by Sophie Hart
‘But it was the same one I’d seen,’ Zoe cut in, and Annie smiled at how seamlessly they switched telling the story from one to the other. They’d clearly reminisced about this moment many times before. ‘It’s not a long walk back to my flat, but my feet were killing me – I had these massive heels on – and I was desperate to grab that taxi.’
‘We both got there at the same time. I was being the chivalrous gentleman, as ever, so I told Zoe that she could take it.’
‘But he looked like a sad little puppy standing there,’ Zoe cooed. ‘It was starting to rain, and I felt bad about nicking the taxi—’
‘And she clearly fancied me, of course.’
‘I did, actually,’ Zoe grinned. ‘Who wouldn’t? He didn’t seem like an axe murderer, so I suggested that we share. We got chatting, swapped numbers…’
‘I overwhelmed her with my charm, and the rest is history,’ Simon grinned. ‘So what do you think?’ he continued, a worried shadow crossing his face. ‘Do you think you can help us?’
Annie sat back in her chair, looking at the attractive young couple in front of her. They were so eager, so enthusiastic. She’d certainly never come across a situation like this before – this was a first, in her professional experience. But it showed great maturity, and a real desire to make their relationship last. Working with these two could be a lot of fun…
‘Yes,’ Annie smiled, her eyes twinkling as she looked at them. ‘I think I can.’
* * *
After Simon and Zoe had left, and Annie had set them their first ‘homework’, her mobile started ringing. She heard the vibrations deep in her bag and rooted around inside, trying to find it before it went through to the answer phone.
Triumphantly, she pulled it out, and saw ‘Sister’ flashing on the caller display. Annie pulled a face. She knew exactly what Holly would be calling about. For a second, she thought about letting it go to voicemail, but she knew that would only delay the inevitable.
‘Hi Hol,’ she said, brightly.
‘Don’t you “Hi Hol” me!’ came the retort, as Annie grimaced and moved the phone away from her ear. ‘What on earth did you do, Annie! Tom’s telling everyone who’ll listen that you’re a crazy psycho. Greg is completely embarrassed – it’s all around his office – and he’s saying that he’ll never try and set you up with anyone again.’
‘Well, good,’ Annie shot back, going on the defensive. ‘I don’t want him to set me up with anyone if that’s the best he can do. Seriously, Holly, the guy was a complete idiot.’
‘That doesn’t mean you can throw a glass of wine over him! You’re not Sharon Osbourne on the X Factor!’
‘It wasn’t a big glass,’ Annie muttered petulantly. ‘And it was humiliating, Hol. He was chatting up another girl right in front of me. And when I say girl, I mean it – she didn’t look old enough to be out past ten pm on a school night, let alone drinking in a bar. And he kept going on about how old I looked, and how he was such a macho man down at the gym. Seriously, sis, he was a grade one dickhead.’
‘You’re too fussy, that’s your problem,’ Holly chastised her. It was a refrain Annie had heard many times over the years, and it always made her furious.
‘I’m not fussy, I just have standards,’ she huffed. ‘There’s a difference.’
‘Is that what you advise your clients to do?’ Holly demanded. ‘If they’re having problems in their relationship, they should start throwing things at each other? Honestly, what if one of them had seen you? You can be so irresponsible sometimes.’
Annie’s anger was partly motivated by the fact that she knew Holly was right. It had been an extremely childish and unprofessional thing to do – albeit deeply satisfying – but if one of her clients had seen, she could have lost business. And if word got back to one of them… Norwich was only a small city, and she didn’t know how many people Tom knew.
‘Urgh. I suppose I need to ring him and apologise, don’t I?’ Annie said, feeling the slightest hint of regret.
‘That would be appreciated. I’m only looking out for you, Annie,’ Holly continued, her tone softening. ‘You’re your own worst enemy sometimes.’
‘Yeah, yeah, spare me the lecture. You sound like Mum.’
‘Oh, that reminds me,’ Holly began, and Annie was grateful for the change of subject. ‘Are you going round to Mum’s next week? Sunday lunch?’
