Chapter Seven

Charley and Sophie arrived at the market after finishing school for the weekend. Sophie was staying for tea at Charley’s that night. Matt was going to be chaperoning them, so they were getting a lift home.

‘If I hear one more person calling me Charley Cockhead, I swear I’m going to break their head in two,’ she moaned as she and Sophie walked down the aisle towards the fruit and veg stall.

Sophie stifled a giggle but it was too late.

‘Oi, you!’ Charley nudged her.

Sophie burst out laughing then. ‘I’m sorry.’ She linked her arm through her friend’s. ‘It’s just got such a ring to it. Charley the Cock –’

Charley put her hand across Sophie’s mouth. ‘That includes you. If you say that word, I won’t be responsible for my actions. Friend or no friend.’

‘Hey, ladies,’ Ryan greeted them as they got to his stall. He came round to the front. ‘What do you know?’

Charley shrugged. ‘Nothing much.’

‘School okay?’

‘Fine.’

‘Love lives?’

‘Fine.’ Ryan always teased Charley about boys but she never revealed anything. It didn’t stop Sophie giggling though.

‘Hi, Matt,’ Charley said as she saw him approaching the stall with two cakes from Cupcake Delights.

Ryan whizzed round to face him. ‘Do you fancy a quick jar in the Crown after work, mate?’ he asked.

Matt shook his head. ‘No can do. Got to take these two home and then we’re having a curry, aren’t we, girls?’

‘Yes, because you burn everything when you cook.’

‘I do not! Well, not everything.’

‘He even burns pizza and all you have to do is shove it in the oven,’ Charley told Ryan.

But Ryan wasn’t interested in food talk. He pressed together his thumb and index finger. ‘Just a small one?’ he pleaded with Matt.

‘I’ll come.’ Jess sidled across to join them. She’d been earwigging on their conversation, looking for an excuse to talk to Ryan again. This seemed a perfect opportunity to get him alone. ‘I could murder a drink rather than go home with the loved-ups.’

‘The loved-ups?’ questioned Sophie.

‘My brother and his girlfriend. They can’t keep their hands off each other.’

‘Jay and Nicci,’ explained Charley, although she was more intrigued by the looks passing from Ryan to Jess. ‘This is Jess, Jay’s sister. She’s just got back from London.’

‘Cool,’ said Sophie. ‘What was it like?’

‘What was what like?’ said Jess.

‘London!’ Charley answered for Sophie. ‘What was it like living there?’

Jess shrugged, only glancing at the two younger girls before returning her full attention to Ryan. He was definitely the type of man she was after. His intense blue eyes bewitched her more with every look he threw in her direction – and there had been plenty of them throughout the week. She let her eyes wander lazily down the length of his body, which left her mind wondering just exactly what was in store for her if she managed to get underneath those clothes.

Matt had noticed the looks passing between Jess and Ryan too and frowned as he heard them both laugh at some joke they’d shared. He hoped Ryan could keep his old fella in his trousers this time.

‘Sam?’ Ryan shouted across the aisle. ‘Are you coming to the pub for a quick one or are you going back to Louise’s?’

Jess sighed. That wasn’t the plan she had in mind. How would she get Ryan’s undivided attention if anyone else was there?

Sam appeared from the back of her stall and joined them in the aisle. ‘No, I’ve got things to finish off first but I’ll try and catch you later. Charley, why don’t you go and find your mum and tell her that she can knock off, if she likes? She’s away in the stock room.’

‘I’d rather you came with us too.’

‘I have paperwork to catch up on.’ Just saying that made Sam think of the night before, after she’d said the same thing to Louise. She felt herself blushing at the thought of what she’d done with Dan.

‘But you’re always telling me that I’m only young once,’ moaned Charley. ‘Please! Come and have some fun.’

Sam was shocked to hear that. Louise was right: Charley was so level headed at times. She always seemed to be looking out for everyone else. She checked her watch: it was nearly five o’clock. The market closed at five thirty and if she locked up on her own it would only take another half hour. She nodded to Charley.

‘I’ll try and make it in an hour, okay?’

Louise appeared then and Charley told her of Sam’s plans to join them.

‘I bet you won’t come,’ Louise sulked.

‘I’ll try my best,’ said Sam.

That brought a smile to Louise’s face. ‘Can you finish now, Matt? I’ve been given half an hour!’

Matt nodded and grabbed his keys and jacket. ‘I’m sure you can manage without me,’ he told Ryan quietly. ‘It’ll do you good to focus on your priorities for a while.’

