Rebecca seemed a little subdued when her mother arrived. She didn’t rush to tell her all her news as she would normally have done. Instead she looked up at her mother and gave her a wan smile.
‘Becky, I need to speak to your mother,’ said Andy. ‘Would you mind waiting in the car while we have a quick word?’
Maddy raised her eyebrows inquisitively while Rebecca nodded and made for the car, dragging her feet.
‘It’s about something Becky told me,’ said Andy. ‘She told me that Aaron has been swearing in front of her. When I asked her what he said she clammed up and just said “really bad words”. I’m not very happy about it, Maddy. You know we don’t use that sort of language in front of Becky. She’s just a child.’
Maddy’s mood soon changed, her tone strident as she retaliated. ‘Hang on a minute! I think you’re jumping the gun a bit,’ she said. ‘Aaron has never sworn in front of Becky.’
‘Why would she lie about something like that, Maddy?’
‘Right, so you’re assuming that I must be lying, is that it?’
‘Well, one of you is, and I don’t think it’s Becky.’
‘Are you sure you haven’t got the wrong end of the stick here, Andy?’
‘Not at all; I could tell she wasn’t lying. In fact, she seemed quite upset about it.’
‘So, are you saying that I must be lying, then?’
Andy shrugged. ‘Well, like I say, one of you must be. To tell you the truth, Maddy, I’m more than a bit concerned. Becky doesn’t seem herself recently and, to be honest, neither do you. From what she tells me you don’t spend as much time with her lately and you always seem to be running late these days—’
Maddy cut him short before he could say anything else. ‘How dare you? How dare you judge me and how I am with Becky? I was the one who had to hold everything together when you destroyed our marriage because of your carry-on with that tart. And now that I’ve found a bit of happiness, you don’t bloody well like it, do you?’
Andy held his hand out in supplication, conscious of how heated the conversation had become, and not wanting either Rebecca or the neighbours to overhear.
‘This isn’t helping Becky,’ he said. ‘I think we should discuss things another time, but I can’t pretend I’m happy with your current situation, Maddy.’
‘You’re just bloody jealous,’ she continued. ‘Aaron is wonderful with Becky, and that’s what you can’t stand, isn’t it? Well, if you didn’t want another man in Becky’s life then you shouldn’t have done what you did, should you?’
Over her shoulder Andy could see Rebecca opening the car door then stepping out. He nodded in her direction, hoping Maddy would take the hint and calm down in front of her daughter.
‘I’ll see you next weekend,’ he said to Maddy, ‘but please think about what I’ve said.’ Then he shouted to Rebecca, ‘Bye, sweetheart, see you soon.’
Maddy scowled at him before turning and walking away.
When she was gone, Andy thought about the cross words they’d exchanged. He hadn’t wanted it to become so heated, especially in front of his daughter. Up to now he and Maddy had managed to remain amicable, but, where Rebecca’s welfare was concerned, he couldn’t just sit back and say nothing. The trouble was that he had hurt Maddy in the past and, although he’d thought she had buried the hurt a long time ago, it was still there, and, on days like today, it would quickly rise back to the surface along with all the bitterness and resentment that went with it.
Andy had a bad feeling about this Aaron character. Something wasn’t right about him and he hoped that Maddy would soon come to her senses and end the relationship.
30
The Rose and Crown was busy when Aaron arrived, which wasn’t ideal. There were many women in the pub, most of them rough-looking, and as he walked through the bar he could see some of them preening themselves and trying to catch his eye. He ignored them as he searched for Angie, who he spotted on a table full of working girls.
Aaron walked over to her. ‘Can I have a word?’ he asked, then he walked out of the pub, expecting Angie to follow him.
‘Let’s go for a walk,’ he said once they were outside the pub. ‘I don’t want anyone listening.’
‘You’re looking smart tonight,’ she commented. ‘Going anywhere nice?’
