MADE IN ESSEX

by Laura Ziepe

  Adele smiled tightly, her voice like steel. ‘I don’t need to copy. I have my own ideas. Thank you all the same though, Jade.’

  ‘Well, if you don’t mind giving our bikini back, we’ll be going,’ Kelly asserted stonily. It was strange to see Kelly in this mood. She never hated anyone and was always so warm and kind. That’s the effect Adele has on people, Jade reminded herself.

  ‘Of course.’ Adele gave a fake smile as she turned. A minute later she was passing the bikini back to them. ‘How are you two anyway?’ Adele’s tone was friendlier all of a sudden.

  Jade rolled her eyes at Kelly. Did she really think they wanted to chat with her? Was she insane? ‘Yes Adele, we’re good. Very busy though, so we must dash …’

  ‘Sam’s looking well recently, isn’t he?’ Adele gave her a look that made Jade shudder.

  Jade folded her arms across her chest defensively. ‘How would you know? You haven’t seen him since Marbella.’

  Adele’s eyes sparkled mischievously. ‘Did he not tell you about when we bumped into each other? Oh dear. And there was me thinking you two were close. I thought you were all loved up and told each other everything?’

  Jade felt sick. What was she getting at? Why hadn’t Sam mentioned anything to her? She decided to lie so she didn’t lose face. ‘Oh, come to think of it. I do remember him mentioning something about it.’

  ‘Oh really?’ Adele questioned. ‘That’s surprising actually, because I’m pretty certain that night he told me how you had no time for him. Kept blowing him out and letting him down I think he said? I got the impression you two may have been going through a bit of a bad patch.’

  Jade felt her blood run cold. He said what? She felt nauseous as she realised it must be true; how would Adele know otherwise? Why would Sam tell Adele something so personal about them? He hated her! She’d tried to keep them apart! She hesitated, not finding the right words to say. ‘Well … yes … I mean, no. It was a little issue, but it’s resolved now. We’re fine. We’re perfect in fact.’

  Adele smiled imperiously. ‘Well, that’s just great news then.’

  There was something about that smile, which Jade couldn’t look at. Something that told her Adele was hiding something; that she had a secret. ‘Anyway, we need to get going,’ Jade said. ‘Bye Adele.’ Kelly followed her as they walked.

  ‘Bye girls.’

  ‘I just can’t believe that girl copying our website and stealing from us yet again! What is wrong with her?’ Kelly fumed as they marched towards the others.

  ‘I honestly don’t know,’ Jade shrugged, her mind elsewhere.

  ‘She’s just so irritating! I wonder how she got all our ideas? It’s like she’s obsessed with us and what we’re doing! She was exactly the same in Marbella.’ Kelly glanced at Jade and noticed the disturbed expression etched on her face. She paused. ‘Did Sam really tell you he’d bumped into Adele?’ Kelly knew Jade better than anyone. She had clearly known Jade had made it up.

  ‘No.’

  Jade didn’t know what else to say. The question was on both their lips: Why?

  CHAPTER 10

  The following day, Jade pulled up outside Sam’s flat anxiously. He was making chicken fajitas, her favourite dinner – and the only thing he knew how to cook. She didn’t mind though, she much preferred to do the cooking herself normally. Jade wasn’t exactly Delia Smith, but she did like to experiment and work from cook books. She found cooking a great way to escape sometimes when she was stressed and she had to admit, she made the best seafood risotto in the world.

  Jade exhaled loudly as she thought about what she needed to say. She was going to ask him why he hadn’t mentioned he’d run into Adele that night in Sugar Hut and why on earth he’d told her their issues. It was so unlike him to talk about problems, especially to Adele, of all people. Something was definitely not right and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. The thought of Sam confiding in his psycho ex-girlfriend hurt like hell.

  ‘Hi,’ he said, kissing her lips softly as he opened the door.

