Zach walked past, handing her a flower and a very flirty, drunk smile. He walked away without saying a word, but the hungry look on his face was unmistakable.
‘You little bitch,’ said a voice Joy recognised immediately as Chloe. Her body’s shift into defence mode was a bit slow, either because of the wine and champagne, or because she was still feeling cosily happy after dancing with Finn. But before she had a chance to turn round, Chloe grabbed her hair and forced her headfirst into the chocolate fountain. Joy tried to fight her off, her arms and legs flailing everywhere but not making contact with her attacker. For someone so small, Chloe was freakishly strong. Joy was struggling to breathe, chocolate was everywhere – up her nose, in her mouth, her ears, eyes, pouring down her back. Death by chocolate suddenly was taking on a new and terrifying meaning. She fought against Chloe and with her hand on the edges of the fountain she forced her way back up, gasping for breath. The fountain suddenly seemed to tilt and it disappeared from her grip altogether.
There was a collective gasp and the room went deathly quiet as Joy struggled to get the chocolate out of her nose and mouth so she could breathe.
‘You cow, you absolute cow,’ came Arielle’s voice very nearby.
There was chaos then, and Joy had no idea what was happening. There were shouts, screams and the sounds of a fight breaking out. Suddenly a hand was in hers and she was pulled to one side.
‘Stay here.’ Finn’s voice was quiet and authoritative in her ear. ‘I’ll be back in a second.’
She still couldn’t see and she tried to wipe the chocolate from her eyes, but there was so much on her that as soon as she wiped it away, more flooded back into them.
Finn’s hand was back in hers and he pulled her along quite quickly. It felt like they went outside and still he pulled her away from the shouts and crowds. She stumbled in his wake and Joy figured they were heading towards the pool, where there were pool side showers.
Suddenly water rained down on her head, it was cold at first but quickly heated up. The chocolate was so thick and the water didn’t seem to be doing anything to rid it from her eyes. Hands were on her shoulders, in her hair trying to wipe away the chocolate and then they trailed to her face. Suddenly Finn was kissing her. She didn’t hesitate, after the huge disappointment of not having him that morning, her body responded quickly now before he could change his mind. She kissed him back, matching his hungriness, finding it hugely erotic to kiss him when she couldn’t see him.
It took her brain about five seconds to work out that something was wrong with the kiss, something was different from how he had kissed her that morning. She pulled away and wiped the chocolate from her eyes. Blinking blearily through the water, she realised with horror that she had been kissing Zach. And worse, much worse, was Finn standing about ten metres away, his face like thunder.
Chapter Fourteen
He turned and stormed away and Joy immediately chased after him, leaving chocolate puddles across the lawn.
‘Finn, wait, please.’ She caught up with him and without thinking grabbed his arm with a very chocolaty hand.
He flinched away from her. ‘Don’t touch me, don’t ever come near me again.’
‘Wait.’ Joy ran round in front of him, blocking his way. ‘I thought I was kissing you – you told me to wait for you and the next thing I’m being dragged away, I thought it was you, I couldn’t see, you know that…’ she gabbled.
His shook his head, his eyes hard as flint. ‘Do you know how it made me feel to see his hands on you, to see him kissing you?’
Anger boiled through her. ‘What’s it to you anyway. If we were in a relationship, you’d have every right to be pissed but we’re not, you don’t want me enough for that. So you have no right to be jealous.’
‘I have every right and you know that. And if we were in a relationship, you can consider yourself dumped, so please, go back to Zach, enjoy yourself.’
With that he moved through the crowd and was gone a moment later.
*
Joy sat on a wooden bench and stared up at the gradually darkening sky. The sun was just setting but the moon was already out prematurely.
What a mess. She had hurt Finn spectacularly just as he had been venturing out of the fortress he had built around his heart. Now he had rushed back inside, probably never to come back out again.
