“Young lady, it means that you are pretty well off,” said Mr Gerrard.
He'd been explaining in broad terms the provision that her father had made for her after his death.

Jade looked a bit puzzled.

"Please let me explain. The final numbers are subject to probate and the agreement with the HMRC on Inheritance Tax. That said, there is more than enough cash in your father’s estate for you to finish your studies.”

“What about his house?”

Mr Gerrard smiled.

“How long ago did you come to this country?”

Once again, Jane looked puzzled.
"Almost eight years ago, why?"

“Within a few months of your arrival, your father gave you this house. By that, I mean he transferred ownership of his home to you in trust until you came of age. It is your name on the deeds, and as he survived more than seven years after the gift, it is 100% free of IHT."

“IHT?” asked Jade.

“Inheritance Tax.”

"Ok, you said 'cash'. How much? A guess will do?"

"My educated guess is that after all expenses and taxes, there will be close to £240,000 left."

"I still don't understand? Where did all the money for this come from? I was under the impression that he only had his pension as a source of income? He was always complaining about his pension not being enough to live on?”

I smiled at Jade.
“I might have an answer to that.”

She looked at me with those big doleful eyes. They went like daggers to my heart.

"The pleading poverty was all part of a carefully constructed plan on his part. He wanted to give everyone, myself included, the impression that he was only living on his pension. He confessed it all to me on my second visit to him when he was in St Georges Hospital.”

“Ok, but where did the money come from?”

“We all know that your father gave out racing tips when he came to my café?”

“Yeah. So?”

"When he went home, he would place his bets on horses other than the daily tip. He told me that he'd bet small amounts up to a maximum of £20 on a race and also spread the bets between several online bookies."

I opened my extra-size handbag and pulled out three ledgers.

“These contain the details of every bet he made in the past seven years.”

“How did you get them?”

"When he came home from St Georges, he made me take them for safekeeping. You know that he was afraid of either Phillip or Elizabeth entering the house and taking things. You now know why that was. Everything in the house belongs to you, if I am correct Mr Gerrard?"

“You are perfectly correct. The transfer document specifically includes the contents,” said the lawyer.

"Your father was very successful when it came to the horses. From the totals shown in those ledgers, he averaged over £150,000 a year in winnings. The mortgage that used to help buy the property, was paid off twenty-two years early.”

“So that’s how he was able to pay my tuition fees? All he said was that was something any father would be honoured to do," remarked Jade.

“It appears so,” said Mr Gerrard.

“Aren’t there all sorts of tax liabilities for all that money?” asked Jade.

“There used to be a tax on either your bet or on your winnings, but that was abolished a long time ago," said Mr Gerrard.
"I will declare all his winnings back over the last seven years when I apply for probate, but AFAIK, there will be nothing to pay on them.”

Jade sat motionless for several minutes.

Then she said,
“Dad! What did you do this for? I tried telling you that I could stand on my own two feet.”

"Jade, I got to know your father quite well since he started coming to my Café almost every day. I do know that everything he did in his life had a purpose. Since I found out that he had another daughter, the purpose in his life became clear to me. He doted on you, and wanted you to get the best start in life possible. The lovely young woman that is sitting here today, is in my eyes, clear evidence of that. Be proud of your father because he was proud of you once he told us about you.”

---

Jade and I travelled back to my café together. She was silent. From the frown on her face, I could tell that she was deep in thought.

When we walked through the door, the place fell silent. That was to be expected. Jade went and sat at the same table that was her father’s favourite. I took the hint and began to prepare her father’s favourite drink.

I was about to serve it when Sylvia burst in. I wasn’t expecting to see her until I opened up in the morning.

“Come quick! Someone is robbing Ray’s house!”

After a moment of silence, I said,
“Sylvie, call the police right now. Jade, why don’t we go and see what is going on?”

“Are you sure? Won’t it be dangerous?”

"They are doing it in broad daylight, and his nosy neighbour will have been taking copious notes about the whole thing if I know her habits.”

