‘I’m sorry,’ said Nick, ‘let’s run through it again.’
Jack crossed the room to stand beside his brother. ‘I can’t bear to sit through this debacle one more time,’ he said. ‘We’re going to the pub. The two of you can stay here and work this out. And perhaps when you finally get to the bottom of why you keep messing up, you can join us.’
Without another word, the two brothers marched out of the room, shaking their heads.
Kitty watched their retreating forms from her slab, wishing she could leave too, like the other actors had done when it became obvious she and Nick needed to “get to the bottom” of things. She was as exhausted as Juliet must have been when shesipped her poison, unable to muster the energy to put her heart and soul into the rehearsal.
Not only had the emotional fallout from her encounter with James left her feeling like an empty shell, the final week of term had been frantic, with a constant stream of practices for the children’s performances in the Summer Extravaganza, not to mention sports day and all the admin that came with the end of term. She still couldn’t believe she’d fallen under James’s spell so easily, after all he’d put her through.
Wanting and needing help, Kitty had called her former counsellor on Monday, the day after James left, and he had agreed to continue their sessions online. It would be a long road, but Kitty was determined to piece herself together again. Already there were tiny shoots of hope, with James’s booming voice fading, replaced little by little by her own strong voice telling himno.
‘Right,’ said Nick. ‘Shall we run the scene again?’
Kitty hauled herself up to sitting. ‘Do you think it will do any good?’ she asked, forcing herself to look him in the eye.
He sat on the slab beside her. ‘Maybe not,’ he said. ‘How are you?’
‘Fine.’
‘How are you really?’ She glanced down, hiding from the compassion in his voice. She didn’t deserve his kindness, not after the way she treated him.
Kitty smiled. ‘I’ll get there. Slowly but surely. Baby steps, my counsellor always says. I’m … I’m sorry for the things I said, sorry you got dragged into it.’
‘You can hardly blame yourself for my behaviour,’ said Nick. ‘You gave me plenty of opportunities to remove myself from the situation. It wasn’t your fault I ignored you.’
‘You were only being a friend.’ Kitty placed her hand on Nick’s. He didn’t pull his away, and the comfort from contact with another human being warmed her from deep inside.
‘Luke says you’ve been to see Alice a few times,’ said Nick.
‘Yes, and Sam. They’ve been amazing. And Sylvie’s popped around with a couple of meals, so I don’t have to cook. She doesn’t even know what went on with James.’ She laughed softly. ‘She’s astute enough to realise I’ve not been having the best time.’
‘That’s the thing with Saffron Bay,’ said Nick. ‘Everyone rallies around when they need to. Have you heard from James since you sent him packing?’
‘Yes,’ said Kitty. ‘He didn’t waste any time. Nasty phone calls, threatening emails, that kind of thing. I’ve blocked his number and passed all the emails on to my new lawyer.’
‘You’re going down the legal route?’
Kitty gave Nick a sad smile and nodded. ‘I’d thought escaping would be enough, but we’re still legally married. I need to cut James out of my life for good. Weirdly, it was my mam who helped me see sense in the end. I thought she’d be horrified at the idea of a divorce in the family, but she and Dad are paying for my solicitor. Now there are lawyers involved, I expect James to go quiet and not bother me again.’
‘That’s great, about James I mean, not about your parents having to pay for expensive legal representation.’
Kitty shrugged. ‘I’m very fortunate they could help.’
‘What about your stepdaughter?’ asked Nick. ‘Do you think you’ll be able to see her again?’
Kitty’s smile was wide as she thought of her phone call with Zoe. ‘Zoe and Rae are coming down here for a few days in the summer holidays.’
‘That’s amazing,’ said Nick, and he pulled Kitty into his arms.
Her body tensed. Could he still want her? After everything she’d said? He squeezed more tightly, and Kitty allowed herself to sink into Nick’s warmth, feeling like a puzzle piece slotting into the correct space on a jigsaw. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but when she finally pulled away, his eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
Kitty cleared her throat. ‘And what about you? It must be hard since Emily left.’
‘It is.’ Nick scrubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘We FaceTime every evening, and she’s coming to the show at the end of the week.’
‘I can’t wait to see her,’ said Kitty with a smile. ‘I’ve missed her. It’s such a shame she couldn’t stay for the end of term. Did you ask Carla if Emily can join in our class performance?’
‘I did,’ said Nick, ‘and she thought that was a wonderful idea.’
