Daniel intercepted pulling him off me. ‘Oy. Leave her alone!’
‘It’s OK, Daniel,’ I said, squeezing his arm gratefully. Turning to Bill, I nodded miserably, barely able to meet his eyes.
‘Is it mine?’ he asked heatedly.
Daniel’s eyes widened and he swivelled sharply to look at Bill.
I couldn’t lie so I nodded again.
‘Bloody hell,’ said Bill, sinking onto the step, rubbing his head distractedly.
‘Bloody hell,’ echoed Daniel.
‘Sorry, Bill. I couldn’t...’ I muttered, anxious to get away.
‘Shit. Pregnant. Kate. Bloody hell.’
‘Look. I have to go. Kate’s all on her own. I need to try and get a flight tonight or tomorrow morning.’ My mind was racing with the practicalities of getting home to get my passport.
At this point Bill jumped up. ‘I’ll go. I’ve got to see her.’
‘Bill, you can’t...’ but as his words sank in, part of me thought that might be a very good idea. Kate had admitted she’d made a mistake. If he flew to her rescue she could hardly turn him away. She’d forgive me eventually. Wouldn’t she?
‘Daniel, can you get me to the airport?’ asked Bill, decision made.
‘I will,’ I said firmly.
‘You can’t,’ interrupted Daniel gently. ‘Your folks will wonder why you’ve dashed off. They’ll know it’s Kate. Presumably she doesn’t want them to know. Besides, you’re in no fit state to drive.’
True.
It was amazing how quickly Bill was able to sort everything out. Within ten minutes he and Daniel were back from Bill’s house with his passport and had booked online tickets.
‘Ring me when you’re about to board.’ I said to Bill as I wished him luck. ‘Do you want me to tell Kate—’
‘No, don’t. If she has time to think she might refuse to see me. Don’t worry, Olivia, as soon as I get there, I’ll be able to look after her.’
‘Thanks.’ I sniffed as he gave me a big bear hug, my face only reaching his shoulder. He strode off leaving me with Daniel who turned to me and touched my cheek. ‘You OK?’
My eyes met his and my heart did a little flip. I nodded shyly.
‘Are you around tomorrow?’
I nodded again. ‘I, uh, was planning to, uh, come over to get something from Miriam,’ I stuttered. ‘She’s got a videotape I need.’
‘Fine, why don’t you pick me up on the way up to the house? Toot at the gatehouse. I’ll be there. We still need to talk.’ Still facing me, he took a few paces back and then without warning, took two strides forward, gave me a brief, hard kiss on the lips and then turned away and walked off to the car park without looking back once. There was a catch in my throat as I missed a breath, my lungs stuttering in surprise.
I could see Bill waiting by the car, his phone glued once more to his ear. There was nothing sleepy or slow about him tonight. Pacing up and down, he looked alert and ready to take on the world.
* * *
As he waited for Bill to get off the phone and climb into the car, Daniel drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Tension lifted his shoulders and he wriggled uncomfortably in the driving seat. The temptation to call Emily was strong but, to be honest, he wasn’t sure the words would be coherent. How could she lie so blatantly to him? He wanted to punch something. Was there any way she could have genuinely made a mistake? His neck clicked as he tipped his head back against the headrest. Who was he kidding? Christ, he was a fucking idiot.
Of course Emily had lied. It seemed so bloody obvious now. He shook his head and let out a half-laugh of disgust. How had he managed to get it so wrong with Olivia? Again.
Would she forgive him? He’d done her one hell of an injustice. How the hell would he feel? Tried and found guilty without an ounce of proof. It seemed obvious now: he’d actedout of hurt pride that night. Not that that deserved to cut any ice with Olivia. She had every right to be furious with him.
He’d been so convinced that Olivia must have been leading him on, instead of talking to her about it, he’d got his own back by responding to Emily’s unashamed come-on. What a dickhead. He’d blown it so badly and now when he appreciated just how badly, he realised how he felt about Olivia.
