An Ideal Wife (28 page)

“He’s not my husband,” Mum said impatiently.

“Husband-to-be,” Lawrence said with a hopeful smile.

“Absolutely not,” Mum said firmly, leaving Dad with a slightly wounded expression.

I eyed one of the men with the sunglasses and then the other. Something wasn’t adding up. And then suddenly I realized what it was.

I looked at Helen. “Funny, these guys don’t seem to have Russian accents. Or South American accents,” I said.

“Russian accents? What are you going on about?” one of the men said.

“They’re Londoners.” I folded my arms and looked at Helen expectantly.

She smiled weakly. “So they are,” she said, clamping her teeth together. “I … must have been mistaken.”

“You mistook a London accent for a Russian one? Or South American?” I deadpanned.

Helen cleared her throat. “Fine, so maybe I didn’t talk to them.”

I stared at her, and she went red. “They didn’t actually help
with my stuff at all. But someone else did, and when I looked up they’d gone. I’m sorry—but you asked and I kind of got carried away.”

“I can’t believe you,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I thought the Russian Mafia were on my tail. You said they sounded really dangerous.”

“I know,” Helen faltered. “But I think we’re missing the big picture here, aren’t we? They’re holding your father. Not you.”

She had a point.

“Your father?” Chester asked. “I’m sorry, did you just call this man Jessica’s father?”

“Keep up, Chester,” Helen said, with a little smile that he didn’t return.

“So
this
is the big secret? This is the big surprise?” he asked Mum.

She hesitated, then answered. “Yes, Chester, but before you jump to any conclusions, before you get angry—”

“Yes?” Chester demanded. “Before that what?”

“Well, I want you to know that I didn’t invite him here. He just turned up. Out of the blue. And I couldn’t turn him away. He’d come all the way from America.”

“America?” one of the not-Russian-Mafia men asked, grinning broadly. “Is that what he told you?”

“Yes,” Mum said, frowning. “New England, wasn’t it, Lawrence?”

Dad looked at her uncomfortably. “Actually, Esther, I might have exaggerated a little.”

“How can you exaggerate where you live?” Chester said evenly. “You either live somewhere or you don’t. It’s not a matter of degree.”

Dad cleared his throat and shot Chester a look that wasn’t exactly friendly. “Fine,” he said tightly. “So I didn’t come from America.”

“Then where did you come from?” Mum asked, her eyes wide.

“Epping Forest,” the other not-Russian-Mafia man interjected. “He disappeared, didn’t you, Lawrence? Thought maybe we wouldn’t find you. But we don’t like our debtors vanishing into thin air.”

“But you’ve been following me,” I said, frowning. “I saw you.”

He shrugged. “We thought you might lead us to him, and we were right. Didn’t know he had a daughter, to be honest, but we found your name written down when we searched his house. Wasn’t too hard tracking you down.”

“Damn,” Dad said irritably.

The man smiled. “Yes, but good for us. So, Lawrence, got our money, have you?”

Dad looked down. “No. I …” He looked at me hopefully. “Unless you … I don’t suppose—”

“That’s
why you came,” I said, the truth suddenly so blindingly obvious it hurt. “You didn’t come to make us a happy family. You came to get money out of me.”

“No,” Dad said. “I didn’t know about your money. Not until Esther told me.”

“You bastard!” Mum launched herself at him, battering him with her fists. “You utter bastard. You told me you were madly in love with me.”

“I thought I was,” Dad said sheepishly. “Thought I could be, anyway. You know. I just needed a new start. Needed to get away. And then I saw you on Facebook, and it felt kind of serendipitous. Like it was meant to be.”

“And to think I felt sorry for you,” Mum said, outraged. “All this time I’ve been trying to get rid of you without hurting your feelings, when you just saw me as an escape route. Me and Jess.”

“You’ve been trying to get rid of him?” Chester asked hopefully.

“Of course,” Mum said angrily, rounding on Lawrence. “Oh, I could kill you.”

“Don’t worry, we’re going to do that for you if he doesn’t have the money,” one of the men said, smiling blankly. “So, come on, Lawrence, are you going to cough it up? Or is anyone here?”

My dad looked at me beseechingly. “Jess, I’m sorry. I’m a terrible father, always have been. But help me out? It’s only twenty thousand. I’ll never ask you again. But you heard them—they’ll kill me if I don’t pay them. You’ve got the money. Help out your old man? Please?”

