Porterhouse Pete

"Bring it on, Sunshine," menaced Pete, "Step back on this pavement and I will have to refer the ownership of the pants and socks you're wearing to intimately close perusal by the occupants."

The photographer pushed his way through the throng and ran off down the road. After a final growl at the still flashing camera bulbs, Pete turned and went back into the house, through the now open front door. The house guests had gathered in and around the doorway to witness the scene and they parted as Pete approached the door, he entered and the guests followed, closing the door behind them.

The curtains had been drawn against the French doors when Pete entered the living room. In front of the curtains stood the slight figure of April Dunlough, her hands held together in front of her body, her chin up and staring at Pete as he entered the room.

"Hello again, Peter," she said with the faintest of smiles on her face. "You're looking very well."

"You're looking pretty good yourself, Apes."

She smiled slightly wider at hearing Pete's pet name for her. The thought occurred to her, sadly, that she hadn't heard it for more than twenty-five years. But then she couldn't avoid the recollection of the reasons why she hadn't spoken to Pete for so long. Her smile started to fail but grew again as she noticed the cute little girl that came with Pete had pushed her way through the others to the front. The girl now stood next to Pete and had taken hold of his gigantic right hand with both her little hands.

"Would you like to introduce me to your friends?" April asked.

Pete put his left hand on Annie's left shoulder, untangled and moved his right hand to her right shoulder and moved Annie in front of him.

"April, this is my daughter, Annie."

April stepped forward and put her arms around Annie and kissed her on the cheek, there was only a few inches difference in their relative heights.

"Hello, Sweetie," April said to the girl, "I'm April, you look very pretty in your dress. I bet your Mum and Dad are really proud of you."

"Yes, Rebecca got this dress for me yesterday. You are beautiful, April," said Annie, "I think I've seen you on the telly, haven't I?"

April laughed, "I guess you probably have!"

"My Mummy likes you, she always watches you when you are on and has often commented that you are the best one in the show. I like the colour of your suit," continued Annie, "It is so bright and cheerful."

April gave Annie another cuddle and kiss and looked up at Pete, who grinned at her. Pete turned and pulled a reluctant Tracie forward, who looked at her rather awestruck.

"This is Tracie, she is Annie's mother."

April put her arms around Tracie and hugged her briefly. "I understand you are my biggest fan," she said with a huge smile.

"Well," Tracie replied sheepishly, "Annie is liable to exaggerate ... except in this case, you are definitely the best character in that show."

"Well, I am lucky that I play the most interesting character, she's not exactly me, but I have become very attached to her over the years."

Pete continued "And this is Rebecca, she's my doctor and employer."

April reached out and squeezed Rebecca in similar fashion to Tracie. Then she stood back, noticed Pete's head bandage and asked Rebecca, "Nothing serious, I hope?"

"Minor bumps and cuts, that's all," Rebecca grinned, "Pete's got a pretty strong head. Makes him look tough, so it probably helped with the image he was putting across to those cameramen a few minutes ago."

***

Alice took charge of her guests and marshalled them into the dining room, where she had a meal ready to serve them. Secure in the dining room, they enjoyed their meal and delighted in the conversation. Annie obviously charmed everyone present. April and Tracie chatted at length about fashions, hairstyles and make-up. Tracie was particularly interested in seeing the wigs that she had kept at her mother's house and a couple she brought with her. Tracie soon got over the awe she felt in speaking to her actress heroine. Tracie did say, when April was out of the room, that she couldn't get over how nice and natural April was. Tracie had expected the actress to be stuck up. She was also impressed by how nice she looks and how well dressed.

Rebecca found Alice and Julian charming hosts, who shared lots of amusing stories about her partners at the medical practice and local hospital. Although Alice and Julian were clearly a comfortable couple, Julian said he still liked to maintain his independence and spent about half the nights at his apartment across town. It was above his former jewellers, now rented out to a shoe retailer.

***

An hour and a half or so after the gathering had retired to the lounge for coffee, a highly-polished chauffeur-driven car pulled up outside the house after turning around with some difficulty at the end of the road. A blond haired woman of slim, small stature, wearing a bright yellow trouser suit, was rushed to the car with Pete and Julian as protective escorts, with the photographers flashing off to get their pictures for the morning editions.

