“Typical.” Mickey’s face was practically red. “Men can never just stick to one thing.” Her words were loaded with meaning.
“This table’s grand,” Sophie said quickly. “Mickey, we can’t stay long. A big move today.”
“Right?” Mickey growled. “So Sophie, you take a skinny cappuccino. Matthew, are you drinking a latte today? Or was your drink the soy chai tea latte….” She paused, obviously floored by the whole interaction with Matthew. “Or was the soy chai tea latte Rebecca’s drink? Does anyone here remember Rebecca?”
“I do remember Rebecca, but that’s not the issue here, or is it?” Matthew asked icily, avoiding Mickey’s glare. “I might order something different. I’ll just have a look at the menu.”
“Unbelievable. So we all know about Rebecca, yet we ignore her. I can’t be a party to this.” Mickey folded her arms. “Did you know Sophie’s last boyfriend cheated on her? You were in Sophie’s bed, she told me. You can’t cheat on Rebecca! Sophie, I’m appalled that you would….”
“Mickey, that’s enough.” Sophie’s whole face turned pink. “Matthew was in my bed but we didn’t have sex. I mean, nothing happened. He’s not cheating on Rebecca.”
“He was in your bed still. What did happen then?” Mickey exploded, her face darted between them both. “Why wasn’t Rebecca there? Did she just shoot off? Just leave the planet? They’re engaged.” Mickey’s face was covered in tiny red spots.
“Mickey it’s all very innocent. Matthew came over and nothing happened….” Sophie ran a hand through her hair.
“Sophie, I know you’re not in your right mind with Derek cheating, but I saw the ring. I heard about the wedding plans. I know they were getting married. You can’t become the other woman. He shouldn’t even have been in your bed.”
“Mickey, could you just listen for a second….” Sophie said, feeling heat flush down her neck. Sophie turned toward Matthew, whose jaw had almost dropped to the table. “Matthew? Could you please explain…”
“Rebecca…She’s…” Matthew blinked. “She’s…”
Sophie’s breathing was hard. She stared at Matthew, flabbergasted at his lack of response. Mickey’s stony expression hadn’t faltered.
“Unbelievable. I’m so disappointed in both of you.” Mickey flicked her mane of hair like an angry lion. She swivelled on her feet and rushed behind the counter.
Sophie plucked a menu from the table carefully. Matthew’s brow furrowed, he appeared absolutely engrossed in his own menu.
“So you used to come here with Rebecca?”
“Yes.” The word was barely recognisable; the vowels sounded choked in the back of his throat. “I can’t avoid all the places I’ve been to for the last ten years of my life. Yet I somehow can’t bear to find the words to explain what happened.” A kaleidoscope of emotions glittered behind his eyes.
“Mickey will keep probing. You’ve got to tell her or she’ll hate you.”
“I don’t care if Mickey hates me.”
Sophie scanned the restaurant and glanced toward the photo of Rebecca hanging up on the wall. It was too much of a reminder for him.
“You need to tell her or she’ll do something rash. She’ll probably spit in your coffee. That’s the type of girl Mickey is. She’s feisty, opinionated and a little overprotective of everyone.”
Matthew snorted and darted a glance at Mickey who shot them a frosty glare. Matthew looked down at the menu and took a few moments before he spoke. His face was contorted. “I’ll sort it out,” he whispered.
“Mickey was obviously very fond of Rebecca and of you. I could tell Mickey if you wanted?” Sophie leaned over the table and gripped Matthew’s hand in encouragement. “She deserves to know, or she might ban you from Beans and that would defeat the purpose of your coming here. Look how irate she is.”
Matthew’s glistening gaze rose to meet Sophie’s. Her heart clenched and she smiled as brightly as possible, trying to pass him some encouragement as she rose from her chair. “I’ll just pop to the loo. I need to do my makeup,” she lied. His gaze flew across her face and he frowned. “I need about fifteen minutes to fix my makeup because I’m a girl, and that’s what we do.”