Her expression told me that Jade wasn't convinced by my words .

“We can keep our distance while we wait for the Police to arrive. Ok?”

She nodded her head and stood up.

The forecast afternoon rain had arrived, so we took my car. It would also help us keep our distance and remain unobserved by the thieves.

---

“Well, I never,” I exclaimed when we pulled up about 50 yds from Ray’s home.

“That’s Phillip. What is he doing?” asked Jade.

“What he is doing, is stealing your stuff.”

I put the car into gear and drove it right up to Phillip's car that was on the driveway. I parked in a way that trapped his car. Phillip, was going nowhere with any stolen booty.

Phillip came out of the house carrying a painting. I'd seen it hanging in the lounge. I knew that Ray liked it, so I guessed that it had some value even if it was mostly sentimental.

I got out of the car just as Phillip saw that he was blocked in.

“Get out of my way. This is nothing to do with you!” he snarled.

"It does have something to do with me!" said Jade who had just gotten out of the other side of the car.

“Dad left the house and contents to me. You are taking things that don’t belong to you.”

“These are mine by rights. He had no right giving you everything!”

“Phillip!” I said,
“The Police have been called. Just stop this madness.”

Jade had begun taking pictures of what was going on.

Just then, Elizabeth appeared saying,
“What is the problem?”

Then she saw Jade and me.
“You fool!” she shouted at Phillip.
“I told you that we should have done this earlier, but you didn't listen. Now, what are you going to do!"

I tried to stop myself from smiling but failed.

“You can wipe that smirk off your face bitch!”
“Your time will come. Siding with this… this thing over his real flesh and blood,” shouted Elizabeth.

“Jade is his real flesh and blood just as much as you are. DNA does not lie.”

“I don’t give a toss about DN fucking A. Phil and I are Ray’s legitimate heirs not that pretend woman.”

"Keep digging that hole, and you will end up in Australia. I know more about the law than you will ever do. One more comment like that, and I'll make sure that you are charged with a hate crime. Just for your information, I have recorded this whole conversation."

I’d heard the sound of a Police Siren.
“The Police will be here in a minute or two. Time to get your excuses in order because you are going to need them.”

Elizabeth went back into the house with a dark look on her face. Phillip followed her not looking very happy with life in general. It was clear to me who wore the trousers in that relationship.

I went over to where Jade was standing as the Police arrived.

---

It was well after midnight when we returned from the Police Station in Worthing. Mr Gerrard had arrived to save the day. The documents proving that Ray had given Jade the house and contents were now part of the evidence in the case against Phillip and Elizabeth.

The facts of the case were pretty clear, and Jade with my help made it clear to the Police that she wanted them charged, despite their pleas of 'the window was already broken and that Ray had promised them almost all of the contents.
One of the officers who had attended the scene confirmed that a pane of glass in the back door had been broken, and that was the way they'd gained entry. The photos of the house that I’d taken the previous day were also used to prove the story about the window already being broken was a lie.

Elizabeth and Phillip were likely to be charged with several offences and were spending the night in custody because they had broken a court order that banned them from coming within 100m of Ray’s home.

I pulled up outside Ray's former home so that I could drop Jade off. She didn't get out of the car right away.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t feel like staying there tonight. Can I stay with you?” she said quietly.

Those words caught me by surprise.

“Jade?”

“Alex… Please. I need some company.”

“Of course, you can stay.”

I started the car and reversed it out of the driveway and onto the road. As I engaged first gear, I saw the curtains in Mrs McNeil’s front room twitch. The village gossip machine would be working overtime in the morning.

---

“Thank you for putting me up and putting up with me,” said Jade when I showed her my spare room.

I chuckled at her pun.

“Jade…” I muttered.

“I know. Dad told me the day before he died,” she replied smiling.

“What, do you know?”

"He said and to quote, ‘Alex has a soft spot for you’. He went on to say that I'd do a lot worse than you, but that you would never make the first move."