A couple of the throng members had already taken their cue from the arrival of the limousine and moved to their vehicles in the car park, where they hovered, ready to follow the car when it left. Most of the photographers gradually drifted away after the departure, with only a few diehards hanging on around the entrance to the house.

Back in the house, Alice and Julian's house guests readied to leave, having enjoyed a pleasant evening, even after taking into account the altercation they'd had with the press photographers. Rebecca left first, with Pete by her side, carrying a holdall. They walked down to Porter House, leaving the photographers behind, where they collected Rebecca's Volvo and drove back up the lane, past Alice's house and turned at the end, returning back down the road to park in front of Alice's house. Rebecca stayed behind the wheel with the engine running and Pete went inside, later escorting out Tracie, who carried Annie in her arms. Pete shielded them into the back seat of the car and got in the passenger seat, after pushing over a couple of photographers who had gotten themselves too close. Rebecca drove off and around the deserted streets for half an hour, before driving home. By the time they got there, no photographers were hanging around her house, so they were able to get in unnoticed.

Some four or five hours later, the chauffeured car pulled into the underground garage serving April Dunlough's London apartment to drop off its passenger before departing through another crowd of photographers, and a TV News camera crew. A minute later, the lights come on in the apartment and a woman with blond hair and yellow top could be seen closing the curtain whilst holding a mobile phone to her ear.

Back in Porter House, Pete said, "Right Annie, off you go and get undressed and clean your teeth, we'll be up shortly to tuck you in."

"OK, Dad!" Annie kissed her father on the cheek, with a huge grin on her face, before getting down and trotting off up the stairs.

The rest of the party went through the lounge into the kitchen. As they walked, Annie's mother removed her scarf and then the dark wig that revealed she was not who she appeared to be but the TV soap and film actress April Dunlough, the object of the press's attention. Pete walked behind her shielding the tiny woman from the front windows of the house, which still lacked curtains. The kitchen had Venetian blinds on the windows and a roller blind on the back door, which had already been drawn.

"Thank you so much," April sighed, as soon as she had flopped down in a chair at the kitchen table.

"Good job you had those spare wigs at your mother's," Rebecca laughed, "It appeared to work perfectly."

"Yeah, they are really old ones, but I find I need to disguise myself all the time. It was a good job Tracie is about my size and apparently willing to spend a few days in my London apartment."

"I think she's looking forward to a little shopping therapy, once she's got that wig off," Pete said, grinning, "It was very generous of you to let her loose with the passwords to your credit cards. Not sure if I'd be able to do that."

"Oh, those cards are specifically used for clothing that I need for functions and presentations, they are all tax deductible." April grinned, "Dropping into a couple of shops a day for the next week should keep the press off my tail, which would be a blessed relief."

"I'll go round Tracie's flat in the morning with Annie, so we can pack up what she needs here for the next week," Pete said, "I'll have to check when exactly she goes back to school. I'll go up and see how she's getting on getting changed and washed. Any time you are ready, I'll show you up to your room, er, it's a little Spartan, I'm afraid, all we've done so far here is make up the beds and put up the curtains."

"The rooms have been hoovered and the en suite bathroom's clean," Rebecca added, "We got Pete's, Annie's and one spare guest room ready, in case Tracie needed to stay, but I think we are going to have to get all the rooms re-carpeted when I get around to it."

"Well, I'm bushed," April said, "Please show me where the room is and I feel I could sleep for a week."

Chapter Five

Wednesday 28 December

Pete rose early the next morning. As far as he was concerned, this was a working day and he had turned over a new leaf. It was going to be a busy day. He was expecting a delivery of the wall boards that they had ordered from the builders' merchants. He had checked that the empty dining room where he wanted to store the boards was easily accessible through the French doors. He needed to see his lawyer, Craig Connor, regarding possible repercussions of his treatment of the press photographer; although his office opened at nine, he knew he was usually in by eight-fifteen or so. Then he had to go with Annie round to her mother's flat to collect her clothes and anything she needed for school when the term started next week. He started the coffee going and put some toast on to grill. The smell of coffee must've roused Rebecca, as she came down about the time it was ready to pour. She grabbed one of Pete's toasts from his plate and started munching it dry while Pete fetched an extra mug and poured her a coffee.

