Secrets (17 page)

Chapter Forty-Three

The CN Tower’s glass floor nearly had Janey fainting on the spot. Hovering over the transparent edge, she was instantly engulfed with vertigo. Every nerve-end in her body screamed at her to stand back, even though her eyes told her otherwise. Families with laughing children were stomping all over the see-through floor, relishing the illusion of being suspended over the city far, far below.

Clive addressed his party, limply clapping his hands together for attention. ‘Believe it or not, this floor is just two-and-a-half inches thick.’

‘That’s done it,’ Janey muttered. ‘I’m definitely staying off.’

‘Coward,’ Garth whispered back.

‘The scuff plate has a depth of just three-eighths of an inch,’ Clive beamed. ‘It actually has to be replaced every year.’

‘He’s not making me feel any better,’ Janey grimaced.

Clive clocked Janey’s anxious expression. ‘Don’t worry, sweets. I promise you, load tests are performed every year to ensure ongoing safety. The glass is actually strong enough to hold thirty-five moose.’

Janey glanced at Garth. The guy was so huge he was a bit like the human equivalent of a moose. She had a mental vision of thirty-five Garths laid head-to-toe over the glass area, and instantly wanted to hurl herself into the image. She felt so safe around him – not to mention hot and bothered again. She backed away from Garth, who misunderstood her body language.

‘Oh no you don’t, gorgeous.’

Moments later he’d effortlessly scooped her up and into his arms. As he strode across the glass panels, Janey swallowed a scream. She clung to him, her heart pounding wildly. She wasn’t sure if her erratic pulse was fear related, or simply because she was in Garth’s arms.

‘I warned you,’ he reminded her. ‘I said if you failed to go on the glass floor, the cocktails were on you.’

‘I-I don’t th-think Emma would approve,’ Janey said through chattering teeth.

Garth frowned. ‘What has you buying me a drink got to do with Emma?’

‘W-well everything…surely.’

But Garth wasn’t listening. ‘Rich,’ he shouted. ‘Leave Ruth alone for two minutes and take a photo of Janey and me.’

‘Oooh, that’s a cracking pose,’ said Rich. He released Ruth and pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘I’ll take a pic of you both on condition you do exactly the same for me and Ruthie. Where’s your camera?’

‘Use my mobile. It’s in my jeans pocket.’

‘I’ll get it!’ Clive trilled, almost shoving Rich out of the way. ‘I’ve never done this to anybody as big as you, Garth.’

‘Not that pocket!’

‘Silly me. Now I’ll have to touch you all over again.’

‘If you could just stick to feeling the phone, Clive, that would be fab.’

‘Don’t be cheeky,’ Clive grinned. ‘Got it! Here you are, Rich. When you’ve finished snapping Janey in Garth’s arms, you can do one of me in the same pose. After all, I’ve got to have something to make the boyfriend back home jealous.’

‘Are you saying I look like a–?’

‘Careful, Garthie. Don’t offend me.’

‘Okay, I’ll rephrase that. Are you saying I look a bit…soft?’

‘Au contraire, sweets. After foraging down your trousers I can confirm there’s nothing soft about you.’

Despite Janey’s angst about the glass floor, she found herself getting incredibly giggly. By the time they’d all taken pictures of each other including photographing their feet in a circle over apparent thin air, it was time to go to the Sky Terrace.

‘Who’s up for feeling the breeze and walking around the tower’s edge?’ asked Clive.

Despite lots of swagger by James and Rich, when it came to the crunch, they opted out. Instead they all watched in fascination the few tourists who were game. A small group of men and women were strapped into suits and harnesses. Leaning outwards over the city below, slowly they circumnavigated the terrace’s edge using just the balls of their feet.

‘I wouldn’t do that for a million pounds,’ Janey said to Garth. ‘Would you?’

Garth shook his head. ‘No!’

‘What if I said I was a genie,’ she teased, ‘and I’d grant you one wish
providing
you did the sky walk?’

Garth’s expression instantly changed. ‘I’d do it like a shot,’ he said softly.

