Stone Cold (12 page)

Stephen sighed. ‘It’s hard to forget about work, you know? Things aren’t going so well, case you hadn’t noticed. I’m sure this detective is a stand–up guy, but it’s hard to think about his problems when we’ve got so many of our own.’

‘We have problems?’

‘Me,’ Stephen corrected himself. ‘I have problems, at work. Keeps me awake at night.’

‘So talk to me about them. We’ve got all night.’

‘I need to be up early in the morning.’

‘If you’re not sleeping, you will be anyway.’

‘Very funny.’

‘We’ve got time right now, is all I’m saying,’ Kathryn said as she focused on the route ahead. ‘Tell me about it.’

Stephen rubbed his forehead with one hand. ‘It’s not interesting, just stuff going missing.’

‘Missing? You lost something?’

‘No, paperwork on deals, figures, files, crap like that. We need them to seal deals and nobody can find them. Where are we going?’

‘It’s a surprise.’

‘It’ll be a surprise if your car gets us there.’

‘It’s worth the risk,’ Kathryn replied. ‘Like I said, it’ll do us good to get out of the apartment. We can pretend we’re different people for the evening, enjoy ourselves for a change instead of worrying about everything.’

‘Jesus,’ Stephen uttered. ‘I’ll be worrying about starvation by then. Have you seen the traffic at this time of night?’

‘You’ll enjoy it all the more when we get there then,’ Kathryn said.

Stephen remained silent and still for several moments. The car was warming up nicely as Kathryn drove, and on an impulse she switched the radio on. A gentle lullaby of country music swelled from the dusty speakers set into the doors.

‘Why don’t you have a nap while I’m driving?’ she suggested. ‘You won’t be so tired when we get to the restaurant.’

Stephen did not reply, but she saw him lean back in his seat and close his eyes.

Kathryn drove through the galaxies of blazing streetlights, of queuing traffic and busy shop fronts. The blinking navigation lights of aircraft arriving and departing from the airport filled the sky ahead as she drove.

From time to time Kathryn glanced across at Stephen. Although his eyes were closed, she could tell by the depth of his breathing and the intermittent flickering of his eyeballs beneath the lids that he was not even remotely asleep. The fact that he could pretend to be so for such a long time without becoming bored surprised her immensely, and she wondered what thoughts were drifting through the vaults of his mind. Did he suspect already that she had uncovered his deception and lies?

Kathryn consoled herself with the thought that it didn’t matter much either way. Stephen was not here to enjoy himself. He was here to suffer.

Kathryn drove through the city centre, past the diners and the bars that were packed with teenagers, all with their lives stretching ahead of them. The bright lights and festival air hinted at the possibilities of the future, and of those that Kathryn had abandoned long ago. She gripped the steering wheel tighter as she drove on, and saw the signs for the restaurant she sought just up ahead. The place was called
Isaac’s
, and boasted a vast range of international cuisine, the kind of place where wealthy people went just to say they’d eaten squid, or octopus, or whatever the hell was fashionable to eat at the time. Stephen had eaten at
Isaac’s
twice with the other woman in the time that Kathryn had followed them here.

‘Which one are we going to?’ Stephen asked from beside her.

He was feigning coming awake from a doze, squinting his eyes and stretching his legs into the foot wells.

‘Just up here,’ Kathryn said. Stephen was already staring at the restaurant as though it were a North Korean labour camp.

Kathryn affected a disappointed tone. ‘Have you been here before?’

Stephen hesitated a moment before replying. ‘I think so, maybe once, with work.’

Kathryn pulled into the lot and parked, switching off the engine and getting out. The wind was bitterly cold as they walked to the restaurant entrance.

‘Do you have any idea how expensive this place is?’ Stephen asked.

‘Relax,’ Kathryn said. ‘I’m enjoying myself. Let’s not let money spoil the evening, okay?’

Stephen said no more, hurrying ahead to open the door for her. Kathryn smiled dutifully as she walked in and spoke to the girl at the desk regarding her reservation. Within moments they were led to a secluded table for two half way down the restaurant, which was dominated on one side by a wall of water flowing down a glass screen through vibrant and shimmering beams of light like rainbows.

‘Wow,’ Kathryn said and glanced at Stephen. ‘How could you forget being in here?’