"Morning, Pete, thanks for the coffee," she said, "You are a lifesaver."

"No, Rebecca, you are the lifesaver," he said, looking serious, "In just these last couple of days you've turned my life around, got me somewhere to stay, a job with decent prospects, my daughter back in my life and living with me at least temporarily and ... even talking to April again."

"Reading between the lines of your reminiscing at dinner last night, I assumed that you and April were an item once?"

"Yes, April was my first, make that only, serious girlfriend. I had known her since she was 13 and I was 15, we were just close friends to begin with. Then we got closer as we grew up, until I got to worship the ground she walked on," Pete admitted, "Even once she got involved in the acting business and her career really took off, she was determined to keep her feet on the ground. We both were. I was looking forward to a career as a professional footballer, I was on the watch list of several top clubs as a potential... Then it all went pear-shaped and I lost everything, April, career, reputation, the lot."

"Was this about some allegation about an under-aged girl?" Rebecca asked as Pete's head looked up sharply, "One of the nurses mentioned something and the senior doctor, on shift with me when you were brought in, also mentioned some scandal. Was that anything to do with April?"

"You don't know me that well, Rebecca, so if you want to kick me out once you've heard the story, that would be fine, but please don't kick Annie out too."

"Pete, I know you. I know you as you are now. I've seen how you are with Annie, the respect you have for Tracie, the respect that April's mother has for you, and she has known you for years, living around here as she has. Even your ex-girlfriend April is still comfortable around you." Rebecca, breathed out. "I never told you that I used to live around here, did I?"

"No. Were you around here back in 1993?" Pete asked.

"Yes, I was six then but left the town around then. What age were you when it happened?"

"I was eighteen and living in Exeter most of the time, playing for the local football club in the city. I had been on their academy books since I was about eleven and I started my apprenticeship with them at sixteen as soon as I left school. By the time I was eighteen I was a first team regular, having made my debut halfway through the previous year. We were struggling as a team and almost got relegated from the league, but big clubs were sniffing around and I was being tipped to be sold on for a significant sum. My transfer fee was supposed to save the club from financial ruin. My Dad was so proud of me. Then the proverbial hit the fan."

Just then Annie put in an appearance, wiping the sleep from her eyes, still in her PJs. That stopped their conversation immediately.

"Morning," she yawned, "I could smell toast."

"I'll put some more on, Princess," Pete smiled, giving his daughter a cuddle, "Want some orange juice to drink?"

"Mmmm, thanks, Dad. Hi, Rebecca."

"Hi, sweetheart, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Like a log. I wonder how Mum slept in a strange but luxury apartment?" Annie grinned mischievously.

"We'll call her later," Pete laughed, "and find out."

"Well, I must go and get showered and ready for work," Rebecca said, getting up from the kitchen table, "I've got surgery this morning and, with the holidays, patients store up ailments, so I'll probably work through lunch, get home 5-ish."

"I'll cook us dinner, I checked your fridge earlier, so how about chicken breasts in a wine and mushroom sauce?"

"Wow, you can cook too?"

"I was brought up in a restaurant, I had to do wash up, veg prep and lay tables every day until I started my football apprenticeship."

"Yes, Dad can cook virtually anything and make it really tasty."

"I'll try not to be late, then," Rebecca grinned, "Oh, Pete, the contractors digging up the car park are due to restart this morning and need the second of three cash payments, which is in an envelope in the cutlery drawer."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that, Doc," Pete said, "Have you got the quote handy for that job?"

"Yes, it's in this folder," she pulled a loose leaf folder from another kitchen drawer, "All the quotes for the work on the house are in here. I even kept the ones I didn't accept just in case I was let down by the first choice, they've got a diagonal line across them. I'm quite well organised."

"That's great. I'll have a look through that quote, as I have a couple of issues with what they've done so far."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, it's clear they are pulling up the old tarmac from the old restaurant car park, so they have easy access to the whole of the empty car park using the wide drive, yet they dumped the skip to collect the broken up surface right in the middle of that drive, which is inconvenient for you, so you can't access your garage. Also, the skip's full, so it could've been emptied before they quit for the Christmas break, so they could start filling it as soon as they started today; as it is they will be hanging around waiting, and why only one skip, when the company they are using have 2-skip trucks and they need at least 10 skips for the job."

