Brighton Beckons

Chapter 16

5 years later…

A lot can happen in five years, and for Ben and Kate Jones, this was certainly true. During this time, the wider world had navigated through the stormy waters of the infamous COVID-19 pandemic. Then, recently, and on a brighter note, the couple had welcomed more babies into their little family. In fact, the now five-year-old, Evan Benjamin, had three younger siblings to grow up with. Firstly, there were the 3-year-old twins, 'Rhys Giles' and 'Alys Laura' and secondly, his almost 12-month-old baby sister, 'Elin Katherine'. Having four kids, especially in a short space of time, meant that there was never a dull moment in the Jones' household. Despite the chaos, however, Ben and Kate wouldn't have it any other way. To accommodate their growing brood, they had made some necessary modifications to their cottage, as well as the surrounding cliff top garden.

So it was, on a warm, summer's day, after the lockdowns had been eased, Ben and Kate were finally able to host a BBQ lunch for their friends and family. Their invited guests were all eager to catch up with each other. Video conversations over the phone were never quite the same, as the simple pleasure of actually spending time in each other's company.

After setting the roast lamb and chicken going in the charcoal BBQ outside, Ben swept up the stairs, heading for the master bedroom. Rifling through his wardrobe, he was on a mission. With his head stuck in the cupboard, Ben hadn't seen or heard his son, Evan slip into the room. Curiously, the little boy sat himself down on the bed, all the while, watching his father's movements, carefully.

"What are you looking for, daddy?" he eventually asked.

"Oh, hello, fy dyn," Ben called out, referring to his son with a Welsh term of endearment meaning, 'my man'. With his upper body still buried in the wardrobe, Ben explained, "I've got a special suit in here…somewhere. I was hoping to wear it at our party today…ah, here it is!"

Victoriously, Ben pulled the suit out of the wardrobe and turned to face his son. Holding it up against himself, Ben asked, "What do you think?"

Evan nodded and replied, "It looks very smart."

Ben smirked, "Indeed it is. In fact, I had it tailor-made, several years ago…I just hope it still fits." Wasting no further time, Ben quickly changed. Relief washed over him, as he regarded himself in the flood-length mirror. The suit still fitted him, although slightly snugger in places. Evan grinned, as his dad continued to preen himself in front of the mirror. Eventually, Ben caught his son's gaze in the reflection. He flashed him a wink. "I can't wait to show your mum," he stated, mischievously.

As if on cue, Kate had crept into the room, with little Elin in her arms. She had heard Ben's last sentence. Appraising her husband's outfit with an appreciative gaze, she uttered, "Well, Evan, I didn't realise that Cary Grant had been invited to our party?" Kate knew all about the inspiration behind this suit. She then brushed some lint off one of his shoulders.

"I'm afraid, my darling," Ben began, doing his best impression of the suave, old Hollywood actor. "That you're stuck with me."

Kate laughed heartily, and the twins, Rhys and Alys, suddenly rushed into the room, to see what all the fuss was about. Leaning up, Kate whispered, "I'm glad I'm stuck with you, Benjamin Jones. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ben smiled fondly at her, before planting a kiss on her waiting lips. Cupping Kate's face in his hands, he breathed, "I love you, Mrs Jones."

Kate smiled tenderly and replied, "I love you, too, Mr Jones."

Around them, their children laughed and giggled, until Evan, who had moved to the window, called out, "Daddy, Mummy…some people have just parked in our driveway."

…

The events of that afternoon would be forever embedded in the hearts and minds of all who were there. The group consisted of: Giles and Laura Wilding, John, Sarah and Betty Barnaby and Charlie Nelson. Gran Alys Jones had sadly passed away a few months before the twins had been born, prompting Ben and Kate to name their first daughter after her.

Sarah had soon taken Elin in her arms, enjoying the delight of interacting with a baby again. Ben and John were slicing up the meat, while Charlie entertained the older kids with a game of Hide and Seek in the back garden. Giles and Laura, meanwhile, helped their daughter unwrap various salads and other condiments. At one end of the long table, Giles suddenly called out, "Look what I've got here, Katie." He unwrapped a large cheese platter. She gave him a delightful smile as she inspected the range of different cheeses.

