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“Just like that,” I said. “I can’t love you, Lydia, I just can’t. Stuart’s outburst was for the best. It’s shone the light of clarity in a way I’ve been blind to for months. This whole thing is for the best.”
“You don’t mean that!”
“I wish I didn’t,” I sighed.
“Say you won’t leave, James, please!” There were tears in her eyes as she spoke, and my heart lurched. “Please don’t quit over this.”
“It will take me a while to find another job,” I said. “It won’t be imminent, but I will be leaving, Lydia, I’m sorry.”
She didn’t stay to argue, and I hated myself from the moment she left.
***
Frank finally surfaced mid-afternoon. He knocked with a hearty flourish, swinging his way through the door with a shake of his head. I braced myself for it, for the tirade of abuse, but it didn’t arrive.
“Bloody hell, James, what the fucking hell was that craziness about this morning, hey? That bloke was a tee short of a putt, I tell you. Lydia should count her lucky stars she got away from that one.”
“He seemed a bit on-one,” I said warily.
“On-one?! He was bloody cuckoo! Poor Lydia, did you see those marks on her legs? I wouldn’t be surprised if they were from him, you know. We’ll have to keep an eye on her from now on, James, make sure she doesn’t go running back there. I’d hate it if anything happened to her.” He scratched his neck. “I’m surprised you didn’t punch him one, all that shit he was spouting about you. By God, man, what an absolute loony-tune, you should’ve landed one right in the jaw.” He smiled, sitting himself down opposite. “I have to admit, I wondered it myself, if there’s anything going on between you and our Lydia. If there is then don’t be put off by some psycho-ex, it’ll blow over, you wait and see.”
“There’s nothing going on between me and Lydia,” I said numbly.
He sighed. “Oh well, I thought we might have the first Trial Run wedding. Never mind, eh?” He grinned, leaning towards me. “You’ll have to go grab a coffee at some point, the whole admin team are gaggling themselves crazy. They think you’re some kind of superhero now, James, rushing to the aid of the lovely Lydia. You got him in that arm lock real bloody quick-smart, it was quite a move.”
“They’re saying what?” I quizzed, mouth dry.
“They’re all gaggly over you, my lad, think you’re the hero of the bloody year. You’ll never hear the end of it, I tell you. It’ll go down in history as the day our James wrestled a psycho-intruder through reception,” he chuckled.
I could barely swallow. “Where’s Lydia?” I asked. “Is she ok?”
He sighed loud and long. “Ah, poor Lydia. I don’t think she coped so well. She’s gone home sick. Can’t say I blame her either, it was quite a shock to her system. God only knows how bad it could have been if you hadn’t been there, James, Lord knows what the crazy fool would have done to her. I put her in a taxi, don’t worry, she’ll have got home safe.” He raised himself from his seat. “You could give her a call, James, check she’s ok. She didn’t look so good, shock I guess.”
I was dialling her mobile before the door clicked shut behind him, but it was no good. My call went straight to voicemail.
***
Chapter Seventeen
James
I paced my living room and listened to her voicemail click in for the hundredth time. “Lydia, call me, please.”
She wouldn’t, of course, she hadn’t returned a single call all day. I fisted my hands in my hair, and finally plucked up the courage to call Rebecca. She picked up on the third ring.
“Is she ok?” I asked. “Please tell me she’s ok.”
“Fucking hell, James,” she hissed. “What the fuck? No, she’s not fucking ok! Just stay away, will you? She doesn’t need you right now.”
“Fine,” I said. “I know she’s hurt. I know that.”
“You don’t fucking know! You don’t know anything! That girl loves you, James, she opened her poor, bruised little soul right up on a plate, and you shit on her, James, you shit all over her, and now she thinks it’s all her fault!”
“It was Stuart,” I said. “He showed up here, shouting his mouth off. He must have found out from somewhere. I freaked, Bex, do you know how big a deal this shit is to me? Do you?”
“A bigger deal to you than Lydia is, clearly,” she snapped. “And that’s the fucking saddest thing of all. Just leave her alone now, James, please. You’ve fucking broken her.”
“I told her about Rachel, Rebecca, I told her everything that happened, and still this shit landed on my doorstep.”
