‘Hi, Beth,’ he said now, stepping into the kitchen and offering her his hand with a pleasant smile on his face. ‘Nice to see you again.’
‘You, too,’ she said, shaking his hand with a tight smile on her lips.
Snotty bitch. Sitting there like she belonged and he didn’t.
‘You’re looking really good,’ Joel said, giving her the lopsided grin. ‘Had your hair done?’
‘It’s a bit shorter, yeah,’ Beth responded coolly. He could try flattery if he wanted to, but it wouldn’t work.
‘Don’t mind if I nip straight up, do you?’ he said then, refusing to let his feelings show on his face. ‘Long drive . . .’
‘Yeah, I heard,’ she said, still crocodiling. ‘No problem. Take as long as you like. We’re quite cosy.’
Oh, I bet you are, he thought nastily. But don’t get too damn cosy, lady, ’cos if you don’t play nice you won’t be coming back anytime soon.
‘I know you don’t really know him,’ Maria whispered when he’d gone, ‘but you’ll love him when you do. He’s really, really nice.’
‘Mmmm,’ Beth murmured, lifting her glass to her mouth so that she didn’t have to answer.
‘Maria . . .’ Joel shouted a short while later. ‘Can you come here a minute?’
Maria was on her feet in an instant.
‘Won’t be a sec,’ she told Beth, rushing out.
Shaking her head, Beth refilled her glass. She shouldn’t really, but she needed it to stop herself from screaming with frustration. Joel had done that on purpose – to let her know that he had Maria exactly where he wanted her. He snaps his fingers – she comes running. What a man!
He was too smooth by far, but his smile didn’t fool her. There was no warmth in it. It was the smile of a man who knew what he wanted and wouldn’t let anyone get in his way.
The old Maria would never have fallen for it. She’d been sassy and funny, but most of all independent, with plans, and dreams, and ambitions. Beth had sensed from their phone calls that Maria had changed, but it was only today, talking to her face to face, that she’d realised how much. She seemed genuinely content to languish in this house, cooking and cleaning and waiting for her master to return. The whole set-up felt wrong – and Joel definitely wasn’t right for Maria.
‘He wanted me to wash his back,’ Maria explained when she came back a few minutes later, her face flushed from a passionate kiss.
‘Weren’t his arms long enough?’ Beth asked with the tiniest hint of sarcasm.
‘I don’t mind doing it,’ Maria said, wondering why Beth was being funny again. Joel hadn’t said anything wrong to her. He’d been really nice, in fact.
‘No, I’m sure you don’t.’ Beth sighed. ‘Drink?’
Joel yawned and fidgeted his way through two DVDs. He’d felt the shift in the atmosphere when he came down from the shower and knew that something must have happened. He hoped it was nothing to do with him. That would be awful.
Not.
‘I’m really sorry, ladies,’ he said when the credits rolled at the end of the second film. ‘But I’m dead on my feet. Got to go and hit the sack.’
‘Oh, right,’ Maria said, casting a glance at Beth. ‘I’ll just, er . . .’
‘Take your time,’ Joel insisted, getting up. ‘You’ve not seen each other for ages – don’t let me interrupt.’
‘No, you’re all right,’ Beth said, yawning exaggeratedly. ‘I’m pretty knackered myself.’
She wasn’t, but it was obvious that Maria would rather go up with lover boy than sit up chatting to her. Anyway, she didn’t really feel like being nice for the sake of keeping the peace. She’d been doing that all day, and it was crippling her to keep her mouth shut. She just wanted to shake Maria, and ask where the real Maria was hiding. And as for that smug bastard . . .
‘Sure I’m not driving you out?’ Joel asked, smiling at her as if everything was just fine.
‘No, I just want to go to bed,’ Beth said, trying not to look at him.
Up in their room when they’d said their goodnights, Joel laid his clothes over the back of the chair and climbed into bed. Putting his hands behind his head, he watched as Maria unhooked her bra. She really did have the nicest tits. Bigger, rounder and more womanly than Rita-Anita Dickclit’s. Sometimes, he didn’t know why he bothered shagging half the girls he did when he had Maria to come home to. But he just couldn’t see the point of depriving himself if it was available. And it definitely wasn’t hurting Maria. She had no clue.