“Jade, it has been a long and eventful day. Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”

She laughed.
"I thought that Dad was mad when he said that we should get together , but seeing you today I think I understand what he was hinting at.”

"Jade, please, not here, not now."

“Alex…”

“Thanks for being on my side today.”

Without warning, she came over and gave me a brief kiss on the cheek.

---

For what remained of the night, I tossed and turned. I knew I had feelings for Jade, but Ray’s ashes hadn’t even been scattered which meade me feel rather unclean. Then there was the little matter of her gender. I'd sort of dismissed the whole thing then Ray had to try to oil the wheels of romance. With everything that had been going on with Ray, I'd not even given much thought about having a romance with anyone, let alone Jade. I hardly knew her for starters.

Dawn was breaking when I gave up thrashing myself and got up. I could hear Jade breathing gently in the next room so I got dressed and went out for a run in the hope that it would enable me to think more clearly.

It didn't, and after almost 5 miles, I called it quits and went to the Café. It was still two hours until opening time, so after making myself a cup of tea, I started making some bread. Beating the life out of some dough worked a lot better than pounding the pavements or avoiding the potholes on the Horsham Road.

Two wholemeal loaves were on their second rise when I heard the door to the café open.

“It’s only me!” came a voice.

It was Sylvie. I breathed easier. I’d thought that it might have been Jade.

“You look like death warmed up?” said Sylvie when she came into the kitchen.

I managed a little smile.

“Long day with the Police yesterday?”

“Long night more like. We didn’t get back until past midnight.”

“Well? What happened? Did they nab the thieves?”

“The thieves were Rays' son and daughter, Phillip and Elizabeth. They broke in and were helping themselves. They are going to be charged with theft and B&E plus contempt of court. They might just think differently after a night in the cells.”

“Not good. Not good at all.”

“Yeah, especially when Ray left the house and all the contents to Jade. It is all fully documented and legal. You know how anal he was about things like that.”

"I bet that went down well, but why are you here so early, and by the look of you, you have been out running."

"Yes, mama!"

Sylvie laughed.
“Jade problems?”

I nodded.
“Ray told her that I had some feelings for her and that I’d never make the first move…”

“So, she did?”

“What do you think?”

"Oh, dear. I guess I'll be running the shop today then?"

“If you don’t mind. I need to sort this out.”

Sylvie shook her head.
"That's where you are wrong. Take your time. She is very young and all alone. Be her friend until she decides what she wants to do with her life. If that happens to include running a café in deepest Sussex, then you are all set, aren’t you?”

She laughed.
“I seem to recall you telling me that you didn't know what you wanted to do until a few years after you'd become a Barrister. While some might see that as a mistake, you experienced a part of life that us mere mortals would never see unless we killed someone. To have appeared at the Old Bailey, and not be in the dock is something that many of us would have given our right arms for. You gave that all up for many reasons and came here. You have enriched this community, and for that, we have to be thankful. Why not be her big sister for a while,? Let her make her mistakes but be there for her now that Ray isn’t.”

Sylvie gave me a huge hug.
“Here endeth the sermon for this week. Next week, it is the feeding of the five thousand."

It took me a few seconds to grasp what she was saying.
I looked at the clock.
“We should have opened up ages ago.”

"Are there hordes beating the door down? No, there aren't. I'll open up the stop, and you, my girl, should get off home and talk to the lass. She needs a friend more than anything now."

"Yes, Doctor. There are three loaves in the warming oven that will need putting into the big boy oven in half an hour."

She waved me away with a smile.

Sylvie was right. She usually was in that respect. She'd become the mother I'd never had. Oh, my real one had been there but wasn't. most of the time, she was stoned out of her mind, until a bad batch of coke took her from me.

---

I went home and found it empty. Jade had left a note.

“Alex,
Thanks for the bed. I need to get the door fixed at home. You know where I am. If I don’t see you today, I’ll be in the café at ‘Rays time’ tomorrow.

