Warhol's Prophecy

‘Hailey, you let the guy go down on you. I think he could be forgiven for thinking you wanted to be a little more than just friends.’

The two women regarded each other silently for a moment.

‘Why did you want him to stop?’ Caroline said finally.

Hailey shrugged.

‘Maybe I wasn’t as mad at Rob as I thought I was,’ she muttered.

‘So where does that leave Adam?’

‘Who cares? I’m just grateful nothing happened. I shouldn’t even have had lunch with him. I suppose I got carried away. I wanted to show him how grateful I was for him finding Becky. It got out of hand.’

‘You can’t blame him, Hailey.’

‘I didn’t ask him to send me flowers – or ring me at work.’

‘You bitch,’ Caroline said, smiling. ‘You led him on and now you just want to drop him.’

‘I thought you would have understood,’ Hailey retorted, snatching up her coat.

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Look, if I sent out the wrong signals, then I’m sorry, but it’s too late now.’

‘Don’t you think you should be telling Adam this, not me?’

Hailey pulled on her coat.

‘I don’t want to speak to him again, Caroline. It’s as simple as that.’

‘You mean, as long as you can’t see him, you can’t be tempted.’

Hailey headed for the sitting room.

Caroline heard her calling to Becky.

‘Just because Rob was stupid doesn’t mean I have to be too,’ Hailey announced.

‘At least have the decency to return his calls, Hailey. Put the poor sod out of his misery. He only wants to speak to you. Where’s the harm in that?’

Hailey didn’t answer.

‘Thanks for picking Becky up,’ she said brusquely, ushering her daughter towards the front door.

‘’Bye, Auntie Caroline,’ Becky called as she left the house, wandering towards the waiting Astra.

‘See you soon, darling,’ Caroline called after her. Then, to Hailey: ‘Speak to him. You owe him that, at least.’

Hailey hesitated a moment, then headed towards the car.

Caroline stood at the door as the Astra pulled away.

52

THE EVENING HAD passed in relative silence since Rob had taken Becky up to bed.

He and Hailey had barely exchanged ten words. Both of them seemed enveloped by a feeling of weariness. As if each was carrying some crushing weight on their very soul. They sat staring blankly at the television, watching a film both of them had seen before, but which neither seemed willing to switch off.

They had exchanged the usual small talk over the dinner table. Anxious to perpetuate in front of Becky the facade that all was still well between them.

As the credits began to roll, Hailey stretched out her legs before her and glanced across at Rob, who was slumped in the chair, almost asleep.

He stirred, aware of her gaze.

‘It wasn’t much good the first time, was it?’ he said, nodding towards the screen.

Hailey smiled and shook her head.

‘Do you fancy a coffee?’ she wanted to know.

‘If you’re making one.’

She got to her feet and headed for the sitting-room door.

Rob caught her hand and held it.

‘Hailey?’

He looked up at her.

‘I sacked Sandy today,’ he said flatly.

Hailey held his gaze.

‘She’s finished at BG Trucks,’ he continued. ‘You were right. I should have done that at the beginning.’

‘Why now?’ she asked, kneeling beside his chair, still holding his hand.

‘I wanted to do it. I didn’t want her around any more.’

‘What did she say?’

‘Does it matter? She’s gone. That’s the most important thing. I thought you’d be pleased.’

‘I am. I just wish you’d done it earlier.’

He nodded. ‘So do I.’

She thought how calm his voice was: no confrontational edge to it. He just seemed so tired.

‘Why did you sack her now if you wouldn’t do it when your affair ended?’ she enquired.

‘She kept on saying she thought there was still a chance for us. She still wanted me.’

The way you wanted Adam Walker?

‘Do you still want her?’

‘I never did. I would never have left you and Becky for her. You know that.’

‘What was it, Rob? Didn’t you want the temptation around any more?’

‘You’ve got what you wanted, Hailey. Can’t you just leave it at that?’

‘I wanted her to go, Rob. But are you sure you did?’

‘Very sure.’

‘What did Frank say about it?’

‘Not much. He understood why she had to go.’

She reached out and touched his cheek. ‘Promise me you’ll never see her again,’ she whispered.

‘Hailey . . .’

‘Promise me.’

He looked directly at her. ‘I’ll never see her again,’ he murmured.

She got to her feet and kissed him gently on the top of the head.

‘I’ll make the coffee,’ she said quietly.

He heard the sitting-room door close behind her.

Feel better for that? Conscience not pricking quite so badly now?

Rob prepared for the weight to lift from his shoulders.

It didn’t.

53

FUCKING BASTARD.

Lousy, gutless, fucking bastard, thought Sandy Bennett.

She wondered what he was doing now. Sitting playing happy families with his wife and kid, no doubt.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

She exhaled deeply and padded through the small flat to the kitchen, where she found a can of Diet Coke. She’d been toying with idea of getting drunk: downing enough vodka to blot out his memory, at least on a temporary basis.

Instead she’d taken a bath, sitting in the warm, soapy water for what seemed like hours. Thinking about her life – about Rob Gibson.

Bastard.

What was she meant to do now? She didn’t care about losing her job. She knew she’d find another without