‘Sorry, it’s a habit. Part of the professional service and all, Charlotte.’ He smiled, and this time it did reach his eyes. He was handsome when he wasn’t moping. His chestnut hair would benefit from a trim, though, and he was at least two days overdue a shave. There was obviously something bothering him.
‘Why are you really here, Sam?’
Something about his beaker suddenly became very interesting. ‘Is the business in trouble?’ I asked.
He shook his head; his eyes remained firmly fixed on his beverage. ‘I’m sorry, I have to go.’ He set his barely touched water down and stood up. ‘Thanks for the drink. I’ll be back to plant that eucalyptus tree on Thursday.’ He nodded me farewell and almost sprinted back around to his car. I sat for a moment, processing the weird exchange. I knew I could be pushy but I meant well and had he shared his problem, I would have helped. As I sat sipping my water, my phone buzzed.
Can’t stop thinking about last night. J xxx
Heat flushed my cheeks. I felt like a teenager again. I decided to talk to James about booking a holiday for after the big case he was working on ended – somewhere romantic and exotic like the Maldives would be a perfect setting for more nights like last night. I made a mental note to talk to him about it over dinner. Before I had a chance to reply, though, my phone buzzed again.
Sorry, can’t do date night tonight. Sorry. J xxx
I sighed. No rest for the wicked. Deciding that Megan would probably be feeling a little lonely, I sent a message inviting her over for dinner. She’d cancelled our training session and I wanted to make sure she was okay.
The rest of the day passed quickly as I prepared a pasta sauce, made sure there was enough Prosecco in the wine fridge, and had a shower. Since Kate had also invited herself, I popped an extra bottle in the fridge, just to be on the safe side.
James had been given a rather crude bottle opener as his secret Santa gift from the team at work and I thought using it might cheer Megan up so went into the wardrobe to dig it out. He had a drawer of knick-knacks where I suspected I’d find it. As I rummaged through the buttons and collar stiffeners and various papers, a receipt caught my eye. It was from the Tiffany & Co concession, where he’d bought my bracelet the previous Valentine’s Day. I knew I shouldn’t, but couldn’t help sneaking a peek to see how much he’d spent. I’d bought him that fancy watch after all.
My eyes bulged – it was a fair amount though not as much as the watch cost. Not that I cared about that. As I was tucking it back beneath junk, I noticed the date and my stomach knotted. February the fourteenth. That was odd. I distinctly remembered him saying that morning he’d left my present at work. Why had he lied? He must have forgotten and been too ashamed to say.
***
It was supposed to be an evening of support, allowing Megan to cry, vent, or do whatever it was she needed to do, but once Kate arrived, it turned into something else entirely. ‘I’ve brought champers and posh crisps,’ she said, bouncing through the door.
Megan sat on the bar stool in the kitchen, looking slightly nervous. She was swaddled in the gorgeous Balmain jacket she’d bought on our shopping trip.
‘Are we celebrating?’ I asked curiously on my way to get the ice bucket from the pantry.
‘We’re celebrating Megan moving on.’ Kate held the bottle high in a celebratory fashion. I glared at her and flicked my eyes angrily to the left to indicate I wanted a word in the hallway.
‘We won’t be a moment, Megan.’ I walked out, followed by Kate. ‘What are you thinking?’ I hissed as soon as we were out of earshot.
She raised her eyebrows. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s been just a few weeks. Do you really think she’s over the heartache Mike has caused her? Or even the whole shock of the situation?’
‘Well of course not!’ Kate huffed. ‘It’s positive encouragement, you know, like when you give a child praise for cleaning their room even when you know they haven’t really done it. They will scuttle off and do it because the praise doesn’t feel right otherwise.’
‘I don’t follow.’
‘By pretending to assume she’s over him, I’m sending a subliminal message to her that she should be by now.’ She smiled.
I shook my head. ‘It’s a bit different than tidying your room, Kate, and you don’t have any kids so can you please file away your Supernanny advice in a folder marked “to be destroyed”.’
She slid an arm around my shoulder. ‘You know me, any excuse to pop a cork.’ She led me back into the kitchen. When she opened the door, we both stopped dead in our tracks. Kate turned to match my look of horror with a smirk that said ‘I told you so’.
‘Here’s to moving on,’ Megan said, holding a tiny drink in the air.
‘Megan, what are you doing?’ I almost stuttered with the shock. She’d lined up all the shot glasses from my cupboard and filled them with all the booze from my pantry. At least it appeared that way.
‘I’m doing what Kate said. I’m celebrating getting that pig, bastard, fuc—’
I placed my hands gently on her shoulders. ‘We get the idea.’ Megan picked up one of the shot glasses, which was filled with a clear liquid, and threw it back.
Kate shrugged and moved to the breakfast bar, hovering over the shots like a picky eater at a buffet. She chose one and knocked it back. For a moment, I stood gobsmacked at the two usually respectable women before