Jade
“

I sat down at the kitchen table and wanted to bang my head against the wall. It seemed that Jade had brushed off what had happened less than 12 hours before as if it never happened.
After some more self-flagellation, I went for a shower. That made me feel a lot better.

Much against my normal behaviour, I made some effort with my makeup and even put on a skirt. As I did so, I wondered what Sylvie would say as the song goes, ‘If she could see me now!’. I even eschewed my normal flats and put on a pair of heels. Right away, I knew that I’d pay for it. My feet had once been able to spend all day in 3 or 4inch heels, but since leaving London, I'd hardly worn them at all.

“Sod it!” I muttered out loud as I contemplated reverting to type and putting on some flats but didn’t.

After a final brush of my hair, I left home and began the five-minute walk to Ray's, now Jade's home. A glazier's van was parked in the driveway, so I knew that she was at home.

“Jade,” I called out.

“I’m in the kitchen. Come on through,” came her reply.

I went into the kitchen and saw the glazier at work. He was finishing off smoothing the putty on the new pane of glass. He’d be gone soon.

"Hi, Alex. This is Brian, the Police gave me his name as a reputable glazier.”

Brian smiled at me as he wiped his putty knife on a paper towel.

“That’s me done. I’ll drop a bill in the post. You’ll need it for the insurance claim.”

I could see a brief expression of panic on Jade’s face.

"Thanks, Brian. It was great that you could come out so quickly," said Jade.

“That’s what us emergency glaziers do.”

When Brian had gone, Jade closed the door.

Jade put the kettle on. As she did so, she said,
“I’m sorry for last night. I didn’t quite know what I was doing.”

I smiled.
“I think that both of us were running on fumes.”

"It was quite a day, wasn't it? The Police called a little while ago. Phillip and Elizabeth are going before the magistrate tomorrow. Detective Sergeant Rice said that there is every indication that they will plead guilty to the theft charges but are maintaining their ignorance of any restraining order banning them from coming here.”

“I think Mr Gerrard might have some evidence of them being served with the order.”

“That’s good? Isn’t it?”

I shook my head.
“I get the feeling that neither of them will rest until they get something. To be honest Jade, I think Ray treated them far too badly. It might be worth getting Mr Gerrard to sound out via their solicitors what sort of settlement they’d accept. If there are some particular items that they want, and you don't then it might be good to let them have them as long as they stay away for good.”

“To pay them off?”

"Sort of. A lot of the things that happen behind the scenes in law are give and take and bluffing. If they want everything, then I'd take them to court and put an order on them banning them from interfering with you or taking any other action The existence of a restraining order will make it very hard for them to challenge a broader order.”

“What do you mean by other action?”

“Telling the world via social media that you are trans.”

“I get you. I’ll wait and see what happens tomorrow in court.”

“Good idea,” I replied.

There was a silence between us.

“Jade. About last night at my place. Ray was right I do have feelings for you, but now is not the time or the place to go any farther. I hope you can accept that?"

“Yeah. Sorry about kissing you.”

"I made a lot of mistakes in my life before ending up here and running a café. I think that you need to find your way a bit before even thinking about a relationship with an old hag like me."

Jade chuckled.
“You aren’t an old hag. To be honest, you look pretty good standing here right now.”

“Thanks. I did make a bit of an effort for the first time in months.”

Jade laughed.
“I know. Dad spent hours giving me your innermost secrets and habits.”

“And you weren’t turned off?”

She shook her head.
“No. The opposite. I admire you for giving up the law.”

“What are you going to do now? Are you going back to University?”

"Yeah. I will go back in September. I have my final year to complete, but I don't know what to do then."

“Why not come back here? You have friends here despite Mrs Twitchy curtains.”

Jade chuckled.
"She came around earlier. She wanted to apologize for telling Phillip everything that happened. Seeing him get taken away in handcuffs ... Well it made her change her opinion of me."

“That’s good for you.”

Then I said,
“Fancy going out for lunch? There are a few things that I want to talk to you about?”

