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Kate breathed a sigh of relief when Sarah finally stopped to take a breath. She discreetly checked her watch, and could’ve hugged the taxi driver as he sounded his horn outside on the road.
“I think your taxi’s here. I’m sorry how things have turned out for you. Hopefully, you can salvage something from the holiday. Time alone may help you reflect on what went wrong.”
“What went wrong was that I trusted that sly bastard.”
“OK, well, um, yes, that may be true. Do you need a hand with your bags?”
Kate would’ve happily carried the bags all the way to Bodmin Parkway if it meant getting her house back any time soon.
“Yes,” said Sarah, handing Kate both enormous backpacks.
Kate wobbled her way to the taxi. The driver leaped out when he saw Kate struggling and helped her deposit both bags into the boot of the car.
“What will you do with Mark’s bag?” Kate asked, as Sarah climbed into the car.
“Leave it on the train.”
“Right, OK. Well, have a good journey.”
Kate slammed the door and waved the taxi off. As soon as they were out of sight, she went back in the house and opened a beer. What a day. It was horrible seeing someone so upset, yet she couldn’t help rooting for Mark. It took a lot of guts to stand up to a bully, and Kate was in no doubt that Sarah was a bully. It was possible she didn’t realise, but Kate had seen how nervy and anxious Mark had been. No one should be made to feel like that in a relationship.
Kate thought back to her own dating history. There’d been a couple of boys at school she’d gone out with briefly, but Alex was the only one who fell into serious relationship territory. He’d treated her well, hadn’t he?
A niggling doubt crept over Kate as she remembered the first time she’d introduced Alex to her friends. That was in the days when Kate had a large social circle and plenty of people vying for the ‘best friend’ category. She’d been nervous to introduce Alex into the group, but certain that when they got to know him, they’d all love him as much as she did. He’d been OK with the women, but not the blokes. That was unfortunate as Kate had plenty of male friends, all of whom showed her a brotherly protectiveness.
A long buried memory came flooding back. Two men fighting. One had been Alex, but who was the second man? Oh yes, Tom, who she sat next to in lectures. Kate couldn’t remember how the fight had started, but was sure it had something to do with her. Tom could be brittle on the outside, and happy to disagree with anyone he could to cause a bit of friction. No wonder Alex had been pissed off with him. After the fight, she’d taken Alex home to her place and nursed his wounds. He’d made her promise not to talk to Tom again, and consequently, all her other male friends had sided with Tom and given her a wide berth.
Alex had been open with her from the start about his own insecurities. He’d been in love with a girl from school. They planned to get engaged until she had cheated on him with his best friend. An experience like that was bound to make you wary. Kate enjoyed his possessive jealousy at first. Yes, it had been hard letting friends go, but if it was a choice, she’d always put Alex first. But over the years, her friendship group had been whittled down so much, Maddie and Flo were the only ones who’d stuck it out.
Now Kate thought about it, Alex had held onto plenty of his female friends. It hadn’t been a problem at the time, but now, here she was living alone at thirty with only a handful of people she could call on. And there he was, in his beautiful Bath townhouse, a packed diary of social engagements and a new companion filling the void Kate had left. Had she been a mug? Not as much a mug as Mark. The thought brought some comfort, and Kate cracked open another beer and turned on the TV.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
WHAT A JOYit was to have a free Sunday morning. Kate had forgotten the luxury of it, having been rostered on at The Sunbeam every weekend she could remember. She woke early, made a coffee and crawled back into bed with her book. It was eleven before she got up to shower and face the day. Bob had texted the evening before and Kate gratefully accepted his offer of company.
Kate opened the door to Bob at twelve and took a double take at the jeans and polo shirt he was wearing.
“What happened to the suit and braces?” she asked, as he followed her through to the kitchen.
“It’s the weekend.”
Kate laughed. “I know, it’s just weird seeing you in normal clothes. I’d begun to wonder if you slept in that suit.”
Bob laughed and filled the kettle for her. “I was pretty young when I joined the firm. Needed to make myself look more middle-aged.”
“Well, you certainly managed that.”
Bob flicked Kate with a tea towel and she chucked a wet sponge at him in return.
“You make the coffee. I’ve got something for you in the car.”
Bob reappeared moments later, carrying a full carrier bag. “I thought you might need cheering up after your experience with those guests.”
“Ah, that’s sweet of you,” said Kate, taking the bag. “I must admit I’m wondering what the hell I’ve let myself in for.”
“It’s just teething problems, don’t worry.”
“Oooh,” said Kate, pulling a bottle of wine from the bag. “This doesn’t look like an Aldi special. Oh, and there’s mint Aero, that’s my favourite chocolate in the world!”
