The Single Wife : 'Liane Moriarty meets Elin Hilderbrand in an addictive summer read'

by Ella Grey

  Matt had told her that the clear mountain air, mineral springs and mountainous pine forests in Bulgaria made it ideal for holidaymakers seeking something other than just a beach holiday.

  “It’s great for campers, hill-walkers and health-junkies,” he said with a grin. “People are tired of the same old Spanish beach thing. This place has still got loads of rural charm.”

  “And what about when you’ve finished building all your apartment blocks?” she challenged, thinking that it would be a shame to blight this gorgeous scenery with high-rise apartment blocks a la the Spanish costas.

  “It won’t happen,” Matt said, shaking his head defiantly. “They’re big on planning regulations here because they’re in a position to learn from mistakes elsewhere …” He shrugged. “We wouldn’t get involved in anything that would be detrimental to the area and subsequently, our clients.”

  “You really are a salesman,” she grinned, giving him a gentle dig. “I suppose that’s a popular line for your ‘clients’ too?”

  “I might be a salesman but I’m certainly not a dishonest one,” he countered. “We do a good job for people – they’re investing not only a lot of money but a lot of trust in our experience and knowledge. I don’t cheat people, Olivia.”

  “I wasn’t implying that you did,” she said, surprised at this vehemence at what was intended as a joking remark.

  They were booked into a luxurious beach-front hotel, and Olivia hoped that the weekend would be spent lazily sunbathing around the pool, going out for relaxing meals in the evening and, hopefully, she thought with a grin, spending lots of time in bed together.

  To her surprise, she didn’t think of Peter once when she and Matt were together. It was a strange relief as Olivia had always assumed that when she finally took the huge step of making love with someone else, her husband would completely dominate her thoughts. But no, once her body took over, all memory of Peter was banished, at least for a little while, and she certainly wasn’t going to let memories of the past affect this weekend.

  The same couldn’t be said regarding Ellie though. Olivia swore to herself that she wouldn’t obsess over her; she swore that she wouldn’t let her worries ruin the break. But it was bloody hard not to, when, as it turned out, Catherine didn’t seem too bothered them.

  She rang the house immediately upon arrival at the hotel, just to let Catherine know that they’d landed safely and to enquire about Ellie.

  “Well, she had a right tantrum just after you left, but we calmed her down eventually,” Catherine said breezily, and Olivia could actually feel the guilt stab at her heart.

  Oh, no …

  “Was she upset about my leaving?”

  Catherine sniffed. “Not really – more upset about the fact that she couldn’t get her own way, I think. She and Adam were supposed to be taking turns on the swing this afternoon, but Missy wouldn’t let Adam have a go at all.”

  “Really? That doesn’t sound like Ellie.”

  “And then, she wouldn’t eat her dinner. She seems rather fussy about her food actually. I presume you don’t feed her takeaways all the time?”

  Olivia winced. She and Ellie usually had a Chinese takeaway on Friday evenings – it was their little treat. She couldn’t see Ellie getting upset over the fact that she wasn’t getting it on that particular Friday though, could she?

  “Of course not,” she told Catherine. “She loves Chinese food normally … ”

  “Really, Olivia, all those additives aren’t good and Ellie’s diet could certainly benefit from some fresh food. It seems she also brought some crisps and sweets in her overnight bag – said you told her she should share them with Adam. Perhaps I should have told you that junk food is banned in this house.”

  “Oh.” Olivia didn’t know how to answer this. She didn’t let Ellie gorge on junk food but a little treat now and again wouldn’t do any child any harm. And it would have been nice to share with Adam …

  “Anyway, I confiscated them. She roared for about an hour and a half but when she realised she wasn’t going to get any attention from me, she copped onto herself.”

  Bloody hell, the nuns at school had nothing on you, Olivia wanted to say, but there was no point. Instead she tried a softly, softly approach.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. I hope she hasn’t been too much trouble – ”

  “Well, she isn’t the easiest child in the world, that’s for sure, but what can you do?”