Ryan threw him a sly look. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Yes, you do. I’ve seen the way you’re looking at Jess and I’m not covering for you again. I told you after the last time, enough was enough.’

‘It’s just a bit of harmless flirting, mate.’ Ryan glanced over at Jess who had gone back to her stall. She was pretending not to look at him but every now and then he caught her eye momentarily.

‘Just as long as it stays that way.’

Ryan saluted, stamping his feet together like a soldier on parade. ‘I give you my word, partner. I’ll behave myself.’

Matt shook his head in despair. He knew he was taking the mickey. Although Ryan was his best mate, sometimes he wished he wasn’t. From their schooldays, he’d been one for the women, sometimes not content with just one at a time. Now he was older and married, things hadn’t changed much. He wished he’d grow up and act his age.

When half past five came and she’d locked up the stall, Sam decided she would go to Louise’s after all.

‘Impeccable timing, as ever,’ said Louise as she let Sam in. ‘We’re just dishing out the food. Come on through to the kitchen.’

Sam shimmied out of her coat and threw it over the banister before following the sound of laughter. Matt was having his usual banter with Charley and Sophie as he spooned rice on to several plates.

‘You cheated!’ Sam cried, pointing at the takeaway cartons strewn over the table.

‘You didn’t think we were really going to eat a curry Matt had made, did you?’ Louise joked.

‘Hey!’ Matt slapped Louise’s bottom as she sidled past him. ‘I’ll have you know I am a man of many talents. It’s just that cooking isn’t one of them.’

‘I’ve not seen many of your talents!’ Louise laughed. ‘Someone’s been winding you up.’

Matt feigned a hurt expression, his bottom lip protruding like a scolded child.

Charley gave him an impromptu hug. ‘You’re lovely, though,’ she smiled up at him. ‘I want to marry someone like you when I grow up.’

Matt hugged her back, raising his eyebrows at Louise. ‘See, someone loves me.’

Sam was surprised when Louise came over to hug Matt too.

‘I love you, you great big idiot,’ she said, but she wouldn’t look at him.

‘Stop it,’ said Sam. ‘Or me and Sophie will join in. Group hug!’

‘Hugs are only for my special ladies,’ Matt explained. Then he pushed them both away gently. ‘Food! Come on, I’m starving.’

After the meal, Sam insisted on doing the dishes and shooed them all into the living room. She hadn’t even finished running the hot water before a word came to mind.

Adultery.

She had as much as committed adultery last night. It brought tears to her eyes. Reece had always been there for her and she’d let him down. When her dad died, it had been Reece who had held her together through it all while she’d been afraid for her future. She remembered how well he’d got on with her dad. Often, she’d left the two of them watching football or some violent action film while she and Louise went out shopping. Often, she’d come home to see them fast asleep in the living room after it had finished, no matter what time of day or night.

Even before Martin died, Reece had been part of the furniture. He’d been there to step in and become her family when she was left with no one, and for that she would always be grateful. No one except Reece really knew how close she and her dad had been. When Martin died, it was as if Sam had had her heart ripped out and he’d taken it with him. She couldn’t ever explain how she felt to anyone else, not even Louise. Losing her mum at such a young age had made her more dependent on her dad. They’d been a team. Even when he’d moved Shelly Williams in for six months until their relationship had burnt to a frazzle, she’d still been close to him.

For years, Sam had thought Reece was her soulmate. After they married, their relationship went from strength to strength for the first few years but then they’d started to take each other for granted. And when they found it impossible to conceive a child, they’d drifted apart a little. Sam had fought hard to find the closeness they once shared. But when Reece had decided to work away for the best part of each week, well, that had been the final nail in the coffin.

After she’d left the kitchen spotless, Sam made her excuses and left. She had only been home from Louise’s for a few minutes when the doorbell rang. She went to open the door to find Reece standing on the step.

‘Hi, what are you doing back so soon? Are you okay?’

Reece looked a little nervous as he stayed outside in the porch. ‘I’m not entirely sure,’ he said.

‘But I thought you were supposed to be in Germany.’ Sam closed the door behind him when he finally came inside. The phone calls and texts she’d received from him had made her think that too. ‘And why didn’t you just come in? Have you lost your keys?’

‘I’ve come to hand them back to you.’

‘What?’

Sam followed him through to the living room, staying in the doorway as he perched on the edge of the settee.

‘I can’t do this any more,’ he said.

