“And I came home just before she died.”
“No fucker knows what would’ve happened if that driver hadn’t have taken his keys from behind the bar, Ray. No one has a crystal ball. I loved her and I still do, but I’m not grieving for my wife anymore. This is where I’m at. And I’m standing outside on a beautiful Christmas night with this gorgeous woman who I kissed for the first time last night and I want to know more about what she wears under her pyjamas.”
“You don’t see the complications?”
“I don’t see why there has to be any. We spend time together. You know I find you attractive. I think you like me. Let’s have fun without there being any complications. We don’t need to make a big thing of it and if people do notice anything they won’t call us out on it.” He got where she was coming from, he’d already thought about it. But she wasn’t going to want to get stuck with a widow with three kids, so it wasn’t going to be serious. The hardest thing would be watching her move on at some point, but then they’d probably have run their course anyway.
“What about the kids?” She bit her bottom lip.
He wished it was him biting it. “I won’t lie to them.”
“They might hope it will be something more.”
“Then if they ask we just say that we’re dating and take the drama out of it, like we did last night.”
“Sadie hasn’t mentioned it.” Her head was leaning back against his chest and she felt warm next to him.
Jonny knew there was a level of stupidity in his attitude, that it was too simple, but he didn’t see why this needed to be complicated.
Except it was. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he wanted to see more of a woman than just in bed. And it was a woman he already knew. If he thought about it too much he was going to give himself a headache.
“She will. She’ll remember all of a sudden and it’ll be like a lightbulb has just switched on. It’ll be announced loudly too.” He had no doubt it would also be at the most inappropriate moment.
“So what’s our bet?” The light was back in her voice. This was Rayah; always fearless. Always fun.
“Whoever gives the game away has to forfeit something to the other.” He took the chance and kissed her neck, nuzzling part under her collar.
“And the winner chooses?”
“The winner chooses. One more rule.”
“What’s that.” Her small hands tried to cover his and hold them to her.
“We don’t get serious.”
Chapter Eight
“Why did you say you can’t do lunch?” Sorrell Slater wiped her mouth delicately with a piece of toilet roll and looked disgustedly at it.
Rayah wondered whether she should release Sorrell’s hair now or hang on because she was pretty sure there would be another bout of sickness before they left the bathroom. “I’m not sure whether it’s me who can’t do lunch or you. If we were going out, don’t you think you’d need a sick bag and some crackers or whatever it is that pregnant women survive off?”
Sorrell shook her head and clutched onto the toilet seat. There was a particularly ladylike vomiting sound and then a long intake of air. “And that’s done. Seriously, I’ll be able to eat anything now. It’s the same time every day for about fifteen minutes and then it magically stops. I’m not complaining. Some women have morning sickness that’s all day sickness.”
“I hope you’re making the most out of Zack with all this vomiting.” Rayah wrinkled her nose. She struggled with vomit. Snot was even worse though but it was also a pitfall of teaching four-year-olds. They produced a lot of snot.
“He’s doing exactly what Scott did and has gone into over protective panic mode. At the moment it’s quite sweet, but I think he’ll probably piss me off in a week or two and I’ll have to put him straight.” She stood up and rinsed her hands. “So, lunch.”
“I can’t. I’m meeting Jonny.” If she stumbled around the explanation any longer Sorrell would wonder what she was hiding.
“Jonny. With the kids?”
“No. They’re at Milo’s; he’s having some sort of party and Robyn was happy to have the three without supervision. So we’re just going for a drive up to the Ram’s Head.” It was the pub near where the fire had been started a few months ago on the moor. Today was when the investigation there was being officially closed with no one any closer to knowing who had set the fire and who the body had been. Jonny needed to briefly meet with Will and the detective inspector on the case who was also Alex’s boss, so he’d suggested combining it with lunch. A date.
Their first date.
And that was what Jonny was calling it, probably to make her twitchy. Most likely to take revenge. She’d been sending him pictures of her wearing her pyjamas, nothing anywhere near indecent, but she had a feeling they worked just as well. Maybe not quite, but they provoked the response she was after.
“Oh, okay.” Sorrell gave her a stink eye. “So he’s gotten rid of the girlfriend and wants his bezzie mate back? Don’t let him use you, Ray.”
