‘Oh, crumbs.’ Bridie had forgotten all about that. She got out her mobile phone and called her agent, leaving a message to call it off. Bridie put her phone back in her pocket. ‘There, all done.’ She smiled at Jack, looking relieved. Then at Oliver, looking equally relieved.
There was an awkward moment. The air felt heavy with things unsaid. Bridie drew a breath. She was just psyching herself up to tell Jack the truth about her feelings for him – he would always be a friend, a very good friend, but nothing more – when a woman appeared from the crowd, sounding hysterical.
Bridie thought she recognised her voice.
‘Does anyone know what’s going on? I heard there was a fire in the theatre – did they put it out? Oh, my god, were there any casualties? Where’s my husband?’
Bridie caught sight of Jade running towards them, pulling a child by the arm through the crowd. She stopped breathlessly in front of Jack. ‘Oh, my god. I thought you’d gone and done something really, really stupid.’ She looked down at his hands. ‘You didn’t – did you?’
Oliver stepped in. ‘Actually, Jack was the hero of the hour. He saved a woman trapped inside the theatre, and if it wasn’t for him, the theatre would have been engulfed by fire and lost for sure.’
Jade suddenly flung her arms around Jack’s neck, clearly taking him by surprise. And Bridie. She’d thought it was over between them.
‘You stupid, stupid man,’ cried Jade. ‘You really had me going there. When I heard there was a fire, I thought … I thought … well all I wanted was to know you were okay.’
‘Yeah, so you’d be sure I’m still around to clean me out.’
‘I don’t care about money. I was praying that you’d be okay. I don’t care if I’m left with nothing, as long as I have you.’
‘But I thought you wanted a divorce?’
‘That’s the last thing I want. Jack, I want you. That’s always, always been what I’ve wanted.’
Bridie exchanged a glance with Oliver. His eyebrows were raised too in surprise.
‘Seriously?’ Jack looked taken aback. ‘You’re not … annoyed by the fact the I saved the theatre?’
‘I don’t care about the bloody theatre.’
‘But … but I thought all you really wanted me for was my money.’
Jade wiped tears from her eyes. ‘I thought all the things we have were what was important – the nice house, my clothes, my trips to the hair salon in London. But they were just things, stuff. I wish … I wish you hadn’t become so good at property developing. Your long hours, wrapped up in the business, and me getting bored and just spending money. Somewhere along the way we lost sight of each other. But when I heard on the news … and I thought … oh god, when I thought I might have lost you …’
‘Mummy couldn’t stop crying the whole way here.’ Milo put his arms around Jack’s waist and started crying too.
Jake knelt down in front of Milo. ‘I’m sorry I scared you little man.’ He looked up at Jade and took her hand. ‘I’m sorry I scared you both.’
Milo stepped back, wiping his nose and drying his eyes with the sleeve of his jumper. ‘Daddy, you’re hurt.’
Jack held up his hands. ‘It’s fine. I’ll live, I promise.’
‘Daddy, will you come home now?’
Jack stood. ‘That is up to your mum.’
Jade was crying now too. ‘Oh, you silly fool. I think it’s more the case that I should be asking you if you’ll come home. Ipromise you I’m going to stop spending money, but can you promise me perhaps you’ll stop working so hard so we can spend more time together?’
He nodded and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Jade said, ‘Shall we go home now?’
‘Are you sure?’ Jack replied.
‘I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.’ She halted, and looked Bridie’s way, before turning her attention back to Jack. ‘And you? Is this what you really want?’
Jack stole a glance at Bridie and shrugged apologetically.
He put one arm around his wife, and the other around Milo. ‘It’s exactly what I want,’ he said firmly. ‘Come on. Let’s go home.’
