CHAPTER SEVEN
It’s New Year’s Eve.
Ellie finally got her licence to sell alcohol a few weeks ago, which means her party, to which everyone in the village is invited, is sure to go with a swing, ending with cracking open the champagne at midnight and a fireworks display on the village green by the duck pond that will be seen all over Sunnybrook.
The weather has decided to help out, too. After the freezing snow flurries of earlier in the week, a thaw has now set in and it’s relatively mild tonight. As Rob and I cross the road to the Swan Hotel, where we’re all meeting before the party, a taxi swishes past, hurling watery slush in our direction. Rob only just manages to pull me to the side to avoid a soaking.
‘It’s sad that the snow’s already melting,’ I say, loving the feeling of his warm hand curled around mine.
Rob grins down at me. ‘There’s another Arctic blast expected next week, so I don’t think you’ll be sad for long!’
When we walk into the bar of The Swan, it’s soon after seven and the celebrations are already in full swing.
Spotting Jaz and Harry sitting at a table in the corner with Sylvia and Mick, we thread our way through the very merry throng, and Rob pulls a couple of spare chairs over from different tables for us.
‘Ah, the lovebirds!’ says Mick, beaming, and everyone laughs.
I blush to the roots of my hair and glance at Rob. He’s ushering me into a chair with a slightly awkward smile, and I wonder suddenly if he perhaps thinks everything’s moving too fast.
After chatting and taking the drinks order, we go to the bar, and while we’re waiting to be served, he slips his hand round my waist, pulls me close and murmurs in my ear, ‘You look gorgeous tonight.’
‘Aw, thanks.’ I’m wearing my best sexy nude heels and the dark blue satin dress that Jaz said I ought to buy because it made me look a bit like Audrey Hepburn. It’s got a fitted bodice, a thin glossy belt at the waist and volume in the knee-length skirt courtesy of several layers of organza.
I laughed and said, ‘Audrey Hepburn my arse. But thank you, Jaz. You’ve persuaded me.’
I’ve never been one for dressing up. But I’m glad I made the effort. Rob looks drop dead gorgeous in dark trousers and jacket over a soft white shirt and I really want him to feel proud of me.
‘Rob, hi, fancy meeting you here,’ says a voice that seems vaguely familiar.
We both turn and my eyes widen in surprise because I do indeed recognise the girl standing there.
It’s Alicia.
Ethan’s wife. Soon to be ex.
My eyes drop to her belly, which is starting to show signs of the baby she’s expecting. Ethan’s baby.
Rob is staring at her, looking a bit taken aback, so I jump in and say, ‘Alicia, hi!’
My mind flashes back to the last time I talked to her, at the Snow Ball. The night she was desperately trying to track Ethan down to settle a financial score.
That was the night the scales finally fell from my eyes and I saw Ethan for the liar he really was.
Alicia looks at me and there’s a flash of surprised recognition on her face. ‘Fen?’ She glances quickly at Rob and then back at me. ‘Gosh, are you two . . . ?’
I nod and smile, wondering how she knows Rob. She’s from the Sunnybrook area originally and so is Rob. Maybe they went to the same school. It’s a small world.
Rob clears his throat. ‘Not long to go now.’ He nods at the baby. ‘How are you?’
She gives a nervous little laugh. ‘Not long at all. Less than two months. And I’m fine, thanks.’ She looks at me. ‘I’ve decided to move back to Sunnybrook so Ethan can be part of her life.’ She pats her bump fondly. ‘I’m having a girl.’
‘Oh, that’s lovely!’ I beam at her, and her eyes flick back to Rob.
‘We’re still getting divorced.’ She gives a bitter smile. ‘Obviously.’
‘So Ethan’s agreed to help you?’ asks Rob, his face crinkled with concern.
She gives a quick nod, although her smile seems forced.
‘That’s fantastic,’ he says, sounding genuinely pleased for her.
‘So when are you moving here?’ I ask.
‘Not until after the baby arrives. I’m staying at my friend’s house over New Year and I’ll head back to Nottingham in a day or two.’
‘Great. Well, Happy New Year when it arrives,’ says Rob, standing up to give her a hug. I feel I should follow suit, which I do rather awkwardly.
When we’re sitting back down with our drinks, I ask Rob how he knows Alicia.
He hesitates for a second, taking a swallow of his pint. Then he shrugs. ‘I don’t know her. Not really.’
‘Oh.’ I stare at him in surprise. ‘But she seemed to know you quite well. I thought maybe you were at the same school or something?’
He shakes his head and takes another slug of his drink. Placing his glass carefully on the table, he says, ‘We . . . just got talking in the bar here one night. That’s all.’
‘Oh, right. You do realise she’s the Alicia who Ethan’s married to?’ I’ve told Rob all about what happened with me and Ethan – incuding the bit about being devastated to learn he was actually still married.
He nods.
‘So when did you bump into her? Was it before you knew me? Before I told you all about Ethan letting her down big style?’
‘Erm, I’m not sure exactly.’
I nod and look away, catching someone’s eye as I do.
Alicia.
