The queue for tea and coffee was long, but to be honest I was so desperate for caffeine I’d have crawled on my hands and knees for a flat white that morning. Since I’d told Lydia about Jack, I’d been desperately trying to think of the right way to approach him. I’d thought of getting back in touch with Becki to ask if Jack was on Facebook, but social media seemed too impersonal an approach.
I shuffled further forwards in the queue. I’d hoped that Lydia would know just what to say but she didn’t have a clue either, which only made the problem seem bigger somehow.
Giving my order to the guy behind the counter, I pulled out my phone and idly scrolled through the screen as I waited for the drinks. Was a phone call a better way to approach it? Or would it be better for Vera to say something in a letter to Jack? Becki had offered to contact him on Lydia’s behalf but I had said I didn’t think that it was a very good idea and it would be better coming direct from her. Now, as I took the cups and handed the guy a fiver for his trouble, I began to wonder if a more personal approach might be better. I mean, this was big news, a letter didn’t seem to do the whole thing justice.
Deep in thought, I made my way back to our stall and tried to turn my attention to the day ahead. We had another good haul of stock and while I had been working at Phil’s café all week, Lydia had been labelling, cleaning and sorting. She said that she had found more treasures amongst the things Harry had been hoarding and she even found a beautiful bright red vase that was incredibly rare and worth at least £5,000.
I had to admit the stall had far exceeded my expectations. We had been getting a lot of interest on social media, especially since our first event in Bridgwater a fortnight ago. Our Facebook page was inundated with queries from people wanting to know where we would be next and what sort of things we would have on offer. Lydia’s passion for Asian art was clearly popular and even though she was beginning to get a bit forgetful there was no denying she was good with the customers and the business.
Watching her now as she chattered away with a couple of customers who had their back to me, I felt a thrill of excitement. Lydia was so animated and full of life – she seemed like a woman half her age. Watching Lydia talk about the antiques she loved was a pleasure in itself and I learned something new every time. It had been a revelation to me for example to discover that for an antique to be classed as an antique it needed to be at least a hundred years old. Lydia had suggested we go to an auction house soon to build up my knowledge which I was looking forward to immensely.
Nearing the stall however, I felt my blood run cold as I realised I recognised the customers Lydia was talking to.
‘How many more times have I got to tell the pair of you?’ she said furiously. ‘Get out of here now before I call the police.’
‘The police? For what?’ I heard Brad’s voice scoff.
As I caught the slight upward lilt of his Cheltenham accent, I felt like I had come home and I could have kicked myself for being so stupid. The guy had shown he was a dick, a lying cheating dick at that, so why couldn’t my heart catch onto what my brain had been telling me for weeks?
Fuelled with anger, I watched Lydia lean forwards menacingly and poke Brad in the chest, ‘For threatening an old defenceless woman, that’s what.’
‘You don’t look defenceless to me,’ Brad scorned. ‘Now please, for the final time, where is Erin?’
‘Right here,’ I replied loudly with a braveness that I didn’t feel. ‘And I’d be very grateful if you’d leave my friend alone or it’ll be me that calls the police for harassment.’
Immediately, Brad and Cara whirled around to face me and I felt my stomach lurch onto the spin cycle once more. They exchanged a brief glance, then turned to me and smiled as if in sync. It was nauseating and as my gaze flickered from one to the other, I saw neither one of them looked battered or torn at the events of the past few weeks. Instead, they appeared happy and content. The perpetual worry lines that adorned Brad’s forehead had disappeared and Cara’s hair looked even glossier than usual if that were possible. They were like some sort of walking, talking model couple you would find in Vogue magazine and I hated them both for it.
‘What do you want?’ I managed eventually. ‘Swindon’s not exactly on your doorstep, is it?’
Brad let go of Cara’s hand and took a step towards me. ‘Erin, it’s wonderful to see you.’
As he leaned forwards to kiss my cheek, I moved my head back and regarded him coldly. ‘I can’t say the same. And for the record, I don’t think we’re at the air-kissing stage yet, do you?’
Brad had the good grace to look contrite. ‘Sorry. But it is good to see you Erin, I, well, we have really missed you.’
Right on cue, Cara gambolled like a lamb to his side and fixed her radiant smile on me. ‘Brad’s right, Erin,’ she said, her voice oozing false concern. ‘We’ve been trying so hard to get in touch with you. I’ve phoned you loads but you didn’t return any of my calls.’
‘Which ought to tell you that she’s not remotely interested in anything you have to say,’ Lydia snapped.
I looked over at her behind the stall. Lydia was quite clearly furious. Her arms were folded and her face was as red as the vase that had pride of place in the middle of our trestle table.
‘Lydia’s right,’ I said, pushing passed the happy couple and making my way around to the other side of the table to stand beside my friend. ‘Now if you don’t mind, we’ve got work to do, so leave.’
‘You don’t understand,’ Brad said tightly, his jaw clenched.
I immediately recognised the signs. This was the face he made before he lost his temper, when things weren’t going his way. How strange, I suddenly thought, that I knew this man standing before me so well, yet he was also a complete stranger to me now.
