That's What Friends Are For

by Marcie Steele

  ‘I didn’t think you’d want to see me so soon,’ Sam started.

  Reece shrugged. ‘I’ve stayed at my parents’ place since Friday.’

  ‘Oh!’ Sam had automatically thought he had gone back to Sheffield after their row.

  ‘Well, there was no way I wanted to stay here after … why did you do it, Sam?’

  Sam cringed inwardly. ‘What exactly do you mean by ‘it’?’ she asked.

  ‘Do I have to spell it out to you?

  ‘Not really, but you need to know that I didn’t do what you think I did.’

  Reece looked confused.

  ‘I didn’t sleep with Dan.’ At the mention of his name, Sam saw her husband flinch. Tears welled in her eyes.

  ‘Then what did you do with him?’ he asked. ‘Those were some flowers.’

  Sam felt her bottom lip start to tremble as she saw the pain in his eyes. Thankfully, she’d had the sense not to take the bouquet from Dan.

  ‘Shall we go and sit down?’ she suggested.

  They went into the kitchen, she made coffee, and they sat in the conservatory. The winter sun streamed in, it looked such a lovely day. With a pang of regret, Sam thought that they should have been out somewhere enjoying it. She closed the blinds, sat down and began to speak.

  ‘So, you only kissed?’ Reece asked afterwards.

  ‘Yes.’ Sam left out the part where Dan had his hand in her pyjama top ... he didn’t need to know every detail. ‘Yes,’ she said again.

  Reece looked her straight in the eye. ‘You hurt me so much.’

  ‘I never meant to.’ Sam cursed as tears poured down her face. She hated crying when she was in the wrong. It made her feel weak. But she truly was sorry for what she’d done to him.

  ‘What would have happened if I hadn’t come back?’

  ‘If I was going to do anything, it would have happened by now,’ she said truthfully, although purposely omitting the details. ‘I’d been having doubts about us and he – he was there to give me what I needed, I suppose. I know it was wrong, but I just wanted some affection. I missed having you around, and I wasn’t sure that you even wanted to be around any more. When you did come home at weekends, it wasn’t right, was it? We’d become like strangers and it hurt. And, even though I want to make it better between us, I don’t know how to.’

  ‘So you thought sleeping with another man would do the trick?’

  ‘I didn’t sleep with him!’

  They were silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Sam studied Reece while he stared through the window, working out what to do next. Would he accept the job in Hedworth and come home or would he leave for Sheffield and not come back? She could almost see a pendulum in his mind swinging backwards and forwards. Yes. No. Yes. No.

  ‘Come home,’ she pleaded. ‘Let’s see if we can work things out.’

  ‘I don’t know. It hurt me so much to think—’

  ‘I won’t hurt you. I’ll never hurt you, but don’t you see? We’ve both let things slip. You’ve been such a huge part of my life. You were there for me when my dad died, but I’ve been lonely for so long and our marriage felt so stale. I was upset that maybe it was me who couldn’t give you children, that maybe we would have been closer if I had. My attraction to Dan was just because I want to feel desired after so long of being part of the furniture.’ She paused. ‘If you come back to Hedworth, maybe we could get back what we had. I— I really do love you.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Reece swallowed. ‘I’m not sure that I trust you now.’

  Sam frowned. ‘That’s a bit unfair. I’ve had to trust you when you’ve been working away for all these years. Don’t tell me there haven’t been any women who attracted your attention over in Sheffield?’

  ‘They haven’t exactly been falling at my feet.’ He gave a weak smile.

  ‘You know what I mean.’

  ‘I know that seeing him on our doorstep, thinking that you and him …? Well, it made me so angry. You’re my wife, Sam.’

  ‘Then come home.’ Sam reached across to touch his face, wiping away the lone tear that trickled down his cheek. ‘Please, let’s try again.’

