by Dawson, H A
Stacy stiffened. What she had done might be a little thoughtless, but she didn’t deserve to be at the receiving end of Christie and Jenny’s anger and disapproval.
‘How many years has she organised it? A little courtesy wouldn’t have gone amiss. And you didn’t even apologise.’
‘Because I’ve nothing to be sorry for.’
Jenny shook her head and started away. Feeling betrayed and hurt, she turned around, stepping straight into Kim. Their eyes locked. Fearing another outburst, she carried on by.
‘I’d still like a coffee,’ Kim said.
Glee formed on her face. She spun around, avoiding relenting to her need to hug her friend, and they started across the road.
Chapter 4
Sitting with Kim in the café, without Jenny and Christie, was a strange feeling. Whilst they had on occasions had a chat after the other two had left, it was rare that they had spent the entire hour alone. As far as she could remember, it had occurred only once during the last nine years and it generated a heavy ache in her middle. It had been a rotten day as it was. She had needed this time with her friends.
Having bought the coffees, a gesture of appreciation for Kim’s support, Stacy arrived at the table and sank into a chair. ‘Am I selfish?’
‘That’s not for me to say. What you did affects Christie more than me.’
‘I wouldn’t have expected her to act this way. Is something else going on I don’t know about? Normally she’s so …’ she paused, thoughtful. ‘… understanding. The way she’s acting is out of character.’
‘I really don’t know. What I can say is that your suggestion went down well with the others, and it benefits me too … being single and all. How much interest have you had?’
‘Twelve so far.’ She ran down the names. ‘I did find it curious I hadn’t heard from Christie and Jenny, but I’ve assume they’ll come. I’ve had a lot on my mind this week, and to be honest, I haven’t given it much thought.’
‘I heard about Nick and the accident.’
Stacy sighed. ‘I take it Christie told you.’
‘There have been lots of emails spinning around this week … mostly about the meal, although that was mentioned in passing.’
She clasped the hot mug with her hands and imagined the criticisms that may have occurred during the past week. No one liked to be at the centre of such spite, although it did explain how the troubles at the school had started. Anyone in the yoga class could have a child at school. Although the reasons anyone would do such a thing was beyond her understanding.
‘You said last week you were trying to make things work with Nick. What changed?’
‘We agreed it was for the best. We were in a bad place as it was. The accident would make things harder, not easier.’
‘Walking away from him does seem a little callous …’ she paused and focused on her. ‘It’s not for us to make judgements, though is it? No one knows what’s going in a relationship except those involved.’
‘Absolutely. For a second I thought you were going to give me a hard time too. This is between Nick and me. It’s our business.’
‘Has something else happened?’
‘One of the kids at school made some posters and plastered them across the walls. It was horrid. Social media has been lively too. I haven’t had the courage to look. I thought I’d breakdown if I learned what the kids said proved to be true.’
‘So you’ve had a crap day.’
‘You could say that.’ She mentioned some of the comments she had received, with the gossiping and sniggering, it caused her some heartache. Living through it was bad enough without having to experience further pain every time it was mentioned. Nevertheless, it was necessary to get it off her chest, and Kim was supportive, as usual, and listened attentively.
‘After going through all that, I really didn’t need Christie and Jenny to turn against me too.’ She met with Kim’s gaze. ‘Thanks for sticking by me.’
‘I’m not taking sides.’
Her comment surprised. ‘No, of course not. I wouldn’t expect you to.’
Stacy sipped her coffee. She felt as though she had received a warning, but she couldn’t tell why. Kim had admitted she had benefited from the differing meal plans, and her break up with Nick didn’t affect her whatsoever.
Deciding she was being over-sensitive, she cast aside her doubts. ‘You never seem to get into these messes. I admire you for that. You’re always so strong and in control and don’t make blunders like I do.’
Kim raised her eyebrows, apparently disagreeing.
‘Oh, you are. It must come with being single. Nick is the cause of all my problems, and he always has been. If our relationship hadn’t have been in such a crappy place, I wouldn’t have made a rash decision to arrange the meal, we wouldn’t have been arguing in the car, and the accident wouldn’t have happened.’
‘You were arguing?’
Regretting she had blurted out the truth, Stacy shot her a fearful glance. Kim was waiting for her reply, and whilst ashamed, she felt obliged to continue. However, she did not admit to Nick’s affair, nor did she mention the tug of his arm.
‘Arguments always happen in the car.’
‘They so do! I was beginning to hate car journeys with Nick. For some reason, it brought out the worst in us. Was it the same with you and Gary?’
Kim had a pained expression, as she reached into her handbag, and extracted two pills from a small packet. Stacy couldn’t see what they were, but she could see a doctor had prescribed them. Whilst curious, it was none of her business, not unless she wanted it to be.
‘No,’ Kim said, regarding her sternly, ‘it wasn’t the same for us.’
Stacy shifted her gaze, feeling as though she had been caught doing something wrong and asked her about other relationships.
