Chapter Six
"Don't you think you've had enough, love?" Frankie asked, gently touching her eldest son on the arm. He was shaking slightly, as though he was ready to explode any minute.
"Yeah Jake, Becca won't want you coming back smelling of booze, I mean…"
"Becca won't give a damn about me coming back, not when she's probably having the time of her life in bed with Justin flaming Burton" Jake shouted, stunning the pub regulars into silence.
"Justin? Justin Burton? Don't be silly love, he's a kid and Beccas a grown woman" Frankie remarked in a disbelieving voice, as she guided Jake behind the bar and into the back. Steph and Craig followed, feeling the customer's eyes fixed on them as they did so, muttering quietly, and not so quietly, to each other about this latest bit of gossip.
"I'll make some coffee love" Frankie offered, quickly turning towards the kitchen, "You'll feel better after some strong, black coffee. Coffee always works a treat when you have a hangover. I think it must be all that caffeine in it or something. Jack prefers decaf but you can never beat the real thing. That's what I always say any…."
"I DON'T WANT ANY FLAMING COFFEE ALRIGHT!" Jake shouted, sick of his mother ignoring what he had revealed in the pub minutes earlier.
"I'm sorry love" Frankie soothed, "I'm just trying to help, make you feel better"
"I'm sorry Mum" Jake managed to get out before dissolving into tears, clinging onto his mother as if she was a human life ring and he was drifting in the ocean, drowning, as the waves of emotion flooded his whole body. Jake's sobs were the only sound to be heard for several minutes as Frankie, Steph and Craig exchanged concerned look. Jake didn't get upset easily and he hardly ever cried like this before. Maybe Jake wasn't being silly after all.