Not so smug now, are you?
‘Yes,’ he mumbled and before she could ask for any more details he quickly said, ‘See much of Daniel these days?’
I was just about to answer when I saw his gaze move to a point behind me.
‘Daniel. Hi.’
Swivelling round I saw Daniel, now in whites, just emerging from the changing room, with a clear, warning look in his eyes.
‘Mike,’ he said, extending a hand. ‘Glad you could make it. Still handy with a bat?’
‘Don’t get much chance to play these days,’ answered Mike, with a quick look at Tracey. ‘The missus doesn’t like it.’
‘Only because it’s such a waste of the weekend,’ she snapped back.
‘Mmm,’ said Daniel ruefully, nodding at Mike and giving her a polite smile. ‘My girlfriend feels the same.’
His words were a sudden bleak reminder of Emily. I needed to put some distance between us.
The hugs he’d given me earlier had been too much. That first one had made my heart give a little skip as every nerve ending went on alert. How on earth was I going to cope? Compared to this, getting over Mike hadn’t been so difficult. I could hate him for what he’d done, but how was I ever going to forget Daniel? All the touchy-feely, aren’t-we-mates stuff was torture. Perhaps it was better when he was cold and distant.
I mumbled something about needing to start making sandwiches and began to head towards the kitchen. Behind me I heard Daniel tell Mike he needed to go and get changed.
‘Olivia,’ Daniel called and in quick strides caught up with me. ‘Need any help with teas?’
‘I didn’t need rescuing,’ I said grumpily.
He grinned at me. ‘I know, but Mike did.’
I pulled a face at him. ‘I wouldn’t have said anything. Just making him sweat a bit.’
‘Heartless woman. He was genuinely upset when you cut him off at uni, you know.’
‘And he didn’t deserve it?’ I said my voice quavering indignantly.
‘You were pretty ruthless. Severing all ties immediately.’
Daniel’s tone might have been gentle but I was pissed off at the implication that I might have handled it badly.
I didn’t say a word, leaving Daniel to dig a bigger hole.
‘It must have been hard on him. The two of you had been so close. You never even gave him the chance to explain.’
‘Explain what?’ I spluttered in disbelief. ‘Do tell me. What is the proper way of telling your girlfriend that you’re sleeping with someone else?’
Daniel had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘Sorry. Point taken. All I’m saying is that he was hurt too. He made a mistake. We all do that.’
I didn’t like Daniel being Mr Reasonable.
Beyond him through the window I could see Dad and the umpire pacing the pitch.
‘Oy! Daniel,’ yelled Ben from the veranda. ‘You’re needed for the toss.’
He lowered his voice, something urgent in his eyes as he said, ‘Sometimes you get involved in a situation. You know it’s wrong but you just keep going.’
My heart thumped as he held my gaze. Mike? Or, hope blazed for a second, him and Emily?
He carried on, ‘Can you honestly say, hand on heart, what you’re doing is the right—’