She had given Zach a piece of her mind in front of everyone and he had wandered off like a puppy that had been kicked. And evidently during the chocolate fountain fracas, she had inadvertently knocked the fountain over Arielle and her five thousand pound dress.
Although Joy was now clean and had dried in the heat, she hadn’t dared show her face back in the hotel again. She had sat out on this bench ever since, in the quiet seclusion of the beautifully manicured gardens. She wanted to go home, but her money to pay for a cab and house keys were inside somewhere and she didn’t think enough time had elapsed for her to go safely back in to retrieve them.
She heard someone approaching and she willed for them to walk past, for them not to notice her in the gloom.
Casey rounded the bush and grinned at her. ‘Thought you might be out here somewhere. Hungry?’ He offered her a heaped plate of nibbles from the buffet and she took it greedily. He sat next to her, slinging his arm round her shoulders.
‘Casey, I’m so sorry, I’ve ruined your whole wedding.’
He shrugged. ‘What’s a wedding without a bit of drama? Besides I needed something to lift me out of my bad mood, I thought the whole thing was hilarious myself. Arielle was not so keen.’
She bit into a sausage roll. ‘I need to apologise to her.’
‘No, it was that nut job Chloe’s fault and Arielle knows that. They had a fight you know, a proper punch up, I think Arielle broke Chloe’s nose. She left not long after that. Arielle got changed and the last I saw she was drunk at the bar, happily chatting up one of the barmen. It’s fine, you should come back in, it’s all but been forgotten.’
‘I’ve hurt Finn…’
‘I know, but he knows he’s been unreasonable. It was clear to anyone who was watching that you didn’t know who you were kissing. He’ll come round.’
‘How are you doing?’ She squeezed his hand.
‘I’m ok, I guess. Still wondering how I can possibly get out of it, even though that ship has already sailed. The worst thing is, Zach was right. When I was having my little panic attack just before the wedding, he said that Mum would be even more hurt if she knew I was only getting married for her. I only did it for her, and if she finds out she would be heartbroken.’
Suddenly there was a giggle and Casey frowned with recognition. Arielle suddenly ran past them dressed in a stunning floor length purple dress, pulling along the tall man in the grey suit behind her.
‘Hurry Steve,’ she laughed, as she ran through some nearby trees.
Casey was very still and quiet next to Joy. Then he stood up and taking her hand he pulled her silently in the direction that Arielle had gone. He took his phone out of his pocket as he walked, flicking on the video camera. The sounds of moans were getting louder as they rounded the bushes.
And there they were, against a statue of a large dragon. Arielle’s dress around her waist, her legs wrapped round Steve’s hips, his spotty bum pale in the moonlight as he thrust against her. Her head was thrown back in ecstasy, gripping his shoulders.
‘Harder Steve, for God’s sake harder.’
Joy squeezed Casey’s hand next to her as he calmly recorded the whole thing on his phone.
‘Fuck me like that little prick can’t.’
Joy stepped forward, furious, but Casey, still holding her hand, pulled her back.
Simmering with rage, she found her hands clenched into fists. How could Casey just stand there and let her carry on? Why was he not shouting at her? It was his wedding day and his wife was shagging someone else. If he didn’t say anything in a minute then she would.
The sex was over very quickly – poor
Steve, with probably a few too many drinks inside him, didn’t perform as Arielle would have liked. After what seemed like less than a minute he groaned, shuddered and stopped, leaving her with an enraged and wholly frustrated look on her face.
‘Was that it? I didn’t risk my marriage for that.’
‘Oh but you did.’ Casey stepped forward. ‘And “that” is what you call grounds for divorce.’
Arielle’s head snapped round in their direction, the colour draining from her face. But Casey was already tugging Joy away, walking purposefully back towards the hotel.
‘Casey I’m so sorry,’ Joy whispered as she struggled to keep up with him.
‘Why? I’m delighted, I’ve never been happier. I never wanted to be married to her, you know that.’
‘Yes, I know but still the betrayal must hurt?’