Stephen glanced at the spectacular display. ‘Maybe it wasn’t here before. They’ve probably just sprung a leak.’

The waiter showed them to their seats, and as they sat down he looked at Stephen. ‘Nice to see you again, sir.’

Stephen looked up at the waiter. ‘And you.’

As the waiter turned away, Kathryn looked at Stephen. ‘I thought you said you hadn’t been here recently?’

‘I said it was a long time ago, with work I expect. They seem very professional, maybe they’re trained to remember people?’

‘Maybe,’ Kathryn said as though it didn’t matter. She surveyed the wine list, rueing her decision to drive.

They selected drinks and their courses, and as the waiter departed Kathryn looked at Stephen over the glowing candles and sparkling wine. For a moment, just the briefest instant, she could see them both as they had once been. New lovers, charged with excitement and the joy of each other’s company, each the centre of the other’s world.

‘So, what shall we talk about?’

Stephen shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

‘How about us?’

‘Us?’

‘Us.’

‘What about us?’

‘Where are we going, Stephen?’

‘Ah,’ Stephen said, and took a sip of his wine. ‘So that’s what this is all about.’

‘Shouldn’t it be?’ Kathryn replied. ‘We’ve been together for three years. I’ve got a job now, you’re employed at the very least. My studies are over. Maybe it’s time we started thinking about the future?’

Stephen eyed her from behind the candle flames. ‘In what way?’

Kathryn shrugged, enjoying herself. ‘Where do we want to be in another three years’ time? Where do you see our relationship going?’

Stephen swallowed. She could see it from the way the candlelight hit his throat. She couldn’t be sure if it was fear of being recognised by somebody or a genuine fear of the magnitude of her question. His discomfort entertained her immensely.

‘I’m not sure,’ Stephen replied. ‘I haven’t had much chance to think about it lately.’

‘Oh come on,’ Kathryn chided with a gentle smile. ‘All that driving, all those business trips? You must have had enough time to figure out the origin of the universe by now. Surely you must think about
us
sometimes?’

‘Well of course, but…’

‘And then there’s where we’re going to live,’ Kathryn interrupted smoothly. ‘I mean, I don’t suppose we’ll be living in that teeny little apartment for much longer now that we’re both earning.’

‘No, I don’t suppose we will, but…’

‘I was thinking of moving here.’ Kathryn gestured to the city outside the restaurant windows with an airy wave of her hand. She saw the tiniest flare of panic in Stephen’s eyes. ‘So much more lively, don’t you think?’

‘So much more expensive,’ Stephen replied, ‘and then there’s the commuting and…’

‘Children.’

Stephen’s eyes flew wide with alarm as though somebody had fired a live current between his buttocks. He stifled a cough. ‘Children?’

‘They’re like us,’ Kathryn said, ‘but smaller.’

A waiter carrying their starters appeared and bought Stephen some time. Kathryn leaned back in her seat as her
hors d’oeuvre
was placed before her. She didn’t really know what the term meant and didn’t care.

‘I hadn’t thought about that,’ Stephen managed to utter as the waiter left.

‘Is it too soon?’ Kathryn asked, affecting a concerned expression. ‘I mean, we’ve been together three years Stephen, it’s certainly crossed my mind that at some point we may like to start a family together.’

‘Well, of course, but…’

‘Which would mean we’d need a larger house,’ Kathryn went on, ‘depending on how many children we’re going to have. Some people say that two is perfect, you know, one of each, but I say throw caution to the wind and try for three. Which would mean we’d need at least four rooms, a decent back yard and…’

Stephen sat back and held up a hand. ‘Okay, slow down there just a minute.’

‘What?’

‘You’ll be discussing our retirement plans next. We’ve only been in the restaurant for ten minutes and you’re already planning an empire. Where’s all this coming from? And where’s the
money
for all this coming from, while we’re on the subject? You know that a child costs about a hundred thousand bucks to raise to the age of eighteen, right? So you’re already committing us to three hundred thousand, plus the new house. I’m guessing that’s a house in this city, right?’

‘Of course,’ Kathryn replied with a bright smile. ‘We need the best for our kids.’

Stephen chuckled and shook his head, glancing at the spectacular water display nearby. ‘So we’re in for eight hundred thousand before we’ve even finished the starter. Has it escaped your notice that we can’t even afford to replace your car?’

