Balls Fore (Ball Games #4) (2 page)

‘There’s no doubt about it. Trey looks a lot like his father.’ My lips purse.

‘Well he might have a physical likeness but at least you’re teaching him to not be a twat.’

I nod, because that way, I don’t have to verbalise another lie. Camille has always been very patient as a friend. She’s never pushed me into telling her the story of Trey’s father. That story being that Trey’s father was a dickhead who didn’t want to know when he discovered I was pregnant.

It couldn’t be further from the truth, but that’s the decision I made and the one I live by. It was for the best. At least that’s what I tell myself.

Chapter Two

Dora

I’ve never been to Beth’s house before today. It still seems strange to me that Cam and Beth are all grown up, and Beth has a child of her own now. These are the two girls I’ve watched play together in my house, moving from dolls to make-up. Going from glasses of milk to being drunk on alcopops in Cam’s bedroom. Although they were apart while they went to University, Cam choosing Liverpool while Beth went to Manchester, they stayed in touch. Then, of course, Beth returned home without completing University as she’d started something else - growing a baby. The girl who used to talk endless loads of shit with my daughter returned to Rotherham a friendly, but private woman. No doubt the result of Trey’s father, who by all accounts was a complete fucktard. She’s closed off her heart to all men but her son. It’s a shame as she’s a beautiful person inside and out.

Beth invites me into her terraced house. It’s on a busy street. The area around is noisy with teenage children hanging out and there’s a lot of passing traffic. I walk through the small hallway into her lounge. I’m expecting a huge basket of ironing and an explosion of children’s toys. Instead, I find myself in a spotless room. Trey is playing with mega blocks in the bay window, but other than that, you wouldn’t know a child even lived here.

‘Can I have a nosey around your home?’ I ask her. ‘It’s dead strange you having your own place. I feel very old right now.’

Beth laughs. ‘Of course. Come have a tour. I find it hard to believe I’m a grown up with a child myself most of the time.’

The rest of the house is in the same immaculate order. You could eat dinner in the bathroom, it's so clean. The bedrooms are minimalist. Trey’s room has a couple of framed prints on the wall, a wardrobe and chest of drawers and another wall full of shelving with coloured storage boxes. Again, there’s not a single toy to be seen, except for a teddy bear on his pillow.

‘It’s a lovely house, Beth. You keep it immaculate.’

She nods and smiles.

It wasn’t all a compliment.

I follow Beth downstairs and into the kitchen where she makes me a drink. She rewashes the cup from the cupboard before she puts a tea-bag in it. Though it’s none of my business, I can’t keep my observations to myself.

‘Beth. Where are Trey’s toys?’

She looks confused. ‘You saw them in his room, in those boxes.’

‘Yes, but where are the ones he plays with?’

‘He chooses what he’s playing with and then he has to put them away if he wants something else out. He has his mega-blocks right now.’

‘Right.’

‘I can’t afford to trip over a toy.’ She bites on her lip. ‘It almost happened once. I was near the top of the stairs. I need to be careful because there’s only one of me.’

Ah. Now I see where all this cleanliness is coming from. The girl’s too nervous to relax in her own home.

I wave a hand around. ‘And all the cleaning? Or are you just a tidy person?’

‘I can’t afford to get ill. Who would look after Trey?’

‘Your mum and dad?’

‘They wouldn’t cope. They moan they’re tired after they have him on a Friday.’

I smile. ‘Beth, that’s what grandparents do. They brought you up. They’d be able to look after Trey. We all like to moan when we reach middle-age.’

‘Well, I’d rather be careful. It’s not a crime to be clean and tidy is it? Plus, what if someone comes to inspect my workspace?’ She points to the side of her kitchen dedicated to her chocolate business.

I can see and hear I’ve hit a nerve so I move the conversation onward.

‘Of course.’ I hit myself in the forehead as if it’s me being stupid. ‘It wouldn’t do to have a dirty workspace, would it? I have to admit, I like a clean kitchen and bathroom myself, and now Tyler’s gone I get to have them.’

‘Right, well, if you’re ready I thought I’d show you how to temper the chocolate properly first. Then I’ll go over the business side of things.’

I extract my notebook and pen from my bag and take notes while Beth shows me how to temper the chocolate. I’d not realised how serious little Beth had become. Where’s the fun in her life? Trey wanders through to show us his blocks. He’s a studious little soul.

‘Choc-choc, Mummy?’