Aaron ignored her question. He wasn’t in the mood for small talk, especially with someone like Angie. He didn’t actually want to be seen with her at all, but she had been perfect for the task she’d carried out and now he just wanted to pay up.
As they walked down the road, he spoke. ‘Well done,’ he said. ‘She fell for it hook, line and sinker.’
Angie smiled. ‘Good, glad to hear it.’
He pulled five ten-pound notes from his wallet, folded them in his hand and then surreptitiously passed them to her.
‘Thanks,’ she said, laughing. ‘It’s the easiest fifty quid I’ve earnt for a while. Let me know if you need my services again.’ She smiled and raised her eyebrows provocatively.
‘You can go back to the pub now,’ said Aaron, not wishing to stay in Angie’s company any longer than necessary. He found the mere sight of her repugnant and her flirtation irritating.
He could see the disappointment in her face but he didn’t care; he just wanted rid of her. But Angie wasn’t so easy to get rid of.
‘How come you want her to think I’m your mum anyway?’ she asked.
‘What did I fuckin’ say to you when I asked you to do the job?’ he snapped. Her confused expression made him even more annoyed. ‘I said no fuckin’ questions. You just do what I pay you to do and keep your fuckin’ nose out of my business. OK?’
‘I was only asking,’ said Angie.
‘Well, don’t! And, you’ve to keep this to yourself, all right? I swear that if I hear you’ve breathed a word of this to anyone, I’ll fuckin’ have you! Do you understand?’
‘Yes,’ she said, her voice now a mere whisper, but he could tell by the expression on her face that his words had got through to her.
‘Right, now fuck off!’
Angie turned back towards the pub without saying another word while Aaron carried on in the opposite direction. He was livid with her but at least she’d done a good job. And now that Maddy believed him he just had to keep thinking up excuses to delay the visit to Yorkshire.
*
Maddy was delighted when Aaron turned up at her home that Saturday afternoon. It was the first time she’d seen him for days. For once she’d resisted the temptation to see him during the week, knowing they both had a lot to do. What she didn’t admit to herself was that Andy’s words of a few days ago had perhaps also affected her.
She’d spoken to Aaron on the phone during the week, telling him about her row with Andy but not going into too many details as she hadn’t wanted Rebecca to overhear her. But now they were alone, she couldn’t wait to confide in him.
‘Put your jacket on. We’re not stopping,’ he said as soon as he walked into the hallway.
‘Oh,’ she said, looking at him, her lips pouting and her manner sultry. Then she drew closer, grasping his shoulders between her hands as her breasts rubbed against his body. ‘Haven’t you missed me?’
Aaron laughed. ‘Of course I have but there’ll be plenty of time for that later. There’s something I want to show you first and I think you’re gonna like it.’
‘Ooh, sounds good.’ She giggled.
Aaron took hold of her hand. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘I can’t wait to show you.’
‘Wait a minute. I haven’t got my jacket yet or put my shoes on.’
Aaron waited in the car, then watched as Maddy stepped into the vehicle, her tight-fitting skirt riding up to expose a tantalising amount of flesh as she curled her legs inside. He smiled and started the engine.
‘What’s all this about your ex-husband, then?’ he asked as they set off down the road.
‘Oh, he seems to have got a bee in his bonnet.’ She sighed in irritation. ‘L
ike I told you on the phone, Becky is supposed to have told him that you swore at her.’
‘I’d never do that, Maddy.’
‘I know. You told me. I can only think Becky lied about it for some reason, but I can’t think why. It isn’t like her. Then again, she is showing signs of jealousy like she did when I was with Rob. So perhaps it’s down to that. I did tackle her about it and she swears she didn’t say anything to her father. In fact, she looked a bit put out by the fact that he had told me what she said.’
‘Well, to be honest, Maddy, we have been spending a lot of time together.’
