Kev downed the rest of his lager and stood up. ‘I’m shooting off, mate. Enjoy your meal, and don’t do anything you might regret tomorrow. If I was you, I’d concentrate on getting your marriage back on track rather than shagging young birds. Ever heard of the frying pan and the fire?’
Following Vinny’s instructions, Queenie got a cab from Goodmayes, picked Little Vinny up on the way, then headed straight to the hospital. ‘My oh my, she’s an absolute angel. Isn’t she big! How much did she weigh?’ Queenie asked, as she peered inside the cot.
‘She was ten pound. No wonder I had a struggle getting her out,’ Joanna replied.
‘Well, you did a brilliant job, darling. Reminds me of Emily-Mae with those blonde curls. I can’t wait for Vivvy to see her. We’ll babysit whenever yous two fancy a day or night out,’ Queenie volunteered.
‘Don’t you want to see your little sister then?’ Vinny asked his sullen-faced son, who was loitering at the end of the bed. Vinny was absolutely mesmerized by his new addition, could not believe she already had the power to melt his heart like never before.
‘There ain’t no room, is there?’ Little Vinny snapped. His dad was sitting next to the cot, and his nan was standing in front of it, blocking his view.
Vinny locked eyes with his offspring. ‘Oh, and don’t forget to apologize to Jo for sodding off upstairs and leaving her in the lurch earlier. Bang out of order you was, boy.’
‘What happened?’ Queenie asked, unable to tear her eyes away from her beautiful granddaughter.
Joanna knew that Little Vinny didn’t like her and although she would never admit it to Vinny, the feeling was mutual. However, now Little Vinny had moved in with them, she had no option but to try to get along with him, so did her best to smooth over the situation. ‘It was nothing, Queenie, honest. Anyway, Little Vinny was only in his bedroom playing music. I was in that much pain, I couldn’t scream as loud as usual, so it’s not his fault,’ she lied. She had in fact screamed blue murder and was sure Little Vinny had turned his music up to blank out her cries for help on purpose.
Little Vinny smirked. ‘See? It weren’t my fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you. You shouldn’t have gone out, Dad.’
As Vinny leapt up to clout his belligerent son, Queenie grabbed his arm. ‘Don’t hit him. He’s bound to be a bit green, after all he’s been the only child for years. You were the same when I had Roy.’
‘I’ll give him fucking green, he’ll be black and blue if he carries on,’ Vinny mumbled. He had no idea what was wrong with his son lately, but he was becoming a real pain in the arse. He wasn’t even eleven yet, but the little bastard already had the attitude and lip of a cocky eighteen-year-old.
‘Ooh, she’s waking up. What you gonna call her? Best you think of a name soon,’ Queenie remarked.
Vinny smiled at Joanna. They had been discussing names earlier and he was so pleased that she had finally given in to his wish. He knew how much this would mean to his beloved mother.
‘We’ve chosen Molly, Mum.’
Queenie’s eyes filled up with tears. Her wonderful mum had been called Molly. ‘Sod you, you’ve started me off now. What a lovely gesture. Wait till I tell Vivvy, she’ll be made up.’
Little Vinny giggled. ‘Molly is an old pensioner’s name.’
It was Queenie’s turn to glare at the child. Looks-wise, Little Vinny might be the spitting image of his dad at that age, but her boy had been a saint in comparison to this bolshy little so-and-so. ‘No, it’s not. It’s a lovely name and my mum was called Molly. Now shut that trap of yours and come and meet your little sister.’
When his nan lifted Molly out of the cot, Little Vinny decided to play along with the happy family theme. He was sick of being grounded and desperate to change that. ‘Hello, I’m your big bruvver,’ he said, grinning at the baby and allowing her to clasp one of his fingers in her chubby hand.
‘Aw, look, they’ve bonded already,’ Queenie remarked.
Vinny smiled at the touching scene. As her big brother, it would be Little Vinny’s duty to protect Molly through life and look out for her like he had with Brenda. ‘Sit on the chair and you can hold her properly.’
Little Vinny did as he was told, then inwardly squirmed as the baby was placed in his arms. Apart from wishing she had never been conceived, he felt nothing for his sister whatsoever.
Albie Butler had been honest about his past from day one with Dorothy, so she had known about his affair with Judy Preston and why he had felt the need to leave the restaurant. He had also told Bert all about Judy when he had first moved to Ipswich. ‘I’m so sorry I spoilt the day. I really am,’ Albie slurred yet again.
Dorothy hated seeing Albie drunk. He had a tendency to repeat himself constantly, but she could understand his need for a good drink today. He’d had a nasty shock. ‘I’m going to leave you boys to it. I want to finish my book. Don’t drink too much more tonight, Albie. You fell down the stairs last time you got very drunk and you know how I worry about you.’
‘I won’t, darling. Night night, love you.’
When Dorothy left the room, Bert turned to his brother. ‘I didn’t want to say anything in front of Dorothy, but I guessed who it was and swapped seats after you left the restaurant so I could do a bit of detective work. I take it Judy was the one with the squeaky voice?’
Albie nodded.
‘Well, she had two kids with her. A boy about sixteen and a girl about seven. How old would your kid be now if she’d had it?’
Counting the years with his fingers, Albie felt relief wash over him. ‘Would have been about eleven now. I reckon the boy you saw was her son Mark. He was about three when I was with her, and the girl sounds far too young to be mine. You sure she weren’t older than seven?’
‘Eight tops, but she certainly weren’t bleedin’ eleven, Albie. I reckon you’re in the clear, mate. Perhaps she did a runner, aborted your kid and made a fresh start?’
Albie grinned and cracked open another can. It suited him to believe that Judy had aborted his child. It made his thoughts far less complicated. Most men in his position would have turned around and confronted Judy. Not Albie though. He’d had enough drama in the past to last him a lifetime, and was happy to just let sleeping dogs lie.
Michael Butler followed Bella into her Chelsea apartment and was immediately taken aback by its opulence. He had thought she was joking when she pointed at the brand-new Porsche in the car park and said it was hers. ‘Jesus, babe, this is some gaff. How long you lived here?’
‘Two years. What would you prefer – red or white wine?’
‘Whatever you’re having,’ Michael replied, looking around in awe. The kitchen and bathroom were both state-of-the-art and knocked spots off his own. The lounge was absolutely striking. It had a multi-coloured carpet, beige being the base colour, with red, blue and green circles all over. The sofas were bright red leather, and in two corners of the room stood life-size carved wooden figurines of a Romany-looking naked man and woman.
Michael opened the sliding glass door and walked out onto the