‘No, I knew she was seeing other men behind my back, I just didn’t have any proof. God I feel so relieved.’ He laughed, a bubble of happiness erupted from him. He quickly scrolled through his phone again and dialled a number as the bright lights of the hotel drew nearer.
‘Hi, it’s me. It’s over… I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. Yes I’m coming round now. Be about half hour… ok.’
Casey shoved his phone in his pocket and she looked at him in confusion. Who had he been talking to?
He pulled her through the bar area where the guests were in varying stages of drunkenness. She saw Zach flirting with a blonde who he seemed very keen on. Some things never changed. And then there was Finn, and that same desire that she had every time she saw him ripped through her. He was alone – emanating a dark cloud so thick you could practically see it. He stood when he saw her, but she didn’t have a chance to stop as Casey was pulling her towards the band.
Finally he released her hand and climbed up on the stage, he mumbled something to the lead singer and the song stopped immediately.
Casey took the microphone and with a big grin on his face he addressed the room.
‘I’m afraid the party is over, as is my marriage. I’ve just caught my wife shagging another man in the grounds of this hotel. Thank you for coming, but you can go home now. Feel free to take your wedding gifts with you and get your money back. Goodnight.’
Casey hopped down from the stage next to Joy and chaos ensued.
Everyone was shouting, some people were cheering.
Arielle’s dad lunged drunkenly for Casey. ‘How dare you speak about my daughter like that, you little prick.’
He took a swing for him but he missed and ended up falling straight into Joy, knocking her to the ground, landing with his face in her cleavage. She struggled against him, but he was big, drunk and immobile.
Finn was suddenly standing above them, he looked furious. He bent and yanked Arielle’s dad off her and to his feet. Arielle’s brothers came running – one of them, either the bravest or the stupidest, punched Finn in the stomach, obviously thinking that Finn was hurting his dad. Finn stared at him unmoved and clearly unhurt as the man leapt back, clutching his hand in shock,
Then Arielle was there, her face puce with fury. There was screams, shouts, more punches thrown. Joy scrabbled to her feet, and through the chaos she saw Casey hugging his mum who looked stunned. He kissed her on the cheek and ran outside. She watched him jump into a waiting taxi, and with a wheel spin of gravel it sped away into the night.
*
Joy walked up the drive with her heels in her hand. There was no light apart from that of the moon. The fight had dissipated very quickly after one of the bar staff threw a bucket of ice over everyone. Then the guests had started to leave.
She had expected Casey’s mum to be horrified but she seemed somewhat relieved by the whole thing.
Joy had decided to walk home as she had been unable to find her purse with her money for a cab. Zach had disappeared completely and Finn was still not speaking to her, so it seemed the only logical solution. It would probably take an hour, maybe more, her feet were aching already and she still hadn’t made it out of the hotel grounds yet.
A cab was winding its way up the drive, another one of the guests leaving. She stepped onto the grassy verge, waiting for it to pass. But as it did, it slowed and stopped. The door opened and Finn got out. She could barely see his eyes, but she knew he was staring at her in his way. She felt her skin prickle, as it always did when he looked at her.
She walked towards him, sighing inwardly.
‘Get in.’
Doing as she was told she slid into the back of the taxi. The car shifted under his weight, the same weight that had pinned her to the bed temporarily that morning. She closed her eyes, trying not to remember what it felt like to have his hands on her, to have him touch her.
‘Here, I found this.’ He passed her purse to her. ‘It was under a table.’
‘Thanks.’
He looked away, out the window, closing any further conversation.
‘I really did think I was kissing you,’ she said, quietly.
He didn’t say anything. She wouldn’t apologise again. He knew he was being very unfair about the whole thing. It was just unfortunate that she had been inadvertently kissing Zach of all people. It must have brought back unpleasant memories of Pippa all over again.
The taxi pulled up outside Finn’s house. He leaned forward and paid, before Joy had a chance to even open her purse. He was out and striding up his path a second later.
She climbed out after him, determined to talk to him.
