‘The right thing?’ The words came out far too loud and I lowered my voice. ‘Therightthing? Are you for real? Leanne wouldn’t know the right thing if it bit her on the nose and, as far as I’m concerned, the right thing is to tell Kirsten and Tim to run for the hills and never look back.’
‘I understand why you’d feel that way, I really do. What Leanne and Garth did to you was deplorable. I’m so sorry. But this isn’t about that.’
‘I can’t do this.’ I stood up. ‘I want nothing to do with her. I’m not her messenger and I’m not gettinginvolved. I hope they continue to ignore her because she’s bad news and she doesn’t deserve them.’
I’d only made it a few paces when Krystal said two words that stopped me in my tracks.
‘She’s pregnant.’
I closed my eyes and counted to three before turning round. ‘She’s what?’
‘Leanne’s pregnant. She knows she doesn’t deserve their forgiveness but this is their grandchild and it changes things. She accepts that they might not want anything to do with her but she doesn’t think it’s right that they don’t get a chance to know their grandchild.’
‘How do I know this isn’t another lie?’
‘It isn’t. I’ve seen the scan photo. This is genuine.’
‘Who’s the father? Garth?’
‘Of course not! They were never a thing.’
A thought struck me, making my stomach lurch once more. ‘Is he here?’
Krystal grimaced. ‘Absolutely not. I haven’t had anything to do with Garth in years and I don’t believe Leanne has either. As for the father, I don’t know his name because he broke Leanne’s heart and she finds it too upsetting to talk about him.’
I sat back down on the bench. ‘I need to think about this.’
‘Understandable. It’s a lot to take in and I can imagine I was the last person you expected to see today. Let me give you this.’ She removed a piece of paper from the bib on her dungarees and handed it to me. ‘This is the address for the holiday cottage where we’re staying, my phone number and email address.’
‘Krystal Ward?’ I said. ‘You and Spencer got divorced?’
‘Yes, and I’ve been married to Benedict for ten blissful years.’ Her whole face lit up as she said his name. I’d never met Spencerbut I’d heard a lot about him and she certainly hadn’t lit up like that when she’d mentioned him.
I placed the note in my pocket. ‘I’m not promising anything.’
‘I appreciate that you listened. As for what happens next, I’m sure you’ll let your heart guide you to the right decision.’
Right decision? For whom? Because a babydidchange things and Mum and Dad had a right to know that they were going to be grandparents. Leanne might be guilty as hell but the baby was innocent and deserved a chance to know its grandparents. I couldn’t keep that news from them.
‘You seem different,’ I said, curiosity getting the better of me. The Krystal I remembered had driven me nuts with her incessant yabbering about handbags, shoes and her extravagant lifestyle of fancy restaurants and mini-breaks. The woman before me was quieter, calmer. Even her surname was understated now.
‘Iamdifferent. I know you must hate me for the part I played and you’re probably weighing up whether I’m genuine or whether this is some elaborate disguise but, I assure you, what you’re seeing now is the real me. I’m an addict. When we met, it was drink and coke. While I didn’t fully embrace Garth and Leanne’s lifestyle – no wild parties at The Manor for me – they had the contacts to feed my habit so I went along with anything they wanted, no questions asked.’ She paused for a moment, shaking her head.
‘I hit my rock bottom maybe a year after you left London – got hideously wasted at an important work function of Spencer’s. I’ll spare you the details but let’s just say it wasn’t my finest hour. That was the end for our marriage but Spencer was a good man and his parting gift was a stint in rehab – best gift he ever gave me because I found my salvation in God there. I’ve been clean for nearly twelve years now, living on a smallholding in Suffolk with Benedict and our three children and I thankthe Lord every single day for showing me the way and, of course, Spencer for pointing me in that direction.’
Her eyes brimmed with tears and she blinked them back. ‘Goodness, I wasn’t expecting to get emotional just now. I suspect it’s seeing you again and knowing the part I played in hurting you. If you ever want to?—’
I shook my head vigorously. The last thing I wanted to do was open up those wounds again. But I believed Krystal’s story and I believed that she believed Leanne’s. Some people could change and clearly Krystal had, but Leanne… I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her.
Krystal took out her phone and pressed a few buttons. ‘You have no reason to trust me, but this might help…’
Taking her phone, I scrolled through the socials feed full of wholesome photos and posts about growing your own fruit and vegetables, foraging, free days out with kids, bedroom makeovers on a limited budget and so on. There were also motivational quotes and the occasional spiritual or religious one.
‘I believe you,’ I said, returning her phone. ‘I’m glad you’ve been able to turn your life around and find happiness but there’s something I don’t get. If you’ve moved on from your old life, why have you stayed in touch with Leanne? She can’t be good for your recovery.’
‘You’re right. When I came out of rehab, I was determined to stay clean but that meant getting away from London and cutting off Leanne and Garth and anyone else connected with my old life, which is how I ended up in Suffolk. The stronger I became, the more I wanted to help others and, a few years ago, I found myself reflecting a lot on the people from my past and wondering where they were now. It didn’t take long to find them on social media and I contacted several of them – including Leanne – telling them to reach out if they were ready for a change. Leannetook me up on that after she discovered she was pregnant. She’d been battling with her addiction for so long but the baby gave her the strongest reason ever to make a change.’
I used to hate spending time with Krystal. We had nothing in common but hearing her talk now, the whine in her voice replaced by warmth and compassion, the sparkle in her eyes as she talked about helping others, she was exactly my sort of person. It seemed this leopard had been able to change her spots, but I still remained unconvinced about Leanne.
