Wednesday's Child (11 page)

“You do that.”

Jacqui left the house, tears burning her eyes. She’d been honest from the outset, telling him she was having lunch with a guy. This wasn’t her fault. She sat on the bench in the street and closed her eyes. Had her association with Vince once again managed to mess up her life? She’d finally found a wonderful bloke who seemed to care for her. Yet Liam wore his heart on his sleeve, and she could see how hurt he was because of this.

Lord? You know Vince is in my past, and. I have no desire to rekindle things with him, now or ever.
Please, overrule here. I didn’t intend for this to upset Liam, but it did. Right now, he feels hurt and jealous and won’t listen to anything I say. I feel I should have done something to prevent him from falling off the wagon, but I know I’m only human. All things are possible for You. You can see a way where I can’t. I don’t want to lose what I have with Liam. Lord, please, if it’s Your will, please, find a way for us to work this out. I leave it in Your hands.

****

Liam pressed his forehead against the doorframe, tears burning his eyes. Tears he wasn’t going to let fall under any circumstances. How could he have let himself get sucked in like that? One day she loved him, and the next, she was sneaking behind his back with an ex-boyfriend. He didn’t even know she had a boyfriend before. What other secrets was she hiding? Did she have several kids stashed away? Was she a bank robber or...

He broke off. The alcohol was wearing off, because he could see he was being ridiculous and full of blarney. Of course a woman her age would have had a boyfriend in the past. Maybe even several. It was part of growing up.

But why did it hurt so much? Normally drink dulled his emotions, this time it exacerbated them.

He peeked through the glass panel of the front door. Guilt flooded him as he saw Jacqui was sitting on a bench by the roadside. He’d asked her to explain, and then cut her off.
Idiot. Didn’t even try to hear her out.
Humble pie wasn’t exactly his favorite thing, but sometimes you just had to suck it up, like now. Grabbing his keys he left the house and walked down the path. He flopped down on the bench beside her, wanting to set her straight, let her know what a fool he’d been.

“Jacqui…”

“Liam.” Her quiet tone held barely contained tears.

“I’m not drunk.”

“Yes, you are. I can smell it. And you’re not a very nice drunk either. I thought you said you were going to stop.”

“I did. I have…I…” He looked down, his face burning with shame. Sally would be furious if she saw him now. And very disappointed. Just like Jacqui was. He looked up. “I’m sorry. I’d only intended to have one, but one led to another and another. And before I knew what was happening…” He sucked in a deep breath, a stale taste in his mouth. “It’s not easy. They say once an alcoholic, always one. It’s like there’s a constant war going on inside me and sometimes the ‘I need a drink’ side wins and sometimes the ‘Oh no you don’t need one’ side wins. But tonight I lost a battle.”

“Yeah, you did.”

“Please, look at me.” Finally, she lifted her face to his. “If you want to explain, then come back inside and I promise I’ll listen. I let my jealousy, and my past, get the better of me.”

“You think?” Jacqui wrinkled her nose.

“OK, I know I did. I’m so sorry. Would you please come back inside so we can talk?”

I—” She paused for a long moment. “Drunks scare me. They always have.”

“I’d never hurt you. But if you don’t want to come back inside I understand.”

She flicked her gaze at him, then looked away, as if she was considering something.

“You have to clean your teeth to get rid of the smell and throw away of all those beer cans, including any full ones you still have.”

“Sure.” He agreed, grateful she was giving him a chance.

Jacqui nodded. “All right. I’ll sit here for ten minutes, and then come in if everything is cleaned up.”

Liam stood. “I’ll go put the kettle on and leave the door on the latch for you.” He headed back to the house.

Would she come in?

He wouldn’t blame her in the slightest if she didn’t. But she’d said she would and his spirits lifted just a little.

9

Liam waited for the kettle to boil as the front door shut. “I’m in the kitchen. End of the hallway.”

Footsteps echoed on the tiled floor then her shadow crossed the doorway. From the lounge came the sound of clapping from the TV. Her voice still held the echo of her tears. “Sounds like someone won. Who was playing?”

“Henson and Tyler. It was a quarter final.”

“Who did you want to win?”