I bit my lip. “I can’t,” I said quietly.

“Yes, you can,” he said desperately. “I’m not a good person, Jess. Never have been. I went to the States, got thrown off course, came back here, and never even tried to find you. I know I’m no good. You’re better off without me. But don’t let me die. Not like this. I’ll pay you back. Somehow. Please? Please?” He was trembling, and it made my stomach lurch.

“No, you don’t understand,” I said unhappily. “I want to. I mean, you are a terrible person, but you’re still my father. And you punched Hugh. I’d give you twenty grand for that alone.”

“I only did what he’s doing!” Hugh exclaimed. “I hope the irony isn’t lost on you.”

“He’s just asking for money, not blackmailing me,” I said tightly, then turned back to Dad. “The thing is, Dad, I really can’t. I don’t have the money anymore.”

“What do you mean you don’t have the money anymore?”

“I gave it all away.”

There was a shocked silence. “You gave it away?” Helen asked slowly. “To whom, may I ask?”

I cleared my throat. “To a soup kitchen. Resource center, actually. They’re going to buy new premises.”

“You gave it all away to a soup kitchen?” Mum asked.

“Like,
all
of it?” Helen gasped. “To a fricking soup kitchen?”

“All of it.” I nodded. “And it’s a resource center.”

Helen shook her head. “You’re obviously deranged. Look,
don’t worry. When we’re back in London, we’ll go and explain that you’re having a meltdown and you didn’t know what you were doing. They’ll have to give it back. Trust me.”

“But I don’t want it back,” I said quietly. “I never really wanted it in the first place.”

“Didn’t want it?” Helen snorted. “You went through that whole thing with Anthony Milton because you didn’t want to inherit four million pounds?”

“I wanted to save the house from developers,” I said. “The money’s been a burden ever since I got it. It’s the reason Hugh blackmailed me; it’s the reason Max feels he can’t talk to me about the business. And it’s just been sitting there making me feel guilty because I’m not doing anything with it. So now I am. I’ve given it to people who actually need it. And now I’m free.”

Helen looked at me indignantly. “I don’t believe this,” she said. “You ask my advice on everything but then go and give away four million pounds. When did you get that crazy idea in your head? Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you at least give a bit of it to me?”

“I only decided when I was in my interview with Eric today,” I said wearily. It had only been that morning but it felt ages ago. “I stopped off there before coming down here. It felt like the right thing to do. It still does.”

“It felt like the right thing to do,” Helen said lightly. “Oh, well, that’s okay, then.”

“It … really?” Mum asked, looking dumbfounded. “It really felt like the right thing to do, to give away all that money?”

I found myself smiling. “It did. It felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I’m me again now—I’m not me with four million pounds in the bank, I’m just me. I can do what I want, be who I want.”

“No,” Mum said, frowning. “With four million pounds you can do what you want; now you can’t do anything. You had all
that opportunity and you’ve … wasted it. I can’t believe it, darling. I’m sorry, but I just can’t believe it.”

“I haven’t wasted it,” I said stiffly. “Having it sitting in the bank was wasting it. And I still have opportunities. But I have to make them for myself instead of buying them. You know, ever since I got the money I’ve been a bit lost. Now I know who I am again. I’ve got my drive back.”

Helen let out a long breath. “Well, if it’s really what you want to do…. You’re sure you didn’t keep a bit back? A few hundred thousand?”

“Maybe twenty grand?” Dad asked hopefully.

“Nothing.” I shook my head. “Not a penny.”

“Well, that’s not great news for you, is it, Lawrence?” one of the not-Russian-Mafia men said. “Seems as if you’re coming with us.”

Dad looked at them with terror in his eyes. “Give me a bit longer,” he begged. “A few weeks. A month, tops. I’ll come up with the money.”

“No, Lawrence,” the man said, shaking his head slowly. “You’ll only run away again. You’ve demonstrated that you are an unreliable debtor. And you know what happens to them. We’ve got to send a message that this kind of behavior can’t be tolerated.”

“Wait,” Chester said. “Twenty grand, you say?”

“To be precise, £20,201.”

Chester sighed. “I’ll give you your money.”

Dad’s eyes lit up. “You will? Really?”

“If you promise to leave my future wife alone.”