  ‘Hi.’ She walked into his flat, which was spotless as usual. If they ever moved in together she definitely wouldn’t be moaning at him to keep the place tidy; it would be the other way round by the looks of things. Sam had changed out of his work clothes into casual jogging bottoms and a white t-shirt. Even dressed down, he was still painfully handsome. His tanned skin was emphasised by the white top, his fair hair was messy and sexy, without any gel and his piercing green eyes were the most striking eyes she’d ever seen. He was so masculine and tall and just by holding her, he made her feel protected and safe. Jade still couldn’t believe he was her boyfriend.

  ‘Dinner is nearly ready.’ He seemed proud that he’d cooked it all on his own as usually she helped him at some point. ‘Take a seat and just relax. Drink?’

  ‘Just juice if you have some.’

  Sam poured her a glass of orange juice and handed it to her, before going back to stir the chicken, onions and peppers, which smelt divine.

  ‘So how did the fashion show go yesterday?’ Sam asked as he spooned the guacamole dip into a small dish.

  Jade sat down at his modern glass dining table. ‘It went well. We handed out lots of leaflets to people and then it was the fashion show. There was a good response and loads of girls commented that they loved the swimwear. We’ve had quite a few orders already.’

  Sam nodded. ‘That’s great. My mum was saying how Chloe loved it when she called me today. I still hate the idea of her prancing around in swimwear though.’

  ‘Come on, lighten up; there were loads of girls in swimwear there. Your sister is stunning,’ she said honestly, sipping her juice. ‘She could easily model as a career. She has the height too.’

  ‘Mmm,’ Sam looked uncertain. ‘I’m never going to like the idea of it to be honest. Maybe I’m just being over-protective.’

  Jade always thought it was so sweet how Sam looked out for Chloe. Her own older brother, Simon, had always been the same with her growing up and she knew it was only because he cared. There was a much bigger ten-year age gap between them though and Simon never had to worry about his friends eyeing her up when he turned his back. The same definitely couldn’t be said about Sam’s friends, who often joked about Chloe to wind Sam up.

  Sam brought her plate over and her stomach rumbled. She waited for him to sit opposite and then wondered when the right time was to bring up Adele. She felt slightly sick. What was he going to say? She was terrified to find out the answer, but knew she had to. There was no way she could leave it as it was. Besides, she trusted Sam. He wouldn’t do anything behind her back. The only thing she could think of was that perhaps he didn’t bring Adele up because he knew how much Jade hated her. Adele had tried to keep them apart in Marbella so perhaps he didn’t want to bring her up in conversation, which was understandable. But the thing she couldn’t work out was, why, when she’d told him the day after she’d bumped into Adele, did he not mention what a coincidence it was that he had too? That was his perfect chance to say it. It was the fact he had remained silent about it that was making her panic. Sam had had the perfect opportunity, yet he hadn’t mentioned anything.

  ‘Our final bikini was stolen at the end of the show,’ Jade said trying to appear nonchalant, as she rolled her tortilla wrap. ‘Did Chloe tell your mum that?’

  ‘No, she didn’t actually.’ Sam took a bite of his fajita, his face wrinkling into a frown. ‘What was that all about? Why would someone steal it?’

  ‘Well, do you remember me telling you about the other website? The one that has clearly copied us?’

  Sam dipped his wrap in some salsa. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Well, we now know who it is. She also stole our bikini and used it as one from her own collection for the show.’

  ‘And who is it?’ Sam asked bewildered.

  Jade studied his expression as she said her name. ‘Adele.’

  Sam’s eyes opened slightly wider in shock. If she hadn’t been watchi
ng his reaction so closely, she could easily have missed it. Adele’s name had made him look uneasy and he shifted in his chair uncomfortably.

  ‘Oh. That’s odd. What a bitch.’ His face reddened and he stood up and got a glass of water.

  He’s terrible at trying to hide anything, Jade noted nervously. Sam was, without a doubt, acting very peculiar. She had to continue, even though she hated every second of it.

  ‘We accused her at the end of the show of copying us and she denied it of course. She said she had just happened to come up with the idea.’

  Sam sat back down and took another bite of food, fiddling with the sour cream dip on the table. ‘Maybe she did?’

  Jade stared at him. ‘I told you before; all the bikinis are almost identical. There is no way that’s possible. Somehow she must have got hold of my red notebook.’