“Tyler, of course, he’s the Brit. And before you ask, yes, he lost. As always.”

She gave him a slight smile. “Bring back the glory days of the seventies.”

“I still think the only reason Virginia Wade won then was for the silver jubilee.” He made the coffee and handed her a cup. “We can sit in here or the other room.”

Jacqui moved to the table and sat. “Here’s fine.”

She ran her finger around the rim of her cup.

Liam sat opposite, figuring it best to keep his distance, so she wouldn’t be scared. “I really am sorry, Jacqui. I was hurt and angry.”

“I know you were. But it’s not like I
sneaked
around behind your back. I told you I was having lunch with an old friend. I even told you it was a bloke.”

“You never mentioned he was an old boyfriend.”

“I hadn’t said anything about Vince because it’s over. It has been for a long time. I would have told you at some point. I just didn’t know how.”

“Will you tell me now?”

She took a deep breath. “We met at university and went steady for a couple of years, then played it cool during his finals. He was a couple of years ahead of me. After his finals, he went into his father’s business and we dated on and off. He likes his drink a little too much at times. It tends to loosen his tongue…and his hands if you know what I mean. All in all, he’s a smooth operator, can talk the hind leg off a donkey, and then persuade it to walk ten miles to the river and drink. He persuaded my parents to invest all their savings into building an orphanage.”

No wonder drunks scared her. Had this Vince laid hands on her? It would explain why she thought he’d hit her. “Is that the project you said you worked on overseas?”

She paused for a moment, twisting her hands on the table. “Yeah. It failed. My parents lost everything apart from the bungalow. They used the last of their money to fly me home. Dad had a heart attack, and I sold my place and moved in with them to help Mum care for him. I didn’t see or hear from Vince for a few months. Then he turns up on the doorstep with a ton of money. He apologizes and asked if this would make everything all right. Would the money make up for the damage he’d caused and the losses they’d incurred? Dad forgave him. He always was the forgiving sort, and took the money. But it came with a price. Vince wanted me back. I was so grateful at the time, and he seemed to have changed, I went out with him a few times. But then he just up and left. I never looked back. I never wanted to.”

His hands covered hers, sorrow and compassion filling him. How could he ever have thought she’d be better off with this bloke? Appearances were so deceptive. “I’m sorry. Did he give a reason why?”

Color filled her face. “He went further than I wanted one night and hurt me. Dad wanted to file charges, but I stopped him.”

Liam stiffened and Jacqui squeezed his hands.

“Nothing really happened. But Dad was so upset that he gave all Vince’s money to charity. Anyway, when my parents died, I took over the bungalow. I’ve planted some new flowers in the garden and redecorated my bedroom.”

The shock of her frank admission had the effect of a bucket of ice cold water, sobering him instantly. Anger and a desire to hunt this Vince Devlin down filled him. “Why didn’t you file charges?”

“He didn’t rape me. Nothing really happened. He just...his hands wandered a little too much. I stopped him. He slapped me. His ring cut my cheek. Then he called me frigid and left.”

“Was that the last you heard of him?”

“Until today. He seems to have changed, grown up maybe, but there’s nothing going on, Liam. He always was the touchy type, but if you watched for another moment, you’d have seen me threaten to deck him if he touched me again.”

He held her gaze. “Seriously? You’d deck him?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that would save me doing it.”

A slight smile crossed her face. “You’d do that? For me?”

“Sure I would. Women are treasures, not objects.” He smiled back. “So what did he want?”

“He’s been trying to get hold of me for weeks. I thought some company was just head-hunting and ignored the calls. Eve finally gave them my mobile number, and he rang this morning at break time. I have since changed my number and not even given it to work.”

“Which company?”

“The Horatio Corporation. He’s the CEO.”

“Never heard of them.”

“Nor had I. And interestingly, they’re not on the internet. No website, no email, no nothing. Another reason I wasn’t going to return their calls.”

“That’s unusual in this day and age. I thought most business was drummed up on line now.”

“Anyway, he offers me a job, heading up a project in Africa somewhere. It gets his mother’s name and a plaque saying the Horatio Corporation put up the funds, and everyone’s happy. He even offered me a five figure salary to do it. Not that he gave me any more details about it. He said he’d give me those once I accepted. I said I’d think about it.”