Jade hesitated for a few seconds before saying,
“Why not… If you don’t mind waiting while I pretty myself up a bit? After all, I don't want to be outdone by the former old hag, now do I?”

I laughed. There was so much of Ray in her to admire. He’d done well with his second chance at raising a child.

---

“Well, what was the verdict?” I asked Jade late the following afternoon.

“They both got a one hundred quid fine, doubled for breaking the restraining order, two years probation and costs. I’m not sure what ‘costs’ mean?”

“They pay the costs of the court. I’d guess another couple of hundred.”

“Mr Gerrard has applied to the court for another restraining order under some law or other.”

"Section 5 of the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act I'd expect. If they break that, then they’ll go to jail, not collecting £200, and they are done for. That is to reinforce your wishes to live your life without their interference.”

“I guess that it is over then?”
“It probably does. Spending two nights in a police cell was not what they expected when they broke into your home. I’ve seen that experience sober a lot of people up. All we can hope is that it does the same to them.”

---

The next day, six of us from the village travelled up to Chanctonbury Ring as per Ray's wishes and scattered his ashes close to the southern edge of the ring. For once, the sun came out, and the wind died down. It was almost as if Ray was looking down on us.

Jade appeared to be a lot happier when we adjourned to a local Pub for lunch. She thanked us for coming to say goodbye to Ray's ashes.

---

[Fifteen Months later, St Andrews University, Scotland]

Jade smiled at me as she waited in line to be presented with her degree. She’d come out top of the class as well. I felt so happy for her. She’d worked so hard after resuming her studies the previous September. I was sitting where Ray should have been but wasn’t to be. As Ray had wanted, I’d become a surrogate parent to Jade. I felt so proud to see her decked out in a gown and mortar board. I felt the presence of Ray looking down at his daughter and seeing him smile. Jade had been his second chance at bringing up a child as he would have wanted to. Serving his country had interfered in a big way with his first go. It had been clear that Ray had instilled a lot of self-resilience in her. That was a big plus in my eyes.

I waited for Jade to say her goodbyes to her classmates I thought back to my graduation when I had no one waiting for me. I didn’t even get a ‘well done’ card from my aunt who’d taken me in after my mother had died. She loved the money but had shown me no love at all. I’d been shown the door a week after my 18th birthday. She’d told me by saying, ‘I can’t afford to keep you now. I have let your room to a lodger for £150 a week’. I walked out and never went back.

“You looked so happy there. Ray would have been so proud of you.” I said when she joined me.
"Thanks, Alex. I did this for him. There were times when I nearly didn't come back but… It is what he would have wanted."

“Is everything packed at your digs?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go then and pick everything up. There is a top hotel on Princes Street waiting for us tonight.”

“Really?”

"Yes. If we don't get held up in traffic, there will be time to get dolled up before dinner. I booked us into the hair salon for four thirty.”

Jade looked at me. Slowly a smile spread across her face.

“Thank you.”

---

[Over dinner that evening in Edinburgh]

“What are your plans now?” I asked Jade between courses.

“Sleep, sleep and more sleep.”

“Then what?”

“I’m going to finish sorting out the house. Maybe even do a bit of decorating.”

“But no job?”

Jade shook her head.

"Only two of the class have jobs to go to, and those are because they have family connections. I’m going to take my time and think about what I want to do.”

“You do know that today marks the end of my promise to Ray?”

She nodded her head.
"I do, and thank you for being there for me since dad died."

I took a deep breath before saying,
“Now that we are agreed on the matter, would you care to dance?”

Jade smiled at me.
"I'd love to, but who is going to lead?"

“I guess that will be me then…” I said as I took her hand.

As we danced, Jade said to me,
“Thank you for being my family.”

"That sounds very past tense?"

“Sorry. Would you like to try being a different sort of family with me?”

It took me a second to grasp what she was asking.

“I think I would. I’m sure we can be a better one than your other relatives.”

As the music changed to a slow number, we came together, and after a few steps, we kissed. This time it was a proper kiss.
[the end]