A Change for the Better? (29 page)

Katie dropped Marcus’s hand as soon as they had gotten out of sight of the marquee and its many pairs of curious eyes and turned immediately on him,

“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing here?” she stormed, wrong footing Marcus completely as he had been taken in as much as Ben by Katie’s ‘happy to see him’ act.

“I’m sorry” he stammered, “I wanted to see you, to talk to you.”

“Oh I see now,
four
months later you need to talk to me – so you just turn up out of the blue, without a by your leave
, not a phone call, email or even a text
and
you
expect me to drop everything and talk to you, to make you feel better.” Katie stormed at him.

“I know, I’m sorry but I thought if I rang, you wouldn’t answer or you’d refuse to see me. I thought if I just turned up at least you’d speak to me – or shout at me at least!” he smiled ruefully. Katie smiled, despite herself.

“Well, you got that right at least!” she said begrudgingly and sighed, “What do you want to say Marcus?”

“I want you back, Katie”

Katie knew what poleaxed felt like now. After all these months Marcus wanted her back. She thought how desperately she had wanted this
happen. How often she had dreamt about it. Marcus turning up, begging her forgiveness
once
he had realised he couldn’t live without her. And now it was happening, right in front of her, so why wasn’t she jumping for joy, throwing herself into Marcus’s arms like the final scene of a really cheesy afternoon TV film.

Katie looked into his face, he was trying to look uncertain, as if he wasn’t sure if she’d take him back, but Katie knew his face of old, from
all the
deals she had sat and watched him work on. Once he knew he had the upper hand he always tried to look as though he didn’t – he thought it wrong-footed his opponents, made them careless. Katie looked Marcus straight in the eye and asked, “Why now?”

“What?” Marcus jolted, he hadn’t really been expecting more questions, he was now vaguely conscious this might not be going the way he had planned.

“Because I miss you, sweetheart.
I don’t function properly without you – I need you” he answered as smooth as the perfect roux!

“But why don’t you function without me? What do I have that your wife doesn’t? Only four months ago she was all you wanted
. You didn’t even give me a backward glance as you raced out of the boardroom
” Katie continued, a little bitterly.

“But Sarah’s left now – we couldn’t make things work anymore, and I realised I needed you. You make things work. I need you at the office
too; nothing is how I like it. I want you back, my darling. I know how wrong I was – please let’s not fight anymore and let’s start our future together.” Marcus explained with a flourish.

Katie realised it was a day for sayings to come true as she literally felt the scales drop from her eyes and saw for the first time, the real Marcus Chamberlain. A weak, vain, good-looking man who thought the world revolved around him and who could see no wrong in what he was saying.

“So Marcus, did Sarah leave you or did you leave her?” Katie asked, knowing full well what the answer was.

Marcus answered in his persuasive lawyer’s voice, “Well technically, she left me but it was only a matter of time until one of us left. What does that matter now?” he held out his arms to Katie waiting for her to fall into them.

“You’re right you know” Katie suddenly grinned, “It doesn’t matter at all to me, other than that I don’t blame her one little bit!”

“
What?” Marcus
looked dumbstruck.

“I said, I don’t blame her one little bit, you treated her appallingly, so did I, but at least I wasn’t married to her. So now she’s seen the light and binned you, you thought reliable, efficient Katie would be a good back-up did you? Thought you’d pop up to see her in the sticks, declare you’re undying need and I’d be straight back to London with you,
making your life nice and easy again.” Katie stood hands on hips, challenging Marcus to deny it.

As this was pretty much exactly what Marcus had thought he had absolutely no idea what to do or say next. Fortunately, Katie had no such problem – for the first time since breaking up with Marcus, she knew absolutely what she wanted him to do and what she wanted to do herself. The realisation filled her with excitement about the future but firstly, she needed to dispatch the past.

“Just go now, Marcus,” she told him, “I’m not coming back to you. I don’t want to! I don’t love you anymore, if I ever really did. I’m staying here in Laxley with real friends and I’m going to run my own business not prop up someone else’s, a beautiful coffee shop and craft market and I’m going to be responsible for my own happiness.”

“You’re going to stay here?” Marcus replied incredulously, “here? But it’s so far away.”

“Yes, Marcus, it is” Katie answered happily, “and that’s one of the many reasons I love it!” With that she turned on her heels, not Jimmy Choos anymore, but she didn’t care about that now, and she headed back into the marquee, leaving Marcus with nothing to do but walk back to his top of the range Mercedes with as much dignity as he could muster and head back to London as quickly as possible where he wouldn’t feel so out of place.

As Katie entered the back of the kitchen she looked for Ben, exhilarated after dispatching Marcus so comprehensively and she wanted to share the news with him straightaway. Now she had even more reason to celebrate that evening! Katie saw that Lucy was behind the counter serving up one of the last quiche salads as Katie walked over to her.

“So, where’s Ben? Skived off for a break and left you to hold the fort eh? I can’t turn my back on him for a minute” Katie joked

“Something like that” Lucy grumbled, “he had something come up at work urgently and he had to go, he rang me on
my
mobile to tell me I had to help you” she added somewhat ungraciously.

“Oh” Katie felt the disappointment fill her momentarily, “well, work is work – can’t be helped. But look, Luce, I’ll be fine here now, everything is slowing down. You go back to Poppy and help her pack up” she suggested. Lucy didn’t need telling twice – her apron was off and she was across the tent before Katie could turn round.