‘Your friend really doesn’t like me, does she?’ he said when she got in beside him.
‘What makes you say that?’ she asked, snuggling up to him when he held his arm out for her. ‘She hasn’t said anything, has she?’
‘Not to me,’ Joel said softly. ‘But I know she says stuff to you.’
‘Not really,’ Maria murmured, closing her eyes guiltily.
‘Well, she’s got something against me, ’cos she can barely look me in the eye,’ Joel said, sighing as if it really pained him. ‘But you can’t say I haven’t tried. I left you alone so you could talk, and I even offered to come to bed alone – much as I didn’t want to,’ he added, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head. ‘She’s just so uptight with me.’
‘She’ll be fine,’ Maria assured him, playing with the little thatch of fine hairs on his chest. ‘Wait till we take her to the Trafford Centre. She loves shopping. We’ll buy her something nice – that should cheer her up.’
‘I don’t want to buy her friendship,’ Joel said, as if that were a terrible idea. ‘I just want her to give me a fair try. That’s not so much to ask, is it?’
‘So, you don’t think it’s a good idea to treat her?’
‘Do you want my honest opinion?’ Joel said, waiting for her to nod before continuing. ‘No, I really don’t. I know she was your best friend, but things have changed in your life, and I think you’re in danger of turning this into a friendship based on guilt.’
‘What do you mean, guilt?’ Maria asked uncertainly. She didn’t think she felt guilty, but Joel was so sharp that he might have picked up on something she had missed.
‘I could be totally wrong,’ Joel said, as if he really didn’t want to say anything negative. ‘But I think you feel guilty that she’s come to visit you and I’m here.’
‘No, I don’t,’ Maria told him quickly. ‘Honestly – I love you being here.’
‘I’m probably saying it wrong,’ Joel sighed. ‘Maybe it’s just that you know subconsciously that she wanted you to herself, and you feel guilty because you’re putting your own feelings first.’
‘Oh, God, do you think I’m being selfish?’
‘Not at all. You should put yourself first. You only get one shot at life, and as they say – this ain’t no dress rehearsal.’ Pausing, Joel gave her a gentle hug. ‘Hate to say this, babe, because I really don’t want to get between you, but if anyone’s being selfish, it’s Beth. If it was the other way round, and you knew how much heartache she’d had in her life, wouldn’t you be happy for her that she was finally making a life for herself? Tell me if I’m out of order, but I think she liked it better when you were totally dependent on her. Does that make any sense?’
Maria was chewing her lip. She didn’t want to admit it, but he might actually have a point. Beth had always been happiest when it had been just the two of them. They’d hung out with the girls back home, but it had always been her and Beth as one half of the group, and Sharon and Leanne as the other. But you couldn’t carry on like that for ever. There came a point when you had to allow somebody else into your life, or you’d never fall in love, get married, have children. Friends were supposed to slot themselves in around that, not in the middle of it, or instead of it.
‘Oh, look, ignore me,’ Joel said when she stayed silent. ‘I shouldn’t have said anything. Your friendship’s got nothing to do with me. How about I don’t come with you tomorrow? Then you can just go back to the way it used to be.’
‘No, I don’t want that,’ Maria said, looking up at him now. ‘It’s great that she’s here, but I’ve got a life with you now, and I don’t want that to change. If Beth’s got a problem, she’ll have to deal with it, or . . .’ Pausing, she shrugged. ‘Well, it’s none of her business, is it? And, like you said, she should be happy for me.’
‘Are you happy?’ Joel asked, stroking her hair back from her face. ‘Really happy?’
‘Deliriously,’ Maria murmured. ‘What about you?’
‘Me?’ Joel said, tipping her chin up to kiss her. ‘I’m the luckiest man alive.’
The rest of the weekend was overshadowed by the underlying tension between not just Joel and Beth, but between Beth and Maria. They had a miserable day shopping, followed by a less than enjoyable night at Scarletts.