‘Do what?’ For a selfish moment, she thought Reece had found out about her and Dan. He could have, couldn’t he? Her heart started to beat fast in her chest.

‘You and me,’ he continued, looking distraught. ‘The marriage thing. It’s not working.’

‘But it was your idea to go away for a few weeks. I thought you were happy to leave me behind.’

‘Really?’ He looked up at her with a pained expression.

‘Well, you haven’t exactly rushed home lately. You’ve stayed away more than you’ve been here. I thought you needed a complete break from me.’

‘No! What I wanted was for you to fight, argue, scream and shout, beg me not to go to Germany. But you didn’t.’

Sam almost laughed at the irony. It was exactly how she had felt about Reece. She wanted him to fight for her.

‘We’ve practically lived apart for the past few years.’ She sat down beside him on the settee. ‘I thought you didn’t want to be with me any more.’

‘Then why didn’t you say that you wanted me to stay?’

Sam paused to collect her thoughts. ‘Do you mean that this was some kind of test?’

Reece nodded, looking sad. ‘I’m not going to Germany. I just thought I’d see if you cared enough to stop me.’

‘That’s really sneaky.’ Sam gasped at the unfairness of the situation. Why would he do that to her? More to the point, it showed that both of them were lying to each other about various things. They couldn’t even communicate properly anymore. How the hell had it come to this?

‘Is it?’ Reece ran a hand through his hair. ‘It told me what I needed to know.’

‘No, it didn’t!’

‘Then tell me that you want me to come back home on a permanent basis and I will.’

‘You mean back to working in Hedworth?’

Reece nodded. ‘There are a few apartment blocks being built. I’ve been offered a twelve month contract.’

Sam gnawed at her bottom lip. What a mess. Reece must feel like he didn’t belong here anymore. She cursed herself inwardly. Had she been inattentive to him when he came home at the weekends? Not making him feel welcome so that he’d gone to seek solace elsewhere, treating his work colleagues as his family and following them around the country?

Reece stood up, and for a second she thought he might leave.

‘I’ll make coffee,’ he spoke softly. ‘Would you like some?’

Sam nodded slightly. She watched him walk through to the kitchen and then flopped back onto the settee. If her mind had been in turmoil about kissing Dan Wilshaw earlier, it was in a complete state now.

Reece had tricked her? Really? Had he been so miserable that he’d felt the need to test her? Maybe it was sneaky but if it was the only way he could get her to admit her feelings for him, then that was wrong.

She had to tell him how she felt about them being stuck in a rut, see if the situation could be sorted. Perhaps if they got back onto some sort of even keel, things could turn around.

The doorbell rang again.

‘I’ll get it,’ Reece shouted through.

Sam hardly ever had visitors, unless it was Louise – and she knew it wouldn’t be her as she had just left her. All of a sudden, she sat up. No, it couldn’t be…

She heard the door open – and then everything switched to slow motion.

‘Hey, there, gorg –’

Sam ran through to the hall to see Dan standing on the doorstep, holding a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers in his hand.

‘So he’s the reason why you didn’t care if I went to Germany or not?’ Reece seethed.

‘No, Reece… I. No.’

Sam looked from Reece to Dan and back to Reece. She wanted the floor to open up; she would have preferred to be anywhere else than here. As her heart reached out to the man she’d betrayed, she tried to find the right words to explain her actions. She said the best two she could think of.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I take it this is a bad time,’ said Dan, with a grimace.

‘Piss off before I punch your lights out.’ Reece kicked the door shut in Dan’s face before turning to Sam. ‘You bitch! No wonder you didn’t want to fight for me.’

‘It’s not like that!’ Sam cried. ‘I would never do anything to hurt you.’

‘And you expect me to believe that?’

‘You have to. I never meant for it to happen.’

Reece’s shoulders rose, as if he was ready to take whatever she said with dignity. ‘Never meant for what to happen?’ he asked.

Sam faltered. What the hell was she going to say to that? ‘It’s not what you think.’

‘You have no idea what I’m thinking. No idea what I’m imagining.’ Reece went to speak again but changed his mind.

Sam would never know what he was about to say because he opened the door.

‘Reece, wait!’ She grabbed his arm. ‘Please don’t go.’

But Reece pushed her hand away.

‘Reece!’ Sam followed him a few steps down the driveway before stopping. She stood in the cold and dark of the night as she watched him disappear. Tears poured down her cheeks. She wished she had the courage to go after him. But it was too late to make amends now, even if that had been remotely possible in the first place.