Players, Bumps and Cocktail Sausages (2 page)

Her bag was on the kitchen table. I got told off for leaving stuff on there, my surf board mostly, but her bag, new shoes, make-up and umbrella was fine – inequality at its bloody finest. The bag was open. If she left it open she was inviting people to look, and if I didn’t touch anything, technically, I wasn’t going through her things.

I peered in and saw the usual crap women kept in bags and a watch box. Armani watch at that, not a shabby one. My stepdad, Miles’ birthday present no doubt. I hoped.

Standing back, I took a swig of my beer. There was nothing incriminating. Maybe it really was all in my messed up head.

“Babe, I’m going now,” she said, grabbing her bag off the table and kissing my cheek. “You’re sure you don’t mind? Perhaps we can do something the day after tomorrow? Or we can stop off in a bar after Miles’ party tomorrow? I feel like we never spend time together anymore.”

Oh, whose fault is that!

“Sure. Day after tomorrow sounds good. I volunteered us to look after Everleigh tomorrow night.”

Abby smiled. “Yeah? That sounds great. We can rent a Disney film and make popcorn. Let her have a late night.” Abby loved having Everleigh over. She wanted a kid as much as I did; we couldn’t wait to be parents but recently she’d spoken less about it.

“She’ll love that.”

“Good. I gotta run. Love you.”

“Love you too.” I watched my wife walk out to spend her Friday night with people who were not me again and sighed. I didn’t care that she was going out. I cared that her going out made things different between us. I was now the one that she fit into a tiny slot in her schedule, rather than her friends. She might as well be married to her job and colleagues.

What the hell was I doing waiting in every night while my wife is out having fun? Shaking my head at how whipped I really was, I pulled my mobile from my pocket and dialled Brad’s number.

“Jasper, ‘sup?”

“Wanna go out and get shitfaced?”

He chuckled. “I’m in. I’ll drop Ben and Cole a text and meet you at the pub in thirty.”

I snorted. Like Cole would go.

“Right.”

I hung up and went to have my own shower and spend the night getting wasted with the guys. I love my wife, but I sure as hell wasn’t sitting around for her. If she didn’t give a crap about our marriage, which was clearly in trouble, then why the hell should I?

Chapter Two

I walked into the bar and Cole, Ben and Brad sat on a table in the corner. Well fuck me, the pussy came out! “Let you out then, did she?” I said to Cole as I sat down and took the unnatural green-coloured shot that was waiting for me.

He rolled his eyes. “So what’s Abby done that’s caused me to leave my horny wife at–”

“Cole, I swear to God if you finish that sentence…”

He lifted his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head.

“My sister’s clothes stay on.”

“Yes, Jasper. Everleigh was an immaculate conception.”

I nodded my head. “That’s what I thought.” I was even more protective with my little sister than my mum, but then I had never caught Oakley and Cole, so it was easier to pretend it didn’t go on. I shuddered at the future therapy memory.

“Seriously, what’s going on?” Brad asked, checking his phone again.

“Who’re you sexting?” Ben asked.

My eyebrow arched. “Did you just say sexting? Are you fifteen?”

Ben held his hands up. “That’s what it’s called.”

“Stop trying to keep up with the kids, man, it’s over.”

“Alright!” Brad said. “I’m not
sexting
anyone. My sister’s home from uni for summer and doing my head in. She’s bored and apparently has no friends here any more. Well, not any that are in the country until next week.”

“Invite her to join us,” Ben said.

“I don’t think I’ll be doing that.”

“Either invite her or keep replying to her all night,” he replied.

I was going to point out how this was a boys’ night, but we technically hadn’t said anything about it only being us guys.

“Is she even old enough to get in?” I asked.

“She’s twenty, Jasper.”

“You’re shitting me! Holly’s twenty now?”

“I shit you not.”

I sank back in my chair, feeling like a grandad. The last time I saw her was shortly after I met Brad when we moved back to England, about five years ago. She was a teenager that wore too much eyeliner, spent her life glued to her mobile and was so painfully shy she barely spoke to anyone outside her friends and family. Now she was twenty and at uni.

“She’s coming,” Brad said as his phone beeped again.

I turned my nose up.

“Great, we’re babysitting tonight.”

