Lipstick and Lies (20 page)

‘Well, it wasn’t quite like that,’ I forked up some chicken, ‘but I held Nell’s hand and gave her lots of encouragement
while Rosie was being born.’

‘I can’t wait to have a family,’ Selina smiled and began to bounce Eddie on her knee.
He gave a delicious chuckle of laughter.
She turned to me with wide eyes.
‘I want at least six children.
These five
will do nicely for starters.’

Any
casual onlooker would have believed Selina’s words to be complimentary.
But I was on red alert.

‘They’re alrea
dy spoken for,’ I said coldly.

Selina flushed.
‘Well of course.
I simply meant–’

‘–and I’m sure you’ll make a very good Mummy one day,’ said Livvy coming to Selina’s rescue.
My daughter
flashed me
a dirty look.
Now it was my turn to flush.

‘Well you can be my Mum any time,’ Toby gave Selina a cheeky wink.
Dear God.
Was my son attempting to flirt?
 
Aged eleven but already revving up to follow in his father’s womanising footsteps?
I was irked that my own children should be enthralled with this woman.
My appetite fizzled and died.
I p
ut my knife and fork together.

‘If you’ll all excuse me,’ I stood up, ‘I’d like to have a shower
and get out of these clothes.’

Edna whisked my plate away. The cats meowed around her feet,
clamouring for the leftovers.

‘Perhaps you’d like some crumble later on Cassandra dear, when you’ve had a chance to unwind?’
Edna’s message was clear: when Selina had gone and my knotted guts
had unravelled.

‘That would be great Edna.
Thanks.’

I went out into
the
hallway.
Selina’s voice floated
after me
.
She had now
turned her attention to Edna.

‘You are such a wonderful mother-in-law to Cass.
One day I want to live in a house
just
like this
one,
with
a mother
-in-law just like you.’

I grimaced.
Not content with making a play for my kids, Selina was now sucking up to my mother-in-law.
Cow.
Passing the study
I could hear Jamie within talking to Ethan.
I stuck my head around the door.
He looked up.
Smiled.
Gave me a thumbs up.
I blew
him a kiss and shut the door.

Upstairs in our bedroom, I set about running a bath in the en-suite and peeled off my clothes.
With a bit of luck, if I strung it out, Selina
might
have
gone home
by the time I was done.
Feeling a smidgen happier, I hopped in the water and tipped shampoo over my head.
Half an hour later I emerged from the bathroom wearing a bath towel and turban.
I nearly dropped the bath towel when I saw Selina sitting at my dressing table.
She had her legs elegantly crossed.
Her manicured hands were folded in her lap.
I glanced at the bedroom door.
Shut.

I immediately went on the defensive.
‘What are you doing up here?’

Selina spread her hands wide, palms open.
A gesture of coming clean.
‘I wanted to tal
k to you in private.’

‘What about?’

‘Look Cass, I feel that
we’ve got off to a bad start.’

W
as
she for real?
‘You don’t say!’
I feigned surprise.
‘Now why on ear
th could that be?
Let me think,
’
I frowned theatrically.
‘Hang
on.
I
t’s coming back to me.
Yes, yes, that’s right.
Something to do with a series of intimidating phone calls at my home
.
Oh,
and
place of work.
And lots of w
hispering down the phone
,
that I was a bitch and you hated me.
And let’s not forget the little matter of dragging me off on a wild goose chase to The Planet Restaurant where
– lo!
I stumble across you apparently having a romantic dinner with Jamie and trying to make out there’s a passionate affair going on.
Sorry, what was that you were saying about us getting off to a bad start?’
I stood there blinking very rapidly.
Any moment now I’d whisk off my wet towel – to hell with lack of mod
esty – and thrash her with it.

‘Cass, try and see things from my perspective.
After all, you were
the other woman
.’

‘I most certainly was not
!
’
M
y chest heaved with indignation
.

‘Well it seemed that way from my side of the fence,’ Selina said evenly.
‘There I was, dating my dream man, happy as a lark.
Yet wherever we went, you’d show up.
My God, you were even skiing in the same place as us
.
Of all the mountains in the world
,’ Selina’s voice cracked
, ‘
there you were crashing into my boyf
riend on a red run in Risoul.’

‘Hold it right there lady.
Yes, through a series of unfortunate coincidences our paths did cross a few times.
But at no point did I set about to steal Jamie from you.
The first time I met Jamie I was newly separated and barely functioning.
And later –
much
later,’ I added, ‘I was
involved with somebody else.’

‘Oh yes.
I seem to remember he belonged to another woman too
– married
no less.’
My mouth dropped open.
How the bloody hell did Selina know that?
‘I was there.
In the restaurant,’ she looked at me knowingly.
I gazed at her, suddenly wrong-footed.
‘
What was the place called?
Ah yes,
Cavendish’s.
Jamie was meeting me there to celebrate my birthday.
Due to work detaining him, he didn’t see the showdown.
But I did.
You caused quite a rumpus
,
didn’t you?
When that guy’s wife marched in, one couldn’t see the space around your table for flying i
ce buckets and dinner plates.’

