“Tough indeed,” she agreed. At the table, with her parents sitting opposite her, Sally raised her glass. “To the future. May it be far brighter and hassle-free for us all.”
They clinked their glasses together and sipped their well-earned drinks. “What’s on the menu? I fancy a bit of steak. What about you, guys?”
Her mother smiled. “I think I’ll have the chicken, dear. Chris, what do you fancy?”
“I’ll join Sally, I think. Steak and chips would go down a treat right now.”
Sally put the food order in at the bar and returned to find her parents with their heads together, talking quietly. She sat down, feeling a little awkward under their intense gazes. “Everything all right? You two seem mighty serious all of a sudden.”
Sheepishly, her mother said, “I told your father that Darryl called you the other night.”
“Mum! The pair of you need to listen to what I have to say very carefully. I have no intention of letting that man near me ever again.”
Her father raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t look like that, Dad. I mean it. I cringe whenever I think of him. What an absolute idiot I’ve been over the bloody years to put up with his vile temper and abuse.”
“You should have let me thrash the living daylights out of him when I wanted to,” her father stated, staring down at his pint.
“And what good would that have done, Dad? Nothing—that’s what. I’m rid of him. We’re rid of him. If he wants to ring up now and again, then that’s up to him, but I assure you he’ll be receiving the same answer every time. No! He could send me all the roses from Kew Gardens to try and get back in my good books, but it won’t work. We’re finished. Now stop worrying about me or my decision-making. We all have regrets in our pasts; Darryl is mine. Let’s leave it there, all right?”
“I just can’t believe, given that you’re a copper, that you have never pressed charges against the scoundrel. I could call him something far nastier than that but not in your mother’s presence.”
“Love is blind, Dad. At least it used to be—not anymore, I can assure you. Now please, can we leave it there and talk about something more positive, like having fun this weekend? Where are you planning on taking us? Do you know?”
“Can’t say I’ve got an exact itinerary as such. We’ll see where the old girl takes us, shall we? Whoops, I meant the boat, not your mother.” He leaned over and kissed his stunned wife on the lips.
Sally’s mum appeared mortified by his comment. “Bloody cheek. I’m glad you cleared that up.”
Sally laughed as the stresses of the week floated off into the ether. “I’m just looking forward to sitting down with a good book—I have Linda Prather’s latest, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, on my Kindle—and drifting along. That is if you don’t mind driving, Dad?”
“You carry on, love. Enjoy your time off. You need to recharge your batteries after moving last weekend and dealing with a tough case this week. I’m happy to take the helm and lead you two ladies astray.”
Her mother gently cuffed her father around the head. “I think you’ll find you used the wrong terminology there, dear.”
Her father placed a finger to his lips. “Did I?”
Sally kicked her father’s shin under the table. “Yes, Dad. I’m with Mum on this one. Yummy, here comes dinner.”
They laughed and chatted like old times during their meal, which was exceptional and well worth the extravagant amount it had cost them. None of them had room for a dessert, which helped keep the costs down for the evening. They left the pub at around ten and drove back to the boat. Dex was eager for a wee, so Sally picked up the torch and walked him along the riverbank for about thirty minutes. She missed not having her dog with her full-time and intended to make sure they spent a lot of time together on and off the boat that weekend. When they neared the boat, she stopped and bent down for a cuddle with her pal. He moaned joyfully in her ear and turned over on the damp grass so that she could tickle his tummy. “Come on, you. It’s bedtime, and we have to make up the beds yet.”
Aboard the small cruiser, she found that her parents had already made the beds.
“Fancy a cocoa before you call it a night, love?” Sally’s mum asked.
Sally wrapped her arm around her mum’s waist. “Just like old times. Sure, why not?”
By the time six o’clock on Sunday evening came around, Sally and her parents had large grins stuck firmly in place, and the stress wrinkles embedded in their faces were less visible. It had been a memorable weekend for all of them. Even Dex was sprawled out, exhausted from all the attention and long walks he’d received in the past forty-eight hours. When they arrived back at her parents’ home, Sally insisted on carrying out a thorough inspection of the property with her father, just in case the neighbours had seen them go off for the weekend. But nothing at all seemed out of place, and there were no bodies impaled on the spikes in the back garden. After squeezing her parents tightly and saying farewell, she jumped in her car and headed back to her flat just as a patrol car came towards her. She waved at the two uniformed officers in the car, who returned her greeting and gave her a thumbs-up.
Once she’d arrived home and unpacked her bag, she had a bath. Then she fell into bed, feeling more relaxed than she had in over five years. She vowed to go on more trips with her parents over the coming months, to make up for the time she’d spent apart from them while she was with Darryl. She had so many wrongs to right, not only with her parents but also with the friends she’d lost contact with. It’s time to start afresh, girl.
CHAPTER SIX
Scott pulled on his jacket and admired his reflection in the hotel’s full-length mirror. “She’ll be clawing at your shirt later on this evening. Who could resist you when you exude so much magnetism?”
He laughed at himself then went in search of his prey. He’d spotted a busy pub along the high street. He tended to zero in on those, where he had less chance of being recognised should the police come asking questions.
He strode confidently through the lounge bar of the Royal Oak and approached the young woman serving a couple of male customers. He could tell instantly that she was flirtatious in nature. However, he knew to play it cool for a while—like he always did, just in case one of the chaps at the bar was her significant other.
Settling on the stool, he glanced her way. Their eyes met, and an instantaneous spark of interest filled her stunning hazel eyes.
“Hi, I’m Alexina. What can I get you this evening?”
He flashed her a brief smile. “A pint of lager, thanks.”
“I haven’t seen you around these parts before. Have you just moved into the area?”
“Not really. I’ve been around, but you haven’t noticed me before,” he lied, playing “the- little-boy-lost” sympathy card that had served him well many times.
“Oh? I’m usually pretty good with faces, and yours is one of those I’d never forget in a hurry.” She laughed and placed the pint glass on the bar in front of him.
He avoided eye contact, pretending that her comment had embarrassed him. He’d refined his act to perfection over the past year or so. Only for the latest batch, he’d travelled to another area.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you any discomfort. Don’t mind me. My mouth tends to run away from me at times.”
“No problem. I’ll just sit here quietly and have my drink, if that’s okay.”
“Sure. I apologise again.” She walked to the other end of the bar and served another customer, who laughed and chatted with her as if he’d known her for years.
A jealous grip took hold of his insides. How dare she! Is she trying to make a fool out of me? I’ll punish her for that later.
Every time she looked around to see if he was watching her, he let his gaze drift off to the side. When he’d finished his drink, she returned to refill his glass.