‘To me?’
‘Well, both of us.’
‘OK.’
I went to the front door and gave a thumbs up to my rescue party, who were waiting in the car. Cass, Harry and Seb filed through the front door, and I showed them into the living room.
‘Harry, Seb, this is Rob.’
Rob stood up and shook their hands. I noticed Seb sizing Rob up, taking in the toned physique beneath Rob’s Ralph Loren polo shirt. Seeing Seb and Rob side by side highlighted just how different they were. Seb looked even scruffier beside my well-groomed husband, but he was just as handsome, even more so with his kind eyes and easy smile. I wanted to take Seb’s hand,reassure him this wasn’t a competition, but it wasn’t the place or time.
‘Hello, Rob,’ said Cass, kissing his cheek. Despite having told Cass about Rob’s recent openness and our fledgling friendship, I could see Cass still felt suspicious around him.
‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ said Rob, as Seb and Harry sat down on the sofa.
‘And I’ve heard a lot about you,’ said Seb, his tone less than friendly.
‘Ah.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Harry. ‘Liv’s explained you’re as much a victim in all this as she is.’
I threw Harry a grateful smile. There was something very unnerving about my husband sitting opposite the man I loved.
‘What was it you wanted to talk to me about?’
‘They’ve come to our rescue,’ I said. ‘But before we get into all this, there’s someone missing who I think should be here.’
‘Bertie?’ asked Rob.
‘No, Nicola.’
‘Nicola? I thought you said you didn’t want her in the house?’
‘She’s as much a part of this as anyone. I didn’t want Bertie meeting her out of the blue, that’s all. Speaking of Bertie, Cass, do you think Jasper could keep him out of the house for a couple more hours? I need to explain all this to him, but it’s best I do it later, once we’ve formed more of a plan.’
‘Sure,’ said Cass. ‘Let me call him.’
‘Sorry,’ said Harry. ‘Who’s Nicola?’
‘Rob’s girlfriend.’
‘His girlfriend?’ asked Seb, leaning forward in his seat. ‘So…’
‘Me and Rob are just friends,’ I said.
‘This is all so modern,’ said Harry with a shake of her head. She turned to Seb. ‘And you wonder why I’m still single?’ Shelaughed, breaking through some of the awkwardness in the room.
‘I’m the boring one,’ said Cass with a smile. ‘I’ve been with the same man since I was eighteen. There are no evil grim-laws, no lovers, no secrets. Like I said, terribly dull. Jasper’s fine to keep Bertie longer, by the way. They’re currently eating burgers.’
‘No offence, Liv,’ said Harry, ‘but I hope if I ever do meet someone, it follows your sister’s path, not yours. Boring sounds amazing after witnessing all this.’
‘I agree,’ I said. ‘But Cass is being modest. There’s nothing boring about her and Jasper, they just work.’
‘Work hard,’ laughed Cass. ‘We’re not perfect by any means.’
‘Nicola’s on her way,’ said Rob.
I was curious to meet Rob’s new partner, however strange the situation was. And it was strange. In fact, it was probably the most unlikely gathering the house was ever likely to witness. While Seb and Rob sat eyeing each other with suspicion, Harry launched into a long monologue to fill the awkward silence, telling us all in great detail about her favourite goat’s latest health complaints.