Maddy looked at him, shocked, and he could tell she was expecting him to cool things off. ‘Oh, not that I’m complaining,’ he quickly added. ‘But you can understand it in a way. She’s become used to having you to herself and probably doesn’t like to share you. Kids can get like that. It’s understandable.’
‘Well, it’s not on,’ she said. ‘I’m entitled to a life too and she’ll just have to get used to it.’
Aaron had been testing her to see how much she valued his company, and by the sound of things she wasn’t going to let even her daughter come between them.
‘What are you smiling at?’ she asked, pulling him out of his reverie.
‘Oh, sorry. It’s just nice to know that you won’t let anything come between us. I didn’t mean to smile. I know it can’t be easy for you if Becky’s playing up a bit.’
‘Oh, she’s not playing up, not really. Andy might even have got the wrong end of the stick. But then he really started getting on my case, telling me Becky wasn’t herself these days and neither was I. Oh, and I’m always on the last minute, apparently.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. How dare he? What I do with my life is my own bloody business.’
‘Too true,’ he said. ‘You sure he isn’t a bit jealous too?’
‘Possibly. I don’t think he likes the idea of me being with someone else, but he should have thought of that before he started knocking about with that tart, shouldn’t he?’
‘Dead right. Don’t let him get to you, Maddy. Like you say, you’re entitled to a life and you’re a brilliant mother. Becky’s very lucky to have you.’
Maddy smiled and patted him affectionately. This time he resisted the temptation to smile back. It was important that she thought he was taking her seriously and supporting her. Her ex-husband could go to hell! He might think he was still pulling her strings, but Aaron knew that, where Maddy was concerned, he was the one in control.
31
Aaron and Maddy were still inside his car, heading towards Stockport. Once they’d passed through the town Aaron drove on for a while longer. As they sat in silence he could tell Maddy had a lot on her mind and, sure enough, after a few minutes she wanted to offload again.
‘Aaron,’ she began. ‘Thanks for being patient and agreeing not to see me for a few days this week.’
‘That’s OK, no problem,’ he cut in. ‘As long as it makes you happy, Maddy; I’ll do whatever it takes. You know that.’ Then he quickly added, ‘Not that I haven’t missed you, but I hope it’s given you chance to catch up with things.’
‘Yes, it has,’ she said. ‘I’d sooner have been with you, but I need to earn a living at the end of the day.’
‘No worries,’ he said. ‘Stick with me and, you never know, you might be able to give up work one day.’
Maddy flashed a surprised grin at him then said, ‘Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. But sometimes I just feel so bloody overwhelmed with everything. I love being with you and why shouldn’t I be? But then there’s my job, Becky, the house and everything else. Most of the time I’m run off my feet. Anyway, I hope it’s given you chance to catch up with things too. Maybe next week we can spend a little more time together.’
‘Sounds good,’ he said, evading her comment about him catching up with things but quick to notice her reaction when he’d mentioned the possibility of her giving up work in the future and he knew the comment had hit home.
‘Anyway, we’re almost there,’ he said as they drove along Bramhall Lane.
A couple of minutes later and they were turning into the car park at a new housing development. ‘It sounds as though you could do with cheering up so maybe this will do the trick,’ he said, peering through the windscreen at the executive homes.
Her eyes followed his and she smiled. ‘Wow! It looks lovely,’ she said.
‘I know. I found it on the Internet. I’m looking forward to seeing the properties myself. I’ve only seen them online but they looked great.’
They walked into the sales office where an eager agent greeted them. ‘Hello,’ she said, peering up from her desk when she heard the door open. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘We’d like to do some viewings,’ said Aaron.
‘Aah, right. Do you have an appointment?’
‘No, we called in on spec,’ said Aaron.
‘Oh, I see. Well, I’m afraid we only do viewings by appointment. This is an exclusive development so we like to run checks on prospective buyers’ financial status. I’m sure you understand.’
