Picnics in Hyde Park

by Nikki Moore

  But his cocky demeanour made her realise it was good to be home, good to be back in the UK. As much as she’d enjoyed the experience of living in another country and how great living in sprawling, thrilling New York had been, being in London and visiting Southend had shown her something. While she’d been wholly committed to staying in the States with Greg, this was where her heart was. It’s where it would always be. And two of the best reasons for that were somewhere in this room. She hoped that the third would decide to turn up tonight as well. She missed her sister. Returning to the UK, Zoe had hoped they would spend time together, but instead all they’d done was spend it apart.

  Her eyes swept over the heavy slab of glass that was the bar, balanced on two black pillars with blue up-lighters beneath it. Plush black sofas were set against designer blue and black printed wallpaper and islands of chest-high round tables and stools filled the room. The restaurant was off to the side and Rayne had texted to say she’d booked a table for half past seven. They’d agreed on drinks first, and she couldn’t wait until she had a cocktail in her hand.

  First she spotted Rayne waving madly at her from one of the tables with glasses dotted on it, chunky cocktail rings flashing on her long fingers. Then Frankie turned and beamed at her, sweeping her jaw length black hair behind her neat ears. With a massive sigh of relief, Zoe saw Melody occupying a third stool at the table, a small sad smile on her face.

  Dashing across the dark wooden floor towards them, Zoe threw her handbag down and grabbed Melody in a fierce hug. ‘I didn’t think you’d come. Why didn’t you stick around for me to bring you back, like we agreed? Are you still cross with me?’

  Melody eased away, ‘I didn’t want to sit around waiting for you. I wanted to see Jemima. No, I’m not cross with you. We’re okay.’ But her eyes didn’t meet Zoe’s for long, and she untangled herself to reach for her wine.

  ‘Hey, you,’ Rayne exclaimed, brushing her blunt fringe out of her eyes and wrapping her arms around Zoe. ‘It’s fab to see you. You look incredible. You’ve managed to put a bit of weight on, I see.’

  Zoe laughed, ‘Just come right out and say it, Rayne. Are you trying to tell me I look fat?’ Putting her hands on her hips.

  ‘Noooo, of course not. It’s just that the last time I saw you, you were far too skinny. I could almost see your ribs. You’re looking much healthier now. It suits you. You look a lot better than I expected actually, under the circumstances.’

  ‘Gee, thanks. You really don’t hold back do you? You look fantastic too by the way.’ She admired Rayne’s gorgeous sapphire cutaway dress, swatches of fabric cut out on both sides of the waist to reveal silky bronzed skin.

  ‘Aww, thanks. And you know I love you, sweetie,’ Rayne pinched Zoe’s cheeks playfully. ‘We also know each other well enough that I can say what I think.’

  ‘Except you do it with everyone,’ Frankie said, giving Rayne a teasing look and standing up. ‘Let her go. It’s my turn.’ Scooping Zoe into a hug, she whispered in her ear, ‘It’s so nice to see you.’

  ‘You too,’ Zoe smiled as they broke apart. ‘I’m loving the hair.’

  Frankie pulled a face, unusual violet-coloured eyes amused. ‘It’s taken about eight months for it to get to a length I’m happy with. My friend Davey is a hair dresser and he cut it really short just after Christmas. While I was panicking about the amount of hair on the floor, he was telling me not to worry because it made me look like Frankie from The Saturdays.’

  ‘It looked cool,’ Rayne said, hopping onto her stool and crossing her legs. ‘Stop moaning. Besides, Zack liked it, didn’t he?’

  Frankie stuck her tongue out at her friend, jumping onto her own stool and pointing to the fourth one for Zoe. ‘Zack’s a lovesick idiot,’ she smirked, ‘he’d like me even if Davey had shaved all my hair off.’

  ‘I don’t think Zack’s the only lovesick idiot,’ Zoe noted as she climbed carefully onto her stool, mindful of her short dress, ‘you look the prettiest I’ve ever seen you.’ She gestured at her friend’s clear glowing skin, taking in the tight black jeans, high heeled boots and this season’s neon yellow top. ‘I guess ditching the rich guy for the sweetheart has worked out for you, huh?’

  ‘It has. Although there was a year’s break in between them. I have to admit, I used to hate being stuck in a cramped, damp flat above a kebab shop, but I don’t really care anymore because I’ve got Zack. Speaking of which…’

  ‘What?’ Zoe could see Frankie was desperate to share some news. ‘Go on, just spit it out.’