Oh well done, Janey. You walked right into that one, didn’t you
! ‘Sorry,’ she apologised. ‘I forgot…about…,’ she shrugged, ‘you know.’

‘No harm done,’ said Garth lightly.

Miserably, Janey turned her attention back to the sky walkers. If the same genie materialised out of thin air and said Garth could be hers provided she did the sky walk, she’d do it without hesitation. Even without the harness! And that was when Janey realised she was hopelessly in love.

Chapter Forty-
Four

Back on the ground, the Canada Companions split up. Janey and Garth chose to walk alongside the marina. They strolled past moored speedboats and scores of multi-coloured kayaks. After half an hour or so, they stopped at an elegant café. It had a huge ornate atrium from which vast hanging baskets were suspended. The air was filled with the perfume of their glorious blooms which frothed upward and outward like the café’s cappuccinos served by popular demand. Janey looked around and pondered why everything in the Americas was twice the size of that back home. Even the flowers seemed enormous.

‘You find us both a table,’ said Garth. ‘I’ll get the coffees.’

Janey chose a quiet spot at the back of the café. It had a direct view of the lake. A bunch of pre-teens were finishing off their kayaking tuition and being guided in by an instructor. Janey watched as they shrugged off their life jackets and high-fived each other. Oh, to be twelve again and so carefree. Janey couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt like that. She’d carried burdens on her shoulders for too long. There was always something weighing her down – like Susie and her princess demands for loans and a job, or the responsibility of Little Cobbleton’s school children, or trying to protect her parents from the fall-out over the wedding-that-never-was. Now she was carrying the burden of loving another man who, regrettably, loved another woman. Janey sighed. She felt momentarily defeated by the hand life had currently dealt her.

Oh stop feeling sorry for yourself. There are people out in the world who are starving to death, or dying of thirst, or unfairly being held hostage in some grimy prison. They’d trade their lives with yours in a trice
.

‘You’re frowning,’ said Garth. He placed two frothy cappuccinos on the table. ‘My mother always says it’s bad to frown. It leaves creases between your eyebrows.’

‘Your mother is right,’ said Janey. She picked up a sachet of brown sugar and sprinkled it over the froth. The crystals glittered on the surface for a moment before sinking into the liquid. Janey gave the coffee a brisk stir. ‘There’s always Botox I suppose.’

‘Why would somebody as lovely as you want to consider poison like that?’

For a moment Janey basked in the compliment, but then she put down her spoon and gave Garth a direct look.

‘Is Emma lovely?’

Garth raised his eyebrows. ‘Emma? Well, she’s…pleasant looking.’

‘Just pleasant?’

‘If you like that sort of thing.’

‘Well clearly you did. After all, you both became lovers in forty-eight hours.’

‘Er, yes we did. But…it just kind of…happened.’

‘Do you think you were manipulated?’

Garth considered. ‘Yeah,’ he nodded. ‘I look back and can see I was used. I was a substitute for my brother.’

‘Adrian.’

‘The very one and same.’ Garth gave a tight smile. ‘But the stupid thing is I still love my bro.’

‘And Emma too. Obviously.’

‘Janey, I don’t trust myself to talk about my feelings for Emma.’

Janey recoiled. The rebuke was gentle enough, but that was exactly what it was – a warning to back off. She had an overwhelming thirst for knowledge about the woman who held Garth enthralled. How old was Emma? What did she look like? Was she tiny like a beautiful fairy, or tall and willowy like a super-model? Like a wife who’d discovered her husband having an affair, Janey wanted every last detail about her rival. For that is what she saw Emma as.

Garth gazed at the milky fluff on his coffee. Opening up and telling Janey his story had been something he’d had to do. He was fully aware of the shift in their friendship and he didn’t want any secrets between them. After that no-good Jake breaking her heart, Garth knew Janey was fragile. She was like a beautiful butterfly that needed handling with care. He didn’t want to discuss his feelings about Emma in case terrible words spewed out of his mouth like molten hot lava. Oh he had feelings for Emma, all right. And they mostly weren’t very nice.

Chapter Fo
rty-Five

Later that evening, as the Canada Companions were finishing dinner, Garth invited Janey out for cocktails.