‘Oh, that’s a pity,’ said Aaron. ‘I’ve been busy all week, tied up with my businesses, so I’ve only just had chance to pop by. But I did manage to take a look online and your top-of-the-range home would suit us down to a tee.’
‘Aah, the Maple?’ she asked. ‘Perhaps I could make an appointment for you to view it.’ She began flicking through the pages of her desk diary.
‘Ooh, not sure,’ said Aaron, looking at the screen on his phone and pressing a few buttons. ‘Let me see when I’m next free… Ooh, I’m afraid I couldn’t fit in a viewing for at least two weeks. My business is in central Manchester, you see, and I just wouldn’t have the time to drive here and back in the week. Then the weekends are tied up with transferring stock from my Yorkshire branch over to Manchester.’
He could tell by the look on the agent’s face that she was suitably impressed. ‘Is there no way you could squeeze in a viewing before then?’ she asked. ‘These houses will go very fast so it’s best to get in early.’
‘Not really,’ he said, then he made a show of looking pensive before he turned to Maddy. ‘How about that other development we talked about?’ he asked. ‘We could always go there, then come back here in a couple of weeks if we don’t find anything. Their five-bedroomed house did look particularly nice online. A business colleague of mine bought one recently and he says there’s a good chance of us getting a price reduction, what with being cash buyers.’
To his relief Maddy played along with his act. ‘I suppose so, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing this one while we’re here,’ she said.
‘You sure you can’t squeeze us in today?’ he asked again. ‘I hate to let my partner down. She’s used to the best,’ he said, enjoying the pretence.
While he was talking he had been watching the look on the agent’s face. The obsequious smile had vanished and she had started instead to look concerned; it was obvious to Aaron that she hadn’t sold many houses lately. At these prices they were probably slow to shift.
‘Perhaps we could,’ she said, consulting her diary again. ‘I’ve got another viewing to the Maple in a quarter of an hour. Perhaps if you’re quick we could do it before then.’
‘Sure,’ said Aaron, striding over to the desk and waiting while she searched for the keys to the property.
When she had located them, she gave them brief instructions of where to find the show home. Then she held out the keys for Aaron to take.
‘And please don’t let anybody know that you viewed without an appointment,’ she added as she dropped them into his hand. ‘It isn’t something we usually do.’
‘No problems,’ said Aaron, smiling. ‘Your secret’s safe with me.’
As soon as they were outside and out of the agent’s view, Maddy burst into laughter. ‘I can’t believe you,’ she said. ‘You can really pour the charm on when you want to,’ she teased.
Maddy smiled at him. ‘Aw, you’re so sweet,’ she said.
They spent the next ten minutes looking round the plush executive home. Maddy marvelled at the luxury fitted kitchen, modern bathrooms and high-end furnishings and Aaron could tell she was impressed. She might have had a lovely home but it was nothing compared to this one.
When they finished looking round, Aaron locked the front door and turned to walk back to the sales office. ‘Well, what do you think?’ asked Maddy.
‘Very nice,’ he said. ‘Just the sort of thing I’m looking for.’
‘Are you going to buy one?’ she asked.
‘Not yet. I’m still busy kitting out the new warehouse so I don’t want to get bogged down with all the paperwork, not to mention decorating, buying furniture and all the rest of it. I just wanted to give you an idea of the sort of thing we’ll be looking for once everything else is sorted.’
The ‘we’ was deliberate and he noticed how her face lit up as he said it. They went back into the sales office and Aaron made his excuses before they walked away. Inside the car he turned to her before starting the engine. ‘Well, I’m glad that seems to have done the trick,’ he said. ‘You look much happier than you did earlier.’
‘I know, I—’
‘Shush,’ he said, pressing his finger to her lips before silencing her. ‘Forget about your worries for now. I want you to be happy. So, today we’re going to have a good time.’
Aaron took his finger away from her lips and reached towards the glove compartment. He opened it up and took out a small container and placed it inside her hand, folding her fingers around it.
The Mark Page 14