  ‘Ooh, what have you been hiding, you sneaky thing?’ Rayne leaned forward eagerly, elbows on the table.

  ‘Zack and I are moving in together!’ Frankie grinned, eyes sparkling.

  ‘That’s amazing! Congratulations,’ Zoe screeched, drawing the attention of the next table over. Oops. She slid down in her seat, lowering her voice. ‘I mean, congratulations, I’m really happy for you.’

  ‘That’s ace, Franks,’ Rayne toasted her friend. ‘Spill the details then.’

  ‘Well, we’ve both given notice on our tenancy agreements and we’re getting a new place together in Richmond. We’ll be renting to start with but our plan is to save up for a deposit for our own place.’ She grinned wider. ‘God, I can’t wait to wake up next to Zack every day.’

  ‘Bleurgh.’ Rayne stuck her finger down her throat, pretending to be sick. ‘Come on, I’ve just been reunited with my first love after almost five years and even I’m not being that soppy.’

  ‘Oh, come on. We all know it’s just a matter of time before Adam proposes,’ Frankie picked up a cocktail napkin and threw it at Rayne, who laughed and ducked out the way.

  ‘Hey, we’ve not even been back together two months.’

  ‘You wore his ring through most of uni,’ Frankie pointed out, ‘don’t deny that it’s been round your neck for the last few years,’ she pointed at the chain dangling between Rayne’s boobs, something nestling in between them.

  ‘Damn it, caught out.’ Rayne stuck her tongue out at Frankie and tossed the napkin back at her.

  ‘Behave, you two,’ Zoe mock scolded, easing back into the warm friendship that had been there since their uni days. She was aware of Melody sitting silently to her right, watching them mess around. Her dark eyes looked too big for her thin face.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Frankie said suddenly, looking at the sisters. ‘Here we are babbling on about our relationships, when you two have just gone through break ups.’ She put a hand to her mouth, eyes full of guilt. ‘We’re such bad friends.’

  ‘Shit,’ Rayne said, ‘you’re right. That was bad. Sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Zoe reached across the table and touched Frankie’s arm, smiling at them both. ‘Just because our love lives have imploded, it doesn’t mean we begrudge you your happiness. Does it Mel?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Melody murmured, but there was a hollowness to her words that was worrying.

  ‘Besides, I had a lucky escape. I’m not into guys that cheat. Do it once and I’m done with them.’ Her jaw clenched as she thought of Greg. ‘Anyway,’ shaking the annoyance away, ‘thanks for coming guys.’ She slid a hand under the table to squeeze Melody’s cold fingers, which were clamped together in her lap. ‘I can’t wait to catch up and have some fun.’

  ‘Well, we’ll definitely be doing that tonight.’ Rayne poured Zoe an excessively large glass of wine from the metal cooler in the centre of the table, coloured metal bangles jangling around her wrist. ‘We started without you, so you need to catch up,’ Rayne ordered when Zoe pulled a steady on face. ‘You too, Melody,’ topping the younger woman’s glass up with a generous splash of Pinot Grigio.

  ‘I agree,’ Frankie piped up.

  ‘I guess we have no choice,’ Zoe replied, trying to involve her sister in the conversation, ‘after all, who are we to argue with a big-time city journalist and a talented freelance photographer?’ Taking a sip of wine, rolling the sweet, crisp floral taste on her tongue, she looked ex
pectantly at Melody. ‘Come on sis, relax.’

  With a nod, Melody took a sip of wine. ‘I’ll try.’

  Zoe looked at Rayne and Frankie. ‘So apart from both of you being ridiculously loved up, what else is new?’

  She listened as Rayne launched into an amusing anecdote about some players she and Lily had interviewed at Wimbledon, and nodded in all the right places, but her head was tilted towards Mel, noticing how the black top and skinny blue jeans she wore hung off her slight frame. She gave her sister’s hand another reassuring squeeze. No matter what, she would make sure Melody got the closure she needed.