She’s sitting with a friend on a nearby table and when she sees me looking, her face breaks into a bright smile. Too bright, I think, feeling an odd little twinge of uneasiness.
Then Harry starts chatting to Rob about football, leaning across me, so Jaz suggests I swap places with Harry for a bit so we can talk.
‘You look happy,’ she says, nudging me and making me blush. ‘Ah, I remember those early days! Mostly horizontal.’ She stares with an exaggeratedly dreamy expression into the distance. Then she makes a face at me. ‘Not that I’m jealous, of course.’
I smile and nod – but now I’m blushing for a different reason. The sub-text of Jaz’s suggestive comments is: You must be having the time of your life, swinging from the light fitting with the delicious Rob!
But that isn’t true at all.
‘Anyway, what about Ellie and her plans to build a bakery?’ Jaz says, her eyes shining. ‘She’s so excited about it, she never talks about anything else these days.’
I smile. ‘I know. Just imagine it, though: The Little Duck Pond Bakery. People popping in for a coffee won’t be able to resist going next door to buy their bread and cakes before they leave.’
Jaz grins. ‘She’s got a real vision for that café – she always has, ever since Sylvia handed over the reigns.’ Her face twists into a slight frown. ‘But up and running by April?’
I laugh. ‘I know. It seems impossible. But hey, if anyone can do it, Ellie can.’
Smiling, I glance around the room, drinking in the sparkle and the party atmosphere, and my eyes snag once more on Alicia, who happens to be looking my way. My smile freezes.
Poor girl, I think to myself, my heart going out to her. Imagine having knob-head Ethan as the father of your child . . .
*****
When I go to the Ladies a little later to repair my lipstick, I think about my reaction to Rob knowing Alicia. It really threw me and I’m not sure why.
I glance around me and do a quick Wonder Woman pose in the mirror.
Better.
Have confidence in yourself, girl!
I beam at myself in the mirror, smooth my lips together and I’m about to go back to the others when the door opens and someone comes in.
I turn and it’s Alicia.
Immediately she starts apologising. ‘I’m so sorry to have interrupted your night with Rob. I’d no idea you two were together.’ She frowns. ‘You are together, aren’t you?’
I nod. ‘Just since Christmas Eve.’
‘Oh, lovely.’ Her smile seems perfectly genuine. ‘I just wanted to check you were okay.’
She leans into the mirror to check her make-up. Then she reaches into her bag and sprays perfume from a little atomiser, either side of her throat.
I stare at her, bemused, as the delicious floral scent fills the space around us. ‘Okay? In what way?’
‘Oh, just . . .’ She gives her head a little shake, looking suddenly anxious. ‘Nothing.’ She starts backing away as if she’s misjudged the situation.
‘No, tell me what you meant? Please?’ I laugh. ‘Otherwise I’ll just worry it’s something bad.’
She hesitates. Then she shrugs. ‘I saw you and Rob talking just then and it looked fairly serious. And I thought . . .’ She trails off.
‘You thought . . . ?’
‘I thought . . .’ She stares at me, two frown lines appearing above her nose. ‘I thought maybe you’d found out that it was Rob who told me where Ethan was – the night of your parents’ Snow Ball?’
My heart clenches with shock.
It was Rob?
But that can’t be true. He would have told me . . .
I gaze at Alicia as my brain starts trying to process her astonishing statement.
I’ve been wondering ever since that terrible night, when Dad was rushed into hospital, who it was. But never in my wildest imaginings had I suspected Rob.
Alicia is staring at me anxiously. ‘Did you know already?’
I clear my throat and fix on a smile. ‘Yes. Yes, I did. Don’t worry, it’s fine. It’s all fine.’
‘Good.’ She seems relieved not to have caused us problems, but there’s a wary look on her face as if she’s waiting for me to question her about it. ‘Right, well, I’ll get back to the party!’
I force another false, megawatt smile. ‘Yes. See you in there!’
After she’s gone, I stare at my reflection in the mirror, feeling quite nauseous.
The number of times I chewed it over with Rob, speculating on who the culprit was! He let me ramble on and on about it, while all the time, he had the answer right there.
It was him!
I swallow hard, the sick feeling inside intensifying, just like it did when I found out Ethan had deceived me. Ethan stole my heart and then trampled all over it, telling me lie after lie after lie.
The face in the mirror staring back at me looks bewildered, the eyes shadowed with pain.
Is it my fault this keeps happening? Because I always choose the wrong men? The ones that can’t be trusted to be honest?
But I can’t lump Rob along with Ethan, can I? Thinking about it, it’s clear why Rob didn’t confess it was him. He knew how upset I was about the whole thing and he wouldn’t have wanted to rock the boat, especially if he really liked me. The mood I was in, I’d have been really angry with him.
And it’s not as if Rob actually lied to me. It was more a lie by omission. Whereas Ethan’s lies were barefaced and uttered with not a hint of conscience.
An image of Jaz telling me not to put Rob on a pedestal flashes into my mind. She’s right, of course. No one is as perfect as the hero in a romance novel.
Not even Rob!
I quickly reapply my lipstick, straighten my dress and return to the party.
Alicia’s revelation is not going to spoil tonight!