‘Thanks, but it’s a no. After all,’ Janey pointed out, ‘I did go on the glass floor at the CN Tower.’ After the earlier awkwardness about Emma, she wanted to make things right again between them. At the same time though, she didn’t want to accept Garth’s invitation and then drink too much alcohol. The cocktails here were lethal. Heaven knew what affect they’d have on her heightened emotions, especially when she now needed to keep a tight lid on her feelings. Janey had a sudden mental picture of getting hopelessly drunk and launching herself at Garth, begging him to forget about Emma and let she, Janey, kiss every part of him better. The very idea was beyond appalling.

‘Are you sure? I was hoping to get you blotto and find out your deepest, darkest secrets.’

Janey looked horrified. If Garth knew what she’d just been thinking he’d run a mile in the opposite direction. She wanted some time to herself to nurse her heavy heart and get over Garth. She felt it quite ridiculous there was a need to “get over” a man with whom nothing had even happened.

‘I need to do some shopping,’ she blurted.
Excellent idea, Janey! Men hate shopping, so Garth will leave you to your own devices
.

‘What, as in souvenir shopping?’

‘Good heaven’s no! As in serious shop-until-you-drop Designer shopping. I’ve promised myself at least one beautiful handbag from Canada. I’m going to take a walk up Yonge Street.’

Garth frowned. ‘Yonge Street doesn’t seem to be the most salubrious place. Have you seen the amount of kids off their heads along there?’

‘No,’ Janey shook her head. ‘Just the odd homeless person sitting cross-legged on the pavement.’ She sighed. ‘And here’s me thinking of blowing hundreds of dollars on something hideously expensive. Now I feel guilty.’

‘Hey, you don’t know their stories. A lot of them are drug addicts or drunks. They’ve chosen to live on the streets. Even so, I don’t like the idea of you walking up there alone. Tell you what. I’ll come shopping with you.’

‘Oh, no, really, you don’t have to. You’ll be bored out of your brains.’

‘Nonsense.’

‘Excuse me for butting in,’ said Amanda from across the table. ‘But I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation. Are you going to those fancy shops at the top of Yonge Street?’

‘We are,’ said Garth.

‘Ooh, wonderful. James and I will come with you. We’ve promised to buy each other something memorable.’ Amanda turned to Rich and Ruth. ‘Do you two fancy a spot of posh shopping?’

‘Sounds blissful,’ said Ruth dreamily. ‘However, I’m not sure Richie feels the same way.’ She turned to her beau with a disarming smile. ‘Would you mind terribly, my darling Boo Bear, if we joined them?’

‘Anything for you, my precious flower,’ said Rich.

Janey felt slightly nauseated at the thought of two loved-up couples trailing in her wake. So much for distancing herself from romance and collecting her thoughts.

‘That’s settled then,’ said Garth pushing back his chair. ‘Come on you lot. What are we waiting for!’

***

The walk up Yonge Street took a good twenty minutes. The pavements were heaving with both tourists, locals, and a liberal dollop of oddbods. Janey jumped as a young teenage boy erupted out of a side street and demanded money. He was sweating and shaking, and his speech was littered with profanities. Garth had been carrying a bottle of mineral water. He offered it to the boy.

‘Here. Go and sober up, matey.’

‘That’s not the sort of drink I’m after, you giant dickhead.’

‘Well it’s all you’re getting off me,’ said Garth firmly. He took Janey by the arm. ‘Come on, ignore him.’

Ruth and Rich, trailing nervously behind, followed more closely in Garth’s wake.

‘Did you see his eyes?’ asked Ruth with a shudder. ‘He looked like he was possessed.’

‘Indeed,’ James agreed. He scurried after Ruth and Rich, Amanda hanging onto his free arm. She looked thoroughly disconcerted.

‘There’s so many young folk around here who are completely off their trolleys. What has them dropping out of society and living such a crazy existence?’

‘Who knows?’ Garth shrugged. ‘I feel sorry for them, but they have to want to help themselves before anybody else can help them.’

