‘Honestly, I’ve never been out with a man so thoughtful.’
I felt a little uneasy. I couldn’t help thinking Darren hadbought this outfit for himself, not Rachel. But if she was happy, then so wasI.
‘I hope you’re getting a taxi to the door of the restaurantwith those heels.’ I grinned. ‘I wonder where he’s taking you tonight. It mustbe somewhere grand.’
Her eyes flashed with happy excitement. ‘He won’t tell me.It’s a surprise. But I remember him talking about this amazing fine-diningrestaurant that’s just opened in London. So I think we might be going there.’
‘Ooh, lovely.’
‘He’s told me to pack an overnight bag, so he must havebooked us into a hotel for the night.’
‘Even better.’
‘Poppy’s staying at Darren’s mum’s house. Rosemary’s reallygood with her, so Poppy’s almost as excited about tonight as I am.’
She went off happily, saying she’d phone me the next day andtell me all about her evening.
*****
I was curled on the sofa later, watching a drama on TV,when the doorbell rang. Puzzled, I glanced at my phone. Nine-thirty. Who couldit be at this time? I went to the window and peeked through the curtains.
Rachel was standing there. On her own.
What on earth was going on? She was supposed to be havinga magical time with Darren in London.
I hurried to the door, and as soon as I opened it, I saw themascara tracks on her cheeks.
In the house, she sat shivering on the edge of the armchairin her expensive new dress, her face ghostly white. I grabbed a fleecy throwand draped it over her shoulders and she smiled wanly up at me and told me whathad happened.
‘I could tell on the train journey into London that he wasin a strange mood, but I thought it was just because he was stressed at workand that once he’d had a glass of wine, he’d start to relax. But he was pickingfault with everything, especially me. He thought it was ridiculous that Icouldn’t walk properly in the shoes and had to cling onto him. I kept laughingabout it – honestly, Kenzie, I genuinely thought it was quite funny – butDarren seemed... annoyed. And then he was really quiet in therestaurant. I was doing all the talking, trying to cheer him up and keep theconversation flowing.’
‘Did you ask him what was wrong?’
She nodded. ‘He just said he was fine and why was I asking?But... not in a nice way, you know?’
I felt my insides shift uneasily, imagining how Rachel musthave felt. It was supposed to be her birthday treat. Clearly, Darren had ruinedit for her.
‘Where is he now?’
She stares at me in bemusement. ‘He accused me of flirtingwith the waiter and when I said ofcourseI wasn’t, he completely lostit.’ She closed her eyes. ‘It was awful, Kenzie. He shouted at me that I’d ruinedthe night and he stormed off, out of the restaurant, leaving me sitting therewondering what I’d done to make him so furious.’
‘Oh, Rachel.’ I stare at her, appalled, feeling asbewildered by this turn of events as she clearly was.
‘Ididn’tflirt with the waiter,’ she whispered.‘Honestly, Kenzie, Iwouldn’t.’
‘I know you wouldn’t, love,’ I murmured. ‘None of this wasyour fault.’
She shrugged. ‘I was just being friendly, cracking jokes,trying to cheer Darren up.’
‘So did you get the train back on your own?’
She nodded. ‘Then I got a taxi back here.’
‘What happened to your coat?’ I asked, noticing she wasstill shivering, despite the throw.
She gave an embarrassed little laugh. ‘I was so shocked byDarren just storming out and leaving me, I paid the bill in a daze and thenjust left, forgetting all about my coat.’
‘I can’t believe he would do something like that,’ Imuttered, anger rising in me.
