‘Where’ve you been, I thought you were only popping out to the market for the chicken feed. You’ve been hours.’
‘Sorry we’re so long but I stopped off at Lizzie’s stall and managed to get some lovely rugs and pictures for the guest rooms’ said Cassy as she carried the parcels in from the car.
‘What are you doing buying stuff like that now, the rooms aren’t even finished yet.’ asked Liam as he lifted Abi from her car seat. ‘You’d have been better off getting the light switches and cabling for the electrician.’
‘Oh stop moaning you old grump. We’ve been having fun haven’t we Abi? Lizzie has some really nice things and these rugs will look perfect on the stone floors of the guest rooms.’
Liam ran his fingers through his short hair and sighed. He knew that now would be the perfect time to explain to Cassy about their dwindling renovations budget. With the mounting cost of all the work money was getting tight. But looking at her proudly showing off her purchases he knew that it would be cruel to upset her now. It wasn’t as if she spent much on herself and he was constantly amazed at the way she managed to make their frugal housekeeping allowance stretch. No, he decided, he would just have to have a word with the builders and explain to them how important it was that the work was finished as soon as possible.
‘Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you’ said Cassy as she packed the rugs and pictures into the wood chest in the kitchen. ‘I had a phone call from Sophie before I went out this morning. It’s the start of the school holidays in England and she and Alistair are planning on bringing the girls over to visit Fliss and Martin.’
‘That’s good, Alistair seemed a nice bloke and the girls’ loved coming over to play with Abi. I’m not so sure about Sophie though. She seems a bit of a cold fish if you ask me.’
‘Yes that’s what I thought at first but after Martin’s heart attack she really changed. She became a lot more chatty and friendly. She asked if we would like to go out with them for dinner while they’re here. Apparently Fliss has offered to baby-sit all the girls so that we can have a proper grown up evening out.’
‘Sounds good to me, what about you Abi-babi, do you fancy a sleep over with Olivia and Grace?’ Liam asked the baby as he sat her down on the kitchen floor. ‘As many Farley’s rusks as you can eat and cold Ribena on tap, just don’t broadcast it on Bebo and you’ll be fine?’
Cassy turned from her packing to kiss a startled Liam firmly on the lips.
‘What was that for?’ he asked
‘For being you’ she answered ‘for just being you’
***
‘When are Sophie and Alistair getting here?’ asked Martin as he helps clear away the dinner dishes.
‘Thursday, I told you yesterday Martin, don’t you ever listen when I’m talking to you?’ I answer slowly as I stack the plates into the dishwasher. ‘I’ve arranged for them to collect a hire car from the airport so they should be through to here about 5 o’clock.’
‘There’s no need to get annoyed with me, I just don’t remember you telling me that’s all.’
‘I’m sorry Darling I didn’t mean to get annoyed. I’m just tired I suppose.’ I can’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep. I spend hours laying staring at Martin fast asleep beside me wondering if we’ll ever get back to what we had. I still can’t believe that he was prepared to leave me for that little bitch.
I saw her last week. I had to fly over to London for a couple of day to sign some papers and I saw her in Tony Lockwood’s office. I couldn’t believe how young she looked. Young slim and pretty, just Martin’s type.
She’s not the first you see. I knew about the others, oh believe me there is always a ‘friend’ who is more than happy to tell you what your husband has been up to when you thought he was working late. He swore to me that they didn’t mean anything and I suppose that I believed him because I wanted to.
But this time it was different, this time he really thought that he was in love. And that’s what hurts more than anything, even more than the sex if I’m honest. He loved her and now he says it was all a mistake and he wants me. The trouble is I don’t know if I still want him.
‘I don’t know what I’d have done without Sophie these past few weeks’ says Martin ‘she’s been great what with organising the loan and keeping the clients sweet. And you of course’ he added hurriedly ‘you’ve been great as well, organising the invoices and doing all the boring banking stuff.’
He’s incredible; the man just doesn’t have a clue. I have spent hours doing his bloody paperwork and trying to make sense of his filing. I haven’t had a minute to myself since he’s been ill, apart from that quick trip to London I’ve been at his beck and call day and night. I bet he wouldn’t have had the same service from the lovely Laura!
I need to get out of the house before I say something I’ll regret. It’s been ages since I’ve been out running, I could do with pounding the hills for a while and let’s face it, you never know who you might meet along the way.