It was a shame Ben wasn’t here, Katie thought, but, still, she could tell him all about it that evening when they had dinner. She checked her phone but there were no messages, he’d probably ring her a bit later to arrange things. With that Katie made sure her phone wasn’t on silent
and put it in her pocket before she set about the mammoth task of clearing everything up!

By five o’clock when she had finally finished washing all the crockery and cutlery, clearing the rubbish and counting up the money she still hadn’t heard from Ben. She had checked her phone so often Cliona had asked if she was expecting some news.

Everyone was finishing up now and going over to the Rose & Crown for a well-earned drink, including Cliona and Declan who were insisting that Katie go with them. Katie decided to send Ben a text to let him know where she was then he could either join them or let her know what time and where to meet him.

“So did anyone hear from Ben last night then?” Katie asked as casually as she could when Cliona had joined her for coffee the next morning. They were meeting to start the planning of the café and craft business at Tolpuddle House but Katie was still feeling a bit miffed, and a little upset,  though she wouldn’t admit it, that Ben had never responded the evening before and their promised dinner date had not materialised. So she wanted to get to the bottom of it before they started on the designs for the business.

Cliona was not so easily fooled by Katie’s attempt at casual, she could see that Katie was upset that Ben hadn’t shown up
the
previous evening and Cliona had also noticed how many times she had checked her phone for messages or missed calls. Unfortunately Cliona didn’t have any good news for Katie.

“Well he sent Declan a brief text saying something important had come up at the Southampton project and he was heading off down there” she explained

“Oh – did he say for how long?” Katie asked, somewhat deflated, despite her best efforts to be indifferent.

“Well, not exactly, but he said Lucy was off to stay with Jean for the week so at least that long, I suppose. Why – did you need him for
something?” Cliona could never resist prodding for a bit more information.

“No, no, I just never got to say thanks for helping me out over the weekend. It would
have been a nightmare on my own.
But nevermind, I can tell him next time I see him – next weekend maybe.” Katie said stoically, “now, let’s start the planning, that’s what we’re here for” she said, grabbing her pad and pen and the first lay out option.

It wasn’t the next weekend or, indeed, the couple after that. Lucy came to visit during the
following
week and by the look on her face Katie knew she wasn’t happy. “He’s not coming back until Mo’s wedding now – apparently
there’s
all sorts of problems with the Building Inspector and the plans or something so he can’t get back and I’ve got to stay at Jean’s house!” Lucy clearly wasn’t entirely happy with this arrangement.

“But I thought you liked staying with Jean?” Katie said

“It’s okay, but she never lets me out later than nine thirty, even at the weekends. I can usually wangle another hour out of Ben, hour and a half if he picks me up.” Lucy grinned, “Jean’s not quite so persuadable!” Katie laughed too; Lucy had changed a lot over the last few months since she had been living with Ben. She still had a wild streak
but she was much less defensive and rebellious – being wanted
and not being passed from pillar to post
had
done wonders for her, and she was still only fourteen so she was entitled to few teenage grumbles.

“Well, if it’s okay with Ben and Jean, maybe you could stop here next weekend – it’s the one before the wedding so we’re having Mo’s hen night here on Saturday. Don’t think it’ll be wild
one
, although
I can’t say for certain with Mo!” Katie added.

“Oh please! Anything’s better than another weekend at Jean’s – I may as well become a nun!” Lucy said with a little too much feeling for
Katie’s liking
.

“It’ll be all girls here too, so don’t be expecting Brad Pitt or Johnny Depp” she chided.

“Urghh!
They’re way old!” Lucy sneered, making Katie feel every one of her twenty nine years.

“Well whoever it is you have your eye on, they certainly won’t be here but none the less, you’re welcome to come and stay if Ben and Jean say
it’s
okay.” Katie said.

“Cool” Lucy answered, pleased, “but where will I sleep?”

“My spare room, I suppose – it’s warm and cosy in there” Katie decided.

“But what about your fella - won’t he mind? Or will he be out of the way?” Lucy interrogated.

“My fella?”
Katie was bemused, “what ‘fella’ would that be?”

“The posh one who came to the fayre, quite good –looking – a bit old though.” Lucy dismissed Marcus in a sentence.

“He’s not my fella,” Katie laughed “he was in another life but not anymore – I’m young free and single these days” she declared and put a hand over Lucy’s mouth as she was about to say something rude about the young bit!

Katie shared this gem with Cliona that night
as they went through more plans and applications for the conversion of Tolpuddle House
.

“Why on earth did Lucy think I was with Marcus? She’s a cheeky mare – but I can’t help liking her. Still, I’ve no idea why she thought I was back with him.”

Cliona kept her own counsel, she had a fair idea where Lucy had got the idea from and
if she was right it would explain Ben’s sudden disappearance and the increasingly lame excuses he was making to avoid coming back
. Cliona felt it was time to help things along a little, after the hen party; she’d be making a quick call to Southampton to straighten out any misunderstandings!

The best laid plans, even of Cliona, sometimes go wrong, and the call to Ben in Southampton never got made after the hen party. Declan had had an accident in his car and although he wasn’t badly hurt, his fractured ankle was enough to keep him off his feet and for Cliona to be extremely busy running  him back and forth from the restaurant and hospital appointments. Ringing Ben slipped completely from her mind and so
it was
the night before the wedding Ben had rung Mo and Bert with his excuses, another emergency  on site, he wouldn’t be able to make it, he was so sorry but everything was arranged for them and Declan would stand (or sit) in as best man.