  It was half an hour before the conversation came around to Zoe, by which time they were into their second bottle of wine and had ordered their first round of cocktails. A Pimms for Rayne, who’d got the taste for it at Wimbledon; a Manhattan for Frankie, who’d had one on New Year’s Eve at The Ritz, the night she’d been choosing between two men, and a Cosmo for Zoe, her favourite New York tipple. Melody stuck with wine, insistent she was feeling tipsy enough already. It was true her eyes were starting to cross slightly, and Zoe wondered when the last time was that her sister had eaten properly. She circled a hand around Melody’s wrist, her middle finger and thumb touching. That wasn’t good.

  But at least Melody was talking now. It had taken twenty minutes but she was finally mellowing and joining in, laughing with the girls about the time she’d come to Loughborough to visit Zoe. She’d been sixteen, with Zoe twenty-two and fiercely overprotective. Melody had been a big hit with the guys in the dorm, and Zoe had spent the whole weekend scowling at them all and reminding them in firm tones that Mel was barely legal.

  ‘I was so embarrassed,’ Melody laughed. ‘I wasn’t sure I was ever going to forgive you,’ shaking her head at Zoe.

  ‘Hey, I was just doing my big sister duties,’ she held up both hands.

  ‘I’m not sure they’re supposed to extend that far,’ Mel answered lightly, but there was something in her tone that suggested she wasn’t talking about what had happened almost six years before.

  ‘To be honest,’ Frankie picked up on the tension, trying to defuse it, ‘I just kept expecting Zoe to walk out of her room wearing a black suit, like a bouncer’s outfit.’

  ‘Believe me, I thought about it.’

  ‘Right. Enough of that.’ Rayne raised one perfectly arched dark eyebrow. ‘My curiosity is killing me. Tell all—how are you getting on living with The Bastard?’ Her eyes were aglow with interest.

  ‘What’s this?’ Frankie asked, straightening on her stool ‘I think I’ve missed something. I know that Melody’s boss fired her and kicked her out for no reason, and his younger brother who you were dating,’ she nodded sympathetically at Melody, ‘has gone AWOL, but what’s this about living with a bastard?’

  ‘Zoe’s moved in with Melody’s boss to find out what really happened, and get revenge for Melody,’ Rayne lowered her voice as a waitress sauntered past holding a tray of drinks aloft, ‘by selling a kiss and tell story about Matt to the tabloids. He’ll hate it, has massive privacy issues. Zoe’s going to use my contacts.’

  ‘Really?’ Frankie swivelled her head to Zoe, mouth open. ‘That seems a bit extreme. Does he deserve it?’ She looked at Melody then back to Zoe. ‘Is he a bastard, Zo?’

  ‘Um…’ Zoe used the pretext of taking a large slug of wine as an opportunity to gather her thoughts. How could she answer that without giving away how uncertain she was feeling about everything? That no, she didn’t think Matt was a bastard. ‘Well…’ But if that was the case, it made her a sister either a liar or there was something seriously screwy going on, which she hadn’t got to the bottom of yet.

  She gazed at her sister, whose attention was on a napkin she was turning in circles on the table. She couldn’t back out of the plan now, could she? Otherwise it would mean that she was choosing a man over Melody again. The way she’d chosen to go with Greg to America rather than facing her sister and aunt to make amends. Leaving her family behind rather than staying and dealing with her heartbreak like other people did, one day at a time. Melody had been so upset when she’d left the UK. It had taken months to get her to contact Zoe with any regularity. She couldn’t blame her. After all, she had abandoned her. ‘That is…Yes, he’s a bit of a bastard.’ She stuttered as she said it, blaming the alcohol, which was making her feel fuzzy headed.

  Melody lifted her head, looking surprised.

  ‘Wow, that was totally convincing,’ Rayne drawled, ‘not. Now tell us the truth.’

  Zoe opened her mouth, wanting to try again, to say Matt was rude, sarcastic, ignorant, and arrogant. That he really was a bastard. That he had taken pleasure in Melody’s downfall. But it wouldn’t be true. He could be distant and a little rude with it, and he’d shut himself off from his children for far too long, but he was a good guy. Except for what he’d done to her sister. That still didn’t make sense. She felt like she had two puzzle pieces that should match up, that were roughly the right size and shape, but when she laid them down next to each other, they wouldn’t fit together.

