And Then There Was You (6 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

'I'm sorry I missed your mum and dad, babe,' Matt said at the dinner table, later that night.

I smiled, pushing the pasta around my plate. 'That's ok. I don't think you're really sorry though, are you?'

'Well, you know your mum. She doesn't like me very much.'

'Yes she does,' I said, somewhat non-committal.

Matt raised his eyebrows. 'She hates me,' he said, putting the iPad down for a moment to take another mouthful of the bolognese.

'She so doesn't hate you. Okay, she doesn't love you, but she likes you.'

'She puts up with me because I'm your husband.'

'Well, if you put it that way, I suppose you're right.'

'How long are they in England?'

'Just a few days, Mum has one of her annual doctor's appointments. Just a check-up. Nothing to worry about.'

'Where are they staying this time?'

'Auntie Jean's.'

He nodded. 'How's your foot?'

'Better.'

'I still can't believe you got such a nasty injury from baked beans.' He laughed, almost spitting out the spaghetti that was hanging from his mouth. He sucked it back in with a loud smacking sound and I shook my head.

'You're so gross.'

'Maybe.' He grinned.

'Did Charlie enjoy the ride?'

Matt spat out the next mouthful as he coughed. 'Yes, yes, very much. We're going to do it again next weekend. Maybe you'd like to come along?' he suggested, looking eagerly at me.

I shrugged. 'It's a nice idea, but I wouldn't be able to keep up. You're both a lot fitter than me. I'd hate to be stuck miles behind. Plus, my foot.' I pointed to the bandaged appendage sticking up from where it was propped on the chair in front of me.

'Well, maybe we can convince Adam to come too. He's not very fit either, is he?'

'Oh, he's fit,' I said, trying not to smile. 'Just not on a bicycle.'

'Oh, does he go to the gym?'

'No, but he does a lot of gardening work.'

'Of course, yes. I'd forgotten about that. What's it called?'

'What?'

'His business?'

'Eden Grove Gardens.'

'He owns Eden Grove Gardens?'

I nodded. 'You sound surprised.'

'I am. Do you have any idea how big that is? He must be worth a fortune.'

'What do you mean?'

'They have garden centres all over the country. The landscape gardening must be just a side line.'

'Oh really? I had no idea. He doesn't seem the sort of person who’d be loaded, does he?'

Matt shook his head. 'No, not really.'

I played with my pasta a bit more and took a swig of water before pushing the dish away from me.

'Aren't you going to eat that?' he asked.

I shook my head. 'I'm not very hungry.'

Matt practically pounced on my leftovers and all I could see was a caveman beside me, stuffing the food into his mouth, making all kinds of horrible sounds. I turned away. Why was he becoming more unattractive by the day? But I guess I knew the answer to that.

Stop it. He's your husband and you love him
,
said the angel on my shoulder
.
He hasn't changed. Just love him. Be the wife you always wanted to be. Love him, care for him, be there for him.

'Will you pass me a lager, love?' he asked, burping.

'Would you mind getting it yourself? It's just that my foot is throbbing.'

'Oh yeah, forgot about that. Sorry.' He smiled and patted me on the head as he stood and walked to the fridge.

See, he's not so bad.

Closing the fridge door, he let out the biggest fart which was followed by a horrible odour that drifted towards me before it engulfed me with all its powerful disgustingness.

'Eww, Matt. So gross,' I said pulling my sweatshirt up so that it covered my nose and mouth.

He stood proudly with his hand on his stomach. 'Better out than in, right?'

'Yeah, I suppose so,' I grumbled.

A few years ago, I would've probably been rolling about on the floor laughing with him. How things had changed.

'Are you coming in to watch some TV?' he asked, as he stood by the door.

'Can you help me with the dishes first?'

'Oh yeah. Why don't you go and sit down, and I'll handle it?'

'Really?' I asked gratefully.

'Course,' he said. 'Here. Let me carry you into the lounge.'

I grinned at him and pushed my chair away from the table, carefully standing. He very gently leaned forward and put me over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

Not quite what I had in mind, but it's the thought that counts, right?

He narrowly missed bashing my leg into the doorway in both the kitchen and the living room before plonking me down on the two-seat sofa. 'There,' he said, quite proud of himself. 'Okay?'

I nodded. 'I guess so. Thanks.'

'Do you want anything? A glass of wine? Cup of tea? Coffee? Baileys?'