Dad nodded immediately. “No problem. None at all. She’s not really my type, anyway. Never was. Too high-strung, to be honest.” He caught Chester’s eye and blanched. “Not that she’s not cracking,” he said quickly. “A real catch. Lovely woman. Mother of my child, you know—”

“Get out of here,” Chester said in a low voice. “I’ll settle up with these gentlemen. And Esther will send your things on to you.”

“Right you are,” Dad said gratefully, then looked at me. “I’ll be in touch. If I may?” he asked. “It’s been a pleasure. An honor.”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “Do get in touch. I’d like that.”

He walked to the front door, opened it, then turned back to me. “One other thing,” he said. “Don’t leave this place empty when your mum moves out. This house needs a family, like that woman Grace said. You should move here, Jess. It suits you. Sort things out with that husband of yours. You can’t let fights get in the way of your future, however serious they are.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” a voice said, and I looked up, frozen on the spot.

“Max?” I said tentatively. “Was that Max?”

“It was,” Max said, hobbling in on crutches through the front door. He glanced around with a confused expression on his face, then looked back at me. “I came to say I’m sorry,” he said seriously.

“Sorry?” I asked.

“For being an arse.” He hung his head.

“You weren’t an arse,” I said, incredulously. I wouldn’t believe he was here—wouldn’t believe this was all actually happening. “I was. I’m so sorry, Max. I was trying so hard to be the perfect wife, and the more I tried, the more I realized that I wasn’t, that I couldn’t be, that I was never going to be perfect.”

“But you are perfect,” Max said, looking bewildered.

“No, I’m not,” I said, sniffing. “I’m not good, I’m not caring, I’m not honest, and I’m not … at least I didn’t think I was … I mean, I’m not sure really, but …”

“But what, Jess?” Max frowned. “What aren’t you?”

“Loved,” I said in a small voice.

“Well, that just shows how little you know,” he said, his voice quivering with emotion. “Because you are totally loved. Totally and utterly. And you are caring. Caroline told me about what’s been going on at work and that you kept it from me because you
cared. And I got annoyed because you didn’t bring muffins? I’m an idiot, Jess. I was in pain, I was cranky, I was feeling insecure, and what I said was unforgivable.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I was the one who was unforgivable. I was jealous of Emily, when all she was doing was looking after you. Which is what I should have been doing.”

“No,” Max said. “I asked you to run the business, and you did that. And Emily …” He looked at me awkwardly. “Well, as it turns out …”

He pulled a strange face, and I frowned. “What? As it turns out what?”

He grimaced. “She tried to kiss me,” he said sheepishly. “She said she’d felt some … I don’t know … connection or something.”

“She what?” I felt my entire body bristle.

“I realized you’d been right all along,” Max said helplessly. “Please forgive me.”

“Of course I forgive you,” I said, blinking back the tears that had suddenly appeared in my eyes. He opened his arms and I rushed toward him, then stopped. “But there’s something you need to know,” I said anxiously.

“What?” Max asked. “Tell me anything.”

“She gave away her money,” Mum blurted out. “I’m sorry, darling, but he needs to know. She gave it away, Max. To a soup kitchen!”

“Is that true?” Max looked at me, incredulous, then his face fell. “Because of what I said? Oh, Jess, tell me you haven’t done anything stupid. You shouldn’t have listened to me. I told you, I’m an idiot.”

“Not because of what you said,” I said calmly. “Because I wanted to. I’ve been helping out at this place. They prefer ‘resource center’ to ‘soup kitchen.’ Anyway, they need new premises and … Look, I never wanted the money anyway. So I gave it to them. You don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind,” Max said quietly. “I didn’t even know you’d been into a soup kitchen. I mean … resource center.”

“I hadn’t,” I said awkwardly. “Not until … Well, I was trying to be good, you see. It was part of Project Ideal Wife.”

Max looked at me uncertainly. “There was a project?”

“Yes,” I said. “Sort of. You know, the whole cooking thing?”

Max shook his head. “God, I really am an idiot,” he muttered. “You did all that for me?”

“For us,” I whispered.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Max looked at me for a moment, and I felt something intense, something I hadn’t felt for a very long time. I felt happy. Not cheerful, or upbeat, or pleased, but
happy
. Truly. Perfectly. But then my happy glow gave way to something else, a sense of foreboding. “Well, anyway,” I said. “That’s not the thing I need to tell you. There’s something else.”

“Something else?” Max asked lightly. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I couldn’t love you more at this moment, and I certainly won’t ever love you less.”