‘Get the glasses out then,’ Tracey ordered, popping the cork.
‘Just a small one for me. It’s a bit early.’
‘It’s never too early on your birthday, girlie. Bottoms up,’ Tracey urged.
‘So, what’s this latest disaster, then?’
‘They say things come in threes, don’t they? Well, I got up yesterday and there was a leak in the ceiling, so I rang that old boy I have doing odd jobs for me and he came straight round. I got the ladder out, ’cause he needed to get up in the loft, then I hear crash, bang, wallop. He’s fallen off and knocked himself out. I can’t wake him, so I had to call an ambulance. They wheeled him out on a stretcher with one of those neck braces on. Christ knows what the neighbours must’ve thought.’
Melissa chuckled. Nothing ever seemed to go smoothly for Tracey. ‘Did you hear if he was OK?’
‘Nope. Then I decided to go out with that bloke last night. The one on that dating site. The car dealer.’
‘The nice-looking dark-haired one?’ Melissa asked. Since Kieron died, Tracey’d had lots of casual relationships, but seemed to shy away the moment a man became serious about her. Mel guessed that deep down she had a phobia of getting her heart broken again.
‘Yep, only he looked like the bloke in the photo’s granddad. Honestly, Mel, I swear that photo weren’t of him. And as for the outfit – I have never been so embarrassed to be seen out in public with someone.’
‘What was he wearing?’
‘White jeans and a bastard Hawaiian shirt, I kid you not! The silly old sod thought he was the bollocks too. He sat next to me, put his hand on my knee and had the cheek to say, “You wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but you’ll do for me, baby. You’ll do for me.” I couldn’t get away from him quick enough.’
Laughing, Melissa asked, ‘How did you make your escape?’
‘When he went to the toilet, I bolted. He’s sent me loads of messages via the site today. Thank God I have the brains never to tell these blokes where I live or give them my phone number. I’d have weirdos ringing constantly and queuing up outside if I did.’
‘You know what they say, Trace: you’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince. There is another Mr Right out there somewhere for you, I’m sure of it.’
Tracey raised her eyebrows. ‘Not on that dating site there isn’t. So, what you up to tonight? I thought we’d go up Faces, celebrate your birthday in style. It’s been ages since we’ve been out clubbing together.’
Melissa felt awkward. Tracey would blow a fuse if she knew Jason was coming round, which was why she hadn’t mentioned it. If she did decide to take him back, she would then break the news gently to her friend. ‘Nah. I’m too bloody fat to fit in any of my dresses at the moment, mate. You should go, though. Ask one of your other friends to go with you.’
‘Open your pressie,’ Tracey urged.
Melissa put her hand inside the gift bag and ripped open the tissue paper. The dress was beautiful. Long, slinky and black. It was expensive too, Mel could tell by the French label. ‘Oh Trace, I love it. I doubt it’ll fit me at present, but I’m starting a diet Monday, so fitting into this will be an incentive.’
‘It’ll fit you now. Try it on. It’s ever so stretchy.’
Donte poked his head around the door. He had never been overly keen on his mum’s best pal, so kept out the way whenever she visited. ‘I’m bored, so I’m popping round Calvin’s to play Grand Theft Auto. What time is that man I no longer call my father coming round?’
Aware that Tracey was glaring at her, Melissa cringed. Trust Donte to open his big mouth.
‘Seven, so make sure you’re home by quarter to.’
Tracey was both furious and astounded. ‘No wonder you didn’t fancy Faces. Did it slip your mind to tell me you were spending the evening with that no-good arsehole? I can’t believe you’re letting him back in the house. How could you, after what he did?’
‘The house belongs to him, Trace. It’s in his name, remember? And I was going to tell you afterwards. I knew you’d kick off and I couldn’t be doing with your reaction today. We’re getting a takeaway, that’s all. The kids miss one another and it really isn’t fair on them to keep up this silly not-speaking scenario.’
‘You’ve softened towards him, haven’t you? I can hear it in your voice,’ Tracey snapped.
‘What Jason did was awful and I will never truly forgive him. But I’m hardly blameless myself. After Bobby died, I completely fell to pieces. Jason did everything he could to help and comfort me, but I took my anger out on him and pushed him away. I’m not making excuses for what he did, but I can see where I was in the wrong too.’
Tracey’s lip curled with anger. ‘But he was knocking Charlotte off way before you got pregnant. Conveniently forgotten that, have you? The man has no morals.’
‘Don’t be mad at me, mate. It is my birthday.’
Absolutely seething, Tracey slammed her glass against the kitchen table. ‘Remember your wedding reception? Then this slag Charlotte turns up at your door and Jason admits to a full-blown affair with her. If you take him back, you want your brains tested, Mel. Jason is a player and he’ll only break your heart all over again. Once a womanizer, always a womanizer. Leopards like him don’t change their spots, mate.’