“What’s there to think about?”

“He’s a difficult man to say no to, very charming and suave, even though I know his background. Actually, make that not so much hard to say no to, as getting him to take no for an answer. I’d rather say no over the phone, but then he’d have my number again. Aside from the fact I don’t want to be anywhere near him, I have other considerations now. I have this current tender, my job and...” She raised her eyes to his. “You.”

“Me?”

“If you still want me around.”

Liam squeezed her hands. “Yes, if you’ll have me after I so spectacularly messed up and fell off the wagon, I still want you around.”

His mobile rang, and he picked it up reading at the caller ID. “Excuse me, but I have to take this. I’ll be right back.” He answered the call, heading from the room. “Page.”

The line crackled making the voice on the other end hard to hear, but the African accent of his friend was evident. “Hey, Liam, it’s Manu. I got that information you wanted.”

“That’s great, Manu. Thank you.”

“I’ve emailed it to you, but I figured you’d want to know so you can check your mail.”

“Thanks.” He turned on the computer. “I’ll check as soon as the computer boots up.”

“All right, mate. Listen, I’d think twice before getting involved. Just pass this info on to the police or your contact at the missionary society. Let the experts handle this.”

“Why’s that?” Liam’s curiosity peaked. He’d had numerous conversations with Manu about what he’d do once he traced the bad guys, and never once had Manu warned him to back off.

“This goes deeper than you realize. There’s money behind this, Liam, lots of money. They ain’t going to let nothing stand in their way, mate, and I mean nothing. Not you, not some need for revenge you have, not no one or nothing.”

“I’ll take that under advisement. I’ll talk to you later.” He broke the call and turned back to the computer. He started to check his email, and then stopped. If Jacqui found out, she’d leave, and he didn’t want that. This could wait. He wanted…needed to finish the conversation with Jacqui first.

There was a choice to be made. And he chose Jacqui. He’d read and if need be pass on the information later. He headed back into the kitchen. “Sorry about that.”

She smiled. “Old friend?”

The irony wasn’t lost on him. Nor was the fact he was putting the living over the dead for the first time. “Someone I used to work with. He’s been tracking down a mutual acquaintance, and he thinks he might have found him.”

“Cool. Are you going to meet up?”

“I’m thinking about it. And the irony isn’t lost on me. Only difference is, this bloke isn’t likely to want to kiss me.”
Kill me, yes, kiss me, no way
.

She laughed. “Glad to hear it.”

“So am I.”

“Can we try again? I promise there will be no more meetings with old boyfriends.”

Liam put on a serious expression. “And I promise I have no old boyfriends waiting in the wings, either.”

She laughed again. “That’s a good thing.”

He scrunched his nose up at her. “Or girlfriends come to that.”

She took his hand. “You know, if seeing Vince again today showed me anything, it’s that God was right. Vince wasn’t the man for me, and it was a good thing we broke up.”

“Oh?”

“Seeing him again, it reminded me of how bad things were. God does know best. I mean, if we stayed together, I wouldn’t be here now with you. My parents might still be alive, but I somehow doubt that. If God wanted them to be with Him, then if it wasn’t the train, it would’ve been some other way. At least it was quick—the coroner said they died instantly, and they couldn’t have known it was coming. Knowing you is one of the best things to have happened to me in a long time.”

He glanced down at her hand in his. “How is knowing a bloke like me a good thing?”

“I like being with you. I care for you a lot. You make me feel alive. Vince never did. I believe God wants us to be together. But I can’t get myself into another mess like the one with Vince.”

“You, what?”

“Listen, just now, back then I prayed God would intervene, and He did. He fixed the mess I made of things. Liam, I care about you and want you to get help. I know you’re not convinced you need it, but there’s a midweek meeting tomorrow night at the church. Come with me, listen to what Pastor Jack has to say, and maybe speak with him afterwards.”

Liam pushed a hand through his hair and then rubbed the back of his neck. Now he was confused. What was she saying? Did she want to go out with him or not? He had to know and that meant asking direct, his heart in his hands as he did. “Are you telling me in a roundabout way that unless I rekindle my faith, you won’t go out with me?”