Sophie left the table and headed to the toilet. What was she going to do down here in the dingy room? She had, of course, already done her makeup – she’d spent hours finishing her hair and makeup this morning. What if he thought she was spending too much time? How mortifying, but she’d take the risk. She needed to give him space.
She examined her watch as she paced the room. She might as well use her time productively. She checked her reflection in the mirror and then speed dialled her dad.
If she was in the toilet, she’d at least give Matthew privacy, and she’d use the time to check in on her father.
“Sophie, how are you?” he said.
“I’m good,” she said. “I’m moving the remainder of my stuff from Derek’s place. I’m severing all remaining ties.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m coping. Please don’t tell Mum yet. I don’t want to speak to her about it until it’s finalised. I don’t want her convincing me that he was the best thing since sliced bread, especially as he cheated.”
“Oh, okay,” Roger replied. “But you will eventually have to mention it.”
“So how did the recruitment interview go, the one I set up for you yesterday?”
“Oh Jeffery, yeah, the interview… He was an absolute arse.”
“What happened? Was he rude?”
“Oh no, he’s pretty clued up as to what people want in the job market. They want intelligent, young people.”
“Great, so he’ll help you.”
“No, I’m serious, sweetheart. He told me to take a long hard look at my options. He said it would be next to impossible in this type of market going against young guns.”
“They won’t have the practical experience you’ve got.”
“He said I was stale. I’ve been at the same job far too long.”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Don’t let it get you down. So you’ll see another recruiter. Remember there’s another one set up for next week. It’s good to see a cross section; they’re all different you know. Want me to come with you?”
“I thought I might just circle round London, walk about in the rain on a daily basis.”
“Don’t be like that, you’ll be all right.”
“I can only do my best,” he rasped and his voice trembled.
Sophie stiffened hearing him cry. “Dad,” she started. “I can come with you. Give you moral support.”
“I’ll be fine. I don’t need my little girl running after me all the time.”
“So what time is it again? Next Thursday.”
“I can’t remember.”
“I’ll send you an email reminder.” Sophie paused. “Are we still on for lunch on Monday?”
“We’ll see,” he said. “Look I’ve got to go. I’ll call you if we’re still on for lunch.”
He hung up the phone and Sophie stared into the receiver, feeling awful. She’d upset her dad.
Sophie made a few more phone calls then checked her email on her smart phone. Finally the fifteen minutes was up and she walked up the stairs.
Matthew furrowed his brow. “Did you touch up your lipstick? I like the colour,” he commented.
“Thanks,” she said, although she hadn’t put any more on.
Mickey’s large green eyes were watery as she served their cups of coffee. As they both left, Mickey hugged Matthew hard. “Good luck with the move,” Mickey said and she looked directly at Sophie. “I’m sorry if I overreacted before. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I’ll see you at Carol’s ballet. I’m thinking of bringing a friend along.”
Sophie raised an eyebrow, about to ask who, but Matthew was already heading out the door.
Back in the car Sophie dared at glance at Matthew, who’d been awfully quiet since leaving the café. “You okay?”
she said.
Matthew nodded but remained focused on the road. “That was hard. You were right, it had to be done.” He choked on the words.
“How did Mickey take the news?”
“Mickey’s naming a coffee after her…a specialty coffee to help people always remember her. That’s the way it should be.”
***
They drove towards the place she used to live in with Derek in the West End. Even after driving around the block about ten times, they must have been early, because as the car drove up, the flat’s front door burst open. Sophie gasped and lurched forward in the car seat. The seatbelt’s strangling force kept her trapped against the chair. Despite her wiggling, there was no choice but to observe the scene in front of her.
Derek lingered outside the Victorian apartment. Tiny goose bumps covered her arms and her whole body shook as if in a cold sweat. She couldn’t quite see Derek’s face because he was turned towards the door. Presumably he was about to deadlock the apartment.
