The last thing she wanted to do on Saturday night was to be surrounded by happy couples, all watching her closely for signs of a mental breakdown.
‘Thanks for the invite, Nadia, I really appreciate it, but we’re actually going away this weekend.’
‘Ooh, anywhere nice?’
Kate had no idea, she’d just thought of it on the spot. Impulsively, she replied, ‘I’m taking the girls down to see their granny.’
‘Your mum?’
‘Actually, no, Pete’s mum.’
Nadia raised her eyebrows. ‘Pete’s mum?’
‘Yes, we’re back in touch. She’s really lovely, actually, we’ve seen her a couple of times. The girls adore her.’
‘What do you think Pete would say about that?’ Nadia knew from past dinner party conversations that Pete didn’t have a good relationship with his mother.
‘Quite frankly, Nadia, Pete isn’t here so he can fuck right off.’
Nadia looked taken aback. ‘I’m sorry, Kate, I didn’t mean to offend you.’
‘Oh no, don’t worry, you didn’t.’ Kate smiled sweetly back at her. ‘You didn’t at all.’
In the playground she bumped into Lottie. ‘Hey, I was hoping to see you,’ she told her. ‘Would you and Ava like to come over after school next Friday?’
‘We’d love to,’ Lottie said.
The girls ran out of school and launched themselves at her. Laughing, she hugged them both before unearthing the snacks that she’d brought with her. As the girls played with their friends for a few moments, she pulled out her phone and typed a quick text message to Karen.
Fancy some visitors this weekend?
Her mother-in-law called her back on the way home. ‘Hi, Kate, what a lovely surprise to hear from you. I’d love that. When were you thinking of coming?’
After making the arrangements Kate hung up and told the girls that they were going to Granny’s on Saturday.
‘Will Daddy be there?’ Maggie asked. The question instantly killed her buzz. They asked about him less frequently now, so she’d stopped being on constant alert for it. Before she had a chance to reply, Lily piped up, ‘No, Maggie, remember, Daddy isn’t here anymore. He’s gone away to be happy.’
She wanted to cry. Instead, she put her arms around her eldest daughter, gave her a squeeze and said, ‘Who fancies pizza for dinner?’
18
Pete
Pete looked at the rolling French countryside stretching out before him and felt at once both utter contentment and nagging guilt over what he was doing. Leafing through the photos of Claire’s dad’s house which she’d put on the little table between them, he closed his eyes and tried to push all his fears and worries out of his mind and focus on the job at hand. What did he want to do with his life?
They’d gone to France together for a few days to do a recce. And he had to admit, he liked what he saw. Claire’s dad’s house was in a bit of a state, but he could see the potential. And the whole area was just stunning. He could feel the stress and tension of London life ease away with every hour he spent there.
He had accepted the job and handed in his notice at work the previous week. He had six weeks to decide what to do next. He knew he could still just tell Kate he had got a new job and carry on with his life. She’d be confused as to why he hadn’t told her about the interviews but he was sure he could fudge it somehow and tell her that he didn’t think he’d have a chance of getting it and he hadn’t wanted to tempt fate.
Accepting the job was not, on its own, confirmation that he was going to leave her as far as he was concerned. Coming to France with his lover to consider the possibility of moving there permanently was quite another matter. All he wanted to do right now was to sit back, relax and enjoy the time away with Claire but he knew that she had other things on her mind. Inevitably, discussions would need to be had about their future.
He was so confused. Every time he decided that he was definitely going to leave Kate, something would happen that would change his mind. He oscillated back and forth, sometimes within minutes. He wasn’t stupid, he knew what he was throwing away and the hurt that he would cause to his wife and children but on the other hand, he deserved to be happy. He had every damn right to be happy. And being with Claire made him so blissfully happy in a way that he hadn’t felt with Kate for years. He honestly didn’t think he’d ever find it again with Kate and it was unfair to her for him to stay when he felt like that. She deserved better too and with a bit of time, he was sure that she’d realise it was for the best. Perhaps she’d meet someone – someone who did a better job of making her happy than he had. Because one thing he knew for sure, she’d been bloody miserable for years. Still, it didn’t make the whole thing any easier.
That evening, over dinner at the new restaurant in the village, Claire asked her first gently probing question. ‘So, Pete, what do you think?’
‘I love it,’ he replied honestly. ‘I love the house, I love the village and I love the whole laid-back vibe.’
‘Enough to live here?’
He thought very carefully about his answer. Right now, feeling pleasurably mellow on a few glasses of excellent red wine after a blissful afternoon, he literally couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be. So he spoke the words that he was feeling, even though he knew that in the cold light of day he might regret them. ‘Enough to live here, yes.’
She squealed and reached for both his hands. ‘Oh, Pete, I’m so excited!’
He smiled at her. ‘Me too.’
‘It’ll be amazing, I’m telling you. You won’t regret it. We are going to have the best life here and I am
