‘Of course I’m hurt,’ she spat. ‘I trusted you, Seb, and look what you did.’
He looked so dejected that Cat felt some of her anger start to ebb away. A sudden pang of unexpected sympathy took its place. She pushed it away, watching him wordlessly and trying to recapture her rage; she didn’t want to feel sorry for him. He didn’t deserve it. ‘And did it mean anything?’
Seb raised his head. ‘Of course it didn’t. You were away – I was missing you and Elin was lonely too. It would never have happened if you hadn’t gone to Paris.’
She stared at him as the implication of his words sank in. ‘So it’s partly my fault,’ she said slowly. ‘Is that what you’re saying?’
‘No!’ He threw her a frustrated look. ‘Of course it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault – it just happened. I know you’re hurt but surely you can see that?’
‘I’ll tell you what I see,’ Cat said, forcing herself to take a deep calming breath. ‘Someone who isn’t prepared to take responsibility for their actions.’ He tried to interrupt and she held up a hand to stop him. ‘It’s true – all you’ve done is try to shift the blame. I was away, Elin was lonely . . . maybe it’s time you accepted that the only person who cheated on their partner that night was you, Seb.’
Hand shaking and blinking hard, she reached for her coat and placed the key to his apartment on the table beside her chair. ‘I’ll leave this here. I won’t be needing it any more.’
‘Cat – wait . . .’ he said, his expression pleading. ‘Don’t go like this – stay and let’s talk.’
‘There’s nothing left to say,’ Cat said, her voice cracking as she passed him on her way to the door. ‘It’s over.’
She half-expected him to argue. Instead, he glanced away, hunching over in defeat. ‘Okay. If that’s what you want.’
This time, Cat couldn’t stop her tears. ‘Of course it isn’t what I want. But you haven’t left me any choice, Seb. It was over the moment you slept with someone else.’
She wrenched open the door and stumbled out onto the passageway. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Cat hurried towards the staircase that led to the lower levels of the Court. As she passed the apartment that belonged to Elin, she thought she saw the blind twitch, as though someone had been watching and ducked out of sight. Cat didn’t stop. Seb and Elin could do what they wanted to now. It was no business of hers.
Chapter Eight
Cat thought about staying in bed when her alarm went off at six o’clock the next morning. Her eyes felt gritty and swollen; she was certain her face must be puffy from all the tears she’d shed once she got home and the adrenaline rush had worn off. The thought of dragging herself into Castle Court made her feel nauseous. But she was damned if she was going to let Seb or Elin keep her from her work; apart from anything else, she couldn’t let Sadie down. Not on Good Friday.
She stood for a long time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe away her sickness, and then forced herself to get dressed. The streets of Chester were quiet, the way they always were early on a Bank Holiday, and Cat felt her anxiety about the day ahead start to lessen. She didn’t think Seb would trouble her – other than by his proximity in the Court – and from what he’d said, she was certain Elin would be too ashamed to try and speak to her. Cat took several long, deep breaths as she walked; if she could concentrate on her baking and get through the hours until closing time, she’d count it as a win.
Castle Court was silent. Resolutely keeping her eyes at ground level, Cat let herself into Let’s Go Dutch and punched in the alarm code before slipping into the kitchen. The cool, orderly space welcomed her like an old friend and soothed her jangling nerves. Delilah had the day off to spend with her grandchildren and Cat wasn’t expecting Jaren to arrive for another hour. She pulled on an apron and switched on the oven before setting about assembling everything she needed. The biscuit dough recipe she’d perfected was so familiar that she was sure she could have made it with her eyes closed. But she still approached it as though it was the first time she’d ever made it; carefully, methodically and only deviating from the well-worn recipe to add a spoonful or two of Adam’s honey into each batch of dough.
The kitchen was rich with the mingled smells of vanilla and chocolate by the time Jaren arrived. He stopped in the doorway, taking an exaggerated lungful of air before smiling at Cat. ‘That smell never gets old, does it?’
Cat felt her stomach lurch at the sight of him. Did he know what Elin and Seb had done? Adam had told Sadie he didn’t think so but there was always a possibility that Elin had confessed. Maybe they’d even laughed about it, Cat thought, torturing herself with the idea for several long seconds before remembering that this was Jaren. He wouldn’t laugh about someone getting hurt.
