by Sophie Hart
The couples all laughed, chattering amongst themselves as Annie took her seat at the front of the bus, crossing her long legs and staring straight ahead. In spite of her bravado around her clients, she felt utterly wretched. She was grateful that she’d been so busy with work these last few days, as it had kept her mind off Jamie and the sight that she’d witnessed whilst out shopping with her sister.
Annie exhaled slowly, recalling the scene she’d played over and over in her mind since it had happened. The little girl with the pigtails and the princess dress had clearly called Jamie ‘Daddy’, and he’d looked pretty cosy with the woman too. Did he have some sort of secret family that he’d been hiding from Annie? Was he living a double life?
It seemed obvious to Annie that Jamie had completely misled her – that she’d been nothing more than a bit on the side; a bit of fun. How many times had she counselled women who’d been faced with the same situation? Annie thought of Nick and Julia, and the pain she’d felt on Julia’s behalf when Nick had admitted his fling with Nina. Annie had never thought that would happen to her; that she would be ‘the other woman’.
Right now, Annie never wanted to speak to Jamie again. She didn’t care what he had to say, and she was hurting too badly to listen. All Annie knew was that she felt completely devastated and humiliated. It was the Mark situation all over again – she’d fallen for a seemingly great guy, only to find out that he wasn’t the person she’d thought he was. She’d built Jamie up in her mind, turning him into some Hollywood-style hero, when in reality he was just a liar and a cheat. What was wrong with her? Annie wondered miserably. Why did she keep doing this – picking bad men and making the wrong choices?
Annie turned her face to the window, staring with unseeing eyes at the view that rushed past outside. Well she wouldn’t allow herself to get hurt ever again, she vowed. She would cut off all contact with Jamie, ignore the gaping hole where her heart had once been, and pay no attention to the overwhelming sense of longing when she woke in the night, restless with dreams of him. In time, Annie would learn to live with the crushing sensation in her chest that made it hard to breathe whenever she thought of the feel of Jamie’s lips against hers, his hands on her body, and instead, she would put the focus back on building her career, just as it should be.
She just wished it didn’t hurt so very badly.
* * *
‘I can’t wait to go to the Pleasure Beach,’ Zoe exclaimed, as she cuddled up to Simon. ‘I love rollercoasters.’
‘What do you think?’ Nick murmured, as he leant across to Julia. ‘Sounds fun, doesn’t it?’
‘Maybe,’ Julia shrugged. ‘Although do you think it’s safe for me to go on all those fast rides? I mean, what if I am pregnant?’
‘Up to you,’ Nick said easily. ‘Like Annie said, we could just go on the carousel. Or maybe the teacups, if that’s too much for you.’
In spite of herself, Julia smiled. ‘We’ll see how brave I’m feeling. Oh, I’ve just remembered…’ Julia span around in her seat to chat to Zoe who was sitting behind her. ‘I wasn’t able to book your first choice of band – Swagger Jagger, right? They’ve already got a gig on the eleventh. But the good news is that The Hot Shots are available, so I’ve put the deposit down on them.’
‘Brilliant! Thank you so much, Jules,’ Zoe beamed. ‘They were my favourite anyway – Simon wanted Swagger Jagger, and I let him get his own way for once.’
‘Given that you’re getting first choice over everything else in our wedding…’ Simon couldn’t resist adding, as Zoe blew him a kiss.
‘You’re still coming to my hen do, right?’ Zoe turned back to Julia. ‘Linda’s coming, but I’m not sure about Annie. I guess she thinks it would be unprofessional to fraternise with the clients.’
‘By “fraternise with” do you mean “get ridiculously drunk and do bad karaoke with”?’ Julia giggled, as Zoe nodded. ‘I’ll definitely be there. I could really do with a fun night out.’
‘Oh, this’ll be fun,’ Zoe promised. ‘Don’t you worry about that!’
* * *
Just over half an hour later, the minibus pulled up outside the entrance to the Pleasure Beach.
‘We’ll see you back here at five, is that okay?’ Annie confirmed with the driver, as everyone climbed down from the bus, stretching their limbs and smoothing out their clothes.
‘No problem, Annie. Have a great day,’ he replied, tooting his horn as he drove off.