"These all look fantastic," Kate affirmed, thrilled to see the satisfied grin on her dad's face.

"I hope they taste as good as they look," Giles replied. "I picked them up from a new, local cheesemonger. I've already tried the vintage cheddar and it's delightful."

…

Later, after enjoying a delicious lunch, the adults remained at the table while the kids ran around the garden again. Little Elin, however, had been taken inside by her mother for a nap. When Kate returned to the table, she asked Charlie, "So, how are things going between you and Anna?"

During one of his earlier phone conversations with Ben and Kate, Charlie had mentioned how he and Anna Degn had developed a romantic relationship. Sparks had been flying since they had worked together on a joint undercover assignment in Europe. For their part, John and Sarah weren't surprised to hear of these developments in Charlie's love life. In fact, John had already met Anna in Copenhagen, several years earlier, where he and Charlie had worked alongside her and her superior, Birgitte Poulsen. Even back then, John could see that Charlie and Anna were rather keen on each other.

"Things are going very well," Charlie returned, with a grin. "In fact, Anna wanted to come with me today, but she had a last-minute phone call from work, and so she had to return to Denmark."

"Oh, that's a shame," Kate replied. "However, as you know, you guys are welcome to drop by anytime."

Half-an-hour later, little Evan ran over to the table. Waiting for a pause in the conversation, he then used his cricket bat to gently tap his father on the shoulder. With a playful look in his green eyes, Ben turned to regard his equally cricket-mad son, gazing up at him, expectantly. From across the table, Giles watched the exchange with great amusement, before stating, "I see that young Evan is a real chip off the old block."

Ben responded to his father-in-law with a knowing nod. Then, turning back to his son, he said, "Alrighty, fy dyn; see if you can find a decent tennis ball, and then we can all head down to the beach." Evan nodded eagerly, before racing off to the mud room, where he knew the spare sports gear was kept.

As they watched him run off, Kate moved to stand behind her seated husband and whispered, "I don't think I can ever recall seeing Cary Grant playing cricket." This was her way of suggesting to Ben, that perhaps he would like to change out of his special suit, before playing. Ben took her hint with a grin, before slapping his thighs and jumping out of his chair. Pecking her on the cheek, he whispered, "Good thinking, lovey."

…

A little while later, the group made their way down to the beach, with the exception of Laura Wilding, who offered to stay back and keep an eye on her baby granddaughter. Everybody else, soon joined in on the beach cricketing action, where the object of the game was to intentionally lob the ball into the air, for a fielder to catch. Deliberately throwing one's wicket away, in this fashion, however, went against the grain, for the true cricketers in the group. Consequently, from time to time, they couldn't resist smacking the ball for a few regulation shots instead. Little Evan, meanwhile, was already showing great promise with the bat.

Later, when they were standing together in the field, John mentioned this to Ben. In reply, Ben said, "Yes, Evan has the potential to be a better cricketer than I ever was."

John nodded, "Incidentally, I've been meaning to ask you about his name…is it in honour of your father?"

"Actually," Ben began, alternating between watching the field and glancing over at his former boss. "My dad's name was Rhys – hence why we named one of the twins after him. We chose the name, 'Evan' because it's actually, the Welsh version of your name."

John gazed meaningfully across at his former DS. Eventually, he queried, "Do you expect me to believe that you and Kate, chose to name your firstborn son, in honour of your old, desiccated goat of a boss?" Inwardly, however, he was deeply touched by the tribute.

"Indeed, I do," Ben replied, sincerely and with conviction. "As I've said to you before…you, John Barnaby are a man amongst men."

In response, John replied, "Well, as I've said before…both Tom and I were blessed to work with you, Jones…you, being the 'right stuff' and loyal to the end."

Ben regarded his old boss fondly, "We had some great adventures, didn't we?"

John chuckled in reply, "Yes Jones, we certainly did." He mused quietly to himself, as Ben reached across to catch a flying tennis ball. Glancing over, he suddenly realised that he had just caught his wife out. Kate, meanwhile, looked none too impressed, as she handed the bat over to her dad, before sauntering across the sand, towards Ben. He couldn't hide a cheeky grin as she approached.