When Monday dawned, Maria and Beth shared a quiet breakfast together, then Beth went up to her room to pack her things. Everything had changed, and she was too weary to carry on fighting it. With Joel in the picture there was no point. Maria had handed herself to him lock, stock and barrel, and there was nothing left of her for anyone else.
Coming down with her bags when she’d finished, Beth shook her head when Maria offered to drive her to the train station.
‘I’ve already ordered a cab,’ she said, pulling her coat on. ‘It should be here any minute. You stay and get things back to normal.’
‘I’m really sorry you didn’t have a good time,’ Maria said regretfully. ‘I wish we could start again.’
‘You already have,’ Beth told her sadly. ‘And I hope you’ll be happy. Just do me one favour, and make sure you don’t forget that there’s a world outside this door – and you’ve as much right as anyone to enjoy it. You might not think it now, but you need friends to talk to. I’m always at the other end of the phone, but you need girls to go out and have fun with. Promise you’ll get in touch with Vicky, at least.’
‘Oh, please don’t let’s get into this again,’ Maria said, folding her arms. ‘I’m really, really happy with things the way they are. Don’t make me feel bad.’
‘I’m not trying to,’ Beth assured her, ‘I’m trying to make you feel good, because you deserve that after everything you’ve been through.’
Outside, a car horn sounded.
‘That’ll be the taxi,’ Beth said, putting her bags down and giving Maria a hug. ‘Take care, babe.’
‘I’ll miss you,’ Maria said tearfully. ‘Come back as soon as you get another break. We’ll do something different, I promise.’
‘Let’s see how it goes,’ Beth said.
Saying goodbye, they both knew it would be a long time before they saw each other again – if ever.
19
Life fell easily back into its routine once Joel and Maria had the house back to themselves. Maria and Beth talked a few times on the phone, but their conversations were awkward now that Maria couldn’t talk about Joel. He was her life, so she really didn’t have too much else to tell Beth, and the calls inevitably dried up. Which was sad, but also a relief – for them both.
Maria did take one piece of Beth’s advice, though. Realising how boring Beth had obviously found her, she feared that Joel would soon get fed up of having a girlfriend whose only topic of conversation was what she’d done to the house while he was away, or what she was cooking for dinner. So she started to go out, to the library, and the museum, and the art gallery. And Joel seemed happy enough to listen to her prattling on about it when he was home, so she figured it must be working.
And, eventually, she contacted Vicky and arranged to meet up with her in town for coffee.
‘I’m so glad you called,’ Vicky said when they had carried their cups to the table. ‘Leroy’s hopeless at passing messages on. It was weeks after you called that he remembered, but he’d lost your number by then, so I couldn’t call you back.’
‘It’s all right,’ Maria said. ‘I’ve been kind of busy anyway. I’ve moved back for good now, so I’ve been getting the house right.’
‘And?’ Vicky said, smirking knowingly.
‘And what?’ Maria asked, trying not to blush.
‘And who are you shagging?’ As blunt as ever, Vicky came right out with it. ‘Don’t tell me you’re not seeing anyone, ’cos you’ve got that look about you.’
‘Yeah, I’m seeing someone,’ Maria said cautiously. Given how negative Beth had been, she was reluctant to talk about Joel.
‘Spill,’ Vicky said, sounding genuinely interested.
‘Well, his name’s Joel,’ Maria said, trying not to smile at the mere mention of his name. ‘He’s twenty-eight. Tallish, blond, good-looking. Well, gorgeous, actually. He’s just . . .’ She flapped her hands. ‘Gorgeous.’
‘Check you, all loved-up.’ Vicky chuckled. ‘Hope he treats you right?’
‘God, yeah!’ Maria nodded emphatically. ‘He’s really affectionate. Always hugging me and telling me how lovely I am.’
‘And you’ve been seeing him how long?’
‘Nearly a year. It’s gone really fast, but it still feels really new.’
‘Well, make the most of it while it lasts,’ Vicky said, sighing wistfully. ‘And don’t rush into having kids, whatever you do. Me and Lee have been together a long time, and I love him to bits, but all the mushy stuff stops once you start smelling of nappies and baby puke.’
