“I guess that will have to do. Thank you. I’ll just insert this one, and then we can head off. Although I doubt I’m going to be able to relax much during the weekend.”

“You will, Dad, once you’re out on the water. You know how relaxing it can be out there.”

“Usually, I’d agree with you, but…”

“You’re under orders. I’ll make a call and get a patrol car to keep an eye on the place during their shift. How’s that?”

“It’ll have to do for now. I’d like you to use your influence and get the shits moved out permanently. Can you do that?”

“Like I said, Dad, I’ll see what I can do on Monday. Now, come on. We should get a move on before it gets dark.”

“Nonsense, the clocks went forward last weekend. We have an extra hour to play with in the evenings. Give me two minutes here. You can help your mother finish packing the car if you would.”

“You win. Two minutes, right?”

He nodded and resumed rigging up his lethal security device, mumbling all sorts of derogatory remarks about the neighbours opposite.

She knew she’d been caught up in her own problems. She wondered how she could have missed what they’d been subjected to over the past few months. She would make sure she made amends for neglecting her parents after the weekend. People had a right, especially when they were close to retirement, to live a peaceful and stress-free existence.

“Any luck, love?” her mother asked, hope swimming in her pale-blue eyes.

“Nope. You know there’s no shifting him once he’s got something like this fixed in his mind, Mum. While we’re alone, how are you feeling? Are the hot flushes under control now you’ve started on the HRT?”

“Not yet, dear. I’d rather not pop any form of pills—you know me—but the doctor insisted that my life would be more bearable if I took them. I’ve yet to see any difference.”

“I suppose you’ll need to wait a few days before the drugs get into your system. Stick with it, Mum.” Sally gently hugged her.

“I will. You’ll have to excuse my tetchiness this weekend. I hate not being able to sleep properly.”

“No need to explain or excuse your moods, Mum. I totally understand. I’m sure Dad does, too. I need to make a quick call. I’ll be right back.” Sally went into the living room and rang the station to make the arrangements for a patrol vehicle to drive past her parents’ home during their absence. When she returned to the kitchen, her parents were both drinking tea. “We haven’t got time for that, you two. We should be getting on the road.”

“You’re right, of course, dear.” Her mother tipped her cup of steaming liquid down the sink. Her father, on the other hand, took the time to finish every last drop of his drink. Sally huffed and puffed, but her obstinate dad ignored her. In the end, she took it upon herself to load up the car, aware that her father would most likely come along a few minutes later and repack everything again. He was regimented in everything he did, which infuriated the hell out of Sally and her mother, especially when they were in a hurry to get somewhere.

Eventually, they set off on the half-hour journey to Reedham. In between her father’s constant complaining about the troublesome neighbours, Sally went over the weekend plans. They could dump their bags on the boat then go in search of a local pub to enjoy an evening meal before it grew too late, and pubs along the river tended to get crowded, even in the spring.

They excitedly walked up to the boat. “Here she is. A great paint job, even if I do say so myself,” her father boasted, his chest inflating with pride.

“I agree. An excellent job, Dad. Time to eat—I’m starving. We can admire your handiwork more tomorrow, when it’s lighter, eh?”

After placing Dex on board the boat, they drove back to a lovely pub they’d spotted on the way. Sally walked arm in arm with her parents towards the glass-fronted public house, which thankfully, didn’t appear to be too busy judging by the lack of cars in the car park.

“Looks like we’re in luck. There’s a table by the window,” her mother pointed out.

“You grab it, and I’ll order the drinks,” Sally said.

Her father glared at her. “This is on me, love. You put your money away.”

Sally leaned in and whispered, “I’m all right, Dad. We’re both tight for money at the moment. My wages are due to hit my bank next week. This is my treat.”

Her father sighed reluctantly. “Let’s go halves then. How’s that?”

She held out her hand for him to shake. “Deal. Let’s not worry about the trivial things in life this weekend. Agreed? Let’s ensure Mum has a good time.”

“Agreed. It’ll be nice to get away from the daily stresses for a few days.”

Sally ordered the drinks from the barman and threw an arm around her dad’s shoulders. “Are things really that bad?”

“We’ve just agreed not to talk about it, love.” Her father gave her a wink.

“Maybe it would have been wiser for me to have moved back home with you guys rather than take on that tiny flat. Financially, it would have helped all of us out, wouldn’t it?”

“Too late thinking like that now. I’m sure circumstances will change once the weather starts to improve, for me anyway.”

“Fingers crossed, Dad. It’s been a long winter for you this year. I’m sorry there are such shitty people in this world who always rip off the good guys.”

The barman appeared with their drinks, and Sally paid him in spite of her father’s protest. “It’s the world we live in, love. It certainly makes you wary going forward. Tough when you’re in business, though. Still, it’s something I need to try and get my head around if I want to trust further customers.”

“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?”