Further up Yonge Street, an emaciated man was sitting cross-legged on the pavement. A fed-up looking dog was sprawled across the man’s skinny legs. On the pavement a cup of coins was set next to a sign.
We Are Hungry
.

‘I’m sorry everybody,’ said Janey, ‘but I can’t walk past this guy and his dog without giving something.’ She fished in her bag for her purse. ‘At least he doesn’t appear to be off his rocker.’

Garth put a hand on hers. ‘You’re right. But rather than give him money, how about we buy him some grub? Give me a mo.’

‘Where are you going?’ James asked. But he was talking to Garth’s back.

Minutes later Garth was back with a loaded plastic tray. ‘Here,’ he said to Janey. ‘Give him this.’

‘Me?’ said Janey in surprise. She stared down at the tray’s contents. It contained several paper-wrapped burgers, chicken nuggets, packets of chips and two huge cartons of drink – cola for the vagrant and water for the dog. ‘What if he bites me?’

‘I don’t think he’s got any teeth.’

‘I meant the dog,’ said Janey crossly.

‘So did I,’ said Garth innocently. ‘Well go on then.’ Garth gave her a little push. ‘What are you waiting for?’

Janey looked around the group. They were all watching her expectantly. She suddenly felt afraid. After that nutty young lad, what if the vagrant leapt up and spat on her? Or the dog took a chunk out of her ankle?

‘Do you want me to come with you?’ asked Ruth kindly.

‘N-no. I’ll be fine.’

Decision made, Janey took the tray from Garth and marched over to the tramp and his filthy dog.

‘Excuse me, sir?’ she quavered. The dog wagged its tail tiredly as the man raised rheumy eyes to hers. ‘Me and my friends over there…we wondered if you’d like this?’

The tramp’s grubby face split into a wide grin. ‘Bless you,’ he whispered. ‘Bless your little heart.’ And with that he put two dirty hands to his mouth, kissed them and made a blowing gesture to Janey. She promptly burst into tears.

‘Sorry,’ she muttered as she set the tray down on the pavement. ‘So sorry.’

Janey didn’t know whether she was saying sorry for the man’s predicament of being homeless, sorry for his only friend in life being a manky dog, or sorry for doubting that he was simply a human being with his own set of troubles. Either way, she felt ashamed at doubting the tramp’s reaction. She was about to apologise again, when she realized the man had lost interest in her. He’d fallen upon the meal like the starving person he clearly was, sharing it equally with his hungry dog. Straightening up, she left them to their dinner and slowly walked back to the others.

‘Are you all right, love?’ Amanda asked. She put an arm around Janey’s shoulders. ‘You were very brave.’

‘I’m okay.’ Janey swiped some tears away from her face. ‘And I just want everybody to know that he was an absolutely lovely man.’

‘He didn’t look particularly lovely,’ sniffed James.

‘Well that’s how much you know!’ Janey cried.

‘Sorr-ee!’ said James looking put out.

Janey knew it was guilt at her own initial judgment making her snap at James because he’d jumped to the same conclusion she initially had.

‘Okay, let’s just all take a moment,’ said Garth. ‘There are emotional casualties in all walks of life. The important thing is we just made a small difference. So let’s leave it at that, eh?’

Janey and James nodded. Just to show James didn’t have any hard feelings, he high-fived her. They carried on walking up Yonge Street where the road met up with an intersection very different to that behind them. This new street was lined with huge designer shops all jostling for attention. Vast glass-fronted buildings were brightly lit. Artfully arranged shelves displayed expensive goods, from suits worn by David Beckham to handbags carried by Victoria. It was all there.

‘Be careful, girls,’ said Rich. ‘Clive told us to watch out for pickpockets along here.’

Janey’s grip tightened on her tote bag. Joe, her brother, had picked it up on a jaunt to Turkey with Sanjay. The boys had come home loaded with fake goodies. Janey loved her dark brown-and-tan handbag with its nude leather straps and famous monogram. She’d squealed with delight when Joe had given it to her, saying she felt like the bee’s knees. And she had. Until now. Peering into the window of this particular celebrated shop, she realized her bag looked exactly as it was. A cheap knock-off.

