Flings and Arrows (24 page)

Her mind turned to Si. The way he’d propelled her along the landing had been peculiar to say the least. His hand had been in the small of her back, pushing Steph into their bedroom. It was as if he couldn’t wait to put distance between them and that girl. Very odd. What was her name? Melanie? She had seemed so familiar too. Steph had wanted to ask the girl if she’d ever been on television. She certainly had the looks of a model or actress. At least Tom had found somebody the same age as himself. That was a first.

Steph’s mind wandered again. This time to June. Her neighbour had extended another invitation to be with Flash Harry. Sunday lunch no less. Steph was tempted to tell June that she and Si couldn’t make it. Or any other invitation. Steph imagined June’s face falling with disappointment. And then looking puzzled. Asking why. And Steph telling June that she and Si were splitting up. Then June would look horrified. She would undoubtedly burst into tears. Steph sighed.

‘Are you awake?’ she asked across the void of duvet.

‘Yes,’ Si replied.

‘I forgot to tell you. June wants us to go out with her and Flash Harry on Sunday.’

Si grunted. ‘Whatever for? The man gave a first class impression of not being able to abide me.’

‘Quite the contrary. He apparently liked you so much he wants to spoil you. Well, both of us. So keep Sunday clear.’

‘I will,’ said Si. ‘I shall particularly look forward to going out to dinner with my wife by my side.’

‘We won’t tell June what’s happened between us.’

‘From my perspective Steph there is absolutely nothing to tell June. From yours, however, the waters are a little muddier.’

‘I do wish you’d stop carrying on like some little innocent,’ Steph snapped testily.

‘I am innocent,’ Si said firmly.

Steph opened her mouth to speak but her mobile phone cheerfully announced a text message. She reached out to the bedside table.

‘Gosh, a text message,’ Si said sardonically. ‘I wonder who could be texting my wife at this time of night?’

Steph could feel her face reddening. ‘It’s probably Shirley.’

Si chuckled without humour. ‘Of course. Go on then Steph. Look at the message. What does Shirley say?’

‘I’ll pick it up in the morning,’ Steph replied testily.

‘You know as well as I do Steph that the message will be from Barry Hastings.’ Si sat up in bed. ‘So don’t you dare patronise me with talk of what we will and will not be telling June.’

Steph rocketed upright. She sought out Si’s face in the darkness. ‘Just remember Si,’ she hissed, ‘I’m not the one who was dealt a black eye. I’m not the one who was stripped down to my underwear in a garden parading a naked lover. And I’m not the one who had yet another lover turning up on the doorstep asking for my whereabouts. So don’t you dare try and give me a guilt trip over Barry Hastings texting me.’

‘Ah. So it
is
Barry Hastings texting you. Well fancy that!’

‘Oh shut up Si.’

With that Steph’s mobile began to ring. She cursed the fact that she’d failed to turn the damn thing off.

‘Aren’t you going to answer that?’ asked Si.

‘No.’

‘Well if my mobile phone rang at this hour I’d be a little worried.’

‘Why?’

‘Well nobody rings at this time of night if there isn’t something important to say.’

The mobile stopped ringing. Steph desperately wanted to pick the phone off the bedside table and see who the missed call was from. But at the same time, she wanted to appear nonchalant to Si. The mobile started to ring again. Si switched on his bedside light.

‘Steph you may as well answer the phone. Because if you don’t, it’s going to keep ringing. And I for one would like to get some sleep.’

Steph snatched up the mobile. The caller display said
Barry H
. Bugger.

‘Hello?’

‘Steffy! I sent you a text darling but you didn’t respond.’

Barry’s voice was very loud in Steph’s ear. Most of the time her mobile gave her crackly calls that broke up or disconnected through black spots. But it was The Law of Sod that right now she had the clearest connection in the world. Steph was very aware of Si’s close proximity. What if he heard Barry’s conversation? She put the mobile to her other ear and leant away from Si.

‘I was in bed.’

‘Oh sorry. Have I disturbed you?’

‘Not at all.’

There was a pause. ‘You certainly disturb me Steffy.’

Steph swallowed. ‘Oh.’

‘I can’t stop thinking about you.’

‘That’s nice.’ Steph was aware that Si was shifting subtly toward her.

‘I just want you to know that you’re one hot lady. You’re very special to me Steffy. And tomorrow I want to show you just how special you are. Come over at eight.’

‘Excellent,’ Steph squeaked. ‘Well toodle-oo.’