“She’s twenty, Jasper,” Cole said.

“Right, five years older than my sister was.”

“What the fuck does that have to do with Holly?” he asked, shaking his head.

“It has everything to do with everything whenever I want to bring it up.” He laughed and took a swig of beer. “Now can we please get me shitfaced?”

“What’s going on with Abby? Kerry said you’re pissed off she’s always out,” Ben asked, eager to change the subject.

“Your wife talks too much,” I replied. Did everyone know about Abby barely staying at home in the evenings anymore?

Ben nodded. “Spill.”

“No. Women talk. Men drink, so, Cole, it’s your round.”

“I’d ask why it’s my turn first, but I have a feeling it’s to do with the fact that I’m sleeping with your sister.” He smirking as he got up and walked to the bar. “You need to get over that, by the way,” he called over his shoulder.

Not likely.

Ten minutes later, Brad pulled out a chair. “Hey, Hol,” he said.

I looked up and apart from being a bit older Holly hadn’t changed much at all. She still wore dark eye make-up that would scare the shit out of you if you woke up beside it – the panda eyes would be immense. She did have a rockin’ body though – mostly hidden under a long top – and no longer dressed like she was on the set of a Marilyn Manson video as much.

“Holly,” I said.
Good job growing up, minus the make-up thing.

She smiled and blushed. Still just as shy.

“Hi, Jasper. Hey, Ben.”

“Alright,” Ben replied and stood. “What’re you drinking? Cole’s just gone up.”

“Um, vodka and lemonade, please?”

He nodded and took off to the bar.

“Thanks for inviting me; I was going crazy at home with mum and dad.”

“Just don’t embarrass me,” Brad replied.

“Whoa, let’s not be so hasty,” I said. “Share with the group, Holly. Has he ever done anything like getting his old chap stuck in a hoover?”

Holly’s cheeks flamed, and Brad frowned.

“Jesus. What’s wrong with you, Jasper?”

I laughed.

“That’s a yes. So, what’s uni like? I really hope it’s all American Pie. Do you get a lot of action?”

Her eyes widened.

“Oh, are you a virgin?”

“Jasper, for fuck sake!” Brad punched my arm. “You are, though, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t help the big grin on my face as Holly looked down at the table. I couldn’t work out if she was and embarrassed – which she shouldn’t be anyway – or she wasn’t and didn’t want to talk about it in front of her brother.

Cole – inadvertently becoming Holly’s saviour – returned to the table with a tray with far too many drinks for five people. Holly blushed again.

“Thank you,” she said as she took her drink from Cole.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, not even noticing her pink cheeks.

“Shots. Three for Jasper and two for the rest of us. Holly, I got you some too but if you don’t want to take them Jasper will.”

“Oh, will he?” I replied sarcastically.

Cole held his hands up. “You asked us to get you shitfaced.”

“I did. Hand them over.” I was getting drunk because my wife was off with God knows who again. I hadn’t met all of her colleagues. Well I had, but I never paid any attention to them because they all seemed boring. Apparently I wasn’t giving them a chance because I had only met them at the school where she worked, and they were fun outside it. I hadn’t failed to notice how I never got invited out with them to witness said fun.

“I’m not really a shots kind of girl,” Holly said and smiled at me. “You can have mine.”

I narrowed my eyes. Were you even allowed into uni if you didn’t do shots?

“Thanks.” I lined my five up and took them one after another. “The hell is this, Cole?”

He shrugged. “I asked for eleven of their strongest shots.”

Jesus did they give him paint stripper?

Holly sipped her drink. She definitely wasn’t doing the uni thing properly.

“So, what is tonight in aid of?”

“Jasper’s having wife issues,” Cole replied.

“Oh,” she said, wincing. “Sorry, Jasper.”

I shrugged.

“You’re married now too, right?” she asked Cole.

He nodded. “Two and a half months.”

“Congratulations.”

Cole smiled in response and got that blissful look on his face.

“I bet you know the hours, too.” I sneered.

He stuck his middle finger up, and I laughed. Yeah, he definitely did.

“Anyway, I thought I said no more talk of women and marriages? Holly, tonight you’re a man.”

“Thanks,” she said sarcastically.

“Sorry, I just mean I don’t want any girlie talk.”

