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‘You have got to be kidding me,’ said Stella, exasperated.
The twins ran into the kitchen, fascinated to know what was going on.
‘Percy’s been sick!’ Millie cried, pointing at the floor.
‘Ugh, gross,’ added Isla, unhelpfully.
‘Yes, thank you, girls. Millie, open the door so he can go outside.’ Stella went back into the cupboard to get the mop and bucket. ‘And, Isla, can you get some kitchen roll for me.’
Percy looked at her apologetically as he passed her on his way outside.
Stella felt guilty. ‘Sorry for shouting.’
‘That’s OK,’ said Isla, handing her the kitchen roll as instructed.
‘I was talking to the dog, but thank you.’ She sighed heavily.
‘Are you all right, Mama?’ asked Millie, quietly.
Stella looked at her daughter, her little worried face peering up at her. She stroked Millie’s cheek softly. ‘I will be. Now, let’s get this mess cleared up.’
28
‘Where did you get these?’ Sarah held up a crisp before popping one into her mouth.
‘No idea, I found them in the cupboard at home. Al must have bought them the last time he went to the supermarket. Not that he goes very often, but the best thing is, when he does, he buys all the things I’d like to buy but don’t. It’s like I’m pre-programmed to pick up only the boring stuff. Pasta. Tins of tomatoes. Washing powder. Loo roll,’ said Lucy, picking up her glass. ‘But when he goes, he comes back with absolutely nothing essential, or useful. Only things like that.’ She nodded at the bowl of crisps. ‘Which is annoying, but actually quite good.’
Sarah laughed, pushing the bowl across the table to Stella. ‘Here, try them, they’re so delicious.’ They sat round Stella’s kitchen table, an open bottle of chilled Albariño in the middle.
‘I’m on the olives,’ said Stella, ‘and the taste is taking me straight back to Florence. Do you remember the really fat ones we ate in that bar on the first night?’
‘I remember the negronis,’ said Bridget.
‘Remember those insanely good sandwich things in the market?’ said Sarah, closing her eyes at the memory.
Lucy nodded. ‘So good.’ She topped up everyone’s glasses, then stole a quick glance at Sarah and Bridget while Stella’s back was turned as she grabbed something from the oven. ‘Ask her,’ she mouthed at them.
Bridget cleared her throat. ‘So, come on, Stella. What’s going on?’
Stella came back to the table and put a plate piled with warm cheese straws between them. She sat down and put her hand on the stem of her glass, turning it slowly. ‘I’ve asked Simon for a divorce.’
‘Wait, you know where he is?’ gasped Lucy.
‘Not exactly. But I’ve got a pretty good idea who he might be with. I got a phone call last week from…’ she remembered Liz begging her not to say she’d told Stella anything, ‘someone. Please don’t ask me who, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, they were at a meeting with a client, someone they work for who also happens to be one of the investors in Star Pots. And when they were in the meeting, she saw Simon’s name flash up on the screen of this woman’s phone. From what she said, they sounded like they were a lot more than friends.’
‘Oh Stella, I’m so sorry.’ Sarah reached across the table for Stella’s hand.
‘Sorry, Stella, I know he’s your husband, but, man, I want to throttle him,’ said Bridget, matter-of-factly.
‘I think we all do,’ agreed Stella. ‘But that’s not going to help anyone, least of all me. So, I’ve thought about this a lot. As you know,’ she looked at Bridget, ‘he’s stolen money from the business. And it looks like he’s shacked up with someone with a lot more money than me. But that’s the least of it.’
‘Oh god, what?’ whispered Lucy.
Stella took a sip of her wine and then put the glass back down, swallowing hard. She looked up at her friends. ‘I found out something in Mull that goes some way to explain what I’m dealing with here. It’s not pretty.’
She told them about Emily, how they’d sat in front of the fire in her cottage as Emily had recounted her story from meeting Simon to him disappearing pretty much as soon as he’d found out she couldn’t have children. How devastating that must have been to find something like that out so young, only to be swiftly dumped by the man she thought loved her, was engaged to.
‘Knowing that helps me understand why he pitched up in my life and wanted to get on with having a family so fast. I always thought it a bit sad that he seemed to come without any attachments – no family, no real friends, other than work colleagues – he explained everything away so convincingly. Turns out his mother died only a few years ago. He told me she’d died when he was small. And he’d never even known his father, so the whole thing about him being an alcoholic was just another story.’