Steph disconnected the call. She then turned off the mobile for good measure. She didn’t dare look at Si.

Chapter Fifty Two

The following morning, as Si shook cereal into a bowl, he decided to make no mention of Barry Hastings’ late night call to his wife. Steph was silently munching her way through cornflakes. She seemed to be fascinated by a speck on the table. Eye contact was at zero. But even the loaded atmosphere didn’t bother Si. Right now, his overriding concern was to remove Steph from the house before Melody surfaced. The last thing he needed was Steph putting two and two together. She would have a blue fit if she discovered Tom was dating Dawn’s daughter.

Steph had almost finished her cereal. Si shovelled cornflakes into his mouth as fast as he could. A minute later and Steph had put her cereal spoon down. Her bowl was empty. Si abandoned what was left in his bowl and shoved it to one side.

‘Do you want a lift to work?’ he broke the silence.

‘Won’t it take you out of your way?’

‘No. No. Not at all. Come on. Let’s go.’ Si jumped up, grabbed his keys and shot off into the hallway.

‘Hang on,’ said Steph, ‘I think I’ll fetch my coat. It’s not so warm today.’

‘I’ll get it!’ Si was taking the stairs two at a time before Steph had barely finished her sentence. Moments later he was pounding back down them again. ‘Here you are,’ Si thrust a jacket at his wife. ‘Come on.’

‘What’s the rush?’ Steph frowned. ‘Frightened Amanda might turn up again?’

Si ignored the jibe. He just wanted to be inside the sanctuary of his van. Away from Melody. Moments later he roared out of Jessamine Terrace in a cloud of exhaust.

It was only now, as Si watched his wife walk through Tesco’s automatic doors that he relaxed. But only slightly. There was a lot to oversee today. And the plans buzzing through his mind weren’t work related. Si hit the van’s accelerator. As he threaded his way through Saturday morning traffic, he reflected on Barry Hastings’ late night call to Steph. Si had heard every word. How Barry couldn’t stop thinking about Steph. How Steph
disturbed
him. That she was
hot. Special
. Si winced as he recalled the next bit. That Barry wanted to
show
Steph just how special she was. At his apartment no less. Like a poisoned arrow, every word had pierced his heart. And how the poison had spread. Si felt as though his whole body were polluted. How dare another man pursue his wife with sweet words of crap designed to get her into bed. Si could forgive Steph because she believed she was a wronged wife. And she was naive. But Barry Hastings wasn’t. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And no way was Si letting Barry Hastings lead Steph like a lamb to the slaughter.

It was only when Si had parked at The Nut and Squirrel that he discovered Steph’s mobile phone on the passenger seat. It must have fallen out of her jacket. How very fortuitous. Si pocketed the phone. Locking the van, he went inside the pub.

‘Morning mate,’ Terry came out of the new rest room. ‘I want you to–’

‘Be right back,’ Si walked off to the bar area.

‘Flamin’ Nora Si! What are you up to now?’

Si ignored Terry. He knew he was skating on thin ice as far as this job went. But he didn’t care. His marriage was more important. Ahead Si could see Dawn polishing glasses.

‘Morning Dawn.’

‘Hello pet. You look like a man with a bee up your backside.’

‘I am. Two things. Firstly, did your daughter come home last night?’

Dawn put down a glass. ‘As it happens, no. She texted me to say she was staying at a girlfriend’s house. Why?’

Si nodded. ‘I have a girl in my house that’s a dead ringer for you twenty years ago. She’s called Melody. And she’s currently in bed with my son.’

Dawn picked up the glass and carried on polishing. ‘Don’t fret. It won’t last.’

‘I’m not fretting. Just warning you that when Steph susses it out, fur could fly.’

‘How is Mike Tyson?’ Dawn pursed her lips.

It never failed to amaze Si how bitchy women could be. ‘On the brink of having an affair. And I need your help to stop it.’

Dawn nearly dropped the glass she was polishing. ‘My help?’

‘That’s right. Do you go on Facebook?’

‘Of course. Everybody goes on Facebook Si.’

Si grunted. ‘I don’t. Clearly I’m out of touch.’

‘Just a bit,’ Dawn grinned. ‘I go on it all the time. I can even access it from my mobile phone. Why?’

‘Because I want you to check out a guy called Barry Hastings.’

‘There are probably loads of people with that name.’

‘This one is blond. Mid forties. Good looking.’

Dawn visibly perked up. ‘I don’t mind checking out handsome men.’