‘Finn wait…’
But he had already disappeared into his house and closed the door.
She stood staring at his door for a moment. It seemed their tentative friendship was well and truly over. He was wrong for her in every way; moody, unpredictable, unable to commit and trust… but her heart ached now so much more than at the ending of any previous relationship, and this one hadn’t even started yet.
*
Joy sat on the swing chair, sipping some orange juice and watching a squirrel eating a cracker as it sat on the dividing fence between her and Finn’s gardens.
She looked towards the shed, where her chainsaws lay unused and lonely. It had been days since she had carved and her fingers were getting itchy because of it. She still had one more local job to do, courtesy of National Heritage who had hired her to do the three strikes in the woods that stretched alongside all the local villages.
Although the press had not been interested in the new sign that had adorned the entrance to the village, the villagers themselves had apparently been full of excitement at the prospect of The Dark Shadow living amongst them. Mark Duggan, the supposed Dark Shadow, had reportedly had cakes, pies and casseroles made for him. Casey had said that Mark had been invited to barbeques, dinner, to go hunting, he hadn’t paid for a drink in The Pride in the last week. He was thrilled because before he was unveiled as The Dark Shadow, the villagers had ignored him completely, treating him with the same contempt as all newcomers. Well not all newcomers, Joy was sure Mark hadn’t had eggs thrown at him and dog shit posted through his letterbox on a daily basis. He had even been asked to do a carving at the Friendliest Village fete at the end of the month. He of course denied any knowledge of chainsaws and carving, but the villagers had all just smiled knowingly at him.
Whilst the attention was on him, it might be easy to slip out and do the last strike, but the threat of getting found out was not a pleasant one. She had other jobs to do, further away. She could do those and do the final local job in a few weeks’ time.
She diverted her attention back to Finn’s garden. She really needed to talk to him. Maybe they didn’t have a future together, if he couldn’t trust her then they definitely didn’t, but she didn’t want to go back to how they were before – bitching and sniping at each other over misplaced feelings.
Right on cue he stepped outside. He froze when he saw her, then he turned away and walked towards his shed.
‘Finn, wait.’ She ran through the connecting gate. ‘This is sill
y, you know I thought I was kissing you. I lay in bed with you yesterday morning kissing you, we had been dancing together mere moments before…’
He turned so quickly that she nearly ran into him. ‘I would have thought you would have been able to tell the difference between his kiss and mine.’
‘I did, that’s why I stopped, I realised it wasn’t you.’ She reached for him but he stepped away.
‘It took you long enough to come to that conclusion.’ He sighed. ‘Look, me and you being friends, or friends with benefits or whatever the fuck it was, it’s a really bad idea. Someone would get hurt. I clearly can’t do relationships, I’m rubbish at them. So let’s just say we gave it our best shot and leave it at that.’
‘Gave it our best shot? Are you kidding? You didn’t even give me a chance. If that’s your best shot then you have a hell of a lot to learn about relationships.’
He stormed away and slammed the shed door behind him.
That man. Why did he infuriate her so much and why did it hurt her so much too?
*
Finn was on his hands and knees weeding in the back garden, when he heard Joy’s back door open. Despite his best intentions, he peered through a tiny hole in the fence to look at her. She came out with Alex to stand on the decking. She passed Alex a beer and sighed. She looked so small and vulnerable then and Finn found, despite the betrayal, that the overwhelming need to hold her, to protect her was still there.
Alex, obviously very good at the big brother job, picked up on her mood immediately. Without even stopping to ask what was wrong, he immediately pulled her into a big bear hug, holding her tight. She stood limp in his arms for just a second, obviously trying to pretend nothing was wrong, before she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him.
Finn swallowed uncomfortably as he watched, angry that she could still have this effect on him. Alex held her for a while, then pulled her to sit in the swing chair next to him.
‘Come on Joy, tell me?’
‘I’ve missed you.’
Beneath the Moon and the Stars Page 20