Changing Places (40 page)

‘I have my bag with me,’ Liam said into her hair. ‘Is it okay if I stay?’

‘What about Josie?’ Anna asked, pulling back to look at him.

‘She’s flying about on the crutches now, no problem, and her neighbour’s agreed to keep an eye on her and do any shopping she needs.’

‘Which neighbour?’ Anna couldn’t stop herself.

Liam made a face. ‘The other one.’

‘You’re still going to be bumping into Tara all the time, Liam. I don’t know if I can handle that.’

‘You don’t have to worry. She’s moving.’

‘What? Where? When?’

‘I don’t know the details but a For Sale sign went up yesterday.’

Anna looked into his eyes. ‘Had you something to do with that?’

He nodded. ‘Yes, I think so. I think she believed that we had some kind of future together. I told her I still loved you and always would. Let’s say she didn’t take it very
well.’

‘I suppose that’s why she didn’t ask Donnelly’s Real Estate to sell her property,’ Anna joked lamely as relief washed over her. She looked up into her
husband’s handsome face. ‘Is this really what you want, Liam?’

Liam nodded. ‘I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. And now I want to do something that I haven’t done for way too long.’

Bending his head, Liam kissed her and Anna returned the kiss hungrily, enjoying the familiar feel of his lips against hers and his hands in her hair. After a moment, she reluctantly pulled away.
‘Sorry to do this to you, Liam, but I have to go out for a little while.’

Liam frowned. ‘Is everything okay?’

Anna kissed him again. ‘Very okay, but I have to go and meet Rachel and Jill. I’ll explain everything when I get back.’

As Anna drove, she chewed over what Liam had told her and realized that they’d both gone through a similar crisis; while he had turned to Tara for comfort, she had turned
to Charlie. Anna shivered at the thought of Liam and Tara together. Though she believed him when he told her they hadn’t had sex, she knew first-hand that things could still get pretty hot
and heavy without actually going all the way. She felt sick with shame when she thought of that night in Paul Brennan’s house. Making a sudden decision, Anna pulled over to the side of the
road and dialled a number. ‘I need to see you,’ she said as soon as the phone was answered.

‘This is a nice surprise.’ Charlie was at the door waiting for her when she stepped out of the car.

Anna looked nervously around as she approached him.

‘It’s okay, Paul isn’t about to jump out of the bushes. I’m the official owner now.’

‘Congratulations.’ Anna turned her head so that his kiss landed on her cheek.

Charlie grinned and led her into the hallway that was crowded with boxes. ‘I’m afraid it’s a bit of a mess. My stuff was delivered yesterday but I haven’t made much
headway with the unpacking. Come into the kitchen. I think I can put my hands on a bottle of wine.’

‘Not for me,’ Anna said quickly, determined to remain in full control.

‘Coffee?’ he offered.

‘No, thanks, I can’t stay long.’

‘Oh?’ Charlie leaned casually against the worktop and watched her.

‘No. I just wanted to tell you, face to face, that Liam is home. We’re back together. Properly,’ she added, when his expression didn’t change.

‘Is that it?’

Anna nodded.

‘Hey, don’t look so worried. I completely understand.’

Anna smiled with relief. ‘Oh good, I was afraid that you’d be . . .’ She was about to say ‘upset’ but that sounded big-headed.

‘Annoyed? Upset? Look, Anna, it’s okay. I’m a realist. I didn’t really expect you to walk out on Liam.’

‘You didn’t?’

‘No, of course not; you obviously love the guy.’

Anna nodded dumbly, relieved that he was making this so easy.

Charlie moved towards her and looped his arms loosely around her. ‘As long as we’re careful it will be fine.’

‘Sorry?’

He chuckled. ‘Well, dining out in the village on a regular basis might not be such a good idea! But now that I own this place, you can come here; no one will know the difference. And
Sophie won’t be around that much. Between school and her friends, and that pony of hers, I hardly see her these days.’ He ran his hands up and down her arms. ‘But I kind of like
the idea of you coming by for a mid-morning shag. Hey, I’d even make you coffee!’

Anna pushed him away. ‘You want me to have an affair with you?’

‘Why not? We could have fun, and if we’re careful, no one will get hurt.’

Anna stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘But Anna . . .’

She backed away towards the door, not taking her eyes off him. ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’

He looked at her in confusion. ‘But you fancy me, I know you do.’

