Lipstick and Lies (15 page)

‘Nell
,
you old bag!’ I greeted
my friend
affectionately.
‘How’s B
ump?’

‘Still a bump.
I’m two days overdue.
But never mind that, how’s you?
Has
you-know-who
started w
ork with Jamie and Ethan yet?’

‘Yes.’

‘How’s it going?’

‘Now isn’t the time to tell you.
But I’m putting everything right–’

‘Putting what right?’

‘Things,’ I answered vaguely, ‘and I need Rocket to help me.’

‘You need my dog to help you put everything right?’

‘My figure for starters.
It’s one vast wobble.
I think that’s why Jamie stayed out so late last night.’

‘Because he didn’t want to see you wobble?’

‘On account
of
her
,’ I hissed into the handset.
‘She tried to poison me you know and then he answered her phone and I was so mad I broke ours but I bought a new one and Morag says I must see a herbalist with a sleep plan so I’m having my hair done and now I
need
Rocket.’

‘Cass I didn’t understand one word of that,’ Nell replied faintly.
‘But you are very welcome to see Rocket.’

‘Excellent,’ I purred into the handset.
‘I’ll pop by after the school-run tomorrow.’

I ended the call just as Chloe materialised by my side
with the coffee and a pile of magazines
.

Forty minutes later, she was back.
‘Time to be shampooed Mrs Mackerel.
And then Miguel will be ta
king over with your re-style.’

In due course
Miguel minced over.
‘What would Madame like me to do?’

‘Make me look amazing.’

‘My name is Miguel.
Not Jesus.
But I’ll do my best.’

An hour
later I walked out of the salon not entirely displeased.
When I went to collect Eddie, Morag complimented me on the transformation.

‘Did you read the sleep plan?’

‘Yes,’ I lied scooping up Eddie.

‘Good.
Start it today.
No time like the present.
And did you ring the herbalist?’

‘Yes,’ I lied again.

‘And what did he say?’

‘He said I could see him tomorrow.’

Morag folded her arms across her jutting chest.
‘Why are you lying?’

‘How do you know–
?
’

‘Because
he
is actually a
she
.
A
nd there is at least a week’s lead time on appointments.
I’ll bet you didn’t read that sleep plan either.’

‘Morag stop nagging me.’

‘I’m not the one moaning about my husband keeping the company of another woman,’ she pointed out.

‘I should think not!’ said an indignant voice.
Matt came through the door, grinning away.
He reeked of horses.
‘Hello Cass.
I won’t kiss you on the grounds of being a bit whiffy.
So, spill the beans.
Whose naughty hubby is having an affair?’

I shot Morag a warning look.
‘We were simply hypothesising.’

‘Ah.  Then I’m out of this conversation.  I don’t even know what hypothesising means.’
’

‘Idiot,’ I grinned at him before turning to peck Morag on her proffered cheek.
‘I promise I’ll read the sleep plan tonight.
And I’ll sort out the herbalist appointmen
t first thing in the morning.’

All I had to do now was devise a way to see off Selina.

That evening we ate without Edna.
She’d been invited to dinner by an elder
ly gentleman she’d met in B&Q.

‘Aye aye, my mother’s landed herself a toyboy,’
Jamie had informed me earlier.

‘Who i
s he?’ I’d asked in amazement.

‘
Some chap she met in the paint aisle.
He’s five years younger than her.
Transpires he’s making a rocking horse for his grandson.
Just like she
ha
s for Eddie.’

‘Fan
cy that.’

‘I think
she does,’ Jamie had chortled.

Sitting now around the dinner table eating a rather adventurous chicken stew I’d managed to throw together, the children regaled us with their woes.
Their complaints centred on teachers setting overly large amounts of homework.

‘Mrs Peterson is a right old bag,’ announced my step-son.
‘She gave me an A minus in French when it should have been an A star.’

‘Stop showing off Jonas,’ my step-daughter chided good-naturedly.
‘We can’t all be brainboxes like you.’

‘Speak for yourself
Petra
,’ Toby shrugged.

It was a fact that both our boys were academically gifted, whereas
Petra
and Livvy had to work hard to achieve good grades.

‘Okay kids, if you’ve finished you may be excused,’ Jamie said.

There was a moment of noisy chair scraping followed by a mass
departure
.

‘So, with the exception of our little boy, I have you all to myself,’ Jamie stood up.
He moved around the table and pulled me into his arms.
I melted against him.
‘I don’t believe I’ve yet complimented you on your hair,’ he kissed the top of my head.
‘It’s stunning.
You look like you used to.
When I first met you.’

‘Before I became a mother again,’ I said ruefully
.
I wound my arms around my husband’s neck and gazed
up
at him
adoringly.
How could I have doubted
Jamie wanting to spend time in Selina’s apartment for any reason other than being helpful
?
The expression on his face said it all.
The look of love.