The day was bright and breezy, the sun beaming down overhead, with a brisk wind whipping off the North Sea. The beach was packed, with everyone in the local area apparently turning out to enjoy the good weather. Already they could hear the shrieks and cries coming from the Pleasure Beach, the noise blaring from the machines and the pop music playing on the rides.
‘Oh, I can’t wait,’ Zoe squealed. ‘What are we going on first?’
‘What do you fancy?’ asked Annie. ‘We don’t all have to stay together, by the way. Just make sure you’re back here at five to be picked up. But what I’d suggest is that we spend the first hour or so together at the Pleasure Beach, head for fish and chips at lunch, then you’ve got free time to do whatever you want in the afternoon.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Simon grinned, as the others murmured their assent.
‘Ooh, look, there’s a pirate ship!’ Zoe shrieked. ‘Can we go on that?’
‘You do realise I’m nearly sixty, don’t you?’ Linda laughed. ‘Are you trying to give me a heart attack?’
‘Don’t worry, you’ll love it!’
‘What do you think?’ Linda asked, looking at Ray.
‘I’m up for it if you are,’ he grinned gamely.
‘Oh, stuff it,’ Linda shrugged. ‘You only live once, after all.’
The group made their way over to the pirate ship, with Zoe excitedly leading the way. As they joined the queue, Annie felt her bag vibrate. She pulled out her phone and read the message:
Hey Annie, I’ve been trying to call but you’re not picking up. Are you free tomorrow? J x
Annie hesitated for a moment, then quickly deleted the message and pushed the phone back in her bag. Her face was ashen, and she took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure. ‘Hey, Annie!’ Annie glanced up to see Zoe looking at her in concern. ‘Are you okay? Come on, we’re up now!’
Zoe scrambled eagerly over the metal walkway, making her way onto the pirate ship beside Simon. Annie and the others followed, taking their seats on the ride.
‘I feel sick,’ Linda muttered, despite the fact that the ship hadn’t started moving yet. The bar was down over her lap, and she was gripping it so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
‘I’ll look after you,’ Ray grinned, taking one hand off the bar and wrapping his arm around her.
‘That’s what I’m afraid of.’
The pirate ship began to move, with a huge squeal of metal, and Linda let out a yell, gripping tightly onto Ray’s knee.
‘Oh, my stomach just turned over,’ she cried, as the ship rolled back in the opposite direction.
Ray couldn’t help laughing, clearly thoroughly enjoying himself. ‘It’s years since I’ve been on one of these things. I think I went on with the kids at Alton Towers, do you remember?’
‘I’m not listening,’ Linda told him, her eyes wide. ‘If I stop concentrating, I might fall out. Oooh!’ She squealed as the ship rose even higher, giving them an impressive view right out to sea.
‘Look at me, no hands!’ Ray chuckled, as he took both hands off the bar and waved them in the air, causing Linda to shriek even louder.
‘Stop it, you’ll fall!’
Behind them, they could hear Zoe’s excited squeals, whilst along the row from them, Julia and Nick were laughing loudly, Julia’s blonde hair streaming out in the breeze.
Gradually the ride slowed down and they all stumbled off, chattering and giggling.
‘I’m so glad to be back on solid ground,’ Linda exclaimed.
�
�You did very well. I was proud of you,’ Ray grinned, pulling her to him and kissing her on the top of her head.
‘So everyone’s up for the log flume next?’ Zoe asked eagerly, looking around the group.
‘Give me a minute to catch my breath!’ Linda pleaded.
Nick was standing with his arm around Julia, his hand caressing the soft curve of her waist. Things were gradually getting back to normal between them, and both of them were really making an effort.
‘Did you have fun?’ he murmured, his mouth close to her ear as he bent down to speak to her.
‘I really did.’ Julia gazed up at him, her eyes sparkling. ‘It’s so long since we’ve done anything like this.’
‘I know. It was a really good idea of Annie’s,’ Nick agreed. ‘Sometimes you get so tied up in all the adult stuff – the mortgage, the bills…’
‘…The trying to have a baby,’ Julia cut in.
‘That you forget about just spending time with each other and having fun.’