"I suppose you think you're very clever?" she retorted, trying to be cross with him, but failing miserably, as she gazed up into his green eyes, which never failed to win her over. They both giggled, before she leant her body into his.

Ben instinctively snaked an arm around her. "Never mind, lovey," he soothed, kissing her forehead and patting her bottom, tenderly. "With such a high turn-over of wickets out there, you'll get another go, very soon."

"No doubt," Kate agreed, with a smirk. Glancing over at John, who had been watching the exchange with great amusement, she asked, "So, what have you two been discussing…over here…all by yourselves?"

"Oh, we've just been reminiscing," John replied causally, glancing at Ben knowingly. Then, seeing as he had them both together, John added, "I realise that you both now have a young family to consider, but have you thought about where you want to end up, professionally speaking? I mean, one day…no doubt, sooner than I'd like to think…I'll have to hand my job over to someone…so I was wondering whether someday, you'd be open to returning to Midsomer?"

Ben and Kate exchanged a thoughtful glance. Turning back to John, Ben replied, "Well, Midsomer will always be very dear to me, as it's where I grew up…and yes, Kate and I have discussed various opportunities…haven't we, darling?"

"Yes, Ben, we have," Kate affirmed. Turning to John, she added, "I'm sure we'd both be keen to explore a move back to Midsomer, one day…when the timing's right. After all, that was where Ben and I first met…so Causton and its surrounds will always be very dear to our hearts."

"Well, look at you, Dr Wilding-Jones," John teased, "With such an emotional response, I can see that your husband's sensitivity has truly rubbed off on you."

Kate laughed and returned, "Yes indeed, it has." She then kissed her husband meaningfully, before racing back towards the rest of the group. John followed her slowly, as it was his turn to bat next. Ben remained in the outfield, almost in a world of his own, as he pondered on just how fortunate his life had become. As he gazed over at the group of happy souls, both young and old, he knew that there was nothing he wouldn't do for them.

…

Even though Charlie and Kate's parents had to leave, the Barnabys were invited to stay for the night. Later, after bath time, the kids clamoured around Ben, as he eased himself down onto the comfy sofa, in the lounge. Everyone knew that it was story time. John soon joined him and wrangled a couple of kids on his lap, so that Ben would have the space to open the book. Soon, his lilting Welsh voice had them all captivated, as he brought a CS Lewis classic to life. "This is a story about something that happened a long time ago when your grandfather was a child. It is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between our world and the land of Narnia first began…"

Later, when the kids were in bed and John and Sarah had retired to the guest room downstairs, Ben went searching for Kate. Eventually, he found her, standing outside, watching the sunset over the ocean. It was so quiet, and all she could hear was the rhythmic pulsing of the waves below. She was so caught up in the serenity of nature around her, that she hadn't noticed Ben walking up behind her.

"Here you are, Kate," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She turned, nestling her head into his chest, enjoying the comfort of his tender embrace. Gazing up at him, she uttered, "I've been thinking about what John brought up earlier…about the future. When I watched you reading to the children just now, I was suddenly hit with the realisation that the concept of 'home,' is always going to be defined by where you are - whether it be here in Brighton or back in Midsomer, one day."

Ben gazed down at his wife, fondly, "Indeed, darling," he began, "As long as you're beside me, I don't care where I live. If we end up, back in Midsomer, that'll be all well and good. After all, we'll still have this cottage to come back to, time and again."

"Yes, indeed," Kate replied, hugging Ben tightly, as she gazed over his shoulder at the house they had come to love so much.

"Regardless of where we end up, we'll always have Brighton," Ben added with a chuckle, adapting Humphrey Bogart's famous quote. "It beckoned us, and just look at where we've ended up!"

"Home," Kate affirmed before adding, "Even if the geography changes, the sentiment remains the same. Home is where you are, Ben."

The couple, overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment, cemented their feelings with a meaningful kiss. Taking Kate's hand in his own, Ben uttered, "Come on, cariad, let's go home."

The END