'A glass of wine would be nice, thanks, darling.'

Matt winked at me and he walked into the hallway just as the phone rang. 'I'll get it,' he yelled, a little louder than was necessary.

'Hey you,' I heard him say before he leaned back into the living room. 'I'll close the door so I don't disturb your TV,' he said with a sheepish grin.

'Thanks, babe.'

'...had fun too...' I just about heard him say as he padded back into the kitchen.

Flicking through the channels, I settled on Strictly Come Dancing. I loved to watch the dancers strut their stuff; they were almost magical in their sequinned gowns, and the way they glided across the dance floor just took my breath away. I dreamed of being able to dance that way. I had been a good little dancer when I was young, but I rarely got the chance to do it these days. Matt didn't often dance with me. I'd suggested going to classes – Salsa or ballroom – but he didn't need to answer. His face answered for him. No way. Not in a million years.

I sighed as I watched them twirl and dip to the sounds of Meatloaf. A strange song choice, but they made it work. They were amazing. I almost wanted to clap and cheer them on.

I was so engrossed in the show that I'd almost forgotten about my wine. So in between dances, I decided to go and pour one myself.

I struggled off the sofa and hobbled to the door, which I pushed open to see down the hallway where Matt was leaning against the kitchen worktop smiling, talking quietly. When he spotted me, his smile dropped for a second before he remembered my wine.

He smacked his hand to his forehead and, still listening to the other person on the phone, he took a glass out of the cupboard and the wine from the fridge and carefully poured some for me.

He pointed for me to sit back down. 'I'll bring it in. You sit down,' he mouthed.

I smiled at his thoughtfulness and returned to the sofa just as the next dance was about to start.

Matt walked in, the phone glued to his ear and handed me the wine.

'Thanks. Everything okay?' I asked.

He covered the phone with his hand. 'Yes, yes, fine. It's just Howard, nothing important.'

Content all was well, I returned my attention to the show and sat back to enjoy the Paso Doble, being performed by a rather old fellow, a celebrity I had never seen before.

CHAPTER NINE

My foot was almost back to normal and the small gash on my shin had scabbed over nicely. It had been two weeks since the accident, and life had proceeded as normally as it could with Adam living right next door. I had seen little of him, on account of him having to head up north to deal with some business issues at a new garden centre he'd opened in Northumberland somewhere.

I'd been busy finishing off the first draft of my book and so had little time to do anything else. I was typing like crazy, it was extraordinary. I'd never quite been so inspired, and the words were just flowing out of me like some kind of crazy – well, some kind of crazy writer.

It was fun; I was having the most fun I'd ever had writing. I smiled as I sat back in my little office and watched the dark clouds roll in from the distance. I hoped we were going to have a storm. I loved storms, there was something magical about them... all the grumbling in the distance and the intensity of the lightning bolts or sheets. Wonderful.

Glancing down the street, I spotted a familiar car turn into our road, a black BMW. A smile spread across my lips and I could barely keep myself from jumping up and running out of the house and down into his arms. But I did contain myself. Adam and I hadn't been in close physical contact since the near miss with my mum and dad. We'd agreed that was the last time. We couldn't risk being caught. We were both trying hard for our the sakes of our families. I didn't want to hurt Matt, and he didn't want to hurt Charlie.

So, I was forcing myself to be content dreaming about him, fantasizing about him and just seeing him whenever I could. Even just watching him walk down the street to go to the local shop made me smile. I just loved knowing he was safe and well and close by.

It was almost impossible to keep myself from him, but we'd agreed to try, and try we would.

It was a Thursday afternoon, and when Matt had returned from work, he'd been eager to go out for a cycle. I watched him disappear down the road half an hour earlier before Adam arrived back from his travels.

He was lifting out a small holdall from the back of the BMW when he looked up and saw me in the window. His face lit up and he waved.

I waved back.

He held up his hand and indicated a drink.

I nodded, and he pointed to his watch and held up five fingers before pointing to his house.

I gave him the thumbs up.

I'd be happy to be in his presence, even if Charlie was there. At that moment, I just wanted to be close to him, so I rushed out of my office and headed into the bedroom where I quickly changed into my most flattering pair of skinny jeans and jade green sweater, the one that revealed one shoulder. I pulled on my Ugg boots and squirted a little Dior perfume on to my neck before putting on a little black eyeliner and mascara, and just a swish of lip balm. I tipped my head upside down and tousled my hair with my fingers before flipping it back. Looking in the mirror, I smiled. I didn't look too bad.