‘Too expensive for me,’ said Amanda. ‘There’s another shop further down that might be more in my budget.’

‘I’ll buy it for you,’ said James, squaring his shoulders.

‘Ooh, aren’t you lovely,’ Amanda cooed. ‘Come on then,’ she pushed open the door.

James looked aghast. ‘I…er…meant the other shop. The one further down.’

‘Oh,’ said Amanda trying not to look disappointed.

‘We’ll come with you,’ said Rich. ‘Ruthie says they do a lovely selection of colours in the other shop, plus she likes the decorative gold tag.’

Ruth looked like she was about to orgasm. ‘Oh! My! God!’ she squeaked. ‘This has to be the most exciting moment of my life – apart from meeting you, of course, Boo Bear.’

‘See you all in a bit then,’ said Garth. He turned to Janey. ‘Care to step this way, Madam?’ Janey shook her head. Prior to the incident with the tramp, she’d been up for splashing some cash. But not now. Just the thought of it made her feel uncomfortable. Garth looked perplexed. ‘I thought you wanted to buy one of these posh handbags?’

‘I did. But…’ her voice trailed off.

‘Well I want to buy one,’ said Garth determinedly.

For the first time since she’d walked away from the tramp, Janey laughed. ‘Whatever for?’

Garth paused. He gave her an honest look. ‘It’s for somebody special.’

Janey immediately regretted asking the question. Of course. Emma.

‘Lucky lady,’ she said lightly.

‘Want to help me?’

Janey shrugged. ‘Sure.’

The moment they were inside the shop, a coiffed woman in an immaculate suit greeted them. She clocked Janey’s fake tote and gave her a withering look. Turning to Garth, she switched on the charm.

‘If you want class, you’ve come to the right place,’ she purred. ‘Our bags are both classic and iconic. There is absolutely no mistaking their authenticity.’

Unlike mine
, Janey thought. She scowled at the shop assistant. ‘Actually,’ Janey piped up, ‘I think you should look at this one.’ She took Garth’s arm proprietarily. Leading him towards a floating transparent shelf she pointed to a box-shaped handbag. The style was one she’d always salivated over. Currently it was showcased within several beams of overhead spotlights.

‘Our most popular design,’ purred the shop assistant. She reached for the bag. Holding it reverently, she stroked the sides and ran a perfectly manicured finger along the strap.

‘Do you like it?’ Garth asked Janey.

Janey sighed. What was there not to like! ‘It’s nice enough,’ she said noncommittally. ‘Perhaps I should take a look inside just to be sure?’

‘Of course.’ The assistant was all smiles at Janey now. Taking it, Janey pretended to carefully examine the inner lining. Apparently satisfied, she then scrutinised the leather tag and the imprint on the gold zipper.
Oh for goodness sake, woman. What are you doing? Checking it’s the real deal when you have a poor imitation hanging off your arm
? She set the bag back down on the shelf and looked at Garth. ‘It’s perfect.’

‘Great.’ Garth nodded his approval. ‘I’ll take it.’

‘Excellent choice, sir.’ The assistant picked up the bag and sashayed over to the cash till, holding the bag aloft as if an undetonated bomb. It was set down carefully on the glass-topped desk. Moments later the assistant had carefully pushed it into a plush dust cover. Next, the whole thing was wrapped in layers of tissue paper. Finally, like fragile porcelain, Emma’s gift was in the store’s famous carrier.

‘Do you want to hold it or shall I?’ asked Garth.

Having just witnessed the price Garth had paid, Janey shrank away. He’d just parted with the best part of eight hundred pounds. No way did she want the responsibility of looking after it!

‘It’s all yours.’ She put her hands up, in a backing-off gesture. ‘The last thing I want is to put it down in an absent-minded moment, or have some thief snatch it from me.’

‘Fair comment,’ Garth shrugged. ‘Right, let’s find the rest of our party and see what they’ve been up to.’

Janey followed Garth out of the shop. She sighed wistfully. Lucky, lucky Emma. But Janey knew she would sacrifice a million designer handbags if it meant she could have Garth.