She couldn’t stand watching him any longer and her mind snapped into action. She reached down and released her seatbelt.
Sophie panted and gulped for breath as if she’d run to Derek’s place instead of being driven. “Get down,” Sophie hissed.
Matthew shot a bewildered glance in her direction as she slouched deep into the seat. They’d arrived only moments earlier and parked in a space opposite the apartment. He’d been removing his keys from the ignition. Now his gaze flickered towards the pavement and then back to her.
He lowered his body below the steering wheel and stared oddly at her. “I thought he would have left by now,” he whispered. “Doesn’t he play football religiously every Saturday morning?”
“He does, he’s obsessive about it,” Sophie muttered. “Kind of like how you are with swimming.”
Matthew jolted up in his seat. “Please don’t compare me to your cheating ex-boyfriend.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t comparing. You’re nothing like each other.” She tugged at his sleeve. “I was just saying he likes football a lot. Please come down.”
“So what if he sees me, London’s a big city. He doesn’t even know me.”
“Do you think he was waiting to speak to me? That’s why he hasn’t left?”
“I have no idea.” Matthew sighed. “I’m going to sit here and check him out.”
“What for?” Sophie asked. “He wasn’t your boyfriend. What do you care?”
“I just want to see the type of guy you go for. He’s blonde. Do you call him good looking?”
“Stop it.” Sophie grabbed his arm. “Don’t make fun of me in this situation. I wouldn’t make you confront your ex if you didn’t want to.”
His gaze remained riveted on Derek.
“Gee,” she said finally. “I’d better go and talk to him. Otherwise he’ll think I’m some sort of stalker.” Sophie slid up a fraction and craned her neck to catch a glimpse of Derek. She swallowed at the sight of his handsome face with no dark circles round his eyes. He hadn’t lost weight nor had he put any on. He appeared to be exactly the same.
“What are you waiting for?” Matthew asked.
“I’ll just take a few deep breaths.” Sophie shuddered. “I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.” Her hand shook as her fingers twirled round the door handle.
Sophie closed her eyes. She counted to ten and opened the car door and her eyes at the same time.
Her pulse raced wildly as she jumped onto the pavement. Her gaze darted around the street. “Did he go back inside?”
“He’s gone,” Matthew said and he opened his own door. “You missed your chance.”
Sophie sighed and fought off a combination of embarrassment and disappointment. “Doesn’t matter, he didn’t want to see me anyway. Let’s grab the boxes and move!”
“The question will be, Miss Smart, where ever will you put them all?”
Chapter 14
With less than one month to go, Christmas was practically on the doorstep. Lights hung in Regent Street, dazzling crowds, creating a festive, frenzied spirit over London shoppers. Hitting the shops wasn’t something Sophie had time to do; she was putting in extra hours trying to finish her projects before the silly season started.
Sophie’s creative team was thrilled about the skinny dipping concept for the Silver account. Desmond, the art director, was particularly excited about the commercial. He was quick to find an actress to star in the national commercial. On paper, his actress was quite green but she had a smile that would sell pool memberships.
Desmond also had the responsibility to find a suitable filming location in Brighton. But he hadn’t yet made the time. With Christmas fast approaching, Sophie would probably need to lend a hand and travel the hour to help him out.
Even Bradley seemed impressed with how the team was operating on the Silver account. He hadn’t taken Sophie off the account – not yet.
Kelly smirked around the office, boasting how she was responsible for juggling too many accounts. She also couldn’t help rubbing in the fact that she was working on the Barney’s Chocolates pitch. Sophie tried to ignore Kelly’s competitive barbs, where Kelly insinuated Sophie was on the firing squad list.
The truth would win out in the end.
There was also a notable absence in her routine: Roger. His recruiter interviews had gone badly. They’d told him that his skills weren’t transferable because he’d stayed at the same place of employment for so long. He’d refused to take anymore of Sophie’s calls, have lunch with her or even visit her flat.
