Twelve
Steph began to stir and as she opened her eyes she smiled to find Jon leaning over her.
“The concert is now over,” he announced, laughing.
She laughed out of embarrassment as she realised that she had fallen asleep in the mid-afternoon sun. “I didn’t snore, did I?” Her voice was no more than a whisper.
“Really badly and the woman next to you actually asked if I could put something over your face to muffle it,” he said seriously.
“Oh God! Really?” She shook her head at herself.
He was laughing again now. “No, of course not. I was joking, but I hope you’re not going to try and blame me for keeping you awake last night, because as I recall you were the one that kept suggesting, ‘just once more’.”
“Then maybe it’s still your fault for being so good at it. And you gave me champagne in the middle of the day,” she protested.
“You’re not too shabby yourself, darling, and I wasn’t complaining, just putting my defence forward and you could have said no to champagne, but we should go before we’re asked to leave by security.”
They were back at the car before Steph put her phone back on and saw missed calls from Lauren, her dad, and a text from Simon.
She called Lauren back as they sat in the queue to get off the car park and put her on speaker so that Jon could hear what she had to say.
“Hi, Lauren, it’s Steph.”
“Hi, babe, you were right that something was going on with Simon,” she teased.
“Go on,” said Steph eagerly.
“The secretary he was shagging behind your back is very pregnant, but she’s unsure whether it’s her husband’s or Simon’s so they have to wait til after it’s born to get a DNA, but she has said that she thinks it’s best if they stop seeing each other because her husband, who doesn’t have a clue, will be a better provider for her and the kid. He is a head teacher at another school so is on better money than Simon.”
“Wow. Poor Simon, he always wanted a family and I can’t see him just rolling over and letting her and her husband play happy families if the baby is his.”
“My friend said he has said as much and she has gone on maternity leave now and Simon is all over the place and I’m not saying this to hurt you but apparently the secretary wasn’t the first,” said Lauren gently.
Steph said nothing for a few seconds as she absorbed all the information being shared with her. Her and Simon had broken up six months before and while she had no designs on any kind of reconciliation, coming face-to-face with undeniable evidence that the lies, deceit and cheating was far greater and had gone on longer than she’d been aware of hurt her. Hurt and angered her. No matter what had been wrong in their relationship, surely she hadn’t deserved his treatment of her, had she?
“Steph, you still there?”
“Sorry, yes. I guessed as much,” she admitted. “So, why the bloody hell is he making a nuisance of himself now?” She didn’t expect an answer but got one anyway.
“Look, this is hearsay, but my friend who is seeing one of the other PE teachers said that Simon had told her bloke that he realised he should have stayed with you and kept her as a bit on the side and that you’d be only too happy to take him back and accept the kid if it’s his. And as you’ve got a good job you could help him out financially to get access and pay maintenance. Sorry Steph.” Lauren sounded genuinely sad at the hurt her words might cause.
“No, that’s fine, he’s probably right, or at least he was until a while ago,” she admitted smiling at Jon. “But he’s onto a loser now.”
“That is entirely up to you, and of course I’d support you in telling him where to go, but there is more,” Lauren said hesitantly.
“Go on.” Steph released a long sigh. What more could there be to this whole affair?
“He reckons he won’t stop until he’s got you back and that your dad is already helping him out and that he is going to get your best friend on side too. If he means Linds she’ll tell him to sod off.”
“I think I may need to be more proactive in my dealings with Simon,” she said as Jon mouthed to her,we, making her smile.
“I’m not sure that our lovely, newly married and smugly happy Lindsay won’t get drawn in though, Lauren. You know what she’s like if she thinks there’s an opportunity to match make.” Steph was wary of her friend becoming involved, although at least Lindsay’s dislike of Simon over the last year or so might make that less likely.
“Mmm, you have a point. She text me yesterday with the name and number of some waiter she’d met and thought he might be my type.”
Steph laughed. “I might need to speak to Charlie. He never liked Simon and he will rein Linds in if anyone can.”
“Yeah, Charlie is your best bet, especially as you still have him wrapped around your little finger and if all else fails, Charlie will slug him one for you like he did that time on your birthday,” said Lauren seriously, revealing a little more than Steph had wanted her to while Jon was listening. In fairness, Lauren didn’t know anyone else was listening.