  Sam’s eyes flickered with alarm. ‘You’re just being paranoid. There is no way she found your notebook. How could she have?’

  ‘When was the last time you saw her?’ Jade questioned casually. She begged him not to lie to her. Her heart was thumping hard against her chest.

  Sam’s face twitched awkwardly. ‘Who? Adele?’ Sam looked up at the ceiling as if trying to remember. ‘God knows.’

  Jade glared at him and put her wrap down. ‘That’s funny. She told me at the show that she saw you in Sugar Hut the other week? The night we were supposed to go out to dinner, remember?’

  Sam couldn’t look her in the eye. Jade hadn’t intended this to be an argument, but Sam’s shifty movements were starting to freak her out and now he was pretending he didn’t know the last time he had seen Adele. She could feel herself becoming more irritated and angry with him.

  ‘Oh, yes!’ Sam said, as if just remembering. ‘That’s right. I did see her quickly that night.’

  ‘Did you say much to her?’ Jade demanded.

  His eyes opened wide. ‘Not really. Why are you asking me this?’

  Jade could tell he knew something was up. Sam looked nervous.

  ‘I may have said a couple of things, I don’t really remember all that clearly. She stuck up for Chloe in the toilets when a group of girls started on her, which was nice,’ Sam continued after a pause.

  Nice? Jade thought furiously. So now Adele was nice in his eyes?

  ‘You told her things weren’t going that well between us because I was busy with work. Do you remember that?’ Jade retorted tartly, as she pierced a pepper with her fork.

  ‘Who told you that? Adele?’ Sam looked slightly worried.

  ‘Yes. I want to know a) why you never mentioned you saw her, especially when I told you I’d bumped into her, and b) why you were telling her, of all people, about our relationship? Funnily enough, she’s the last person I want to know my business. She’s a complete troublemaker. I thought you felt that way too, but clearly not.’

  Sam looked shaken. ‘I do think that! I’m sorry if I mentioned anything to her; I’d had a few shots and can’t really recall every word I said. I was upset; she just happened to be there. I only went to say thanks for helping Chloe out and she started asking me about us.’

  Jade was fuming. ‘So why didn’t you just tell me this a moment ago when I asked you? Why did you never mention you’d seen her?’

  Sam kneaded his eyes with his fists. ‘Because I knew how much you hated her. I thought you’d be paranoid about it. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to talk about Adele with you. Can we just move on from this please?’

  Jade felt sick and pushed her plate away. So, he had lied. He was willing to not tell her things if it meant getting him in trouble. All she ever wanted was honesty and she really thought that with Sam, that was exactly what she got. It was a horrible shock knowing that he was capable of keeping things from her. Important things.

  ‘I just don’t understand why you haven’t told me this before? You’ve just sat there and lied to my face saying you didn’t remember the last time you bumped into her. Do you not realise that by not telling me and then me hearing from Adele how bad that looks? It looks like you’re keeping it from me for a reason.’

  Sam put his head in his hands as though he couldn’t deal with the conversation any longer. ‘For God’s sake,’ he looked up at her. ‘I didn’t want to tell you something that is so unimportant. I’ve apologised. I’m not hiding anything. Can we please talk about something else now? I’m not saying another word about it. You’re being ridiculous. Sorry I spoke about us to her. I won’t do it again. There is nothing more I can say.’

  Jade felt completely let down. He was shutting himself off from her and not allowing her to ask all the things she wanted. She knew that wasn’t the end of it; she had a gut instinct because of the way he was acting. She saw the panic in his eyes when she mentioned Adele’s name and she wasn’t going to be forgetting about that anytime soon. She didn’t and would never trust Adele. Wherever she went and whenever she was involved there was trouble. She was a selfish, manipulative individual, who only ever thought about herself. She was the type of girl that hated it when others were happy or successful. Jade fully expected her to stir up trouble, but Sam was involved in this case and there was something he wasn’t telling her. She left the rest of her fajita, not being able to eat another mouthful.

  ‘Do you want to watch a film or something?’ Sam said easily, clearly relieved they’d no longer be talking about Adele.