  Olivia felt so guilty she could barely continue the conversation. A minute or so later, and after listening to a further bout of complaints about her daughter, she said goodbye.

  Wow. Couldn’t the woman wait until Olivia returned from her supposedly relaxing weekend ‘break’ before she started badmouthing her child? Couldn’t she understand that Ellie didn’t know or understand Catherine’s ‘rules’, that she hadn’t outlined anything of the sort when offering to take care of her? Before dropping her over, Olivia had phoned to ask if there was anything she should or shouldn’t bring.

  Catherine had simply told her to bring Ellie and not to ‘be fussing’. So how could she say now that Ellie was being deliberately bold?

  Blast Matt anyway for convincing her to leave Ellie for the weekend, blast Catherine for being such a cow!

  Her cheeks burning with rage and her heart aching for her daughter, Olivia let herself into the hotel room.

  Matt was unpacking his bag. “Well, how are they?” he asked.

  She bit her lip. “Not so good. Apparently, Ellie is playing up.”

  He frowned. “Maybe it mightn’t have been fair of me to rope Catherine into babysitting.”

  Olivia’s head snapped up. “What? What do you mean ‘rope’ her into doing it? I thought she offered to take Ellie?”

  Matt reddened.

  “I don’t believe this. You told me that Catherine was only too happy to take her. You told me that she would be offended if I didn’t take up her ‘very kind’ offer. I can’t believe you tricked me into leaving Ellie with someone who doesn’t want her.”

  “Olivia, calm down – of course Catherine wants her – it just takes a bit of getting used to, that’s all. And she would have had Adam anyway so –”

  “But that’s not the point. If Catherine’s been landed with a baby-sitting job she really doesn’t want, then chances are Ellie will have picked up on it. Children aren’t stupid, you know.”

  “Olivia, it’s hardly my fault she’s a difficult child, is it?”

  She was stunned. She couldn’t believe this. “Matt, she barely knows that woman.”

  Hearing her words out loud, Olivia truly realised what she had done. She had left her precious little girl with a woman they barely knew, and one that neither liked all that much, just because she, selfish Olivia, wanted to get away for a saucy weekend with some man.

  How could she? How could she have been so blind and so stupid to even consider such a thing? Just then, she wanted badly to get out of there, and fly home to her daughter, where she belonged.

  “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that like it sounded,” Matt said, coming to her side. “I know was difficult for you leaving her and maybe I shouldn’t have forced the issue. But Catherine is great with kids and, given time, I’m sure Ellie will be fine. They’re just getting used to one another, that’s all. Catherine will sort it out.”

  Saint Bloody Catherine! Although Catherine wasn’t so saintly about leaving them in peace, was she? And the things she was saying about Ellie, well, to her it sounded as though she was deliberately trying to upset their weekend away by worrying her.

  “It’s not like Ellie to be throwing tantrums,” she said.

  “Look, kids play up sometimes, especially when there are other kids around – I’m sure that’s all it is. Tell you what, why don’t we go out for dinner now like we planned and I’ll give Catherine a ring later to see how they’re doing – OK?”

  Olivia nodded reluctantly, but there was little else she could do at that stage.<
br />
  They went for a delicious but ridiculously inexpensive meal on the seafront and, as she studied the menu, Olivia temporarily forgot about Ellie, while wondering how on earth the locals could possibly make any kind of profit charging prices like those.

  “The cost of living is about one fifth of that at home,” Matt explained. “It’s almost impossible to spend money here. That’s why it’s growing in popularity as a summer destination – there’s real value to be had. As for the drinks, well, let’s just say we could drink champagne here the entire weekend and it wouldn’t break the bank.” His eyes sparkled mischievously.

  Olivia shook her head. “Not tonight, Matt,” she said and sighed as she looked out to sea. It was a beautiful place – such a shame she couldn’t relax and enjoy it properly.

  Matt took the hint and seemed to accept her mind was elsewhere, and they said little else throughout the meal. Eventually, he suggested they head back to the hotel.