‘Erin, we won’t stay long. But we wanted you to hear it from us,’ Cara said firmly. ‘I know you won’t like it, but the thing is, well—’
‘We’re getting married,’ Brad said abruptly.
My jaw dropped open and I stared at them in disbelief as images of our lives, interwoven throughout the years, flooded my brain. Memories of me and Cara playing on the swings, Brad and I taking our first mini-break together in Nice and him ordering champagne on the flight. How was it possible that I could have experienced such happiness with these two people when they were now standing before me, responsible for the fact I was in so much pain? I had thought that finding them in bed together would be the worst thing in the world, but as I stood there and caught sight of the sparkler on Erin’s ring finger, I felt as if I was falling.
I willed myself to say something, anything would do, but I couldn’t find the right thing to say. I felt myself mentally scrambling for something appropriate, but nothing would come. In fact, the only thing I thought was that I hoped they’d rot in hell.
‘I think you’re mistaking me for someone who cares,’ I managed, as I remembered I was still holding onto Lydia’s tea and handed it to her.
‘Erin, don’t be like that,’ Cara tried again, her eyes flecked with hurt. ‘We haven’t come here to torture you. We’ve come here because we respect you.’
‘You call sleeping with your best friend’s fiancé respect?’ Lydia snorted. ‘Christ almighty, if I were Erin, I think I’d prefer it if you didn’t respect me.’
Brad eyed Lydia coldly before turning back to me, his expression softening. ‘Is there somewhere we could all go to chat? In private?’
‘I think you’ve said all that needs to be said,’ I snapped. ‘Now go.’
‘But Erin,’ Cara said hesitantly, ‘there’s something else.’
My head was beginning to spin with the shock of it all. I didn’t want them here any more. The pain of seeing them together again was bad enough, never mind having to keep it together while I was at work with my new friend, trying to carve out my new life.
I looked at Cara intently, urging her to recognise the look in my eyes that said the matter was closed. ‘There is nothing else I have to say to you,’ I said firmly. ‘And there is really nothing else you can say to me that I want to hear. Now please, if you say you respect me then you’ll leave.’
At that they turned away and I allowed myself the luxury of a sigh of relief at the very welcome view of their retreating backs. Finally, I could pick up the pieces in private.
Only then Brad seemed to change his mind as he said something to Cara and turned back towards the stall.
‘What is he doing?’ I wailed to Lydia.
‘Trying my bloody patience,’ she said through gritted teeth.
‘What now?’ Lydia demanded as her stood before the stall. ‘You’re putting the customers off with all this to-ing and fro-ing.
‘There’s just one more thing we came here to tell Erin.’ Brad said, his tone insistent.
He’s got his business head on I thought, as I narrowed my eyes and stared at him. Whatever it was he wanted, he was going to get it no matter what. Brad had always been ruthless; whatever he wanted, he got. With a start I realised the pair of them were made for each other as Cara never took no for an answer either. I watched them now, his eyes mildly hesitant before Cara gave him a gentle nod of encouragement.
‘The thing is Erin, not only are we getting married, Cara is also pregnant,’ he said bluntly. ‘We’re expecting a baby. That’s the other thing we wanted you to know, we’re going to be a family.’
As the happy couple delivered their final blow, I wasn’t sure if I was going to throw up or faint. This time there really were no words. How could this be right? How could my ex-best friend and ex-fiancé cheat on me, then suddenly find all this happiness overnight? This wasn’t justice! Surely there ought to be some payback? Surely they didn’t get to be this happy, that was the last thing they deserved.
Suddenly I felt Lydia’s arms around me, and the strength that had left me the moment I saw them returned.
‘Did you hear me Erin?’ Brad tried again, his voice impatient now, as I didn’t give him the nod of approval his voice usually commanded.
I looked at him, staring at me expectantly as if he were waiting for the very words to come out of my mouth that would make this horrible thing okay. I knew the real reason they had come here, and it had nothing to do with respect and everything to do with guilt. Cara had always said that she would want to make sure that everything in her world was perfect before she had a baby. I knew that the way she met Brad and the fact she had lost my friendship over it was about as far from perfect as it could get for Cara. Now she would be in salvage mode.
The fury I had been holding onto since I saw them was now at boiling point. It just wasn’t possible to even try to think of the right thing to say so instead I roared with laughter. This whole situation was so beyond ludicrous I felt as if I were in an episode of Hollyoaks or something.
‘Erin, are you all right?’ Cara asked, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
The sight of her looking at me with fake concern brought me swiftly back to reality.
‘Oh, Cara,’ I said, controlling my laughter. ‘I’m absolutely fine. Congratulations to you both.’
Brad and Cara exchanged brief looks of doubt before turning back to face me. ‘Are you sure, Erin?’ Brad said gently.
‘Oh yes,’ I smirked, arms folded. ‘Because when karma comes knocking at your door she’ll be a bigger bitch than I’ll ever need to be.’