He took a deep breath. ‘When it was clear she wasn’t going to get better, we spent the money on trips, days out, and silly things she’d always wanted to buy but could never justify the expense of. We managed to blow the lot.’ He smiled. ‘Ten thousand pounds of memories.’
‘Money well spent,’ I said softly. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands, and I looked away to allow him some privacy.
‘Focusing on your baby will never make you sad or regretful,’ he said. We’d both learned the lesson the hard way – him harder than me, but we were both in the same place now.
‘I know.’ I was at risk of tearing up myself so drew a breath. ‘And that’s exactly what I’m doing.’
‘What does your husband think about the divorce?’
‘He thought it was a whim, that I was teaching him a lesson and it would soon pass, I think. He’s so self-sure that I don’t think he could imagine a woman turning him down at any cost. Perhaps I’m actually the first. It certainly doesn’t seem as though the women at work were keen on turning him down.’
‘I’m sorry, you don’t deserve that.’
‘And no one deserves what you’ve been through,’ I replied.
We sat in silence for a moment. ‘How about we start again?’ he asked suddenly. ‘As friends?’
I nodded. After everything that had gone on, friends sounded perfect. ‘I’d like that.’
‘Hello, I’m Andrew Watts.’ He reached his hand across the table and I shook it.
‘And I’m Charlotte Emsworth, soon to be Thomas.’
We chatted as friends for a while and I realised something. When I’d told Kate and Megan I didn’t need a man, I didn’t know it at the time but I meant it. My new life was all figured out and executed by me. What I’d actually craved was a friend. Andrew’s friendship, because we’d clicked.
I left the tearoom feeling much lighter and happier than I had in a long time. Patching things up with Andrew relieved me of the niggling feeling that had encroached upon me after he’d found out I wasn’t Megan. I still couldn’t believe he’d forgiven me after what I’d done, but as he explained, life was just too short to push away the people you get along with.
The pieces of my life were starting to fall into place and as I walked back to my car in the warm afternoon sunshine, I felt like I’d weathered the storm and it had passed, leaving me battered and bruised but still intact.
I felt so good, I went straight back to Megan’s with a plan in mind. The house was in darkness when I arrived home, but that made it all the better – nobody was home. I went upstairs and rummaged around in my drawers and cupboards looking for the white envelope I’d got for James all those months ago, when spending a few weeks on a beach with him was all I could imagine wanting.
By the time I’d concluded my hunt, it looked like a mini tornado had passed through the small room, but I didn’t care as I clutched that envelope in triumph. Ten thousand pounds was what it had taken to buy happy memories for Andrew and his wife – ten thousand pounds that they’d scrimped and saved for. The exact same amount that I’d frittered away on a luxury holiday without a second thought all because I’d felt a little bit sorry for myself because my husband was working too much. It put things into perspective, all right. Ten thousand pounds could mean so much more than a pick-me-up for a bored, rich housewife.
I popped the tickets on the kitchen table and wrote a short note:
To Megan and Sam,
A little treat to cheer you both up after everything you’ve been through. Make some memories.
Charlotte
x
I’d have to get the names changed on the documents, but it shouldn’t be too big an issue to do, and Megan and Sam would get so much more from the trip than I would, sitting alone, tummy blossoming on a beach, unable to sip a Piña Colada. It was the right thing to do, and leaving it there for them gave me a feeling so much better than the one I’d had when booking it for me and James. I knew Megan would never have experienced a holiday like that – in a beautiful sea cottage with a glass floor. It would be sheer luxury, the kind I had taken for granted for years, and she deserved it.
I decided to check into a hotel that night to give her and Sam space to talk and get excited about the trip, but also because I didn’t want any gushy thanks. As I lay on the bed I got thinking. At the start of the year, I’d had no idea what lay ahead. I’d expected another year of keeping the house nice, having luxury holidays, and keeping my charity work going and rebounding backhanded compliments with the likes of Lauren, but there I was, pregnant, single, and much less financially secure.
In the solitary confinement of my hotel room, I dared to admit something to myself. It was something that was growing slowly, consuming me a little bit more every day.
I was scared.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The next morning, my phone screen was filled with missed calls and messages from Megan. It was safe to say that judging from the hearts, kisses, and cuddles emojis that filled the screen, she was happy with the gift. And the feeling I got from making her happy was so much better than the one I had when I’d booked the trip for myself and James.
I decided to leave Megan and Sam alone a little while longer. Since the purchase of the cottage was all going through smoothly, I went back home – to my old house – to sort out my belongings.