Annie hesitated. As much as she loved seeing her parents, she sometimes hated the traditional Sunday lunches with her mum, dad, Holly and Greg, as Annie got pushed to one end of the table next to the dog, and interrogated about why she didn’t have a boyfriend.
‘Yep, I’ll be there,’ she said finally.
‘Okay, Annie, I’ll see you then. Take care.’
‘You too, sis. You too.’
9
Chapter Nine
‘Sex is God’s joke on human beings’ – Bette Davis
It was dark outside, and seemed to have been that way for hours, the rain pattering lightly on the windows. The office was lit with unflattering overhead strip-lights and the dull green glow of idle computers. Nick stifled a yawn as he glanced at the clock in the bottom corner of his screen – 9.16 pm. He was working late again tonight, trying to catch up on some of the things he’d missed while he was busy catering to Julia’s demands. The Norfolk Cottages pitch was coming up, and Nick needed to be on top of his game for that.
The office was deserted, with all of his colleagues having long since left for the night. Well, almost all of them. Nina was still here; she’d been assigned to work with Nick on this proposal, and was insistent that if he was staying then she was too.
Right now, Nina was sitting beside him, staring at the screen with a frown on her face. She looked tired, her dark hair working loose from where she’d pinned it up. The smart black shift dress she was wearing had become crumpled and creased, and Nick couldn’t help but notice that she’d unconsciously kicked off her heels under the desk, her shapely legs encased in sheer black stockings.
‘Look, why don’t you get off home,’ Nick offered kindly. ‘We’re almost done here. I’m going to wrap up soon anyway.’
‘It’s no problem,’ Nina shrugged. ‘I don’t mind staying until we’re finished. Anyway, I was just going to suggest that this paragraph could be re-phrased.’ She held up a manicured nail and tapped on the screen, her hands slender and elegant. ‘We’ve already used “chocolate-box cottages”, so how about if we say “picture-perfect properties” instead?’
‘Yes, that sounds much better,’ Nick agreed, deleting the original text and adding in Nina’s suggestion. Despite being new to the company, Nina was learning fast, Nick thought admiringly. She was consistently coming up with strong, original ideas, and clearly had a great work ethic.
‘And here,’ she continued, leaning in towards him as she took hold of the mouse and scrolled down. Nick caught the scent of a musky perfume, and hastily moved away. ‘It says that return clients make up twenty-three percent of business, but I think the figure’s wrong. Shouldn’t it—’
Nina broke off as Nick’s mobile vibrated on the desk. Julia’s name was flashing on the caller display, and they both stared at it.
‘Do you need to get that?’ Nina asked eventually.
‘No,’ Nick replied dismissively, pressing the button to send it to voicemail. ‘It’s only my wife.’ As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realised how terrible they sounded. ‘Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.’ He forced an awkward laugh. ‘What I meant was—’
‘It’s fine,’ Nina assured him, looking up at him curiously from beneath her long, dark eyelashes.
‘Um… Where were we?’ Nick cleared his throat and turned back to the computer screen, but he couldn’t seem to concentrate. The document seemed to be a jumble of words and numbers; it might have been written in Swahili for all the sense it was making to him right now.
Trust Julia to mess things up again, Nick thought in frustration. She was probably calling hi
m to nag him about coming home, wanting to jump into bed because she was ovulating, or because she’d read about some new technique, or because Saturn was in Venus rising and her horoscope said conception was guaranteed.
For a crazy moment, Nick considered confiding in Nina about his problems, but quickly decided against it. She was only twenty-three, and a sly glance at her empty left hand told him she wasn’t married, so he doubted she’d empathise with the intricacies of a long-term relationship.
Ah, to be young, single and fancy free! Nick felt a sudden stab of envy for Nina’s carefree lifestyle, a longing for his bachelor days and a time before mortgages and bills and pregnancy tests and—
‘Nick?’ Nina’s soft voice cut into his thoughts.
‘Sorry,’ he apologised, his head jerking up in alarm. ‘Were you saying something?’