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day, Hedworth market hadn’t just got the usual Monday-morning-blues feel to it. It had all-round-abysmal stamped over it. Louise was hardly speaking, still upset by Charley’s accusations and talk of letting her down. Nicci was in a mood after ‘suffering Jess whinging all weekend’ and Sam? Sam was a complete mess and didn’t really notice the cold shoulder she was getting from Louise. As if that wasn’t bad enough, over the aisle, Jess was getting down to some serious flirting with Ryan. Enough to put Matt in a bad mood and for Louise to notice too.

  ‘What’s with Jess hanging around the boys’ stall?’ she asked Nicci. ‘She’s been chatting to Ryan more than she’s been working on her own stall. I thought she was supposed to be helping her dad so your future mother-in-law could take some time off.’

  ‘She should be.’

  ‘Well, she’s spending more time across the way with our Ryan. If she doesn’t watch what she’s doing, I’m going to have words with her soon.’

  ‘She could just be being friendly,’ Nicci snapped. ‘Not everyone’s man mad like you.’

  Louise turned to her sharply. ‘Hark at you, sticking up for her. And what do you mean, man mad like me.’

  ‘You know what I mean,’ Nicci blushed.

  ‘No, I don’t,’ Louise disagreed. ‘Care to enlighten me?’

  ‘Care to serve someone?’ Sam stood in the doorway of the back room, pointing out to a small queue forming. ‘Can you keep your focus on this stall for a change?’

  ‘Flipping heck, not you as well. What is it with everyone, lately?’ said Louise. ‘Yes, Mrs Danson. What can I get you?’

  As she served the waiting customers, Louise covertly watched Jess. She was really lapping up the attention from Ryan, leaning across the counter so that she could be nearer to him. She saw Matt’s face once or twice. He was scowling and it didn’t suit him. Matt was one of the most happy-go-lucky people she knew.

  Once she got a lull in customers, Louise would go over, see if he knew why Ryan and Jess had become thick all of a sudden. She knew her brother had wandering eyes and hands after the last time, two years ago, when he’d had an affair. She’d thought he’d really messed up but her sister-in-law, Sarah, took him back after a temporary split.

  ‘How are you feeling now?’ she asked Sam who had come out of the back room, trying to get into her good books again.

  Sam frowned. ‘Oh, I’m fine, thanks. I’m sorry about Saturday night. How about I make it up to you this weekend?’

  Louise smiled sarcastically. ‘Great. Something to look forward to. Being let down again at the last moment.’ She saw Sam’s jaw drop. ‘Wait, I’m kidding!’

  Sam didn’t look too sure as she disappeared into the back room again. Louise cursed quietly. Why couldn’t she learn to keep her big mouth shut? She looked across at the stall opposite to see that both Ryan and Jess had disappeared. She went to the edge of the stall and looked either way down the aisle but she still couldn’t see them.

  ‘Where’s Ryan?’ she shouted across to Matt.

  ‘Stock room,’ said Matt.

  ‘What are him and Jess up to?’

  Matt shrugged. ‘Could you just watch the stall for a moment?’

  Louise nodded but before she could pry any further, she spotted Dan Wilshaw walking towards them.

  ‘Hey, the Lone Ranger returns,’ she said. ‘I hope you’ve come to put a smile on Sam’s face. She’s a right moody sod this morning.’

  ‘Butt out, Louise.’ Sam pushed past her and into the aisle. Grabbing Dan’s arm, she marched off with him. ‘Be back in ten minutes.’

  ‘Oh, great, I get to mind two stalls now?’ She turned back to Nicci with a huff.

  When Reece had left yesterday, telling her that he needed time to think about things before coming to a decision, Sam had texted Dan
, asking if they could meet. She felt it was only fair to explain things to him face to face rather than over the phone. She hadn’t been surprised when he didn’t reply but she hadn’t expected to see him here at the market this morning.

  They went outside to the back of the building, out into the staff car park. After the bright winter sun of yesterday, the sky was grey and it was drizzling slightly. Two smokers huddled together underneath the shelter.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Sam said after it was obvious Dan wasn’t going to speak first. ‘I didn’t know he was going to turn up like that.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have come if I’d known.’

  ‘In fairness, I didn’t know you were coming either.’

  Dan gave a half smile. ‘Trust me to be spontaneous. I thought I’d surprise you.’