She reaches in a packet for a small chocolate drop and hands it to him.

‘It’s time for bed, Trey, soon.’

‘Nooooo.’

She sits him in his high chair. ‘You can watch me and Dora make chocolate and then it's time for bed.’

I’m in awe of Beth’s skills as she takes me through the process of how to make the perfect chocolate penis.

‘I can’t thank you enough, Beth. You’re so good at this.’

Her eyes light up. ‘Thanks, Dora. I enjoy doing it. It's relaxing. Right, I’ll get this rascal up to bed and then we’ll go through the books so you can see what records you need to keep.’

By the end of the evening, I've got a pretty good idea of how to start my business, but I’ve been told in no uncertain terms I’ve to walk before I can run. It’s odd to have the tables turned and get life lessons from the alcopop girl. That I must be able to make a perfect penis almost every time before I start to sell them, and that my workspace needs to be arranged so I have a side solely for business prep. My kitchen is large so that shouldn’t be a problem with a little reorganisation.

I reach into my bag for my purse. ‘Let me pay you for your time, Beth.’

I get a dirty look in response.

‘Not a chance. Though, you can pay me another way.’

‘Yeah, what’s that?’

‘Can you teach me to bake biscuits? I’ve had an idea of how to expand my own business.’

I nod eagerly. ‘Of course I can. Cakes and biscuits are my speciality.’

‘Brilliant. Thank you.’

She tells me how she’s going to make iced biscuits to sell to the party mums and hopefully supply Kid Zone, in place of the awful shop bought cookies Cam serves with her coffees. It’s a great idea. I wish she could bring some sweetness into her own life. I’ll have to talk to Cam. We need to get Beth to loosen up and have a life of her own because she’s avoiding all the risks and with that, avoiding the joy to be had in life.

Time for Project Beth.

Chapter Three

Camille

It’s a Thursday and I’m sitting chewing on the end of a pencil when Beth bursts through the doors of Kid Zone.

‘You haven’t left him here.’

‘Eh?’

‘Trey. Thought you’d lost him with how you careered through that door.’

She eye-rolls. ‘Funny aren’t you? We’ve got the dentist today, so you aren’t seeing us later.’

I pout. ‘No Trey cuddles?’

‘This should shut you up.’ She pushes a heart-shaped ice biscuit toward my mouth. I take it from her hand.

I bite into it. The biscuit melts in my mouth and a buttery goodness explodes on my tongue. The sugar of the icing compliments the flavours. It's exquisite. I try to talk with biscuit in my mouth. ‘Where has this been all my life?’

Beth takes a seat. ‘Your mum has been teaching me to bake biscuits for the last week. What do you think about selling these in Kid Zone? They’re much better than the packet biscuits you sell.’

‘I think that’s a definite possibility, but I need to try more before I decide.’ I wink.

‘Also, what about you sell your mum’s cupcakes alongside my biscuits?’

I almost choke on a crumb. ‘Erm because I don’t want her long blonde hair in my customers’ food?’

Beth leans back and crosses her legs. ‘Your mum’s serious this time. We’ve made her a workstation. She has protective hats and everything. She’s an inspection due and then she can start.’

‘Wow. You mean my mum has found something to settle to at last? She is a good baker.’

‘She really is. But she needs to start out slow. Maybe she could supply Kid Zone first and then some of the mums might want our cookies and cupcakes for their children's parties. I’ve told her to hold off on the willies until she’s more established.’

My eyes narrow at Beth. ‘So you’ve been spending a lot of time with my mum then? She never said.’

‘We wanted it to be a surprise. Until I came to you with my perfect biscuits.’

‘Well, they certainly are.’ I take another bite.

Gemma, my right-hand woman at Kid Zone, comes over to the table with two hot drinks. ‘There you go ladies. Just the thing to go with your rather nice looking biscuits.’

‘We can take a hint. Here.’ I pass her a biscuit, this one is in the shape of an ice-cream cone and again, is beautifully iced.

‘Oh my Lord, that’s divine.’

‘Yes, we’ll definitely be selling these.’ I tell Beth.

‘Mm-mm.’ Gemma waves a hand at me as she can hardly speak with a gob full of biscuit. ‘The anniversary party.’ Crumbs sprinkle over me. ‘Sowwy.’

‘Take your blooming biscuit over there. Out of my way, you lopper.’ I shoo her away.

‘What anniversary party?’ asks Beth.