  “I’ll give Catherine a call then and see how they’re getting on, OK?”

  Olivia nodded. Maybe when he heard his childminder whinging down the phone he might understand her reticence to go partying.

  Back in the hotel room, Matt dialled Catherine’s number on his mobile. “Catherine, hi – how’s everything going?”

  Olivia sat back on the bed and tried to decipher what the other woman might be saying but she couldn’t hear anything other than a tinny squeal.

  “Oh, no, I’m sure she didn’t think that,” Matt said, with a little laugh. “No, of course she was concerned but … yes, yes, I’ll let her know.” He smiled and gave Olivia the thumbs-up. “Catherine, honestly, don’t worry about it, you’ve enough to be thinking about … no, no, of course I understand.”

  Olivia sat up. “What’s going on?”

  “No problem, I’ll make sure I tell her. I’m glad they’ve calmed down now. Say hello to Adam for me in the morning. OK, talk to you soon … we will, bye.”

  “What did she say?”

  Matt scratched his head. “The kids are fine now, they’ve settled down nicely and they’ve just gone to bed.”

  “But what did she say about Ellie?”

  “She was quite apologetic actually. Says she felt awful after your phone call and only afterwards it hit her how upsetting it could be for you. She’s kicking herself now actually, and is really afraid she’s ruined our break. Of course, I told her she was overreacting and that you were fine.”

  Olivia harrumphed. Catherine knew exactly what she was doing – what else would complaining about her daughter’s behaviour do other than upset? And now she was trying to pretend to Matt that it had been unintentional? The calculating...

  Matt sat down beside her on the bed. “Olivia, everything’s fine. She said to tell you to relax and have a great time, that she’s got everything under control back there.” He reached across and stroked her cheek. “Does that make you feel better?”

  “I suppose so.” There was no point in having an argument with Matt about it, but it was fairly obvious to her that Catherine had an agenda. She didn’t feel any better about leaving poor Ellie with her, but what could she do? She was here now.

  “Good, because if that doesn’t make you feel better, I’m sure there are other ways …” he trailed a finger along Olivia’s spine and, moving closer, kissed her softly on her lips.

  “I’m sorry, Matt,” she said, moving away from him. “I’m tired and at the moment, I can’t think about anything other than Ellie.”

  “But she’s fine,” he said, wounded. “Why can’t you accept that? Catherine said – ”

  “Catherine said too much as far as I’m concerned,” Olivia picking up the romantic novel she’d been so happily engrossed in on the plane. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this now.”

  “Fine.” Matt stood up and began to strip off while Olivia did her best to ignore him. Then he got into bed and, turning away from her, reached across and resolutely turned off his bedside lamp.

  She sighed inwardly. If Catherine’s antics had been a ploy to disrupt their romantic weekend away, then it was one that had worked very well indeed.

  42

  She couldn’t comprehend the relief she felt when touching down at Dublin airport.

  The weekend had improved somewhat after that first night, and after a few more (not-so-upsetting) phone calls to Catherine, Olivia had no choice but to try and make the best of it.

  Still, for the remainder of the stay, she and Matt had been awkward and uncomfortable with one another, and the so-called romantic break they’d expected hadn’t materialised. She didn’t quite know how she felt about this; in fact, she couldn’t think about anything other than seeing Ellie.

  “I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it,” Matt said on the drive to Lakeview, “but I had no idea you’d find it so hard without Ellie.”

  “I had no idea, either, to be honest,” she said sadly, “but since that first night, I couldn’t stop thinking and worrying about her.”

  “Well, it won’t be long until you see her now,” he said, reaching across and patting her hand, “and I’m sure she can’t wait to see you either.”

  “The same applies to you and Adam,” she said, feeling almost as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, now she was back on Irish soil.

  He shrugged. “He’s used to my being away a lot.”

  “I suppose.” Of course, she had forgotten that Matt too was used to being away from his son, whereas this was the first time she and Ellie had been apart. It definitely wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat anytime soon.