‘Just that I think the correct figure should be thirty-two percent. I think it’s a typo and the numbers are the wrong way round, but I can look it up…’
Nina reached across the desk for a thick folder and began leafing through the pages, as Nick rubbed his hands tiredly across his forehead.
He and Julia had barely spoken since the argument in Annie’s office. They’d had a furious row afterwards, both of them tossing vicious and cruel words at each other, and the atmosphere in the house remained fraught with tension. Nick had been dealing with the situation largely by avoiding it; he left early in the morning, working late into the evening to limit the amount of time he had to spend with Julia. He wondered what she’d been calling for just now…
‘You know what, Nina? Let’s leave this for tonight. We’ll come to it fresh tomorrow morning.’
‘Sure,’ Nina agreed easily, slipping her shoes back on and piling documents into her work bag. ‘I’ll have a think about target demographics too, and email you if I have any bright ideas.’
‘Great. Thanks, Nina, you’ve been amazing as always,’ Nick told her as they left the office and rode down in the lift. Outside, the stars were bright in the clear, cold night sky, their voices loud in the deserted car park.
‘Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Nick said, as they reached his car. He saw Nina glance admiringly at the silver BMW.
‘Sure, see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Nick.’
Nina set off across the car park, her heels clicking, her thick woollen coat belted tightly to show off her slim waist.
Nick shivered suddenly, hastily climbing into his car and turning the key in the ignition. He watched in the rear view mirror, waiting until Nina had sped off, then he slowly pulled out of the car park and drove home.
* * *
‘Nick, is that you?’ Julia called, as she heard the front door open.
Nick grimaced, instantly feeling on edge. He really didn’t want another night of petty arguments, going over and over the same old issues before lapsing into frustrated, angry silence.
‘Yeah,’ he replied lightly, as he took his jacket off.
To his surprise, Julia came rushing through from the living room. She looked cute and cosy in a pair of checked pyjamas and fluffy boot-style slippers. Her blonde hair was freshly washed, and her face was bare of make-up, making her appear younger than her thirty-one years. She looked nervous, yet hopeful, unsure what reaction to expect from her husband.
‘Hi,’ she said timidly.
It was the friendliest Julia had been towards him for days. Gone was the tight-lipped, furious expression that had been a permanent fixture recently, and in its place was a tentative smile.
‘Hi,’ Nick replied warily, bending down to kiss her on the cheek. A look of hurt flashed across her eyes, and Nick could tell that she’d been hoping for more. But he wasn’t ready to forgive and forget just yet. He’d gone out on a limb trying to repair their relationship by arranging the session with Annie, yet Julia had thrown it back in his face.
‘How was your day?’ she asked, with forced brightness.
‘Fine, thanks. You?’
‘Good. I won a new commission, for a ruby wedding anniversary, so…’
‘That’s great. Well done,’ Nick said distractedly, his voice sounding flat. ‘Anyway, I’m going to head up and have a shower.’
‘Sure. I’ll put some food on. You must be starving.’
‘You don’t have to bother. I’ll grab something easy when I get out.’
‘It’s no trouble,’ Julia insisted. ‘You need to eat something when you’re working such long hours. I tried to call you earlier, but…’
The sentence hung, unfinished, in the air between them. Nick didn’t reply. He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again, turning his back on Julia and running up the stairs. He didn’t see the way his wife crumpled at his coldness, her eager expression giving way to one of dejection. She stared after her husband for a moment, then turned around and trudged into the kitchen.
* * *
When Nick came back downstairs fifteen minutes later, freshly showered and dressed comfortably in jogging bottoms and an old T-shirt, he found Julia had set a place for him at their kitchen table. She’d cooked steak, with char-grilled tomatoes and asparagus, and had poured him a glass of red wine.
She looked up and smiled as she saw him, and Nick cautiously smiled back. He had to admit that the food looked wonderful. He’d been living off takeaways and toast for the last few nights, with Julia barely acknowledging his presence in the house.
‘Aren’t you having any?’ he asked.
‘I ate earlier, but I thought I’d cook yours fresh. It’s nicer that way, and it only takes ten minutes.’
‘Thanks,’ Nick said grudgingly, realising that she was making an effort.
