‘Of course they did.’
‘No.’ Jasmine shook her head. ‘Not all of them—there was loads of gossip. It was just awful at the time.
‘I see some of the paramedics now and we’re starting to be friendly again,’ she continued. ‘I think they really do understand now that I simply didn’t know. I’m just trying to get on with my life.’
‘Do you speak to him at all?’
‘Nothing,’ Jasmine said. ‘He came and saw Simon a couple of times when we were in the hospital, but there’s been nothing since then. He’s got a new girlfriend and so much for being a stay-home dad—he doesn’t even have a thing to do with his son. He’s working in the family business, they’re all supporting him, as families do, and making sure it looks like he earns a dollar a week, so I don’t get anything.’
‘You can fight that.’
‘I could, but I don’t want to,’ Jasmine said. ‘I don’t want any of his grubby money. I stayed close by for a year because, at the end of the day, I figured that he is Simon’s dad and I should make it as easy for him as possible to have access to his son. But when he wanted nothing to do with him …’ She was a little more honest than she’d expected to be. ‘I was embarrassed to go back to work too. He just completely upended my life.’
And Jed got that, he got that so much, how one person could just walk into your life and shatter it, could make a normal world suddenly crazy, and he could have told her then, but Jed knew that now wasn’t the time.
‘And I’m the one left holding the baby.’ She was the most honest she had been with another person. ‘And I know if it hadn’t happened then I wouldn’t have Simon and I love him more than anything so I can’t wish it had never happened, except sometimes I do.’
Of course she heard Simon crying then, just to ram home the guilt of her words.
‘I need to go and settle him.’
‘Sure.’
Simon didn’t want settling, Simon wanted a drink and a play and a conversation.
‘He’s not going to settle.’ She came back into the living room a good twenty minutes later.
‘Do you want me to leave?’
‘No,’ Jasmine said. ‘But I’m going to have to bring him in here.’
‘Are you sure?’ Jed checked.
‘It’s no big deal,’ Jasmine said.
Except they both knew that it was. Jed hadn’t seen Simon since that day on the beach when he’d helped get him into the water.
And Jed really didn’t want to leave her.
Simon was delighted with the late night visitor, chatting away to him for as long as he could till his eyes were heavy and Jasmine put him back to bed.
‘Cute,’ Jed said. ‘He looks like you—apart from the blond hair. Is his dad blond?’
‘No,’ Jasmine replied. Simon was a mini, male Penny.
‘Have you told Lisa what happened?’
Jasmine shook her head.
‘I think you might feel better if you did.’ He was very practical. ‘You did nothing wrong, but you know what rumours are like and it might be better to just tell Lisa up front what happened,’ Jed said. ‘And then you can stop worrying about it. If anyone does bring it up, Lisa will just blow them off.
‘And …’ he gave her a smile ‘… she might be a bit more understanding when patients land in the department with their life savings stuffed in a carrier bag.’
‘I think I might,’ Jasmine said. ‘Thanks.’ It was actually nice to have told someone and telling Lisa was a good idea.
‘I’d better go,’ Jed said. ‘It’s one thing having a friend over, but different me still being here in the morning. What are you on tomorrow?’
‘I’m on a late,’ Jasmine said. ‘Ruby’s picking Simon up from crèche.’
‘How’s that working out?’
‘Good,’ Jasmine admitted. ‘She’s really sensible and he seems to adore her. Simon’s usually in bed by about seven so she gets her homework done.
‘Stay if you like,’ Jasmine said, ‘I mean …’
‘I know what you mean.’ And he looked over at Jasmine and for the first time things were starting to get serious, and he didn’t feel hemmed in. In fact, he wanted more of this and was sure that Jasmine was someone he could open up to about his past. She just didn’t need it tonight. ‘Are you sure?’ Jed checked. ‘He might wake up again.’
‘He might.’ Jasmine looked up at him. ‘Look …’ She didn’t really know how to say it without sounding needy, but she had Simon to think of so she had to be brave. ‘I want to see more of you, Jed.’ His eyes never left her face. ‘I’m the same as you. I don’t want this to carry over to work, which means that if we are going to see more of each other … I’m not asking for for ever, but if you’re thinking this isn’t working out then say so now.’
‘I think it is working out.’
‘And I’d like to see you a bit more than a couple of hours once a week.’
‘Me, too.’
‘Stay, then,’ she said.
It was all a bit different having Simon in the house with them.
Like at midnight when they were kissing on the sofa, instead of things leading to wherever they might lead, she had to check on Simon, who was whimpering with his teeth. By the time she’d given him some medicine and rubbed some gel on his gums, Jed was sitting up in her bed, reading his horoscope in one of her trashy magazines.
Except he put it down as she started undressing.
‘Don’t,’ Jasmine said, because he had an unfair advantage, well, two actually. He was already in bed and also with a body like his there was no need to be embarrassed about stripping off in front of another person.
‘Why are you shy now?’
‘I don’t know.’ She actually wasn’t shy, she felt guilty for what she had said. ‘Thanks,’ she said as she slipped into bed. ‘For hearing me out and what I said about wishing it had never happened.’
‘I’d be the same,’ Jed said, shuddering at the thought of how much worse things might have been for him—and he closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the last couple of years with a baby added to the mix. And he turned and he almost told her, but he could see her eyes were still swollen from crying and it simply wouldn’t be fair to her.
‘Imagine if he hadn’t stolen the money,’ Jed said. ‘You could have spent your life married to a guy who was crap in bed.’
He saw the start of a smile.
‘Go on,’ he said. ‘Say it.’
‘No.’ Jasmine kicked him. ‘Anyway, you don’t know that he was.’
‘Please.’ Jed rolled his eyes.
‘So much for not getting involved with anyone from work.’ He looked down at her before he kissed her. ‘I think we should keep it separate, though,’ Jed said. ‘I really mean that.’
She was incredibly glad to hear it. ‘I’m the same.’
‘Things are a bit sensitive at the moment,’ he said.
‘With the promotion?’ It was an entirely innocent question, or at least she’d thought it was, but Jed stopped kissing her and frowned.