‘That’s
now
,’ Kathryn said as she popped a morsel of something that tasted a bit like pork into her mouth. ‘I’m talking about
later
, when we’re married.’

‘Oh,’ Stephen said, ‘forgive me. I’d forgotten about our white wedding and honeymoon in the Bahamas.’

‘You’re taking me to
the Bahamas
?!’ Kathryn almost leaped out of her chair and her voice carried right across the entire restaurant as she radiated delight. ‘Oh my god that would be fantastic! You see? You
have
been thinking about us!’

Stephen glanced left and right as panic fluttered across his features. The smiling faces of perhaps thirty or so other diners glowed back at him.

‘Well, I hadn’t actually…’

‘The Bahamas,’ Kathryn whispered, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Stephen and retook her seat, her smile as broad as the day was long. ‘And this white wedding you mentioned, how would you feel about it being in the Bahamas too and with a…?’

‘Look, Kathryn,’ Stephen said, forestalling her question with a raised hand. ‘I don’t know if we can afford to do anything like that right now, okay? I was just being sarc...’

‘Being
what
?’

Kathryn dropped the smile as though it was poisonous and glared at Stephen, daring him to speak another word. She let her eyes dance across the plates in front of them as though picking a suitable missile.

‘Romantic,’ Stephen replied. ‘I was being romantic, dreaming of what could be if we just had the money to do it.’

Kathryn kept her gaze on Stephen, revelling only in the warm buzz of excitement swirling in her belly. Her disappointment at Stephen’s retraction was not entirely faked. Truth be told, the idea of a lengthy vacation in the Bahamas was entirely agreeable with her. Minus the wedding. And minus Stephen.

‘And the
will
,’ she suggested tartly as she stabbed another piece of meat with her knife.

She could feel Stephen watching her across the table. She could tell that he was uncertain. Off balance. She realised, quite suddenly, that she had never really seen Stephen lose his nerve before. Nor had she felt so in control of her life.

He took another long sip of his wine before he replied. ‘You’re asking me if I intend to marry you?’

Kathryn smiled at him with her lips only. ‘You don’t get a big house and kids without marriage, darling.’

‘You don’t get any of them without money.’

‘Money isn’t everything.’

‘No, but it’s a fair proportion and we don’t have any.’ He seemed to sadden slightly. ‘I couldn’t even afford a ring right now, to be honest.’

Kathryn raised an eyebrow in response but said nothing as she pecked at the last of her starter. She noticed that Stephen had barely touched his despite having claimed to be starving when they had left. His wine glass, on the other hand, was almost empty.

‘It’s not like I don’t want to get married,’ Stephen added.

‘Could’ve fooled me.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘We never see each other,’ Kathryn said as she set her fork down on her empty plate. ‘You live out of hotel rooms and I virtually live alone. What I’m saying to you, Stephen Hollister, is that if we’re going to stay in a relationship then we need to start building a proper life together.’

Stephen blinked, thrown off balance once again.

‘Jesus, now you’re threatening to leave me? You only just asked me about marriage!’

‘It’s called an ultimatum,’ she replied with another smile.

The waiter appeared as Stephen stared at her as though she had just revealed that she was in fact a man. The fact that she could not photograph his expression in that one moment was one she guessed she would probably regret for her entire life. The waiter cleared their plates and vanished, probably sensing the aura enveloping the table. Kathryn sat quietly, waiting to see what Stephen might dredge up to escape his predicament.

His jaw gaped a few times before any cohesive noises broke free from his lips.

‘You’re telling me to propose, or leave?’

Kathryn shrugged but said nothing, sipping her glass of sparkling water instead. Stephen gulped down the rest of his wine and exhaled the fumes, then looked at her as though seeing her for the very first time.

‘That job has changed you,’ he said finally.

‘Yes it has,’ she agreed. ‘It is my future. It is what I want my life to be. You’re either a part of it or you’re history, Stephen. Decide.’

Stephen gaped at her in astonishment. Kathryn remained motionless, but inside her guts were swirling like warm chocolate and she was bursting with the need to laugh herself into a cardiac arrest.

‘I’ll give you ‘til the main course arrives,’ she finally blurted. Then she stood up, grabbed her handbag and strode confidently away from the table.