They’d set off walking towards the log flume with the rest of the group, when they passed a shooting gallery, laden with teddy bears to be won as prizes.
Nick tapped Annie on the arm. ‘We’ll catch up with you in a minute,’ he told her, as she turned round. ‘I just want a go at this.’
‘Nick, what are you doing?’ Julia asked, with a giggle.
‘Proving my manhood,’ Nick said seriously, as he handed over his money and picked up a rifle. ‘I’m going to win you a bear.’
‘You really don’t have to,’ Julia insisted. ‘And I’m sure these things are rigged anyway.’
‘Are you doubting my abilities?’ Nick asked, with mock-seriousness. ‘Just you watch.’
He raised the rifle to eye level, squinting through the sight at the row of bears in front of him. They were moving on a conveyor belt, and they each had little targets above their head. Nick watched them for a moment, getting used to the speed, before he gently squeezed the trigger. There was a loud crack, and the target disappeared.
‘Oh Nick, you got one, well done!’ Julia cried, clapping her hands excitedly.
Nick didn’t look up, not wanting to lose concentration. He fired again, and a second target went down, as Julia suppressed a squeal. By now a small crowd had gathered, passers-by stopping to watch. If Nick was feeling the pressure, he didn’t show it. He pulled the trigger a third time, and unbelievably a third target bit the dust.
‘And we have a winner!’ shouted the woman behind the stall. There was a small round of applause from those standing nearby, and Nick bowed his head, holding up his hands in acknowledgement.
‘You did it!’ Julia exclaimed, throwing her arms around him.
‘You should never have doubted me,’ Nick joked, as the two of them embraced.
‘You need to pick your prize,’ the stallholder told them. ‘For three targets, you get to choose between a Winnie the Pooh or a Scooby Doo.’
‘Nick, they’re huge!’ Julia gasped, as she saw them. They were almost half the size that she was, and just as wide. ‘I’ll take Winnie the Pooh, please. I can’t believe I’ve got to carry this round all day,’ Julia giggled, as the giant bear was handed over.
‘Now, don’t be ungrateful,’ Nick joked. ‘I won that especially for you.’
In spite of herself, Julia grinned. ‘Thank you,’ she said, leaning over to kiss him.
‘No problem. Hey, you know what? We should put it in the nursery. Save it for the baby.’
Julia smiled, a warm glow spreading through her at Nick’s words. ‘Good idea, honey. That’s exactly what we should do.’
31
Chapter Thirty-one
‘Sex isn’t all that important, but it is when you love someone very much’ – Ava Gardner
By the time Nick and Julia had made their way over to the log flume, the rest of their group were almost at the front of the queue.
Zoe spotted them and waved. ‘Quick, come and join us.’
Julia looked at the long line of people and didn’t think they’d appreciate her trying to push in. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ she shouted back. ‘We’ll wait for you.’
‘Where did you get that bear?’ Zoe yelled. ‘He’s amazing!’
‘Nick won him for me,’ Julia replied proudly.
‘I want one! Simon, you need to win one for me too.’
‘No problem,’ Simon insisted, feeling a primal sense of competition roused within him. ‘We’ll go get you one afterwards.’
The queue moved forward, and Nick and Julia found a bench to sit down on where they could watch the ride and wait for the others. Winnie the Pooh sat next to them, taking up a full seat by himself.
The amusement park was busy, with excited children charging past them, followed by harassed parents, while too-cool-for-school teenagers were out on dates, their arms slung casually around one another. The smell of waffles and doughnuts drifted deliciously in the air, mingling with the scent of sizzling hotdogs and fried onions.
‘Oh, my stomach’s rumbling,’ Julia groaned. ‘It feels like ages since we had breakfast.’
‘I think we’re going for food soon,’ Nick replied. ‘Didn’t Annie mention something about fish and chips for lunch?’
Julia gazed up at him pleadingly. ‘Yeah, but I could always squeeze in a tiny bag of candyfloss before then. It’s mostly air anyway.’
‘Is this what it’s going to be like when you have cravings? Okay, I can take a hint,’ Nick joked getting to his feet and heading to one of the stalls to buy an enormous bag of the bright pink spun sugar.