Running down the stairs, careful to avoid putting too much pressure on my left foot, I grabbed my keys and phone and ran outside with a smile as the rain started to pitter-patter against the roof. Thunder echoed in the distance.

Adam stood at the door.

'Hey.' He grinned at me. 'Come in before you get wet.'

'Thanks. How was your trip?'

'Great, thanks. The business is fully up and running now. I have a feeling that's going to be particularly fruitful.'

'Great, I'm pleased for you.'

'How's Charlie? Is she here?' I asked, looking behind him for familiar signs of his wife.

'Actually, she's not here. She's gone to visit her sister in Bristol. She's staying a couple of nights to help look after the baby.'

'Baby?' I asked.

He grinned. 'Yes, Charlie is officially an auntie, as of yesterday.'

'Oh wow, that's wonderful. She must be delighted. Aren't you going to visit?'

'It was a little difficult, what with business and everything. Plus, her sister and I don't really get on too well.'

'Oh no, why not?'

'She thinks I'm too old for her big sister.'

'Really? But you're only seven years older.'

He raised his eyebrows. 'Seven years too old, apparently.'

'Oh well. Sorry.'

He chuckled. 'Don't be. It doesn't bother me. If people don't like me, they don't like me. There's nothing I can do about it.'

'Good for you, but I can't imagine anybody not liking you. You're so... likeable.' I grinned.

'Glass of wine?' he asked, as I followed him through into the kitchen.

'Ooh, yes please.'

'How have you been? Got much writing done?'

I could feel myself light up. 'Yes. I've written loads. I seem to be on a roll. I don't know what it is, but for the past month, my writing has gone through the roof. It's amazing. I'm absolutely loving it, more than ever before. It's becoming even more of a real passion.'

'I can see that. You really light up when you talk about it.'

'I can feel myself lighting up.' I grinned as I took the glass of Portuguese wine from his fingers.

'Monte Velho? How on earth did you manage to find this? I love it. It's one of my favourites. I always drink it when I visit Mum and Dad.' My eyes lifted to find his as it dawned on me and I chuckled, 'You've been in touch with Mum, haven't you?'

He nodded. 'You don't miss anything, do you? Yes, we swapped email addresses when we met. She insisted we keep in touch.'

'That's sweet. But why?'

'I think that's obvious, don't you?'

I shook my head.

'She clearly wants me to woo you away from your husband.'

'Oh God, my mother, honestly.' I shook my head.

'Don't worry, she just wants the best for you, that's all.'

'And the best for her, too.'

'Perhaps.'

'So she wants us to both break up our marriages and get together?'

'I think so.'

I laughed and moved away from him.

'How is Matt?' he asked, as we sat at the kitchen table and watched the brewing storm in the distance, as large droplets of water fell into the water fountain in the garden.

'Probably very wet, right now,' I said.

'Cycling?'

I nodded. 'Not the best day for it, but, hey, this is England. Cyclists over here are used to it, I suppose.'

As if he knew we were talking about him, my phone rang. 'Matt? Are you okay? I'm watching a pretty serious storm brewing. You should really get home as quick as possible. What? What happened? Are you alright? Any damage? Oh, okay. As long as you're safe. No, no. I can come and get you, if you want? Okay, yeah that's probably a good idea. Tell Howard I said hi. Okay, see you tomorrow, then. Be careful. Yeah, you too. Bye.'

'Is he alright?' asked Adam, his eyebrows furrowed.

'He's fine. He cycled right into the storm and had a bit of an accident. He can't cycle back, and they're miles away, so he's going to stay overnight with Howard, as the best cycle repair place is actually pretty close to Howard's. So, I erm... guess we're alone tonight.'

Adam looked down at me with such a serious expression. He stretched his arm and stroked my cheek.

'Can we try and stick to our agreement, Adam?' I whispered. 'Can we just be together this evening as friends? Can we just hang out together?'

He smiled and nodded, but his hand stayed stroking my face. 'I'm sure we can...try.'

I turned away with a grin. 'Well, we're on our own. What shall we do? What do you like doing that you don't do very often?'

'What about you? What do you like doing that you rarely get to do?' he asked.

I perched on the edge of the sofa and thought about it for a few moments. 'Anything?'

'Anything,' he replied.