  Sam smiled. ‘I think you surprised yourself.’

  Dan reached for her hand. ‘It was so awkward. I had no idea what to do.’

  ‘I don’t suppose any of us did.’ She left it in hers for a moment. ‘It felt like I was in a sitcom. I was half expecting a studio audience to gasp.’

  In silence, they pretended to watch a lorry that was reversing in front of them.

  ‘Do you still love him?’ Dan asked afterwards.

  ‘Yes.’ Sam wasn’t going to lie any more.

  Dan dropped her hand.

  ‘I’ll always love him,’ she said. ‘I’ve known him so long, since we were teenagers. It’s hard not to remember a time when he wasn’t around. But that’s where the problem lies. We became too familiar.’

  ‘How can you become too familiar? Too complacent, you mean.’

  ‘Not exactly. We weren’t together enough.’

  The reverse warning beeps stopped on the truck and the brakes hissed. The driver got out with a slam of his door.

  ‘What do you want to do?’ Dan asked.

  Sam looked away for a moment. She didn’t have a clue how things would work out between her and Reece but she couldn’t string Dan along. It wasn’t fair to him.

  ‘I have to let you go,’ she told him. ‘I can’t play around with your feelings.’

  ‘But can’t you see what we’d started might be good, it might even be better? I can give you just as much as Reece, more in fact. I could be here for you every night and not just at the weekends.’

  She shook her head.

  ‘So you used me.’

  ‘No!’ Sam looked up, horrified that he would think that. ‘I was unsure of what I wanted, and I thought it was you.’

  ‘You did use me.’

  ‘For all I know, I could be making the biggest mistake of my life, but please, I have to give my marriage the chance it deserves. I want to stay loyal to Reece. I tried not to get attached to you, and yet I know I was developing strong feelings for you. But I owe it to my husand to try and make it work.’

  Dan folded his arms and looked into the distance.

  ‘I’m sorry if I hurt you,’ she added. ‘But I never intended you to feel used.’

  Silence fell between them.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Dan asked eventually.

  Sam nodded slightly. She wasn’t sure at all, really.

  ‘I can’t persuade you otherwise?’

  With tears glistening in her eyes, Dan pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. Sam hugged him back, breathing in the scent of him for one last time. As they pulled apart, she felt her shoulders relax for the first time since Friday evening.

  ‘See you around, then.’ Dan kissed her lightly on her cheek before walking away.

  Sam watched him, feeling deflated but okay with herself. Sighing, she went back to the stall.

  While Sam was outside deciding her future, Jess was hoping to secure hers. She and Ryan were in the stock room. It was the only place that she could think of to get him on his own without Matt scowling at them or one of Ryan’s sisters butting their noses in. Or being asked to come back to the stall because she’d been missing for the past half an hour.

  She looked at the list her dad had given her. Cola cubes, Kopp Kops and sherbert lemons. She’d remembered them fondly before she’d come back to Hedworth. Now after eating them whenever she’d weighed a bag out for a customer, she was sick of the sight – and the smell – of them all.

  She reached up, trying to see the top of the shelving unit, knowing that a flash of her stomach would be on show. She glanced back at Ryan. Yes, he was looking. Good boy.

  ‘Can I pass you these down, please?’ she asked.

  Ryan read the label on the plastic bottle. ‘Sherbert lemons? I bet you’d like something more substantial on your tongue.’

  Jess giggled. ‘Cheeky!’

  ‘I bet I have something that tastes just as good, too.’

  She placed the tip of her index finger into her mouth suggestively. ‘I don’t know what you’re insinuating,’ she remarked. ‘They were merely on the list, along with Cola cubes and aniseed balls. I like aniseed balls. Something for me to roll around my tongue.’

  ‘Do you have to be such a tease?’ Ryan moved in closer but the door opened behind them. Seeing that it was Matt, Jess stooped down quickly so that she was hidden behind a pile of boxes.

  ‘Ryan, I need you on the stall, mate. What the hell are you doing in here?’