‘I don’t really notice it any more,’ she said, aware that her tone was uncharacteristically terse.
‘Oh. No, I don’t suppose you do . . .’ His smile faded as he regarded her in obvious puzzlement. ‘Is something wrong, Cat?’
She shook her head, harder than was necessary. ‘No. Everything’s fine.’
He cocked his head. ‘Really? You don’t seem fine. Has something happened at the shop?’
‘No. Like I said, everything is fine.’
To her horror, the last word came out as a croak. Tears surged into her eyes and flooded down her cheeks, splashing onto the stainless-steel worktop before she could stop them.
Jaren hurried forwards. Without a word, he gathered her into his arms and held her as she sobbed, murmuring soothing sounds into her hair. They stayed that way for what felt like an age to Cat as she struggled to get herself under control. But gradually, her tears subsided and she was able to step away from him.
‘Thank you,’ she said gratefully, looking up at him through her sodden eyelashes.
He raised a dark eyebrow. ‘No problem. Are you going to tell me what this is all about?’ He saw her hesitate and went on, ‘You don’t have to but I promise I’m a really good listener.’
Cat shook her head. ‘It’s nothing.’
His brown eyes regarded her solemnly. ‘That is clearly untrue.’
The trouble was that a large part of Cat wanted to pour everything out. But how much should she keep to herself? It was bad enough that she’d been hurt by Seb’s betrayal – was there any real need to jeopardise Jaren’s relationship with Elin over something that had happened before the two of them had got together?
‘Seb and I have split up,’ she said, after a few moments wrestling with her conscience. ‘As you can see, I’m not one hundred per cent okay about it.’
‘I am very sorry to hear it,’ Jaren said, shaking his head. ‘No wonder you are crying. But you seemed so happy together – tell me to mind my own business if you want but how has this happened?’
Cat avoided his gaze. ‘I was. But it turns out Seb wasn’t. And he went elsewhere looking for happiness.’
This was it, she thought, watching him from the corner of her eye; if he knew the truth then his reaction would surely give the game away. But he looked genuinely disgusted. ‘Then he is an idiot – a . . . a . . . klootzak.’
Cat had no idea what the Dutch word meant but she knew it wasn’t complimentary. More importantly, she knew that Jaren had no idea exactly who Seb’s partner in crime had been. And now the question was, should she be the one to tell him? To hurt him as she’d been hurt?
Reaching for some kitchen roll, she wiped away the last of her tears. ‘He’s very apologetic – says it didn’t mean anything. But it’s easy to say that after the event, isn’t it?’
Jaren scowled. ‘You deserve better than that. I mean, everyone knows he has always had an eye for the ladies but I thought he’d changed when he met you. I can’t believe he could be so stupid.’
‘Me either,’ Cat admitted with a sigh. ‘But there you have it.’
‘And the woman involved – it was a customer, I suppose. One of the girls who hangs around the bar trying to catch his eye
.’
Cat held her breath. There were two ways she could answer; either by pretending she didn’t know who the other woman had been or by admitting the truth and potentially endangering Jaren’s own relationship. Given the way he’d reacted to the news of Seb’s infidelity, Cat didn’t imagine Jaren would be happy about Elin’s involvement. But was it Cat’s place to tell him?
She gnawed the inside of her lip as she wrestled with her conscience. Then, in a whoosh, she let go of the breath she’d been holding. ‘Probably,’ she said, looking Jaren squarely in the eye. ‘I don’t actually know all the details.’
Jaren sighed. ‘Well, Seb is a fool. But you’ll get over him and meet someone better. And he will die a lonely old man, muttering into a bottle with only his cocktail muddler for company.’
It was such a ridiculous image that Cat couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
‘There,’ Jaren said, studying her with hopeful eyes. ‘You are feeling better already.’
*
Sadie came to find Cat just after eight-thirty and discovered her sharing a table with Jaren, drinking coffee and looking much more cheerful than she’d been expecting.