‘Thanks,’ Julia said gratefully, as she broke into the bag and pulled out the fluffy contents. ‘Mmm, it’s good. Do you want some?’ she asked, taking another handful and feeding it to Nick.
He grinned, as he ate the candyfloss out of her hand, and Julia began to giggle.
‘Ooh, look!’ she yelled suddenly, pointing up at the log flume. ‘They’re at the top. You can see Annie.’
Nick squinted. ‘Oh, yeah! Linda’s just behind her – she looks terrified.’
‘She’s doing well. I’m amazed she’s going on these rides.’
‘Do you think we’ll still be doing this kind of thing in thirty years’ time?’ Nick wondered.
‘I hope so,’ Julia replied softly, a slight sadness in her voice. They’d talked about Nick’s indiscretion with Nina many times in the sessions with Annie, and they’d finally moved past it, but it still made Julia sad that Nick had behaved like that. And despite what he said, Julia couldn’t help but blame herself for pushing him away.
‘There they go!’ Nick cried, as the ride suddenly dropped and the carriage plunged down the steep slope. They could hear Zoe’s excited screams, her distinctive hair flying in the wind. Then they hit the water, spray flying all around them.
‘I can’t see them any more. Did they get wet?’ Julia wondered.
‘I can see Annie… She’s absolutely soaking,’ Nick laughed. ‘I hope she brought a change of clothes.’
‘She can’t be that bad, can she?’ said Julia disbelievingly. A few moments later, the group walked towards them, and Julia’s mouth fell open in astonishment. ‘Oh wow. I’m so glad we stayed here!’
They were all utterly bedraggled and dripping wet. Annie’s pale yellow vest top had turned completely see-through, while Zoe looked as though she’d just taken a shower, and Linda’s sandals were squelching. The rest of the group were in a similar state of disarray.
‘At least the sun’s shining.’ Annie tried to look on the positive side. ‘We should dry out quickly.’
‘Let’s hope you do, before you get arrested for flashing,’ Simon laughed, nodding at Annie’s bra which was clearly visible beneath her T-shirt.
‘I think that’s me done for the rollercoasters,’ Linda announced. ‘I’d like something more sedate now.’
‘Aren’t you feeling those endorphins pulsating round your body?’ Ray demanded. ‘Aren’t you desperate to leap on me right now?’
<
br /> ‘No, I’m desperate for a change of clothing and a hot cup of tea,’ Linda shot back.
‘That does sound like a good idea,’ Annie agreed. ‘Is anyone else hungry?’
‘Starving,’ Simon nodded.
‘How about we head for a cafe, grab some food and dry off. Then it’s up to you all what you want to do for the rest of the afternoon.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ agreed Nick, as they all trooped out of the Pleasure Beach, heading towards the nearest cafe.
* * *
The sun was still blazing in the middle of the afternoon as Nick and Julia walked along the beach, hand in hand. They’d taken off their shoes and were wandering through the shallows, trying not to wince every time the chilly sea water broke around their ankles.
After their fish and chip lunch, the group had all gone their separate ways. Zoe had invited Nick and Julia to go back to the Pleasure Beach with her and Simon, but the two of them had wisely decided to spend some time alone together. Julia felt more content than she had in a long time, as they strolled along, watching families relaxing on the sand and toddlers smeared in sun cream playing happily in the shallows.
‘Do you think that will be us one day?’ she asked wistfully.
Nick followed her gaze to where a young couple were cooing over a tiny baby, both looking exhausted but incredibly proud and happy. ‘I know it will be,’ he said fiercely, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close as though he never wanted to let go.
‘I hope so,’ she whispered, surprised by the intensity of Nick’s reaction.
‘Look, Jules,’ Nick began awkwardly. ‘I know we’ve been over and over this, but I really can’t say it enough. I’m so sorry about what happened. Sorry, and ashamed of the way that I behaved.’
‘It’s fine,’ Julia assured him. ‘I probably wasn’t the easiest person to live with either.’
But Nick wasn’t ready to drop the subject just yet. Since he’d been attending the sessions with Annie, he’d found it considerably easier to open up to his wife, and right now he felt as though he needed to explain himself.