Sophie was still quite worried about her father’s unemployment situation. When her mother, Gloria Smart rang, Sophie oscillated between telling and not telling. What was right and what was wrong? A question haunted her, was there ever a right time to break someone’s trust? She might be hurting her dad more by not letting her mum know about his dire unemployment situation.
“Sweetheart.” Gloria’s voice wobbled. “I don’t know how to say this.” There was a pause. Sophie could hear Gloria hesitating. She imagined Gloria twisting her hands.
“What?” Sophie urged.
“It’s your father.”
“Yes?” Sophie felt herself clutching the phone tightly, almost as if she was strangling the receiver.
“He’s been acting strangely lately.”
Sophie felt overwhelming frustration. “Oh?” She sighed. No shit. He’d lost his job, and not told his wife for months. “So what’s he been doing that’s so strange?”
“Swimming,” Gloria answered, and a slight smile came to Sophie’s lips. At least he was still being active. That was positive. “He says he’s swimming.”
“I see.” Sophie was elated. Her father wasn’t considering jumping in front of a train at least. “What’s wrong with that?”
“He’s never been a swimmer.” Her voice was shrill. “People don’t just wake up one day and start hanging out at the local pool.”
Guilt washed over her. This was the opportunity to speak up, to tell the truth. “Maybe he just wants to get into shape? Mid-life crisis?” It was true, to a point.
“Mid-life crisis?”
Sophie could hear her mother’s mind ticking over. “It’s possible,” Sophie insisted.
“Yes..., yes..., a mid-life crisis,” Gloria gushed. There was hope in her voice. “He’s also being so tight fisted about everything I buy. It’s like he’s counting every penny.”
“He’s probably worried about retirement. You should bring this all up with him.”
“You think I should simply talk to him?”
“Yes.”
“I might. We’ll see.” There was a pause. “I was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong, that he was having an affair and that’s why he’s getting into shape.”
“Oh,” Sophie squeaked.
“There’s something else as well. Do you think you can speak to your dad about Christmas? Your father is insisting that we keep it all low key. No turkey. No pudding. No bi
g expenses. But your sister, she’s so excited. She’s already booked a cottage for us all. I had all of these ideas….”
Sophie’s chest tightened, anxious about the cost of the cottage. Who was going to pay for this? She started gently. “Maybe Christmas at home would be easier.” Her voice remained flat.
“I love Christmas, and a cottage would be such fun. Something different, you know.”
“Yes, but if Dad has an objection….”
“Please Sophie, chat with him.” There was desperation in Gloria’s voice. “You two are alike.”
Sophie felt a lump in her throat. The jobless state, the secret was eating them. “I’ll do my best. But I can’t promise anything,” she said stiffly.
“You’re not in cahoots with him, are you?”
“No,” Sophie said, quickly. Too quickly.
“Any word from Derek?” Her mother asked. “Any sign of an engagement ring? Do you think he’ll come up and visit for Christmas? We all love Derek.” Yeah, they all loved Derek more than her.
“Ah Mum, about that.” Notions of trust, honesty and communication circled round in her head. She needed to come clean; it wasn’t like she’d done something awful. She hadn’t told anyone about Derek initially because she’d thought they would get back together and wanted to save them temporary pain. “Derek and I have broken up. I’ve moved out into a new flat.”
Silence followed and continued for so long that Sophie almost thought she’d been disconnected. Then she heard a wailing sound. “What happened? He was so lovely. I’ve already bought him a Christmas present.” It was too much for Gloria. She erupted down the phone. “You should have told me, because I don’t have a receipt and you’re father’s practically checking them,” Gloria shouted down the phone.
Then the dialling tone sounded – the end of the call.
***
One week later Gloria rang back and apologised for hanging up. “I’ve booked a cruise for your father and me,” she said suddenly.
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