‘Good morning,’ she said warily, wondering whether Jaren knew what had happened yet. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Like I’ve just broken up with my rotten cheating boyfriend,’ Cat said, pulling a face. ‘But other than that, not too bad. Jaren has been cheering me up.’
Sadie looked back and forth between the two of them. ‘Has he? That’s good.’
‘We have been devising ways for Cat to take her revenge,’ Jaren said, grinning. ‘I suggested hiding prawns throughout the bar, in places he’d never think to look for them.’
‘And I think I should open a fabulous bar of my own right next door and steal all his customers,’ Cat said.
‘I see,’ Sadie said. She cast a swift look Jaren’s way. ‘And how are you feeling about things?’
Cat flashed her a warning look. ‘He’s fine. Angry on my behalf, obviously.’
Sadie nodded. So Jaren had no idea that Elin was partially responsible for Cat’s unhappiness. ‘Well, I hate to break up the revenge party but the salvage company are just about to start stripping out the damaged equipment from the shop. Is there anything you want to keep?’
Cat gave a little shudder. ‘No. I’ve made a list of all the equipment we lost – the insurance company have said they’ll replace like for like.’
‘In that case, can you come and set up the cart while I deal with the paperwork? Clare isn’t arriving for another half an hour.’ Sadie gave her friend a searching look. ‘If you feel up to it, that is?’
Cat stood up. ‘Honestly, I’m fine. Thanks for the coffee, Jaren.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ Jaren said. ‘And you know where I am if you want to talk. I also know a man who can supply any number of rotten prawns.’
Cat laughed. ‘I’ll bear it in mind.’
Sadie smiled in goodbye and waited until they were across the Court before firing a questioning look Cat’s way. ‘You didn’t tell him?’
‘I couldn’t bring myself to,’ Cat replied, sighing. ‘I know they say misery loves company but not in my case.’
‘You know he’s bound to find out eventually.’
‘I know,’ Cat said. ‘But I didn’t want him to hear it from me. I – I wanted to give Elin the chance to tell him.’
Sadie shook her head, wondering whether Cat had been subconsciously worried Jaren might turn on her. But no matter what her motivation, Sadie found Cat’s generosity of spirit to be amazing. ‘You’re a better person than me. I’d have set fire to everything and let it burn.’
Cat smiled. ‘No, you wouldn’t. I still remember how dignified you were over Daniel’s affair. Where do you think I learned it from?’
Sadie wanted to laugh – if only Cat had seen the sobbing, shrieking mess she’d been when she’d first found out about her husband’s affair. But she had tried to be fair, once the dust had settled, which was probably why they’d been able to try again after almost a year apart. In any case, she’d put it all behind her, for Lissy’s sake as much as everyone else’s.
‘You’re not going to forgive Seb, though, are you?’ she asked, crossing her fingers.
‘No, that ship has most definitely sailed,’ Cat said. ‘I told him so last night.’
So she had gone to see him, Sadie thought. She couldn’t say she was surprised. ‘Good. I hope you gave him hell.’
‘I tried,’ Cat said, reaching down to open the cupboards of the cart. ‘But I’m not sure he really believes he did anything wrong. And until that sinks in, I don’t think he’ll be able to maintain any kind of long-term relationship. So all in all, I think I’m better off out of it.’
‘Good,’ Sadie said. She reached out to touch her best friend’s hand. ‘For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to be just fine. And I wouldn’t mind betting that there’s someone perfect for you just around the corner.’
Cat rolled her eyes good-naturedly. ‘You know, that’s pretty much what Jaren said.’
Sadie returned her friend’s mocking look with wide-eyed innocence. ‘Did he indeed? Great minds obviously think alike!’
*
The morning flew by in a blur of customers. Cat did her best to stay busy, splitting her time between managing the cart when Sadie needed to supervise the repairs in the shop and helping Clare to keep on top of the personalised orders. She kept her eyes resolutely away from both Seb’s bar and Elin’s chocolate shop, something that the steady stream of customers made easy. By the time closing time rolled around, Cat could see the same exhaustion she felt mirrored on the faces of Sadie and Clare.
‘Wow,’ Sadie said, staring at the few remaining tins of biscuits on the cart. ‘I hope you baked a lot of biscuits this morning, Cat. If today is anything to go by, we’re going to need a whole lot more tomorrow.’