‘I did,’ Anna corrected. ‘But there’s a lot more to a relationship than sex – at least, there is for me. I’m going now, Charlie, and I won’t be back.
And please, do me one favour. If our paths cross in the future, pretend that none of this ever happened. I sold you a house, end of story, okay?’

Charlie sighed and shook his head. ‘We could have had so much fun, Anna.’

‘Promise me?’ she begged.

‘Oh, don’t worry, woman, I’m not going to stalk you!’ He waved an irritable hand at her. ‘Go on, get out of here. Have a nice, safe little life.’

When Anna turned out of the driveway she drove straight to the Grand Hotel. She and Rachel and Jill had agreed to meet here after their encounters. It was nearly six o’clock. She wondered
if she’d be the first to arrive.

Rachel had been wandering around in a daze since Gary and Alex had got home. She’d received a one-word reply to last night’s text –
OK
– and
she had seen from the expression on Gary’s face when he walked through the hall door at lunchtime that he knew this was a showdown of sorts. Alex gabbled on endlessly about the fishing trip,
oblivious to the atmosphere. Rachel’s nerves were stretched to breaking-point and she had found it hard to talk to her son and behave normally. Luckily he was so thrilled to hear he was going
over to his friend’s house, he spent much of the time leading up to it selecting the toys he would take with him. When Gary returned from dropping him off, Rachel was sitting at the kitchen
table waiting. According to the clock on the wall it was 3.55 p.m. Close enough, she decided.

‘What’s all this about?’ Gary took the seat opposite her and started to fiddle with the salt cellar.

Rachel recognized the defensive tone in his voice and her heart sank. ‘You’re seeing someone else, aren’t you?’ Well, there was no point in dancing around the
subject.

Gary’s face drained of colour. ‘What? What are you talking about?’ he blustered.

‘It’s true, isn’t it?’

Gary said nothing, just sat staring at her.

‘I know it’s true. I’ve known for ages.’

‘You know nothing,’ he ground out, his grip tightening on the salt cellar.

‘Are you denying it?’ Rachel challenged and then her lips twisted in a bitter smile as he looked away.

‘It’s not what you think,’ Gary said dully.

‘How do you know what I think?’ she shot back.

‘How wouldn’t I?’ he shouted, standing up so fast that he knocked the chair over. ‘You’ve made it perfectly clear what you think of me. When I’m here,
you’re nagging me, when I’m not here, you’re checking up on me. And don’t think I don’t know that you go through my pockets.’

Rachel reddened. ‘Are you surprised? How could I possibly trust you after that night?’

‘That bloody night!’ Gary slammed his hand down on the worktop and then turned around to face her, his eyes furious. ‘It always comes back to that bloody night. And do you know
something, Rachel?’ He bent down close to her so that they were eyeball to eyeball. ‘Read my lips. Nothing happened that night! I was at a dinner with Dan and some clients and then we
went to a club. As God is my witness, that’s the truth!’

Rachel nodded slowly. ‘I believe you,’ she whispered.

Gary picked up his chair, flopped back into it and covered his face with his hands. Rachel should have felt relieved, but it was clear to her that he had a lot more to say. Bracing herself, she
cradled her arms around her bump. ‘Tell me everything, Gary. Let’s get this over with, once and for all.’

Gary took his hands away and looked at her, his eyes tortured. ‘I’m sorry, Rache, I didn’t mean it to happen.’

She swallowed hard. ‘Go on.’

‘I wasn’t out looking for it, I wasn’t in pubs or in nightclubs, though you probably won’t believe that. When I said I was working late, I was. I’ve worked hard to
get where I am, and when I told you that I wanted to go out on my own, it wasn’t a vague silly idea. It was a very well-researched plan.’

‘Just tell me about Her,’ Rachel told him, working hard to keep her voice steady.

‘She works in a bookshop around the corner from work. There’s a coffee-shop in the back and me and Dan used to have lunch there sometimes.’ Gary shrugged. ‘She got to
know me from going in and out, and we used to say hello. Then one day she asked me for a quote for putting in a conservatory and we had a cup of coffee while I talked her through it.’

‘When did all this happen?’

‘I don’t know, maybe five or six months ago.’

Rachel frowned, trying to figure out why warning bells were ringing loudly in her head. Of course! The receipts she’d found in his pocket. They were for the coffee-bar in the bookshop.
‘Egan’s,’ she breathed.

‘Yes. Anyway, we hit it off from the start. She bought a conservatory and I popped in occasionally to check that she was happy with the work. Then we got talking about other things. Before
long, I was dropping in for a coffee a couple of times a week.’

