It was, mainly. But not all.
‘It’s that my sister got me the job in a friend’s law firm.’
The minute the words were out, she could’ve kicked herself. Dave’s face closed in.
‘It’s OK, I get it. It’s the whole thing. It’s the professional environment. I get it.’
There was no answer to that. But that wasn’t how she truly felt at all. She took a step back in confusion and crashed into somebody. Pete had been standing behind her for at least part ofthe time. His face was unreadable.
‘I’m sorry, I’m going to have to go,’ said Dave. ‘I’ve to get in to see Fia and the baby. I can’t think about this now. Don’t bother coming in at six tomorrow – Evelyn has the prep covered.’
As soon as the door closed behind him, she felt Pete’s presence.
‘Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?’
She swung around and felt a jolt in her stomach at the blend of Tom Ford aftershave and something .?.?. Not sweat, exactly, but a trace of something that was so .?.?. him. She tried to steady her jagged breathing and look calm while wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans.
‘I didn’t exactly get the chance, as you may have noticed, and now Dave is really upset with me.’
‘What is it, Ally? Where do we stand? Don’t mess me around, please, I’ve had enough of that.’
Oh God, was she the sort of woman that messed men around? The type she and Rosemarie were scornful of in their conversations? God no, that wasn’t her intention at all. She didn’t feel powerful or manipulative, or like she had him wrapped round her little finger. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality all she felt was confusion and anxiety.
‘I can’t talk here. Can we meet somewhere else?’ The café had cleared out and Evelyn had gone home, so they were the only two people left.
‘No, I have you here and you’re not slipping away. Please, tell me now.’
‘It’s your whole situation. It’s not that I expect you not to have a past .?.?. Hell, we’ve all got a past .?.?. And it’s not about the boys, because, believe me, I respect that .?.?.’
She was babbling and she knew it.
‘It’s OK, Ally, I know you’re not a .?.?. mean bitch. Just tell me.’
‘What am I trying to say? It’s your ex. The fact that she can just snap her fingers and .?.?. it’s almost like you’re gone .?.?. like you turn into somebody else.’
She hadn’t realised it before the words came out, but that was exactly how she’d felt that Sunday morning. Like he’d already left while still sitting in her flat.
He was studying her carefully while rubbing his fingers through his stubble.Oh God, I hope he’s not going to get angry, she thought, but instead he just turned to study the floor.
‘Somebody else? Like who?’
‘I don’t know, just somebody different.’
What she actually wanted to say waslike a little boy.
He made a huffing sound and scraped at a mark on the floor with his foot. ‘Hmm. Yeah, you could be right.’
‘I really didn’t intend to be mean or offend you. I’m actually not a manipulative person.’
What she really wanted to explain was that she feared the effect he had on her. She was afraid of being chewed up and spat out in whatever drama was still going on between him and that mysterious woman who seemed to be playing by different rules. Rules that Ally couldn’t compete with: tough as hell, prepared to use his money for whatever she wanted .?.?. lip jobs, nose jobs, bum jobs – able to get her way regardless of the cost to him.
Ding!
The café door swung open and two guys in fleeces and lanyards bustled in, talking intensely while swinging laptop bags. They had clearly just come out of a business meeting and were starving, so didn’t take a blind bit of notice of the drama they’d interrupted.
‘Two spicy chicken club sandwiches, an order of sweet fries and two large cappuccinos, thanks,’ called one of the guys, as the pair arranged themselves at a table without missing a beat.
Damn. This was a complicated order literally ten minutesbefore they closed. She was on the verge of telling them the kitchen was closed but the image of Dave and Fia sitting in the Coombe maternity hospital beside their tiny baby, fighting for his life in the incubator, brought tears to her eyes. God, she owed it to them to do anything in her power to help.
