AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Are you feeling any better now?’
‘Yes,’ I say, ‘A little.’ Might as well lie about that one.
‘Still no sign of Dominic?’
‘No.’
Nina sighs at me. ‘You know it’s for the best,’ she says.
‘What is?’
‘That Dominic’s gone now. Sooner rather than later.’
‘How do you work that out?’ Like Archie, my heckles are up now too.
‘It was bound to happen.’
‘So everyone keeps telling me.’ It’s all I can do to stop my hands from shaking in anger.
‘Have you closed your bank accounts?’ she asks, concerned. ‘Gerry said it would be a good idea. Or at least take all of the cash out of them so that he can’t get his hands on it.’
‘What cash?’ I ask, wishing Nina’s lecherous husband would keep his nose out of my business. ‘There’s hardly anything in the bank for Dominic to take and if there was, I would gladly give him every last penny of it.’
She looks at me as if I’m a hopeless case. And perhaps I am. Hopelessly in love.
‘I just think that you should take steps to protect yourself,’ she advises sagely. ‘Cancel your credit cards and stuff.’
‘This isn’t about money,’ I rail. ‘Not for me. I feel sick not knowing where he is and I’d give every last penny that I had simply to get a telephone call from him to say that he’s all right. Don’t you understand that?’
Her expression says that she doesn’t. ‘All I’m saying is that you have to watch this type of man.’
‘What would you know about that, Nina?’ I say bitterly.
‘We just all knew that it was going to end like this. The sooner you can accept that and move on, the quicker you’ll get back to normal.’
‘I don’t want to be normal,’ I tell her. ‘I don’t want my old life back. I want Dominic and the life I had with him. Perhaps if he hadn’t heard directly from you how badly you thought of him then he might still be here.’
My so-called friend bristles. ‘None of this is my fault. I’m the one who’s been trying to warn you.’
‘Dominic heard exactly what you had to say about him that night at the Sno!Zone. That’s why he left. He knew that everyone was against him.’
Now she blanches. ‘You never said.’
‘How could you not know? He was standing directly outside the door. He heard it all.’
‘I had no idea.’
‘Oh, don’t give me that. Whatever you’ve come here for, Nina, don’t play the innocent with me.’
She stares at me, mouth agape. ‘I came here to be your friend again,’ she continues when she finds her voice.
‘No,’ I said. ‘You didn’t. You only want to be a friend on your terms. If you were truly my friend, you’d be distraught for me. Distraught because the only man I’ve ever truly loved has disappeared from my life. If you were a true friend, you’d be like Mike.’ I fling a finger at the garden where my steadfast neighbour has his back to me, picking up logs. ‘He’s the one who’s been searching day and night with me. He’s the one who’s been round here every day, making sure I’m not alone, that I don’t think too much, that I don’t do anything stupid. Or you’d be like the people of the village, who have been out walking the fields looking for him. Or you’d bring me little gifts of tasty food to tempt me because you’d know that I’m not eating. That’s what friends do. So take your wine and your flowers back, Nina. That’s not what I need from you at all.’ I take a deep breath. ‘And before you start putting my house in order, take a long hard look at your own.’
Clearly offended, my friend stands up and heads for the door. Then she turn and says, ‘One day, Janie, you’ll thank me for this.’
‘I don’t think so, Nina.’
My friend marches to the front door and bangs it behind her. It shakes on its hinges.
The only day that I’ll be giving thanks is the day that Dominic comes back to me.
Chapter Eighty-Four
In the afternoon, Mike and I work for another two hours on his garden. I don’t tell Mike about my argument with Nina, but I think he can tell from my sombre mood that all didn’t go well with her.
The temperature is dropping quickly now and I fail to fend off a shiver. My hands go protectively to my tummy. If there’s a baby in there, Dominic’s baby, then I should make sure that it doesn’t catch a chill.
‘OK?’ Mike says.
‘Yes. Yes.’ I gather up the last of the leaves and put them into a black sack. We’re just finishing off the last bits and Mike is going to make one more run to the Tidy Tip before it closes.