  Finally they reached Cherrytree Green, and Olivia almost bolted out of the car and up the path.

  “Ah, here are the lovebirds!” Catherine was all smiles as she greeted them at the door. “Did you have a good time?”

  “We had a lovely time,” Olivia smiled back, unwilling to let the cow know that she had got her way. “But it’s nice to be back all the same.”

  “The kids are out playing in the back garden, not a bother on them. Honestly, Olivia, since that first night, Ellie’s a different child. I think once she knew she’d overstepped the mark she learnt her lesson.”

  Olivia followed her through to the kitchen and out the back door where she could hear children’s laughter float through the air. The sound of Ellie’s carefree giggle was instantly a balm to her soul.

  “Like I said, it’s really not like Ellie to be so difficult,” she said, stepping out into the garden. “I’d imagine she was just getting used to –” She broke off when at the sound of her mother’s voice, Ellie turned and raced towards her, arms outstretched. Olivia’s heart lifted. “Hi, darling, I really missed … oh my goodness.”

  Getting a proper look at Ellie, Olivia stood back stunned. She could hardly believe her eyes.

  “What on earth did you do?” she shrieked accusingly at Catherine. Ellie’s gorgeous curls had been cut away, and her daughter was now – unbelievingly – sporting a blunt fringe!

  Catherine looked right back at her, all innocence. “After after what happened that first night, I didn’t really want to say anything on the phone …” She trailed off and glanced at Matt. “You did say she was really upset.”

  “How dare you?” Olivia couldn’t comprehend how angry she felt at that moment. “How dare you go and cut my daughter’s hair without my permission … what the hell were you thinking?”

  “Olivia, calm down,” Matt began.

  “What? I hope for your sake, Matt, that you didn’t know about this, because if you did … ”

  Catherine bit her lip. “Maybe I should have said something, but I really didn’t want to upset you – ”

  “Of course you should have said something! You should have asked for my permission, and if you had, you would know that I would never, ever cut her hair that way!”

  Ellie looked upset. “I’m sorry, Mommy, I didn’t mean it,” she said, and her bottom lip began to tremble.

  Olivia lifted her up and kissed her gen
tly on the temple. “It’s OK, honey, it wasn’t your fault.”

  “Well, that’s the thing …” Catherine began, and was Olivia imagining it, or did she say this with a hint of a satisfied smile? “Ellie brought some chewing gum with her and –”

  “What? She did not bring chewing gum with her, she isn’t allowed chewing gum – she knows that.”

  Ellie had by now buried her face in her mother’s chest, so she couldn’t see her expression.

  Catherine put a hand on her hip. “Well, she must have got it from somewhere because she came in on Saturday and it was all stuck to her hair. It was everywhere.” She looked at Matt exasperated. “I combed and combed it but there was no way I could have got it out. In the end I had no choice but to cut it out – there was nothing else I could have done.” At this, her eyes sparkled with tears – feigned tears. Olivia was convinced of it.

  “It’s OK, I’m sure you did your best,” Matt said, putting a hand on her arm.

  “But why didn’t you tell me?” Olivia said. “Why didn’t you phone and ask me if it was OK to cut it out, if it was OK to cut her lovely hair in this – this grotesque style!” She didn’t want to say too much in front of Ellie but she was pretty sure her daughter had no idea what ‘grotesque’ meant.

  “Honestly, I thought and thought about it, but in the end I decided that there was no point in upsetting you again so I just went and did what I thought was best. You didn’t see how bad it was, Olivia. The hairdresser said she’d never seen anything like it. In fairness, I don’t know how she managed to save so much of her hair.” At this Catherine burst out crying. “I really didn’t know what to do!”

  “Oh, Catherine, don’t.” Matt put a comforting arm around her shoulders and Olivia felt like throwing something at him. Could he not see what a terrible thing she’d done? She had no right to make that decision, no right to do something like that without consulting Olivia about it. It would take ages for Ellie’s hair to recover, despite the so-called best efforts of the concerned hairdresser.