  Jade wasn’t in the mood to be in his company any longer. She’d really had high hopes for Sam and genuinely thought if they ever had issues they could talk about them and resolve them. She needed to leave, because all she could think about was the fact he was keeping something from her. ‘To be honest, Sam, I’m tired. I know I’ve not been here long, but I want an early night tonight and I’m going to head back I think.’

  ‘You can stay here if you like?’ Sam looked crestfallen.

  ‘No, I need to do a bit of work so it’s best I go back.’ Jade knew her foul mood wasn’t going to budge tonight.

  Sam took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. ‘And this isn’t because of the conversation we just had?’

  Jade lied and shook her head. ‘No.’

  Sam nodded, believing she was just tired. How can he believe that? Jade questioned tetchily. Of course she was leaving because of the conversation! Why were men so stupid? They would believe anything for an easy life and to prevent confrontation. It was obvious she was upset. How could he not see that? How many other nights had she simply eaten her dinner and then gone home? She picked her plate up and emptied the leftovers in the bin.

  ‘Leave all that, I’ll do it,’ Sam said, taking the plate out of her hands.

  ‘Okay. Well, thanks for dinner.’

  ‘Come here,’ Sam said opening his arms, which she fell into reluctantly. What was the point in getting close to him when she knew he wasn’t being completely honest? How could their relationship last? The thought saddened her immensely.

  ‘I’d better go.’ Jade headed towards his front door and he followed behind.

  ‘Okay. Drive safely.’ Sam pulled her back one last time and kissed her.

  ‘Thanks for dinner. Bye Sam.’

  Jade sighed as she sat in her car with a heavy heart.

  *

  Sam tidied his kitchen and watched Jade’s car pull away from the window by the sink. Tonight had shaken him up, that was for sure. He couldn’t believe Adele had copied Jade’s website and then blabbed that he’d seen her and moaned about his relationship! What a complete cow! He felt sick with nerves. What on earth was he going to do? He’d got himself into a huge mess and if he managed to get out of it with Jade still by his side it would be a miracle. He didn’t realise he’d even told Adele that Jade was working and neglecting him. What an idiot he was. If only he could go back to that night and change everything! Their relationship had been pretty much perfect until then. Yes, Jade had other priorities and he’d felt let down, but they’d got over that in no time and now he saw her as much as he wa
nted to. He loved Jade. Really loved her. He didn’t even want to imagine how hurt she’d be if she knew what Adele was claiming had happened. It didn’t bear thinking about.

  When Jade had mentioned the red notebook, he knew instantly what had happened. She had left it in his room and Adele had clearly found it and stolen it. If Jade put two and two together he was in deep shit. If only that night wasn’t a complete blur and he knew for sure he was innocent! Then he wouldn’t keep acting so guilty. He knew he was a terrible liar. He blushed and couldn’t look the person in the eye and made it so blatantly obvious that he might as well just own up. He didn’t have the guts to tell Jade the truth though. How could he? He was so happy with her; he didn’t want to lose her. It would break his heart as much as hers. He couldn’t carry on lying though when she asked him questions. He was certain that wasn’t going to be the end of it. He probably wouldn’t sleep well tonight as he was terrified that Adele was going to open her big trap yet again and tell Jade she’d slept with him. He needed to warn her not to, he decided, getting his mobile and starting a new message.

  Adele, stop stirring to Jade and causing trouble. I’d appreciate it if you kept quiet about that night in Sugar Hut. I know you took her notebook as well. That’s low. I hope you’re proud of yourself.

  He didn’t expect her to reply, seeing as she’d ignored his last message telling her to leave Chloe alone, and deep down he knew Adele was probably enjoying seeing him sweat. He switched the TV on in his room, but couldn’t concentrate. He was serious about Jade. He wanted to be with her forever. Maybe the best thing would be to just come clean? If she didn’t want to know him it was his own fault, but at least it meant she’d hear it from him instead of Adele. He would just beg her to forgive him forever until she took him back. He never thought he’d be in this situation. He hated lying and cheating and never agreed with any of his friends when they lied about where they were to their girlfriends and made him cover for them.