  ‘Just after some … some clips.’ Ryan pretended to search around, jumping slightly as he felt a hand creeping up the inside of his leg. ‘I could have sworn we had some.’

  ‘Where’s Jess?’

  ‘She slipped into town for something. Haven’t seen her since.’

  The reply throwing Matt a little, he snapped back. ‘Well, hurry up then.’

  The door closed behind him and Ryan breathed out a sigh of relief. He looked down at Jess, her hand up to his thigh by this time. ‘What are you doing? I nearly had a heart –’

  The door opened again and Matt was back. Ryan held his breath as the zip went down on his trousers.

  ‘While you’re there, mate, can you see if we have any cans of WD40?’ Matt shouted.

  ‘Will do.’ Ryan’s voice came out as a squeak as Jess slipped a hand inside his pants. He cleared his throat. ‘Be with you in a minute.’

  The door closed again. Ryan sighed with relief. He pulled Jess to her feet, quickly fastening his zip.

  ‘You can’t do that here!’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. No one will see us.’ She moved towards him, stopping with her lips an inch from his. ‘And we’re going to get it on sooner or later, aren’t we?’

  ‘Maybe.’ Ryan’s voice was thick with lust.

  ‘So it won’t hurt if I give you a little something to remember me by?’

  She kissed him, searching out his zip again. This time there was no hand to stop her.

  Chapter Twelve

  For the second morning in a row, Charley got back into bed as soon as her mum left for work. The second morning in a row that she wouldn’t be going to school again because of the rumours.

  It had started yesterday afternoon when word began to spread about what she and Connor had got up to and by last night, she’d had to switch off her phone again. She’d had emails too and comments left on Facebook about what she’d supposedly been doing. If anyone had doubts about what she had got up to with Aaron, she knew they’d disappear after Connor had added fuel to the fire.

  What was it with everyone? Why did her so-called friends want to ruin her life? As usual, Sophie had got away with things and she’d stopped Owen from going all the way with her. Although that was probably because Charley had shouted out for her friend when Connor had – oh, no, she was still embarrassed just thinking about it.

  Charley knew girls of fourteen, sometimes thirteen, who had sex, but she couldn’t see what all the fuss was about. However, she realised that her time with Connor had unleashed some feelings inside her that she’d never felt before. She couldn’t even share her private thoughts with Sophie, which was unusual.

  She sent her friend a text message to say that she wasn’t going
in to school. She couldn’t face all the teasing again. Everyone would be staring and laughing at her, wondering if she really did put out like the boys had said. She knew girls in her class would make snide remarks. She wasn’t the guilty party but they wouldn’t care.

  It wasn’t fair. Why should she be picked on because she wanted to stay special to someone? She just wasn’t ready to go that far yet. Stupid thing was, if she had given them what they wanted then she probably wouldn’t even be getting talked about. Charley reckoned it was only because her and Sophie made up that stupid pact, that they were trying to stay virgins instead of sleeping around that had given her a reputation. As a dicktease! Life was so unfair. She seemed damned if she did and damned if she didn’t.

  Charley’s message was returned, letting her know that Sophie was on her way over. It was only quarter past eight, so she logged on to Facebook next. Ignoring the comments that people had left about her again, she noticed a smiley face in reply to her comment telling one of them to go stuff themselves. She’d been mortified when she’d thought of Alex reading all the abuse last week, after what had happened with Aaron, but he’d been really helpful and they’d chatted it through within a few emails. He’d told her to ignore them all, not once questioning if any of it was true. Now, she couldn’t believe it was happening again and prayed that Alex didn’t start to believe the lies. She clicked on to see if he was online but he wasn’t there. He must have gone to school.

  When Sophie arrived, Charley made them both tea and toast before sitting on the settee next to her. They sat in companionable silence while they ate, watching some house renovating programme.

  ‘He’s such a cool guy.’ Sophie sighed longingly as she ogled the young presenter. ‘I think I’d like to date an older man.’

  ‘Really?’ Charley wrinkled up her nose. ‘I’m not sure I would. He’s old enough to be one of our teachers.’

  ‘Oh, I meant someone as old as say, twenty. With a car, preferably.’