times a month, hopefully. Maybe more when we’re starting a new project, but it’ll be entirely manageable.’

‘What do you do, besides the art, I mean?’

He smiles. ‘The art is just a hobby, although I do sell the odd piece from time to time. My main job title is technical content creator, which sounds much grander than it is. Basically, we write the instructions for household appliances and stuff like that. We work with a number of companies and we’re currently trying to land a large car manufacturer, which will be exciting.’

‘Wow. I have to confess I tend to let Mike deal with stuff like that, and I’m pretty sure he never reads the manuals. Typical man. Try to figure it out first, and only consult the book when you’re stuck.’

‘Thank goodness for the sensible women then, otherwise I’d be out of work! Cup of tea?’

‘I’d love one, thanks.’

As I watch him fill the kettle and sling teabags into mugs, I’m surprised by how pleased I am to know that he’s going to be around for the foreseeable future. There’s a gentleness and kindness to him, along with his evident love for his father, which is very attractive. Not that I’m in the market for attraction, of course. It’s just nice to be around him.

22

‘What have you got lined up for this week then, Tilly?’ Jonathan asks as he takes a mouthful of potato a month or so later.

‘Usual stuff. Day shifts from tomorrow and then my sister has finally decided that she trusts me enough to take my nephew out for the day on Saturday.’