Julia left him to eat, quietly moving around the kitchen as she tidied up, stacking the dishwasher and wiping down the surfaces.
As Nick finished the last mouthful, he put down his knife and fork and pushed his chair back, saying, ‘Thanks, Jules. That was delicious.’
Julia came hurrying over. ‘You’re welcome,’ she told him, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders.
Nick tensed involuntarily, and Julia frowned.
‘You’re so stiff,’ she murmured, letting her fingers roam over the tight muscles of his shoulder blades. ‘You’re working too hard at the moment.’
Julia began working her thumbs into the knots in his back, making small, circular movements through the thin fabric of his shirt. In spite of himself, Nick closed his eyes, feeling himself start to relax.
‘Ahh, that’s good,’ he sighed, letting his head drop forward as Julia’s hands moved upwards on either side of his spine, brushing over the short hairs at the base of his neck and making him shiver with pleasure.
‘Honey, I’m sorry… about everything…’ Julia told him, as she continued to knead his back, her hands slipping underneath his T-shirt for skin-on-skin contact. She bent down, kissing him lightly on the top of his head, burying her face in his still-damp hair before letting her hands slide round to his chest. Her breasts were grazing his back as she began to kiss Nick’s neck, his ear, his cheek, moving round to find his lips.
Nick’s eyes were closed, his body heavy and warm, as he was lulled into some kind of trance by the rhythmic, soothing movements of Julia’s hands. The edges of her fingernails grazed his skin and he felt the first stirrings of arousal, as Julia kissed him languidly. She must be genuinely sorry, he realised, as her tongue slid into his mouth and she swung her body round so that she was straddling him, pressing against him as his excitement grew.
Nick grabbed hold of her bottom, feeling the soft, inviting flesh as he pulled her closer, his hands roaming over her thighs and—
‘No!’ Nick snapped suddenly, his eyes flying open as his head jerked back. He moved so quickly that Julia lost her balance, almost falling off his lap and steadying herself against the table.
‘Nick, be careful!’ she yelled, looking shocked.
‘No,’ Nick repeated, wriggling out from underneath her. ‘I know exactly what you’re doing, Julia – the
food, the massage. You’re not sorry at all, are you? I’m being bloody seduced!’
From the guilty look on Julia’s face, he knew he was right, but she wasn’t going to back down without a fight.
‘You know, some men wouldn’t complain about being seduced by their wives,’ she shot back tartly. ‘Some men might actually enjoy it, instead of acting like it’s the crime of the century.’
‘But it’s not about me, is it? It’s about your bloody obsession with getting pregnant.’
‘It’s what we both want,’ Julia protested. ‘We agreed.’
Nick shook his head in defeat, wondering how his marriage had ended up like this. ‘I don’t know what I want any more.’
Julia moved towards him, her arms outstretched, but Nick backed away hurriedly.
‘Just leave it,’ he told her angrily. ‘I’m going to bed. And I’m sleeping in the spare room.’
‘Please, Nick,’ Julia began, but Nick didn’t want to listen. He stormed out of the door, and stomped up the stairs, striding across the landing and slamming the spare room door firmly shut.
* * *
Julia let him go, deciding it was best not to follow him. She sat down in the chair he’d just vacated, staring off into space as she tried to figure out what was going wrong between them.
Did Nick even want a baby? They’d discussed it endlessly before they started trying, and he’d seemed wildly enthusiastic, gushing about the prospect of a newborn son or daughter to carry on the family line. He’d happily gone along with Julia’s suggestions as she browsed the internet for the perfect crib, or picked out colours for turning the spare room into a nursery. They’d even talked about expanding their family further in the future; neither of them wanted to stop at just one.
But now… Julia let out a sigh of frustration. It was as though Nick had completely shut down about the idea, whereas for Julia, having a baby had become the most important thing in her life, the thought that occupied every waking moment. And in order to make a baby, she and Nick needed to have sex. It was blindingly obvious to Julia, but Nick didn’t seem to see it that way. How was she supposed to get pregnant if he insisted on sleeping in separate bedrooms?