‘Men are not for me. For a start, I don’t trust them. When times are tough, they shoot through. They’re in it for themselves … don’t give a toss about anyone else. When I was-’
‘You’re absolutely right!’ Stacy stopped, noting Kim’s irritated face. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have butted in, but he gets me so angry. He doesn’t want to know me when I have issues. He says I whinge and whine. He calls me a wailing banshee.’
Kim held a stiff pose.
‘Why we put up with them is beyond me!’ She continued to share Nick’s flaws, enjoying the rant and the chance to speak freely, and disregarding a hint of anger creeping into her silent friend’s eyes.
Eventually, her thoughts dried. Kim’s irritation had been so great that Stacy considering changing the subject back to her relationship with her ex. However, she was too slow with her comment.
‘You’re a bit hard on him,’ Kim said. ‘Nick’s a decent man. What about the time you broke your arm and he cancelled his trip with his friends to look after you?’
‘That was a long time ago. I’m surprised you remember.’
Kim did not respond.
‘We hadn’t been together long. I think he was still infatuated with me. It’s different when you’ve been together a while.’
Another incident flashed into her thoughts, one she had shared with the girls only about four months ago. Nick had shown his love by picking her up at one o’clock in the morning in the next city, twenty miles away, to allow her to drink and save her from hiring what would be a very expensive taxi. It had been an amazing gesture, and it had impressed them all. Of course, Christie and Jenny had made endless jokes, claiming he’d had other motives. With hindsight, maybe he had; maybe he had been with Kirsty close to her drinking location.
A developing ache gripped her stomach. Had there been other incidents, things she hadn’t associated with his cheating? If only she could talk to him. If she learned the extent of his relationship was less serious than she feared, some of her pain may be alleviated. If the opposite were true, at least her endlessly rotating questions would be answered and laid to rest.
‘Nick has always been good to you,’ Kim s
aid. ‘If Gary had been half the man he was, I would have been more than happy. You don’t realise how lucky you are.’
Stacy gulped. Telling Kim of Nick’s affair would be the right thing to do, and it would alleviate some of the blame Kim was placing upon her. However, not feeling brave enough to talk of such issues, she cast her thoughts aside. ‘I guess we can’t always choose who we fall in love with.’
‘No, we don’t. I’ve had some awful times. It’s why I’ve decided to remain single, although it’s not all good. I often drift from day to day wondering why I bother.’
‘Really? I thought you were happy.’
Kim stared into her mug.
‘When I’m miserable, the whole world knows about it. This week has been a nightmare. Twice, I’ve had comments from the teachers telling me I’ve been snapping and pernickety.’ She flung her a quick glance. ‘I’m always careful so I don’t affect the kids. That would not be professional. And I’ve been on the phone to my Mum every night this week, chewing her ear off. She’s been amazing though. I must thank her.’
‘You’re lucky, I have no one. My Mum’s dead.’
‘Yeah, I’m sorry about that. How long has it been? A couple of years?’
‘Three months! It was two years ago that my step mother died … the dragon lady.’
‘Of course, it was. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. You must miss her.’
She did not reply and her harsh eyes stared across the café.
Stacy believed her negative reaction related to her loss and wondered why she never spoke of her troubles. She had had plenty of opportunities, and they were all willing to listen. Wasn’t that what friends were for?
The realisation she may have lost two of her closest friends, caused her rising discomfort to spread throughout her body. She had surprised herself that she had managed to forget it, albeit temporarily, but now it returned, it caused her more pain than ever. How could she get over the loss of her best friends? When she remembered Christie was the forgiving type, having said as much the previous week when she mentioned the cancelled tennis match, she was reassured their bust up would be short-lived.
They would be okay. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t harm to encourage things along.
‘Do you think I should apologise to Christie?’ she asked.
‘Not if you don’t mean it. Gary has apologised to me a few times over the years, but then he’s done the opposite. That hurts more.’
‘I think you’re right. I don’t actually feel I have anything to apologise for.’ Stacy’s eyes drifted, her mind wandering. ‘I wasn’t acting selfishly. In fact, she was selfish expecting me to think of her first. And I had just learned Nick was paralysed. That should count for something.’
Frowning, Kim leaned onto the table.
‘I thought I knew her. Obviously, I don’t.’
‘We only know what other people are willing to display … unless we show an interest in their lives.’
‘I do show an interest in Christie’s life! She’s my best friend … you all are.’
Kim’s expression stilled. There was a hint of hurt secreted behind her stern façade. Fearing she had misinterpreted the comment, and that she was being over-sensitive yet again, Stacy apologised for her outburst, and then, deciding it was better to leave before she made another blunder and alienated another friend, she made her announcement to leave. Kim agreed with her suggestion, and together, they picked up their yoga bags from the floor, and started to the exit.
‘Thanks for the chat,’ Stacy said, arriving at her car.
‘You know I’m a good listener.’
Regarding her with an appreciative curiousness, she climbed inside her car and started for home. Trying not to listen to the dejected and woeful voice inside her head, she turned up the volume on the radio and focused on the words of the unfamiliar song. To her regret, it was a story of the death of a loved one, and it brought Nick’s accident to the forefront of her mind. He had been extremely lucky surviving the accident. They both were. It could have been so much worse.