Cat let out a long, weary breath. ‘Not enough – not when I take the online orders into consideration. I guess I know what I’m going to be doing tonight.’ Her gaze flickered upwards for the briefest of seconds. ‘It’s a good thing I don’t have anything else planned.’
Sadie threw her a worried look. ‘Well, yes. But how am I going to ice them?’
‘We could come in early tomorrow and use Jaren’s kitchen,’ Clare suggested.
‘But they need time to dry and I don’t imagine Jaren will want his kitchen awash with bunny-shaped biscuits,’ Sadie pointed out. Then she snapped her fingers. ‘We’ll have a baking party at my house. Cat, you bake as many as you can at home, then bring the biscuits over to me. Clare and I will ice them while you bake more.’
Cat opened her mouth to argue then closed it again. If she was totally honest, the thought of moping around her kitchen alone was a little daunting, even if she would be busy baking. ‘Okay. What time?’
‘Seven-thirty?’ Sadie suggested. ‘Clare, are you in?’
‘Definitely,’ the other woman said. ‘Whatever you need. I can even pick you up if you like, Cat?’
Cat summoned up a warm smile. ‘That would be great.’
She was just about to suggest a time when a shadow fell over the cart. Cat looked around to see Elin hovering a few feet away.
‘Have you got a moment, please, Cat?’ she asked in a calm but hesitant voice.
Beside her, Cat felt Sadie bristle. ‘Not really,’ she snapped before Cat could speak. ‘We’re a little bit busy, actually.’
Cat laid a hand on Sadie’s arm. ‘No, it’s okay. This has to happen sooner or later – it might as well be now.’
‘Are you sure?’ Sadie asked, consternation in her eyes. ‘It’s very soon.’
It was soon; once again, Cat wished Seb had chosen someone she didn’t know. But this was a conversation that had to happen eventually and the truth was that the faster she and Elin cleared the air, the faster Cat could move on. She didn’t want to dread coming into work each day the way she had that morning.
She nodded at Sadie. ‘I’m sure.’
Sadie flashed a disgusted look at Elin but didn’t say what she was so obviously thinking. ‘Fine.’
Clare looked mystified as Cat turned back to her. ‘See you around seven pm – you’ve got my address, right?’
‘Volunteer Street,’ Clare said. ‘Okay, I’ll see you later.’
Pressing a reassuring hand onto Sadie’s arm, Cat fixed Elin with a pointed look. ‘Your place or mine?’
‘Mine is closest,’ Elin replied.
‘Yours it is, then,’ Cat said, unsmiling. ‘Let’s go.’
She was glad when Elin led her to the chocolate shop rather than her home. The delicious aroma as they stepped inside made Cat’s mouth water, although she wasn’t remotely interested in eating anything. In fact, she imagined the glistening chocolates surrounding them would taste like dust right now.
She waited for Elin to speak first, determined not to make it too easy for the chocolatier. The trouble was it didn’t seem as though Elin was finding things easy; she looked tired and unhappy and her usually immaculate make-up couldn’t hide the pinched expression around her eyes. Even her sleek blonde bob was rebelling; there was a touch of frizz around the ends. Cat wouldn’t mind betting that she’d had a sleepless night and a worry-filled day.
Elin drew in a breath. ‘I’m sorry.’
Again, Cat waited, maintaining her stony silence while the other woman pinned her gaze to the floor. ‘I know Seb has told you what happened, and that we’d both been drinking, but the truth is that’s no excuse. We knew it was wrong. And I’m sorry we hurt you – it was the last thing either of us wanted.’
Cat dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. At least Elin wasn’t trying to shift the blame, the way Seb had. ‘You did hurt me,’ she said quietly. ‘The fact that it was you makes it a double betrayal.’
Elin’s blue eyes flashed before she dipped her head again. ‘I know. And if I could take it back, I would. You have no idea how wretched I felt, listening to you tell Seb how cruelly you’d been treated in Paris and knowing that we’d done something far worse.’ Her gaze glittered with remorse. ‘I wanted to tell you but Seb talked me out of it. He said you were too fragile.’
Stormy Weather at Castle Court Page 8