That did it. Jamie pressed the copy of the book back towards Frank, into his chest, assertively but without force. ‘Stick your book, Frank,’ Jamie barked. ‘You can stick it right up your––’
‘Woah! Jamie!’ Frank stumbled backwards as if Jamie’scontrolled touch of the book had knocked him off balance, which Jamie knew fine well it had not. This man had no limits. ‘Woah ho hoah!’ said Frank again, but louder this time as he let himself fall into a display ofClearing out Your Negativity Atticfrom which the books went tumbling. ‘What. The. Hell. Jamie?’ He massaged his breastplate as he hoisted himself upright again. ‘You feel that’s the only way to communicate?’
‘Frank!’ Katie rushed to him and helped him off the floor. ‘Are you okay?’ Her eyes widened in shock. ‘Jamie, what did you do?’
‘I didn’t bloody do anything,’ Jamie retorted. ‘Tipsy toes here decided to take a tumble of his own accord. Must’ve had too much mulled Ribena.’
Katie eyes narrowed with scepticism, but Jamie stood his ground. ‘The guy’s an arsehole, Katie. I’m surprised you can’t see that. When are any of you sheeple going to take your blinkers off?’ He gestured across a group of Katie’s friends that had also been drawn into the spiritual book club. They shook their heads, their faces etched with disapproval at what they thought they had seen.
But Jamie was done trying to be the good guy in the people’s eyes. They interpreted things through the prism of their own expectations. He turned to Alicia to check if she was okay, only to see her devastated expression which told him she had also been fooled. Her palm covered her mouth and tears spilled in her eyes.
‘Leesh? Hey—’ It tore his heart to see her like this.
‘Jamie,’ Alicia whispered as he approached her. ‘I’d like to go home now. Please.’
Chapter 28
Alicia
‘Alicia!’
Jamie’s voice could have been a thousand miles away as Alicia stared into the window of the bakery opposite the bookshop. The display was bare but she was lost in a world of soft, warm bread and fluffy scones. Why couldn’t she be ensconced inside a giant scone. En–scone–ced. Oh, God, that was like a joke Jamie would make.Jamie. Jamie.His low Scottish burr was coaxing her out of her protective reverie, his large hand gentle on her shoulder. She turned to him, her eyes wet with frustration and sadness. The drama in the bookshop made Alicia want to curl up in a dark room. Being reminded of the shame Chad had rained down, strangers’ eyes boring into her. And Jamie seemingly holding a candle for his ex.
‘Can we go home?’ She lowered her voice as a few people passed by. They said hello to Jamie, and he responded with a brief nod. ‘I can’t do a public scene.’
‘Not a problem.’ They walked and Jamie talked. ‘Listen, Alicia, I’m sorry about what Franksaid to you.’
‘It’s not that,’ she said. ‘That was awful but I don’t care what he thinks about me.’
‘Then what is it?’
‘It was you, Jamie. What you did. You pushed a guy into a stack of books. It’s not great, is it?’
Jamie stopped for a second, but when Alicia keep walking, he was by her side again. ‘Did I? Because unless I blacked out, I don’t recall anything of the sort.’
‘You raised your voice. He fell over.’
‘So I raised my voice and he fell over, therefore I must have pushed him? There’s a bit of logic missing there. I’m not going to deny the bloke’s completely shoveable but I did not push him.’
‘Oh, Jamie.’ The fact that he’d been tempted was a giant klaxon on top of a glaring neon sign, but Alicia couldn’t explain in the middle of the street. She picked up her pace, Jamie easily keeping up with her strides but saying nothing.
Once inside the house, he apologised again as Alicia stood by the window and looked out at the surging black waves, dark shadows front lit by lemony street lamps.
‘Look, I’m sorry for raising my voice at the dickhead who stole my ex and insulted you. He’s an arse but I accept that you didn’t need that drama.’
‘Oh, Jamie!’
‘What is it with all this oh, Jamie stuff? I feel like I’m about twelve years old after parents’ evening at school.’
Just like a parent after parents’ evening, Alicia was disappointed, but she wasn’t sure it was more in Jamie or herself for seeing an idealistic vision of their future. She’d been involved with a rich man before whose ego had blocked the way forward. And now it had happened again. Jamie’s pride was bruised from Frank ‘stealing’ his ex and hewas sore about it, because he still loved Katie. Sore enough not to rise above it in public.
‘Look,’ she said, ‘I can’t deal with your ego taking off down the highway like that. I’ve had my fill of men who get angry and, instead of using productive words, execute some impromptu action: like Chad spiking my drink or leaking those photos.’
‘What?’ Jamie railed. ‘Are you seriously putting me in the same category as that kind of guy? That’s insane. In the time we’ve been together, have I done anything to indicate I lean on violence or vindictiveness as a means of expression?’
‘No, you haven’t, but you told me about your dad.’ Alicia was clutching at straws and as soon as these words left her mouth, she regretted them. But it was too late as Jamie’s eyes flashed dark with disbelief and he tensed like a coiled spring.
‘That’s a low blow.’