'Dancing in the rain.'

Adam smiled and walked over to me, removing the glass of wine from my fingers, placing it next to his on the table. He went to his iPod and flicked through some of the songs until he found what he wanted, then he opened the sliding doors to the garden and grabbed me by the hand.

'Come on,' he said, as we stepped out into the pouring rain.

I giggled as my hair immediately stuck to the side of my face, and I tried to listen to the music as it began to play via the surround sound system.

Gene Kelly's voice started singing and I shrieked with delight.

Adam stepped towards me and grabbed me, deftly dipping me backwards as Singing in the Rain and raindrops filled my hears. Laughter erupted from my lips. I couldn't stop giggling; it felt so good to dance in the rain. I felt so free, and Adam surprised me with his dance skills. He could move – really move. I could easily see him on Strictly, and I told him so. Why Charlie didn't like the way he danced, I'd no idea.

He grinned, spinning me one way and then the next, while we both sang along to the lyrics. I felt like someone in a movie, and I'd never felt like that before.

When the song came to an end, we just stood looking at each other, soaked to the bone, waiting for the next song to start.

When it began, I laughed so much, it gave me hiccups. The BeeGees' Staying Alive made me want to dance like a disco diva, and we both got into the groove, not caring that the thunder was practically overhead.

Only when fork lightning began to brighten the sky, and I looked a little worried, did he twirl me and twirl me until we were back indoors.

He pulled the doors closed, not caring that the tiled floor was now covered in water.

Opening a cupboard in the hall, he pulled out two large towels, handing me one as he quickly removed his clothes and wrapped himself tightly inside his.

I looked at his naked chest and my knees went weak, but I forced myself to stop, and so I nervously climbed out of my drenched clothes and wrapped myself up as well. As tightly as possible.

We stood looking at each other before laughter erupted.

'What now?' I asked. 'What do you like doing that you don't normally get the chance to do?'

'You know the answer to that question,' he smirked.

'But not that. Anything but that,' I whispered.

'I'm trying, Eve. I'm really trying.'

'Me too, Adam, and we have to keep trying, okay?'

After a while, he nodded and then grabbed my hand. 'Can you swim?' he asked.

'Of course. But where can we swim?'

He touched the side of his nose and pulled me towards a bedroom on the ground floor. Opening a wardrobe door, he found a couple of T-shirts and a couple of pairs of sweatpants.

'Put these on,' he said. 'We're going for a ride.'

I looked at him like he was mad but did as I was told.

Before long, we were in his car, driving further out into the countryside. After about fifteen minutes, we arrived at the most beautiful big manor house, with the most exquisite gardens.

'Adam, it's stunning. Did you... did you design this garden?'

He grinned. 'Yes.'

'Whose house is this?' I asked, as we drove right up to the front door and climbed out, rushing undercover. Adam had a bunch of keys, which he deftly looked through before he found the one he was searching for. Slotting it into the door, he unlocked it and gently pushed me inside, out of the cold rain.

He said nothing as I gazed up in awe at the beautiful old house. It was like something out of a magazine, with beams above and the most stunning antique furniture, old mixed with new. We walked through the huge hallway, down a long corridor and down some stairs which led to a door that went back outdoors.

'Where are we going?' I whispered.

'It's a surprise,' he said, as he pulled me along under a large canopy covered in climbing plants. At the end was another door, which he opened with a different key.

Pushing the door open, I could smell it before I could see it. Chlorine. Adam stepped away from me for a few minutes, and I stood trying to readjust my eyes to the darkness.

'Adam, where are you? What are you doing?'

Suddenly, there was a faint glow as a few lights in the swimming pool came on. The sound of something moving within the water made me look towards it and I saw Adam standing in the pool. A haze rose around him.

'Come on in, it's warm,' he promised.

I grinned and climbed out of the trousers he'd lent me before removing the T-shirt. I didn't care that I was completely naked. In fact I felt liberated, as I stepped down the steps to join him. He stood watching, admiring me, his eyes following my every move. When the water reached my chest, I immersed myself fully and swam beneath it until I reached him. Feeling for him, my fingers found his firm thighs before I followed them upwards, feeling the hardness of his bottom and the base of his spine.

I slowly lifted myself out of the water until I stood facing him. He placed his hands underneath my arms and lifted me, slowly, twirling me around and around. The water whirled around my thighs. I became dizzy with happiness.