‘I’m not even thinking of having kids,’ Maria assured her. ‘Not for a long time.’
‘Yeah, well, learn by my mistakes, and get some super-thick condoms next time you pick up your pill,’ Vicky advised her grimly. ‘But enough of that . . . When do I get to meet this sex god of yours?’
Maria picked up her coffee and gave a little shrug. ‘I don’t really know. He’s really busy.’
‘Doing what?’
‘Working. He’s a tour organiser – for singers and bands.’
‘Local stuff?’ Vicky asked. ‘Only Leroy might know him, ’cos him and his crew do a bit of MC-ing at some clubs in town. What’s his name? I’ll ask Lee if he knows him.’
‘Joel Parry,’ Maria told her. ‘But I doubt he knows him if he only works in town. Joel works mainly with big names.’
‘For real?’ Vicky said, really interested now. ‘Like who?
‘Oh, loads,’ Maria told her, trying not to sound too name-droppy. ‘The last one was Seal. He was with him for a couple of nights last week. Before that it was Oasis. And he’s worked with Phil Collins, and Mariah Carey. Oh, and Britney.’
‘Piss off!’ Vicky gasped. ‘That’s fantastic. Shit, bring him round and introduce him to Lee. He could do with meeting some proper stars. You never know, he might get a deal out of it. He should. He’s brilliant at it. Wait till I tell him.’
Maria frowned, wondering how to get out of this. She shouldn’t have said anything. Now Vicky thought that Maria could help her boyfriend, but she really couldn’t.
‘It’s not really like that,’ she admitted after a moment. ‘Joel can’t take anyone with him when he goes to meetings or on tour. It’s work; he can’t even take me.’
‘What, never?’ Vicky asked, not sure whether she was being fobbed off.
‘Never,’ Maria affirmed, sighing softly. ‘I’ve never met any of them. I can’t even go to the gigs in case they realise I’m connected to Joel. They’re just really paranoid about people selling stories to the press.’
‘You poor thing,’ Vicky said, shaking her head. ‘So near, yet so far. Leroy will be gutted when I tell him. But, oh, well . . .’ Pausing to light a cigarette, she slid the pack across the table to Maria. ‘So what do you do when he’s working? Have you found yourself a job yet?’
‘No, I’m pretty much at home most of the time,’ Maria said, wondering why she suddenly felt like a failure. ‘But I’m planning to start painting again. Just for myself, though. I’m not good enough to sell. It was all right for teaching, but I didn’t really like that.’
‘Don’t you go out to any clubs or pubs?’ Vicky asked, thinking t
hat Maria must be leading a very lonely life.
‘I haven’t really had time,’ Maria said. ‘Anyway, I don’t know too many people yet, so it’s not that easy. My friend came to stay a while back, and we went to a place called Scarletts in town.’
‘Oh yeah?’ Vicky smiled. ‘That’s one of the gigs Lee’s been doing on a Thursday night. ‘Nice, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, I’ve been a couple of times now,’ Maria said. ‘It was loads better the first time, but the last time was pretty boring, really.’
‘Was it a Sunday?’ Vicky asked. ‘Thought so,’ she said when Maria nodded. ‘That’s grab-a-granny night. You’ll have to come with me and Lee sometime – you’ll have loads more fun. I’m going this Thursday, as it happens. Do you fancy it?’
‘I’ll have to see what Joel’s doing,’ Maria told her, not wanting to commit herself to something she might have to cancel. ‘But I wouldn’t mind. What’s MC-ing, though?’
Laughing, Vicky explained about the nights that Leroy and his crew hosted, where MCs and rappers could get up on stage and take the mike to free-style over the DJ’s mixes.
‘It’s really kind of underground,’ she said. ‘But they do all sorts – hip-hop, garage, rap, Bashment . . . It’s mental, but it’s well wicked.’
‘Sounds it,’ Maria said, getting caught up in her friend’s excitement.
‘Give me a ring when you’ve had a word with your fella, and we’ll arrange it,’ Vicky said. ‘Then you can meet Leroy – at last. And when you do, you can bollock the dozy sod for not passing your message on.’
The Charmer Page 23