‘Kid Zone’s. It’s one-year-old on the eighteenth of July. So I thought Saturday sixteenth I’d have a huge celebration. That’s why I was chewing on a pencil before you replaced it with that yummy biscuit. I’m trying to get ideas for making it a bit different. Not too expensive, though.’

‘Oh, can I make suggestions?’

‘Be my guest.’

Beth sweeps a hand over the biscuits she’s brought with her. ‘Well, obviously a huge array of my chocolates and biscuits. I have a new chocolate I’m bringing out. It's been successful elsewhere in the country with kids. It came up in one of my business forums.’

‘Yeah, what’s that?’

‘Chocolate bars done in kids initials. Kids love them apparently.’

‘Great idea. You could do kids initial biscuits too.’

‘So I could,’ she says.

I pick my pencil back up from the table. ‘Could you make me two hundred iced biscuits with
Kid Zone One Today
on them?’

‘Sure.’

I scribble on my pad.

‘I’ll ask my mum if she’ll supply the same in cupcakes.’

‘Your mum will be ecstatic.’

‘I hope I won’t regret this,’ I tell her.

With Beth gone I spend more time working on the party. Firstly, I book catering to supply sandwiches and other food as I’ll be too busy to be concerned with party sausages. I look down my list. Entertainment-wise, I’ve booked a juggler from a local circus school in Sheffield. My celebration needs something else to draw the crowds in on what could potentially be a sunny Saturday. I stare into space. What could I do? Then I get an idea. What about a celebrity of sorts? But who could I ask? I think of Cole Grant, the ex-professional tennis player. He’s easy on the eye, the mums would like him and I bet my mother could get him to come as she played cupid for him in Center Parcs. I’ll ask her. Juggler for the kids, eye candy for the mothers, cakes and biscuits for the dads. I think we’re sorted.

Saturday 16 July 2016

Kid Zone is heaving at the seams with children and parents. There are balloons being battered around everywhere. The noise volume is high as kids shriek with excitement.

‘Congratulations, love, we’re so proud of you,’ says my dad. My mum kisses me on the cheek. Her arm is firmly around my dad’s waist. I hope they’re not going to keep making public displays of affection or I’ll need the sick bucket for myself rather than the children. They’ve been on their best behaviour around each other since a recent falling out. I hope the lovey-dovey stuff wears off soon and I get my usual parents back. It’s not normal.

Beth wanders over to us, having been supervising the distribution of the biscuits and cupcakes. Trey is with my brother.

‘You’ve done an amazing job there, Beth,’ I tell her.

Mum high-fives her.

‘Oh it’s nothing,’ says Beth.

‘For goodness sake, Beth, I wish you’d appreciate your talents a bit more. The biscuits are amazing. So are the chocolates. You need to sing your own praises,’ I scold.

‘Hey, we’re not all confident like you, Camille. Some of us prefer to blend into the background.’ She lifts an empty paper plate up and hides her face behind it.

I nudge her. ‘Well, it’s a shame. You’re multi-talented.’

‘What about me?’ asks my mother.

‘You too.’ I sigh.

‘Well naturally you got your confidence from me,’ says my mother, ‘and your understanding of figures from your father.’

Dad looks at one of the sexier mothers. ‘Yep, I’m pretty good with figures.’

My mother pinches his bum. ‘Hey. Eyes over here.’

He winks at her. ‘You’re the only one for me, love, you know it.’

Vom.

‘I’ll be back in a tic, I think they’re having a cupcake fight over there,’ says Beth.

‘So what time is Cole getting here, Mum? Only I’m doing my speech at two pm and he’s supposed to give out balloon animals.’

‘Oh, he’s not coming,’ my mother says, waving her hand in the air.

‘What?’ I shriek. ‘You said he was coming. I’ve promised a famous sports person. Oh my God, how embarrassing. What am I supposed to do?’

‘Calm your tits, Cam, I got someone else to replace him.’

I give my mother a death glare.

‘Who?’

‘They’re here now.’ She points toward the door.

A vision of hunky goodness enters Kid Zone. He’s looking around as if trying to spot a familiar face. He’s completely unruffled by the children running past him. The larger than normal amount of children run amok as almost every mother’s gaze hones in on the six-foot-plus, smouldering Man God. Can skin look glossy? His does. Smooth and glossy. Well, they do say black don’t crack. His close shaved hair reminds me of the top of a tennis ball. He looks familiar but I can’t recall where I’ve seen him before today.