‘I didn’t know E
uan was married,’ I whispered.

Selina made a tutting noise.
‘Don’t
trot out that old line Cass.’

I sucked in my breath.
‘It’s true!
But actually I don’t car
e whether you believe me or not
.
F
rankly it’s none of your
damn
business.’

‘You’re right.
It’s none of my business.
However, Jamie
was
my business.
Until you came along.’

‘Jamie had finished with you months
before I started seeing him.’

‘So you say.
N
ot sure I believe you though.’

‘Tell you what.
Why don’t I
get
Jamie up here
?
Sod his international business call to your fiancé,’ I made to go to the bedroom door, ‘let’s listen to the facts – str
aight from the horse’s mouth.’

Selina stood up.
‘There’s no need for that Cass.
It’s all in the past now.’

‘Well obviously you still have an axe to grind
,
otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation – in my home,’ I added, ‘where you invited yourself as a guest.
Unwanted by me.
And frankly I’d like you to
now
leave.’

Selina smoothed an imaginary crease from one leg of her trouser suit.
‘When I came up here to see you, the intention was to have a friendly one to one with you.
I didn’t mean for
us to end up being
hostile
with each other
.’

‘
Things
already were host
ile – don’t flatter yourself.’

‘What I’m trying to say,’ Selina took a deep breath, ‘is sorry.
I’m sorry
for everything that happened.’

I glared at her.
‘Okay.
So now you’ve said sorry.
I still
want
you to leave.’

‘Cass, whether you like it or not
,
I’m engaged to Ethan and working with your husband.
I just want to wipe the slate clean.
Start again.
It would make things so muc
h easier if we could do that.’

I narrowed my eyes.
‘You
mean make it easier for you.’

‘No.
I mean mak
e it easier for you actually.’

‘I don’t think so.
If I told Ethan about your past behaviour and what you’d done, he’d d
rop you like a hot cake.’

‘He wouldn’t Cass.
Bec
ause he wouldn’t believe you.’

‘No?’

‘No.
I
’ve since
told E
than that I once dated Jamie.’

That flummoxed me.
‘And what did Ethan say?’

‘As far as
my fiancé’s
conc
erned, I finished with Jamie.’

‘Oh don’t
give me that.’

‘But it’s perfectly plausible.
Ethan believes I could no longer deal with Jamie’s emotional baggage.
That Jamie was one thoroughly mixed up man following the death of his first wife.
Ethan
totally believes my story.
However, if you give me a hard time Cass, I’ll tell
him
that Jamie wouldn’t take no for an answer.
That for quite a long period of time he was an utter pest.
Made nuisance calls.
Stalked me,’ she gave a twisted smile, ‘and that the real reason why I needed persuading to work for Fareham & Mackerel was because of Jamie’s previous
ly
unstable mind.’

My mouth dropped open.
‘You wouldn’t dare!’

‘Wouldn’t I?
Who is Ethan going to believe?
The woman he loves and can’t wait to marry?
Or a man who lost his marbles after his first wife died?
And look at it from another angle too.
Who is the most expendable?
Me – the woman Ethan wants to spend the rest of his life with?
Or Jamie – a junior partner who can be replaced?
This is a nice house you have Cass.
Very grand.
High maintenance.
Not to mention five children to
feed,
clothe and keep in ponies and iPads.’

‘You really are
round the bend,’ I spluttered.

Selina smiled.
‘No.
I was once.
When I was heartbroken about Jamie.
But not any more.
I’m trying very hard Cass to be your friend now.
I’ve apologised.
And I’ll apologise again.
But in my defence, at the time I was in a bad place.
I was devastated.
And suffering
.
It affected me.
Yes, I went a bit loopy.
But I’m good now.
Sorted my brain
out
.
I’m better.
I have Ethan
, and a future again
.
I want to make the best of it.
Can’t you sympathise
,
just a little bit?
Your first husband treated you badly.
Didn’t you ever ha
ve
a
moment where you felt you’d lost your mind?’

I stared at her.
My mouth momentarily had lost the power of speech.
A part of what Selina was saying struck a chord.
Stevie had sent me to hell and back.
I’d always suspected he’d been unfaithful but Stevie had repeatedly denied it.
He’d m
ade me out to be some sort of over-possessive basket
case.
And then
I’d caught him out.
Literally.
I had a flashback.
Walking in on Stevie.
Seeing him welded to Cynthia Castle, a neighbour no less.
It had been the talk of our cul-de-sac for weeks.
Hadn’t I gone a bit potty for a while?
My mind had certainly worked overtime dreaming up revenge tactics.
Popping a bit of s
uperglue in Stevie’s condoms.
Giving Cynthia’s car a top coat of p
aint stripper.
Needless to say I hadn’t done either of those things, but it had been a close call.
Unlike Stevie’s
current girlfriend – Charlotte –
who only a few months ago
had spectacularly lost the plot and trashed his entire house.
Losing in love was a soul destroying experience.
Was it any wonder that so
metimes there were casualties?