‘Yes, Megan’s fiancé was cheating with the waitress from the coffee shop next to his work,’ Kate said, pursing her lips in sympathy.
‘Hold your horses, ladies. Sam, what actual evidence do you have?’ I asked, plonking a slab of rational thinking back on the table.
‘Like I said, little things. I’ve noticed a strong smell of aftershave on her clothes. She goes out more, she’s late back from work, and she never leaves her phone lying around. You know, it’s hard to actually put my finger on it, but something is off.’
I remembered reading an article called ‘How to tell if your spouse is cheating’ or something like that, and those were the signs. ‘You need to know the truth.’
‘I know. I just don’t know how to go about it without her cottoning on to what I’m up to.’
‘I’ll help you,’ I blurted out. The adrenaline was already pumping through my veins. I’d done it before and I could do it again.
‘We all will,’ Kate waded in.
Megan nodded. ‘Yes, you need to know.’
I was glad she felt that way. I still had to break it to her that I’d orchestrated the whole catch-Mike-in-the-act plan, but I wasn’t yet ready for that conversation.
‘Ok, let’s hatch a plan. Sam, write down Samantha’s regular movements – where she says she’s going and when: work, gym, shops et cetera.’ I turned to Megan. ‘In hindsight, what obvious signs were there that you missed when Mike was cheating on you? Kate, you go to the wine fridge and pick something decent.’ I was at my best when in charge of a project and my little task force was coming together nicely.
‘I’m done,’ Sam announced, sliding his paper towards me. I scanned the page.
I’d forgotten that Samantha was a barrister. It was a terrible thing to think, but it was difficult to imagine Sam with a barrister wife. ‘Okay, so she has a demanding job, goes to the gym . . . Sam, are you sure about the whole affair thing? It doesn’t seem like she’d have the time – I know how busy James is with his legal work.’
I knew it was wrong of me, but I did feel a twinge of disappointment at the prospect of grinding the whole shebang to a halt.
‘I can just tell,’ Sam replied quietly. ‘Something about her has changed. She’d always been busy but recently she’s come home and gone off to read or watch TV instead of wanting to sit with me. She’s just . . . off. Plus, like I’ve already mentioned I caught a whiff of aftershave on her a few times.’
I tapped the table, considering what he’d said. ‘Okay, let’s say she is having an affair – do you really want to know about it?’
Megan’s eyes shot to Sam in anticipation.
He nodded. ‘I’m hoping to be proven wrong but I need to know. It’s driving me mad, giving me a bad stomach and everything.’
Megan put a reassuring arm around him and rubbed his back. ‘Whatever happens, you’ll get through it.’
‘Plenty more fish in the sea,’ Kate chimed in, holding up her glass.
‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Let’s get down to business.’
We hatched a plan, and the more we drank, the more elaborate the ideas. At one point, wigs were mentioned and honey traps and all kinds of late-night-TV-worthy ideas. Pens and paper were used, and by the time we’d finished, we were all feeling pretty smug and pretty tipsy. Kate went to my wine fridge and pulled out another bottle of champagne.
‘Now this one really is warranted, misery face.’ She directed her comment at me, but I just smiled and shook my head.
Megan spoke then. ‘It’s funny how you have these first impressions of people and they turn out to be completely wrong.’ I turned to look at her. Her comment had come from nowhere, but she had a point. ‘I mean, I was so attracted to Mike from the beginning because he seemed so genuine and decent – and, Sam, I’m sure you felt the same?’
Sam nodded in response. ‘Samantha is gorgeous. To be honest, in the early days, back at uni, I’d felt she was a little bit out of my league but she never gave me any reason to doubt her feelings for me and once we were married, I sort of felt . . . safe,’ he said sullenly. I remembered James saying something about that, years before. Sam’s friends apparently gave him quite the ribbing for ‘punching above his weight.’
‘So your wife is called Sam too?’ Kate laughed. ‘Sam and Sam?’
‘You’re both called Sam Smith? Like the singer!’ Megan giggled and when Sam gave her a quizzical look, she pointed out the ‘Smith’s landscaping’ logo on his T-shirt. Remembering that Megan loved Sam Smith, I chuckled myself.
‘Megan is a huge Sam Smith fan,’ I explained.
‘Ahh.’ He smiled. ‘Does it apply to any random Sam Smith or just that singer guy?’
Megan’s face flushed.
‘Anyway, going back to first impressions, what was your first impression of me?’ Kate asked loudly, sloshing more champagne into her glass.
‘Kate! Not everything is about you. Megan was making a good point there.’ I was trying to get back to whatever she had been about to say before the whole Sam Smith thing.
‘It’s okay, Charlotte,’ Megan said. ‘To be honest, Kate, I was a little intimidated by you. You’re so beautiful, elegant, and not to mention confident. I actually didn’t expect to like you, but I do. A lot. I’ve learned that your heart is in the right place, you’re generous, kind, and lots of fun too.’
Kate smiled and leaned over the counter to top up Megan’s glass. ‘You get yours filled to the brim, my dear.’
I wasn’t proud of myself for asking, but I was a little curious since we were on the topic. ‘What about me, then? What did you think of me at first?’
Megan giggled. ‘Well, at first, I found you a bit stiff and starchy, and maybe a little materialistic, but I soon learned you’re
