Twenty-Seven
Kimberley
Did Adam realise how oddly Cassie was behaving? Kim wondered. It had to be affecting him too. Going into the bedroom with the coffee she’d decided to brave the kitchen for, she wondered whether it might be time to alert him. Noting that he’d taken his shirt off and was working in his T-shirt, she felt a bit guilty. She’d turned the heating up after Cassie had opened windows downstairs.
‘Are you too hot?’ she asked him.
‘Sorry, what?’ Caught unawares, Adam turned around to face her.
‘The heating. Would you like me to turn it down? Cassie had the windows open, so I turned it up. It’s probably way too warm for you working up here, though.’
‘Ah right.’ Adam nodded as if he wasn’t surprised. He did know his wife was becoming neurotic about cleanliness then. Mind you, there’d been so much grease on Kim’s mum’s kitchen floor, the soles of her shoes had squelched. Kim supposed she might not be qualified to judge the difference between diligent and obsessive cleaning.
‘I’m good.’ Wiping his forearm across his forehead, Adam smiled. ‘You can always throw a bucket of water over me if I pass out. Thanks for the coffee.’
‘No problem.’ Kim smiled back. As long as he didn’t ask Cassie to throw a bucket of water over him. It would probably be ninety-nine per cent bleach. ‘So are you doing anything over the weekend?’ she asked him as he went back to work on the wardrobe.
‘Nothing much,’ Adam said, reaching to push a screw into the sliding mechanism at the top.
Kim couldn’t help but notice his muscular arms as he did. He was extremely handsome. He had that hair-greying-at-the-sides thing going on, soft crinkles at the corners of his eyes and a twinkle when he smiled. It was now clear that he absolutely was the caring man that Josh had told her he was. He was a good man, the type of man a woman could depend on. They were few and far between, in Kim’s mind. She had to wonder why he would stick with a woman who didn’t seem to care for him. Cassie was clearly oblivious to the impact her behaviour might be having on him. Kim was surprised he hadn’t already given up in despair.
Was Cassie aware that there were many women out there who would snap him up in an instant? She didn’t seem to care how she looked either. She could easily make more of herself, wear a bit more make-up. Some colour on her cheeks definitely wouldn’t go amiss. And she should make a hairdresser’s appointment. Kim had first thought her short style suited her; it defined her cheekbones. She’d looked like a woman in control. Now, though, she was becoming pale and drawn, and acting like a womanoutof control. Some auburn highlights would look great against the dark brown. Or blonde, possibly, which would lift her face. She was pretty, Kim considered, but she could be really attractive if she put some effort into it, which didn’t seem to occur to her. She really should channel her energies into herself, rather than worrying about a bit of muck and dust here and there, which was hardly going to kill anybody. But then it suited Kim’s purposes that Cassie was so distracted. She’d be superglued to her side otherwise.
‘I was going to come over here and finish the wardrobe,’ Adam went on, ‘assuming you were okay with it. But then I remembered it was Cassie’s birthday. I suppose I should try and organise something.’
‘Oh my God, you should! Take her away for the weekend, why don’t you? That would be dead romantic.’ Kim sighed wistfully, though she was actually thinking that this was the perfect opportunity for her to grab a little space back.
Adam furrowed his brow as he thought about it. ‘Nice idea,’ he said, crouching to check the runner at the bottom. ‘Bit short notice, though.’
‘No it isn’t,’ Kim insisted. ‘The whole thing is about the element of surprise, and there are loads of cosy country hotels quite close to here, so you wouldn’t have to go far.’
Adam got to his feet and nodded thoughtfully. He was going for it.
‘I reckon Cassie deserves to be pampered a bit after all she’s been through,’ Kim said, giving him a little more incentive.
‘The Boots thing, you mean?’ His eyes narrowed as he turned to look at her.
Kim glanced down. ‘That, yes,’ she said, nodding sadly. ‘It must have really shaken her. I was thinking more of Josh, though, which was obviously what sparked the whole awful incident off. You should book a spa weekend,’ she hurried on. ‘Tell you what, I’ll google some hotels and you could book it now. I bet Cassie will be thrilled. I know I would.’
‘But what about you?’ Adam asked worriedly.
He really was a sweetie. ‘Well, it’s lovely of you to ask, but don’t you think three might be a crowd?’ Kim teased. Noting his awkward expression, she backtracked. ‘I was joking, Adam. I’ll be fine. My dad doesn’t know where I am, I promise.’ Guessing that was what he was concerned about, she stepped towards him and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. ‘My sister’s invited me to stay with her at their cottage in Wales, in any case. I was going to take Jack with me for company, but then I wasn’t sure whether to go, because I didn’t want Cassie to worry.’ She paused, and went on hesitantly, ‘Don’t get me wrong, Cassie’s lovely, really kind and attentive, but…’
‘But?’ Adam eyed her curiously.
‘To be honest, I would really appreciate a bit of space. She’s, um,’ Kim took a breath and then took the bull by the horns, ‘a bit house proud, isn’t she?’
Adam looked taken aback for a second. Then, ‘It’s just because she cares,’ he said with a small smile.
‘I’m not complaining. I understand why she would be,’ Kim said quickly.
‘Don’t worry, I get it,’ Adam assured her. ‘She’s been worse than ever since…’
Seeing his eyes darken, the way they did whenever he talked about Josh, Kim felt her heart squeeze for him. ‘All the more reason to take her away,’ she urged him.
‘Are you sure you and Samuel will be okay, though?’ Adam searched her eyes. His really were striking – kind, steel blue and full of concern.
‘I’m a big girl, Adam,’ she assured him. ‘We’ll both be fine. I’ll call you if I need to.’ Debating, she hesitated for a second, and then reached to give him a firm hug. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured, appreciating him even if no one else seemed to, ‘for everything. I’d be lost without you.’