Jamie released me and went to Eddie’s highchair.
I began to clear the table.
‘By the way,’ he said, undoing Eddie’s safety straps and lifting our son out, ‘I have something to tell you.
Someth
ing you’re not going to like.’

I froze, the casser
ole pot suspended in my hands.

‘Is it to do with Selina?’

Jamie gave a rueful look.
‘Yes.’

‘Go on.’

‘She’s coming to dinner tomorrow evening.’

‘She’s
what
?’ the colour drained from my face.

‘Well she kept going on
and on
about how lonely she is.
You know, while Ethan’s in
America
.
And banging on about going home to an empty apartment.
Hating her own company.
That sort of thing.
She dropped so many hints about fitting one more around our table – which incidentally I ignored – that in t
he end she asked me outright.’

‘Asked what outright?’ my heart refused to follow this conversation, even though my brain
already knew the answer.

‘She asked if
she could join us for dinner.’

‘To which you replied
No I’m very sorry you cannot
.’

Jamie gave me an apologetic look.
‘She also said how much she wanted to see you again.
Said she really likes you.’

‘
Likes
me?
Are you mad?
I
swear she tried to poison me.’

‘Oh don’t be daft Cassie.
N
ow you’re being melodramatic.’

‘Funny how it was
only me pinned to the toilet
after eating her food.
I can’t believe you’ve allowed yourself to be coerced.’
I put the casserole pot down.
Before I flung it at my husband.
Instead I set about
clearing plates
and cups
, banging and crashing
things about
.
How dare Jamie agree to that woman coming here!
How dare he!
And how dare she ask!
Impudent cow.

‘Well she knows we’ve had Ethan here a few times for kitchen supper.
What am I meant to say?’

‘Yes, but
he was on his own back then!’

‘And currently Selina is on her own.
Ethan would be very pleased to know we’re looking after her.
I’ve told you before that he’s
tremendously
keen
for
our women
to
bond.’

‘I’ll never bond with that woman.
Not in a million years.
And nor do I
want
to
bond with her
.’

‘Cassie calm down,’ Jamie wiped Eddie’s mouth and
put him in his playpen.
‘I know
you don’t want to see Selina–’

‘You promised me I wouldn’t have to
suffer
her again
for ages
!’ my voice was rising.
I couldn’t seem to stop it.
I sound
ed like one of
Alvin
’s c
hipmunks in the grip of hysteria.

Jamie raked his hair.
‘T
he woman invited herself and–’

‘Well she can bloody well uninvite herself!
Tell her our cooker has blown up.
Or the house has imploded.
Use your imagination.’

At that moment the back door opened.
A gust of
cold air curled around my ankles
as Edna came into the kitchen.

‘Are you okay Cassandra?’
M
y mother-in-law shook out an umbrella and took off her coat
.
‘I
could hear you outside dear.’

‘I’m fine Edna,’ I said through gritted teeth.
‘Totally hunky-dory.’

‘I was just explaining to Cassie that my business partner’s fiancée is jo
ining us for dinner tomorrow.’

Edna turned a pair of blue headlamps on her son.
‘
The fiancée is coming
with
the business partner?’

‘No.
He’s in
America
.’

‘Cassandra dear, don’t distress yourself.
I’ll do the cooking for you.
It will be my pleasure.’

‘That’s very kind of you Edna,
but that’s not why I’m upset.’

‘I am sensitive to the situation dear.
I haven’t forgotten the problems this young lady caused you both.
However, these are tenuous circumstances.
She’s the fiancée of Jamie’s business partner.
And Ethan
is
the Senior Partner.
So don’t let this person spo
il things.’

I gazed at my mother-in-law.
She was astute.
And her message to me was clear.
Refusing Selina could jeopardise Jamie’s partnership.
So d
on’t upset the apple cart.

I rubbed a hand over my forehead.
Perhaps I was being a tad over-reactionary.
I could understand Selina being lonely while Ethan was away.
I remembered how lost I’d been when I’d first split from Stevie.
Once the twins had gone to bed it had been me and the four walls.
Although I’d kept myself busy with the many things a mum
always had
to do.
Having a family meant there were always chores to
keep up with
.
I’d been glad to immerse myself in washing filthy football kit, scrubbing muddy boots, or staying up until midnight sewing name tags in uniform.
It had been a welcome distraction.
Whereas Selina didn’t have children to dilute the loneliness.
She didn’t even have to clean the apartment or do the ironing
because
Ethan employed a home help.
And Jamie was right.
Ethan had, from time to time, joined us for supper.
It didn’t escape me either that if Selina and Ethan were a permanent fixture, I’d have to get used to her visiting
periodically
in the future.
Give me strength.