“Not really a girlie girl,” she replied.
Yeah, I can tell.
She was a good girl that was still half living in a badly done rebellious phase. Growing up she would dress like she wanted to rebel but never actually did anything wrong. It was like she didn’t know who she was yet. Although, who was I to judge? I wasn’t really sure I knew who I was any more, either.

Things were easier when I was happily married, but now I didn’t know what Abby wanted, I didn’t know what I wanted. Well that wasn’t true. I did know: I wanted to have kids and grow old with my wife. But I couldn’t if she wanted something or someone else.

“Cole, more shots,” Ben said.

Brad stood. “I’ll get these.”

“When do you go back then?” I asked Holly.

She scooted over and sat on Brad’s chair, next to me as the DJ turned up the music.

“Not until October, so I have a long, boring summer here.”

Almost four months off! She didn’t know how damn lucky she was; I wish I got that much time off work. How the hell could universities charge so much money when you were hardly there?

“Where are your friends?”

“I didn’t have many friends in high school, and the ones I did have either settled down or moved away. I’m catching up with Amy when she’s back from Tenerife soon though.”

Do I know who Amy is?
“Right,” I replied, not knowing what to say.

“Well your brother’s coming to my stepdad’s barbecue on Friday. Come too, if you want.”

“Yeah? He wouldn’t mind?”

“Nope.” Miles was too laid back to care if I brought an elephant along with me. My mum, however…

Mum would love Holly. In a way, Holly reminded me a little of Oakley – the shyness and how she looked almost as if she would shatter if you shouted boo at her.

“Thank you.”

I shrugged. “No worries.”

“So… do you want to talk about your wife issues?”

I arched my eyebrow. “You’re going to give me advice? Have you ever been in a relationship?”

Her cheeks reddened.

“Thought not.”

“I have a while ago, but it wasn’t really serious, we were together for eight months before school finished, and uni is really full on.”

“Of course it is. Holly, you don’t have to be embarrassed, you’re still really young.”

“I’m not embarrassed.” Then why did you go beetroot? “Anyway, if Brad tells me correctly, you’ve not exactly had any meaningful relationships apart from Abby.”

“What the hell has he told you?” I asked, smiling tightly.

“That you slept around and broke hearts.”

I held my finger up.

“Uh-uh. I may not have been a
good boy
, but I never promised anyone anything. They knew the score as well as I did. It was just sex.”

“Such class,” Ben said, shaking his head. I glared but let it go.

Now I wasn’t exactly proud of sleeping with as many women as I had – sixty-eight – but I wasn’t exactly ashamed either. Sure I would have preferred Abby to not have cheated on me when we were teens, ripped my heart out and left me an empty mess, but she did, and then I slept around. But that was in the past, and I had no desire to go back to that.

“I think it’s sweet that you changed so much for your wife,” Holly said, sipping her drink as if she was afraid it was the last one she would ever get.

Technically I had changed because of Abby twice. And I really wanted this to be it.

“Yeah or pathetic.” Ben grinned. “Although not as pathetic as Cole.”

“Good,” I said, “because Oakley deserves the best.” And the most pathetically in love idiot, I added in my head. She deserved someone that was willing to wait for a thousand years for her.

“Aw. The nicest thing Brad has ever said about me is that I’m not that ugly,” Holly said.

Ben laughed, and I felt like I should have said something to explain, but I didn’t want to bring up the past. Tonight was supposed to be fun and what had happened to my sister made me violently angry.

Me and Oakley were close, and I would die for her in a heartbeat. We’d been through something that meant we could never have a distant brother/sister relationship, not that I wanted that anyway. My mum, sister and niece were three people I would kill for, no questions asked.

“Brad’s a dick. You’re definitely not ugly,” Ben said. She definitely wasn’t, but no one found their sibling attractive – well, some probably did, but those were the people that would have eleven-fingered children.

Holly blushed at Ben’s back-handed compliment and muttered a shy, “Thank you.”

“God you and Brad are so different. You sure you’re related?” I said.

“Hold up,” Ben said, “you and Oakley couldn’t be more different either. She’s smart, beautiful, funny, and you’re....”

“Thank you,” I said sarcastically. “Anyway, can we please cut the small talk and get me so drunk I can’t even remember my own name?”