  Anxiety churned in her stomach, her fingers clenching round the stalk of her wine glass. She looked at her sister, who deserved so much better. ‘I…I can’t.’ She gulped. ‘I’m sorry Melody. After what he did to you, I know you must hate him—’

  ‘Why are you apologising?’ her sister asked, lifting her head to meet her eyes. ‘I told you he wasn’t a bastard. I’ve thought about it a lot, I’ve done nothing else with Stephen shutting me out. I’m not sleeping and I’m never hungry. I can’t get over him when I don’t know why it’s over. But Matt must have thought he had a good reason for doing what he did. It’s the only thing that makes sense.’

  ‘He does,’ Zoe acknowledged, thinking of the way she’d circled around the subject with him, and what the other nannies have said, ‘I just don’t know what. But I get the impression it’s really bad. Are you sure you don’t know what it could be? It’s not about you and Stephen seeing each other, you were right about that.’

  ‘No,’ Melody said in disbelief, a spark of anger kindling in her eyes, ‘I have no idea whatsoever. What’s happening here? Do you believe them over me now, is that what this is? I never did anything to hurt Matt, the children or Stephen. You’re going to take Matt’s side?’

  ‘What? No. No!’ Zoe hissed, putting her hand on Mel’s arm to stop her as she tried to get up. ‘Don’t. I’m not saying that. I just wondered if there was anything that could have created confusion, or where wires might have got crossed. There are no sides here. I’m trying Mel, I am. I just can’t get any clarity. Every time I try to talk to Matt about it, he shuts down. And I don’t know where Stephen is, other than sailing on the yacht…’ she trailed off as something Matt had said struck her.

  ‘What is it?’ Melody sank back down onto her stool, face draining of colour. ‘What? Is it another girl?’ she flinched.

  ‘No. It was weird. Matt said you broke Stephen’s heart and he’d gone away to get over it. But obviously it was the other way around.’ She hesitated, unsure whether this would help or not, ‘I also spoke to the other nannies. The way they told it, he was devoted to you. You’d reformed him. He was a bit of a player by all accounts.’

  ‘He was. It took him six months to convince me to date him because I’d heard of his reputation. I was also wary of getting involved, with him being Matt’s brother. But eventually he won me over and it was just me. At least, as far as I know.’ Melody ran shaking hands through her hair, pressing her fingers against her temples. Frankie and Rayne kept quiet, watching the sisters with concern. ‘I don’t get it.’ Mel said, bewildered. ‘It was going so well. We’d arranged to meet by the Statute of Eros in Piccadilly for lunch and he just didn’t turn up. I called and called but got no answer, so I went back to Matt’s. Stephen wasn’t there, and neither was Matt. The kids were at a friend’s, so I sat in the garden to read a book, and that’s where I was when Matt confronted me. I’ve never seen him look so furious. He
wouldn’t talk, wouldn’t explain. He just wanted me gone. There was this look on his face, like he was disappointed with me but was holding back. It wasn’t like him. I’d never seen that side of him before.’ Mel finished, trembling. ‘But he definitely wasn’t enjoying it. He looked hurt. That’s why I say he’s not a bastard. You should know that, Zoe, living with him.’

  Zoe got up, wrapping an arm around Melody’s shoulders. ‘Yes. I do know that. He’s really kind of,’ pausing, her face softened, ‘nice.’ It was a completely inadequate word to describe the passionate, funny, intense guy that Matt was, but she couldn’t let on how she really felt about him and the kids. ‘Things are getting better between him and the children too,’ she tacked on unthinkingly, trying to give her sister something positive to hold onto.

  ‘Meaning you’re doing a good job of cleaning up the mess I made,’ Melody muttered, jerking out of Zoe’s arms, tears winding their way down her cheeks.

  ‘Mel, don’t be like that. I didn’t mean it that way, I swear.’ Taking her sister’s face between her hands. ‘I said sorry. I thought we were okay. I’m not saying you got it wrong. We’re just different.’

  ‘You mean you’re better.’

  ‘No!’ Zoe released her and stepped back from the accusation, left ankle twisting in her stiletto.

  ‘Come on, Melody,’ Rayne interjected, ‘your sister would never think that, let alone say it. She loves you.’

  ‘I know you’re angry with Stephen,’ Zoe put a hand to her chest, feeling something tearing inside, ‘but I don’t want to argue with you. I did it for you, going to live with Matt, and—’

  ‘I never wanted you to. I never asked you too,’ Melody burst out, the effects of alcohol glazing her eyes and making her cheeks ruddy.

  ‘What?’ Zoe murmured, aware of people around them starting to whisper at the commotion. This wasn’t the evening she’d planned.