‘You’re engaged!’ Suzanne gasped, staring accusingly at Brian. She couldn’t have been more horrified if Kate had announced that he was a paedophile.
‘Well, not any more.’ Kate beamed at her. ‘He’s all yours. Andyours.’ She turned to Liz. ‘And probably every other woman in the room’s, for all I know.’
‘I thought you didn’t believe in marriage,’ Liz was saying to him in a shocked whisper.
‘I was going to break it off with you anyway,’ Kate continued airily. ‘I’m in love with someone else. Probably nothing will come of it, but I might as well tell you it’s Will, since you’ll probably find out anyway. It’s been in all the papers. His girlfriend caught us together and tried to beat me up.’
At this the whole group erupted. Brian sat stony-faced as the session descended into chaos. Suzanne and Liz ran from the room in tears, and several other girls were throwing wounded glances in Brian’s direction. Terry stood up and pumped Kate’s hand enthusiastically.
‘Thanks for your help, Kate. I’m off home to give my wife a hand with the kids.’
‘Oh good,’ she smiled. ‘Sorry if I was a bit?—’
‘No, you were great,’ he said. ‘Good luck with that bloke of yours.’
‘You’re not going back to Dublin by any chance? Only I could do with a lift.’
‘Sure, no problem. I’ll see you out front in ten minutes.’
Kate grinned triumphantly at Brian.
‘You were right,’ she told him. ‘It was very empowering.’ And with that she walked out of the room and out of his life.
* * *
Letting herself into the flat, Kate was immediately accosted by Freddie. ‘At last!’ he said accusingly.
‘Well, it’s official, my life is crap,’ Kate said, moving past him into the living room and throwing her keys on the table.
‘What happened?’ Freddie asked. ‘And why did you stay out last night? You did break up with Brian, didn’t you?’ he asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
‘Yes.’ Kate sighed wearily. ‘I did. But you wouldn’t believe what I had to go through to do it – sweat lodges, sharing circles, role-playing –andit cost me three hundred euro!’
‘Bit of a bargain, if you ask me,’ Freddie muttered. ‘Well, never mind. It’s over now, and you can get on with your life.’
‘What life? I don’thavea life any more. I have no job, no boyfriend?—’
‘Don’t speak too soon, Baby Bear.’ Freddie smiled enigmatically, barely able to contain his excitement.
‘Baby Bear?’ Kate screwed up her face. ‘What are you on about?’
In answer, Freddie put an arm around her and steered her across the apartment.
‘Someone’s been sleeping inyourbed,’ he said, pausing outside the door of Kate’s room. ‘And he’sstill there!’ he said theatrically, opening the door with a dramatic flourish.
Kate couldn’t believe her eyes because there, fast asleep, was Will, flanked by Didi and Gogo, nestled into his body on either side, purring in time with his rhythmic breathing, eyes tightly closed and expressions of transcendental bliss on their faces. Will’s ridiculously long black eyelashes rested on his cheeks, and she saw that he was sporting a livid bruise under one eye. For a moment she was too stunned to speak.
‘Poor thing, he must have been exhausted,’ Freddie cooed. ‘He’s been sleeping for almost twelve hours.’
‘But how did he get here? When?—’
‘He came here last night, looking for you.’
‘And you let him stay?’ Kate couldn’t help feeling a little betrayed.
‘Not until I’d given him a really hard time. I’m not a total pushover, you know, not even for a face as pretty as that. I really put him through the wringer.’
Kate couldn’t imagine Freddie putting anyone through the wringer.
