‘Yes, thank you.’ I sip the remaining water in the glass.
‘Do you often have panic attacks?’
Her question takes me by surprise. ‘It wasn’t a panic attack. It was a combination of the heat and not having breakfast.’
She raises an eyebrow slightly, and I remember that she’s a nurse. She knows a panic attack when she sees one.
‘Ah, good, you two have already connected.’ George joins, a big cheery smile on his face as his eyes swivel from Alison to me. ‘We’re off to the park for the photos, it’s only a few minutes’ walk, then the meal. Are you ready?’
‘Are you okay to take a short walk, little sis?’ Alison squeezes my arm reassuringly then stands up.
The ‘little sis’ grates a bit, after all we’ve only just met, but her friendliness calms my nerves. She hasn’t recognised me. Or maybe it isn’t her. I could be wrong. Ally could have been short for Alice, Alex, Alana – or a dozen other names. But how many people have two different shades of blue eyes and a distinguishing mole like that?
It’s no good trying to kid myself. It’s definitely her.
‘I’m fine now.’ I get to my feet and look around for Nick and see that he’s talking to Kenny. Isaac and Grace are huddled over Isaac’s iPad so I go over to them. ‘Come on, guys, it’s time for the photos then lunch,’ I tell them.
‘We haven’t finished the game yet,’ Isaac protests, and Grace pouts.
‘Remember what I told you about this being Nanny and George’s wedding day, and how you have to be on your very best behaviour,’ I say firmly. ‘Please switch the iPad off, you can finish the game later.’
Isaac reluctantly does as I say. He adores his nan. I hold out my hand for Grace. ‘Come on, Gracie, once we’ve had the photos taken we can get some fries.’
Gracie loves fries, she’d eat them for every meal of the day if we let her.
Nick is heading over to us now and Kenny has joined Mum and George. I study him, trying to see some resemblance to the little Kenny but I’d barely noticed him back then. It was Ally I’d been friendly with. And Kenny had been too young to remember me.
‘I’m starving, I want to eat now,’ Isaac grumbles to Nick.
‘And me,’ Grace chimes.
‘Me too, sweetie.’ Nick kisses her on the forehead. Grace is a proper Daddy’s girl. ‘The photos won’t take long.’
We all walk to the nearby park together, with Sam, the photographer, a friend of Kenny’s. He leads the way over to the pretty pergola among the picturesque flower beds with a backdrop of trees already in blossom – it’s the perfect setting for wedding photographs. Sam clicks away, taking several photos of Mum and George, then a couple of family groups. We all standtogether, with Mum and George in the middle, us on the left and George’s family on the right.
When Sam is finished taking photos, Alison turns to talk to Mum and George. I watch them for a moment, thinking how at ease with each other they all look, then something makes me turn and I see Nick looking over too, but his eyes are fixed on Alison.
She looks so striking in her red outfit, but the intensity of Nick’s gaze alarms me. What’s going on here?
5
I knew who she was right away but I wasn’t going to let her know. Especially before the wedding. I need this marriage to take place.
I kept my face straight all through the ceremony, never letting any sign of recognition spark in my eyes. Revenge is best served cold they say, and that’s what I intend to do. I’ve waited too long for this, and I can wait a little longer.
It might be twenty-five years, but I’ve never forgotten what she did. She destroyed our family.
I’ll never forgive her. And I’m going to make sure she pays.
Look at her, walking off with Nick’s arm around her shoulder, both of them clutching a hand of one of their kids. They look such a happy family unit.
Like we were until she destroyed it.
She probably thinks that her secret is safe, that no one knows what she did. That we all believe it was a tragic accident.
Maybe it was. But whether she meant it or not, she was the one who caused all that devastation.
And we’ve had to live with the results of what she did, had to pick up the shattered remains of our lives and try to carry on.