‘So when did it progress from there?’ Rachel forced herself to ask.

‘It didn’t,’ he muttered. ‘It hasn’t.’

‘Right!’ Rachel looked at him in total disbelief.

‘It’s true,’ he insisted. ‘Not because I’m a good husband but because she’s a good wife and mother.’

‘She’s married?’

Gary nodded. ‘Yeah, with two little girls – they’re seven and four.’

Rachel said nothing as she tried to absorb what he was saying.
Married, kids, not a good husband . . .
‘You were seeing her after I told you about the baby?’

He nodded, his eyes closed. ‘I’m sorry. I wouldn’t hurt you for the world, Rache, but I love her.’

It was like a knife through her heart. ‘I see.’

‘But you don’t have to worry.’ He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘She won’t have anything to do with me. She says we both have responsibilities and we
can’t walk away from them.’

‘Very admirable.’

‘She’s a good person,’ Gary snapped at her.

‘Better than me.’

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘It’s what you meant.’

‘No! Rachel, I love you and I admire you, you’re a great mother. And if you hadn’t asked me about this, I would never have told you any of it in a million years.’

‘But you would leave me – leave
us
– if she’d asked you.’

Gary looked at her, his eyes sad. ‘I didn’t mean it to happen, Rache, but I suppose it was only a matter of time. It’s obvious that you don’t love me any more.’

‘What do you mean? Of course I love you!’

‘You don’t,’ Gary insisted. ‘Sometimes I wonder if you ever really did. I think you were more in love with the idea of getting married than actually getting married to
me
.’

‘That’s not true!’

‘Then maybe it’s all my fault. Maybe I should have been around more when Alex was a baby. If that’s true then I’m sorry, Rache. I’m sorry for all of it.’

Rachel realized she should be throwing a tantrum, hurling dishes at him or, at the very least, crying her eyes out – but she felt surprisingly calm. ‘So what happens now?’ she
asked.

‘We start again, I suppose, and get ready for the birth of our baby.’

‘How can we start again? You’re in love with another woman.’

‘I won’t see her again,’ Gary promised. ‘It’s over. Look, Rache, I’m willing to work at this.’

‘You shouldn’t have to work at loving someone,’ Rachel mumbled.

‘I know I’ve hurt you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I still care about you. I love Alex and I can’t wait to meet the baby.’

‘It’s another boy,’ Rachel told him without emotion.

Gary’s eyes filled up. ‘That’s fantastic! But how do you know? When did you find out?’

Rachel shook her head. ‘That’s not important right now.’ She stood up. ‘I have to go out for a while.’

‘Out? But where? Rache, you’re not going to do anything silly, are you?’

‘I have arranged to meet Anna and Jill. I won’t be long.’

‘Oh, okay. Is there anything you want me to do?’

She turned to look at him. ‘Yes, I’d like you to pack.’

‘No! Rachel!’

‘I need you to pick up Alex and look after him until I get back,’ Rachel continued as if he hadn’t spoken. ‘Then we have to work out what to tell him. Possibly we could
say you have to go away on business.’

‘But Rache—’

She waved away his protests. ‘I don’t want him hurt. It’s very important that we do whatever it takes to protect him from this.’

‘Then let me stay,’ Gary begged, tears streaming down his face. ‘I’ll be a better husband, a better father. We can get through this, Rachel. Don’t make me leave
Alex, don’t make me leave my baby!’

‘You love another woman, Gary. Do you honestly think I can carry on as normal knowing that?’

‘But nothing happened.’

‘And what if she changes her mind? What would happen the day she called you and said, “I want to be with you”?’

Gary looked away.

‘Yes, that’s what I thought. Look, Gary, I’m terrified of letting you walk out the door but I’m more terrified of letting you stay. And I may not have been the best wife
in the world but I deserve more than second-best.’

Gary crumpled into a heap at the kitchen table and buried his face in his hands. ‘I’m so sorry, Rache. I’m so sorry.’

Rachel looked at the broken man before her, her eyes bright with unshed tears. ‘Me too.’

Jill walked into the Yacht Bar at exactly five past four. Well, it wasn’t a good idea to look too eager. Andy was already there, in conversation with the barman. He
looked good, Jill thought, taking a moment to admire his chocolate leather jacket and tight black jeans. He’d let his hair grow and it made him look younger and even more gorgeous than she
remembered. As if sensing her eyes on him, Andy turned and smiled. Jill smiled back and walked towards him. ‘Hi, Andy.’