‘I want you to do more than that. I want you to seduce him.’

Dawn banged the glass down on the bar top. ‘Now look here Si. What sort of girl do you think I am?’

‘Sassy. And gorgeous. Perfect to dazzle Barry Hastings. You don’t have to go the whole hog with him. But I want you to lure that man away from my wife.’

Dawn gave Si an assessing look. She was silent for a moment. ‘I see. So what you’re saying is...you want to use me as a honey trap?’

Si winked. ‘Clever girl.’

‘But I don’t know anything about this Barry Hastings. What if he’s a lunatic?’

‘I won’t be far away. Any problem, I’ll rescue you.’

‘Give me one good reason why I should do this.’

‘Because you’re one of the causes for my marriage hitting the skids. It’s payback time baby. Call it karma.’

‘Oh for–’ Dawn sighed. ‘So when does this plan get put into action?’

‘As of right now. First things first, get on Facebook. Find Barry Hastings and put in a friend request. Send a message saying that you went to Blackfen Primary School and want to re-connect with old friends.’

‘And then?’

‘Arrange a meeting. For tonight.’

‘Si, if you don’t mind me saying, this is ridiculous. What if he doesn’t go on Facebook very often? He might not pick up my friend request until next week.’

‘In which case we move on to Plan B.’

Dawn rolled her eyes. ‘Go on.’

‘You still meet him tonight. It’s just that there won’t be any introduction. It will be more like,’ Si paused while he considered, ‘cold calling. But we’ll cross that bridge if and when we come to it. Meanwhile–’

‘Meanwhile,’ Terry’s voice sounded in Si’s ear, ‘I’d like some plumbing done.’

Si nodded. He followed Terry back to the new function suite. ‘Meanwhile,’ he called over his shoulder to Dawn, ‘do that friend request.’

Chapter Fifty Three

Dawn went into the Ladies powder room. She dumped her handbag on the edge of the washbasin. Digging inside its squashy depths, she extracted her mobile phone. Seconds later she was on Facebook.

Dawn pondered why she was doing this. She felt partly responsible that Si’s marriage had hit the rocks. But then again, strong marriages didn’t flounder at the first bit of skirt testing its boundaries. Dawn had flirted with a lot of married men. And taken a few of them to her bed too. She hadn’t felt particularly guilty either. At her age, any man she met was either married or divorced. And both factions usually had a truckload of emotional baggage trailing in their wake. If a man had reached the age of forty without marrying or divorcing, in her opinion there was something wrong with him.

Dawn typed
Blackfen Primary School
into the search box. Two hundred and seventy eight members. That narrowed things down considerably. As she slowly tapped in the letters spelling out Barry Hastings’ name, Dawn wondered why Si’s wife was on the brink of an affair. True, Steph had been as mad as a hornet discovering her husband in a compromising situation with a naked woman. But nothing had happened. And as for this mysterious Amanda woman – Dawn was one hundred per cent sure Si was blameless. So why didn’t Steph believe her husband’s innocence? Perhaps Steph was simply looking for an excuse to have an affair herself.

Barry Hastings’ profile picture winked into view. Dawn sucked in her breath. She silently applauded Steph on bagging such a gorgeous guy. Poor Si. Despite him being immune to Dawn’s charms, or maybe because of it, Si had soared in Dawn’s estimation. What she wouldn’t give for a loyal husband like him, battling to keep his wife. Barry Hastings might be beautiful eye candy, but Dawn could tell the man was trouble at ten paces. After years of jaundiced experience, she was a seasoned pro. She’d developed a nose for these things. Dawn didn’t feel perturbed that she was participating in a plan to lure Barry away from Steph. After all, Steph already had a man. A very nice man.

Dawn selected Friend Request and typed a personal message.
Hello Barry. I very briefly went to Blackfen Primary School. You may not remember me. However, I certainly remember you! Would love to get together. Hope to hear from you soon. Kiss kiss.

Now all she had to do was play the waiting game. Dawn checked her reflection in the mirror and re-applied some lipstick. Picking up the phone, she checked the screen. Good heavens. That was quick. Her friend request had been accepted. What did Si want her to do now?

Swinging out of the Ladies, Dawn sought out Si. He was down on his hands and knees fiddling with some pipe work. Dawn waggled her phone in front of Si’s eyes.

‘Bingo.’

Si froze. ‘Quick work. Well done.’ Si studied the screen. ‘What does this number mean?’