"Well, I'll let you have free rein to get the best out of them, Pete. They were reluctant to start last week, because of the Christmas break, but I wanted them to have it all broken up, cleared, rotovated and ready for the new turf to go down in late February."

Pete sat down and read though the contracts for all the work that Rebecca was considering doing to the old house, starting with the contract to break up the tarmac, break up the subsoil, lay down a weed membrane, 200mm of topsoil and lay turf on top.

As soon as Annie had finished her breakfast, Pete chased her up the stairs to get dressed, so they could walk around to her mother's flat. While he was washing up the breakfast dishes, he noticed that the first of the workmen had arrived and was standing on the old tarmac and talking into his mobile phone. Pete knew the man's brother, Jason Denhope, he was two years older and had signed the contract Pete had just read.

Pete dried his hands and stepped outside.

"Hey Mickey," Pete called, "you on your own today or giving Jason his wake up call?"

"Oh, hi Pete, nah, Jace should be here any minute."

"So who're you talking to?"

"My girlfriend Beth, doesn't go back to work 'til after the New Year."

"Mind if I have a word with Beth?"

"Er, yeah, sure, help yourself. It's Pete from the club, Beth," Mickey Denhope handed over the phone.

"Merry Christmas Beth ... yeah, great time ... look, it's eight fifteen, so Mickey's gotta work. He'll ring you after 12 when he's due a break." With that Pete hung up and powered the phone down.

"Hey!" Mickey protested, "I was in the middle of—"

"You were in the middle of your working day and you haven't started working yet. You're contracted for three men to work here eight through to three thirty with a half hour break for lunch, to make the most of the winter light. It's now ... twenty past, there's only you here on your own, so altogether that's an hour's work lost that you're going to have to make up."

"But—"

"But nothing, Dr Simon's appointed me her project manager and I mean to see the job's done right. You might as well make a start until the others get here."

"Merv's stayin' with his missus' family in Leominster this week, so's just Jace'n'me for today an' tomorrow." Mickey said as he put his gloves on and pulled a pick-axe off his wheelbarrow.

"Send Jason to the kitchen door when he turns up, and you don't dig the tarmac up here next to the driveway, you start at the furthest point and work towards the driveway entrance, otherwise you'll be wheeling over broken ground. Look, it's harder work, will take longer and more chance of injury, like turning an ankle or tripping on a tree root."

"Yeah, you gotta point there, Pete. I'll make a start in the corner."

"Well, you've got a full skip already, when are they collecting this one and dropping off a couple of empties?"

"Dunno, Pete, Jace looks after the business side, I just do the labour."

"OK, son, make a start and get your brother to see me sharpish as soon as he gets here."

"Fair do's, Pete," Mickey said, pointing at his head, "heard you had some trouble Christmas Eve, you alright?"

"Yeah, the Doc sorted me out, gave me a job, so no more late nights standing in doorways for me."

Mickey picked up the handles of his wheelbarrow to start off to the corner of the car park.

"Mickey, this is a hard hat area, there are some dodgy old trees in that far corner, and that scaffold-board run up to the lip of the skip looks dodgy from here."

"Bugger, Jace's got the hard hats in his pick-up."

"You better make a start in the other corner over there, then, it's more open. I'm taking Annie home to get some clothes, so I'll be gone for twenty minutes or so. Just send Jason over as soon as I get back. You can get your phone back at twelve."

"Thanks, Pete. Sorry to mess you about mate."

Pete and Annie made short work of collecting a few clothes and some colouring books, crayons and reading books to bring back to Porter House.

Jason Denhope was waiting at the kitchen door holding his hard hat in his nervous hands. Jason wasn't as big as his younger brother and was supposed to be the brains behind the small landscaping business.

"Go upstairs and unpack, Pet," Pete told Annie and he let her through the kitchen door. After she scampered away with the light holdall, Pete turned to Jason and waved him though into the kitchen. Pete picked up the contract on top of a pile of contracts.