The twinkle in his eye gleamed a little brighter.‘That’s a relief.I don’t think I could take two soul-crushing rejections in the same day.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of inflicting that on you,’ she teased a little.‘But I do need to get back to work…’ She shot a glance at Professor Kelaney’s door.It was still closed.For now.
‘Of course.Coffee it is.Name the day and time.’
Today was out of the question.After work, all she wanted was to get home and go straight to bed until the queasiness wore off.
‘How about Saturday morning?I like to go to a little coffee shop on Hyndland Road called The Sanders.We could meet there.Say 10a.m.?’
Before he could answer, Professor Kelaney’s door opened and he marched towards them, his stride swift and businesslike.Ian immediately spotted the red flush creeping up her neck.That always happened to her when she was panicking, anxious or embarrassed.She wasn’t sure which one fitted the bill right now, but he countered it by making a fake excuse for the fact that he was still in the building.
‘Ah, yes – thank you for the directions.I’m sure I’ll find my way there.’With that, he nodded to the professor and left.
Professor Kelaney watched him go.‘Bit chatty for an accountant, don’t you think?’he asked her.
‘Really?I didn’t notice.’
Only she had noticed.And every single thing she’d noticed about Ian Drummond, she liked.
That’s when she heard the sound of a door opening…
No.Wait.The light made her pupils contract, as her eyelids fluttered.The sound of the door opening wasn’t from back then, it was here and now.In her hospital room.And she wasn’t twenty-something-year-old Marge, she was this one, the broken one…
‘Did I fall asleep again?’
She saw that Estelle had her sketch pad on her knee again.
‘You did.’
‘I’m…’ She was about to say sorry, when she remembered their exchange from earlier.No need for apologies, Estelle had told her.
What else had they talked about?Her phone.Yes, that was it.
Before she could think that through any further, her attention went to the door, because it was indeed open and Nurse Yvie was waiting there.
‘I have a visitor here who’d like to say hello.Do you feel up to it Marge?’
Marge tried to run through her mind again.Had anyone else said they were coming up today?She didn’t get many visitors.There was no family left and her whole life had been long hours at work, then going home at night to Ian and Estelle.At least, until Ian had left them.It would be almost fifteen years ago now and it had shattered every piece of their hearts.That was the thing that had been weighing on her more than ever this week.When this was done, when Marge was gone too, then Estelle would be alone.
‘What do you think, Mum – are you up to company?’Estelle asked, bringing her back to Yvie’s question.
Marge crossed her fingers that somehow it was the one person she wanted to see.‘Yes, I am.’
7
AMBER
Amber lay back on top of her duvet and exhaled like a racehorse that had just crossed the finish line.That is, if the racehorse was a bit out of practice, a tad out of shape, and worried that her boobs were sliding into her armpits and may never be seen again.She was quite accepting of the changes that two children and two rounds of breastfeeding had made to her body, but this whole thing with Ray was still very new and she was trying to give off sexy and confident vibes, as opposed to ‘tuck my boobs in my waistband’ vibes.Hopefully he’d be distracted enough by her unshaven, Velcro-like legs to notice any of her other flaws.
‘That was incredible,’ he murmured, running a finger up and down her bare stomach.Okay, so either he’d enjoyed it, or he was a great actor, and for the sake of her fragile first-shag-since-divorce confidence, she was going to choose to believe him.Although, she did wonder how long it would be before he had to go pee, because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold her stomach in without causing muscle spasms.
‘It was,’ she agreed, trying to nonchalantly pull the duvet out from under her body, so that she could flip it over her torso and release the abs.Instead, she somehow managed to get it wrapped around one leg, so now she resembled a snail, halfway emerged from a shell and confused as to where to go from here.
Not that she regretted a single second of what had just happened, but it was just a bit of a culture shock, after being with no one else other than Ewan for the last ten years.Or, to be more accurate, Ewan for eight years and then a no-sex zone for the last two years since the divorce.
Against her conscious will, the mischievous part of her brain decided to compare the two.Sex with Ewan had been amazing at the start.Slightly less amazing but still highly enjoyable after they were settled into their relationship.And then, a tad more habitual, but still worth doing, after the kids had come along.Although, apparently, he didn’t feel the same, because somewhere along the line he’d decided to turn his attention elsewhere.Her revulsion at that thought snapped her right back to the present.Ewan’s affair had already taken up way too much time in her head and she never wanted to think about it again.
But back to the moment.Sex with Ray had been… different.Exciting.Energetic.And, if she were honest, a bit intimidating.Ewan hadn’t been a big talker, and Ray had insisted on telling her every single thing he was about to do to her and how everything was making him feel.There were a couple of points when she wasn’t sure if he was making love, or reading out the warning page from the instruction manual for the air fryer.Oh that’s hot.So hot.You’re turning me on.Press right there.That’s it.Right there.
