‘Perhaps you should just grow up, Leon, and stop running away from it. You are what you are and there’s nothing wrong with what you are. And you knew I was attracted to you. You’re not thick! But despite the fact that you didn’t feel the same, it didn’t stop you from allowing me to spend a small fortune on you last night. You knew what you had planned. You knew all the while that you were going clubbing to pick someone up. Nice one!’
Leon flushed. ‘Sorry! I suppose I deserved that,’ he muttered. ‘Now that we’ve sorted it, there’s no need for you to go home. Can’t we just stay and do our own thing and enjoy ourselves?’ he urged. ‘We could have a lot of fun.’
‘Oh I am going to stay in London and have fun,’ Jonathan said coolly. ‘Just not with you. I’m going to meet up with a “real” friend.’
‘Be like that then,’ Leon said sulkily. ‘I just want to shower and shave and change my clothes before I split.’
‘Sorry, you should have done that in your little friend’s gaff. I’m leaving now.’
‘You go then! I’ll freshen up and then leave.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Jonathan said firmly. ‘Time to go. Checkout is twelve and it’s ten to. I want to settle my bill. They were very decent not charging me for the next two days.’ He lifted Leon’s bag and opened the door and deposited it in the hall. ‘Your room card, please?’ He held out his hand. Leon passed it to him with bad grace. Jonathan ignored him and picked up his luggage. ‘After you,’ he said politely. Leon walked out the door and reached for his bag. Jonathan’s heart twisted as he watched him lope down the corridor. He didn’t feel they would ever meet again and it was painful in the extreme to acknowledge that. He stayed for a moment until the other man had rounded the corner to the lift before closing the door on his dream.
‘That’s rough. Poor Jonathan,’ Niall said sympathetically. He sounded as though he was in the next room and not halfway across the world in Dubai. ‘He never seems to get a break in his relationships.’ Despite his accusation that Hilary spent too much time with the other man, Niall was fond of Jonathan.
She and Niall had been cool with each other for a few days after their tiff about Sue, but they were never able to hold on to a fight and he had agreed that Sue had to play her part. Music to his wife’s ears. Besides, she would never have let him fly abroad without sorting out an argument and they had made love the night before he flew to the UAE.
‘So you don’t mind us going?’ Hilary asked, tucking the phone under her ear and filling the kettle for a cuppa. ‘I’ll be spending even more time with Jonathan,’ she reminded him sheepishly.
‘Aahh he needs you. And it will be nice for you to have a jaunt with the girls. Perfect timing while they’re on their holidays,’ her husband said easily. ‘Text me your room number when you get to the hotel and I’ll ring you on the landline later, OK?’
‘OK,’ Hilary agreed. ‘I’ll just give Sue a call to let her know neither you nor I are around for the next few days.’
‘Fine. Try and have some fun in London too. Talk to ya, love ya, babe!’ Niall said before hanging up.
Hilary smiled. Niall was, for the most part, laid-back and easy-going, which was why he got antsy when he had to deal with family issues. She could stay the week in London with the girls, and spend a fortune, and he wouldn’t say boo! She was lucky with her husband in that regard. Pity Sue didn’t have his disposition. She didn’t want to phone her sister-in-law, who had been extremely cool with her since their confrontation in Buswells. Margaret was recovering from another chest infection and was not up to doing her own shopping; she needed someone to keep an eye on her.
Hilary dialled Sue’s number, but not surprisingly got no response. She left a message, and sent a text just to be sure. She wouldn’t put it past Sue to say she’d got no voice message.
Hilary had booked an Aer Lingus flight leaving at 2 p.m. The girls were packed and all ready to go; she’d just pop over to the shops and get a few groceries for Margaret to keep her going, she decided. She could get the taxi to make a detour and drop them off on the way to the airport.
‘It’s a pity we’re going to London because of something sad.’ Sophie lifted the two bags of shopping from the checkout counter and followed Hilary to the exit.
‘We’ll try and make the most of it, and we’ll do our best to cheer Jonathan up,’ Hilary promised.
‘It’s ages since we had a girls’ adventure!’ Sophie observed.
Hilary felt a dart of guilt. Sophie was right. She needed to start spending more time with her daughters before they flew the nest. Millie would be going to college in the autumn. She could hardly believe how the years had flown by. ‘Let’s try and have a few jaunts this summer when Millie has finished her exams. How about a spa day sooner rather than later?’
‘Nice,’ Sophie approved and Hilary smiled. She would definitely organize that in the near future. There was a tangible air of excitement as they all piled into the taxi a while later. The unexpectedness of the trip added to the gaiety. This was what life was all about, Hilary thought as she listened to the girls discuss what they intended to buy in the duty free. Although it was far from trips to London and duty-free sprees she’d been brought up to,