Perhaps she should pay him another visit.
She parked the car outside her house, strode to the door, and extracted her key. Having fumbled with her lock in the dark, she stepped inside, switched on the light, and glanced at the floor near the letterbox. A handwritten letter rested upon the floor.
It was a letter of complaint. Apparently, the man writing to her had provided her with money to be part of a sandwich business franchise, and now wanted his money back. He was claiming she was carrying out a fraudulent business and was giving her seven days to return the ten thousand pounds or he would involve the police.
Adrenalin surged through her body. She had never been involved in such a scheme, and certainly had not received the money he referred to. It was a disconcerting situation, and never more so than when she opened up a folded up sheet of paper, which was a photocopy of the form he had sent, and noted her address at the bottom in small text.
It had to be a mistake. She looked again and again, each time expecting something different, but each time noticing her address. Was Nick somehow involved? It seemed unlikely, but it was something she must determine. However, when she glanced a little closer, she saw her name at the bottom.
Someone had done this to her. She was the target of a hate campaign and had to act. Without giving it another thought, she extracted her mobile phone from her bag, and called her friend, private investigator, Luke Adams.
Chapter 5
Luke folded his arms with his face expressionless, and stared at Imogen who held a camera. He felt ridiculous standing in the middle of the city park having his photograph taken, and whilst he could see the point of creating new images for his website, he didn’t enjoy them being taken in a public place.
Averting his attention away from his unease, his gaze wandered down her body, passing her cleavage and cream fitted blouse, and to her stretchy orange textured skirt, lengthy legs, and heels.
‘Eyes up Luke! I can see what you’re looking at, and it isn’t the camera.’
Luke smirked. ‘Do we have to do this? No one cares what I look like.’
She lowered the camera. ‘Of course they do. Sex sells, and I’m going to make you sexy … as hard as it may be.’
‘Jeez, thanks for the encouragement. If you want sex on the website, maybe you should get your photo on there. That’ll draw an audience.’
A glint formed in her eye. ‘Do you have a plan?’
‘That outfit you’re wearing works for me.’
‘Anything works for you.’
A smile slid to his lips. ‘I’ll ignore that. You could sit on the desk, cross-legged and holding a binder.’
Imogen chuckled. ‘Is that the best you have? I always knew you lacked an imagination, but that is so cheesy.’
‘Okay, so tell me, why the park? At least my idea was in the office where it should be.’
‘To be different! The office is so outdated. I want to show the world we’re imaginative. That’s what solves cases. We don’t want to look like the rest, like boring old farts.’
Believing she would be about to tell him the criticism was intended for him, his eyes locked with hers. He loved the banter he shared with Imogen. It was what drew him into the office everyday; it was why he requested her company on outings.
‘I’m not going to say it,’ she said, ‘so you can take that silly grin off your face.’
‘You know me.’
‘It’s why you love me!’
Quickly she turned away. Was she flustered? If she was, she hid it well, and looked through the camera and ordered him back into what she described as a dominant position. He tried to act accordingly, but it wasn’t in his nature, and all too soon, his body sagged and his arms stiffened.
‘Please, Luke. This is important to me. Are you trying to be difficult?’
‘Sorry,’ he mumbled.
‘I want you to look masculine. Please stick out your chest.’
Luke grinned.
‘There really is no hope for you, is there?’
‘Sorry,’ he clenched his jaw. ‘I am trying, but this is hard for me. I feel stupid standing here. That couple behind you have been watching us for the last ten minutes.
She spun around.
They were in their twenties; she was short, thin and had shortly-cropped dark hair with a reddish hint, and he was chubby and with a neatly groomed beard and wore smart attire.
‘I reckon he fancies you,’ Luke said, ‘he’s been leching for a while.’
‘Hardly. Not everyone has a one track mind like you. Now, please hold that pose again so we can get this finished. I want your chin forward, your arms folded and your chest out.
He does as instructed. The sooner it was over the better.
The click sounded. She checked the photo at the back of the camera and smiled approvingly. Curious, he wandered to her side and gazed at the picture, automatically breathing in her glorious floral scent and experiencing his familiar ripples of delight. He had to admit she had done a good job with the images. Grateful, he complimented her on his efforts and suggested they should start back to the office. Imogen agreed and started forwards, tottering in her heeled shoes across the grass to the concrete path. He couldn’t help but snigger at her attempts to avoid sinking her heels.
‘I heard that,’ she said.
He feigned ignorance, stepped in line. ‘So, did you make me look sexy?’
‘That would be impossible,’ she said and winked.
Having spent the last couple of hours investigating cases and keeping up to date with his paperwork, he leaned back in his swivel chair and gazed blindly around the room. Imogen’s desk faced his, and at her rear was a door into the reception area, where there was a bathroom at one side and an interview room at the other. Within the office, were shelving systems, where he kept his books and binders, and an assortment of cupboards, drawers, and office equipment. By the door, next to a coat stand, was a drinks area. He wandered across, gazed briefly at Imogen, noting the delicate way she rested her tongue upon her lip when she concentrated and offered her a drink.