Glancing at his Rolex, Jason Rampling picked up his phone. ‘Where the hell are you, Shay? I told you to get your butt back here by six thirty at the latest.’
‘You did, and I told you I didn’t want to spend the evening with Mental Melissa. I’m at Natasha’s and that’s where I’m staying.’
Jason was furious. His twelve-year-old daughter was the bane of his life just lately. As if he didn’t have enough on his bloody plate. ‘If you don’t come, I swear to fucking God I will take you out that posh school where all your muckers are and you can go to the local comp instead. Oh, and you can forget your summer holiday in Marbella with Natasha and her parents. You won’t be going there either.’
‘All right. I’m leaving now.’
‘Mum, they’re here,’ Donte shouted. He was literally dreading the evening ahead; he would never forgive Jason for what he had done to his mother.
Melissa’s heart was beating wildly. ‘Open the door then,’ she ordered, trying to keep her voice calm. It was six months since she’d seen him. They’d spoken on the phone, but Mel had refused all offers of meeting face to face.
‘Happy birthday, Mel,’ Jason said, handing her the huge arrangement of flowers.
Melissa smiled. ‘Thank you, Jason. Go sit in the kitchen, make yourself comfortable.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jason waited until the kids had gone upstairs before squeezing Melissa’s hands. ‘Thanks for inviting me and Shay round. I am truly sorry for cheating on you, ya know. I was bang out of order.’
Melissa promptly snatched her hands away. ‘Have you seen her since? Charlotte.’
‘No. She’s engaged to another bloke now.’
‘How d’ya know that?’
‘Bumped into a pal of hers.’
‘She was very pretty.’
Jason smiled. ‘So are you.’
Melissa looked at her husband with steely eyes. He had hurt her so much, she was determined he would never do so again. ‘A lot of changes need to be made if you’re going to move back in.’
‘Like what? Just name ’em.’
‘No way are you swanning off to Jersey, on golf trips, or anywhere else for that matter. Now I know what you get up to behind my back, I can never trust you again.’
‘OK.’
‘I don’t want any of your family round here either, and that includes your nan.’
‘Fair dos.’ Jason knew full well his nan wouldn’t come round anyway.
‘I also want us to try for another baby.’
Jason opened his mouth, then closed it again. This was the last request he’d been expecting.
‘Say something then,’ Melissa urged. ‘I know what a good dad you are, so I
would never stop you seeing our child if we were to split up again, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
Jason was searching for the right words. He didn’t particularly want another child, but he did want to come back home.
‘When can I move back in?’ he asked.
‘That all depends if we’re in agreement on what we want out of life, Jason.’
Jason shifted uncomfortably in the chair. ‘OK. If you want a baby, we’ll have a baby.’
‘I can still visualize her you know, Charlotte, standing on my doorstep. I can even remember the perfume she was wearing. Tracey sometimes wears the same. Trace was round here earlier and Donte let slip you were coming by. She thinks I’m off my head even allowing you across the bloody doorstep.’
‘Good old Tracey. Still stirring up shit, I see. Some things never change. And in fairness to me, I do pay the bloody mortgage on this house. The extortionate amount it costs comes out of my bank account, bleeding me dry every month. Look, Mel, I know how much I hurt you and I’ve got to live with that. But I am willing to do whatever to make our marriage work again. So, yes, I see no reason why we shouldn’t try for another baby. But let’s not rush into things. We need to get back on track first.’
Melissa stared at the man she had married. He was so bloody handsome, still gave her butterflies. She squeezed his hand. ‘Tell me about your mum’s funeral. How did it go?’
‘Shall we go downstairs? Check they haven’t murdered one another,’ Shay suggested to Donte.
‘No. Leave ’em to it. Do you think your dad loves my mum?’
Shay shrugged. ‘He doesn’t say much, but I think he’s missed her.’
‘It was horrible when you left, you know. My mum was a wreck, drinking wine all the time and crying.’
‘Your mum was drinking wine all the time and bloody crying before we left. I think she drove my dad to do what he did by keeping on about Bobby all the time.’
‘That’s no excuse for him cheating on her,’ Donte spat.
‘Not saying it is.’
‘Do you reckon they will get back together?’
Shay sighed. ‘Dunno. But can we talk about something else now? I’m bored with discussing them.’
‘Has there been anyone else, Jason? You know, since her.’
‘There’s been no one else, I swear,’ Jason lied. He was a man – of course he’d indulged in a few flings. He wasn’t about to admit that to Melissa though. ‘What about you?’
‘I slept with our mechanic,’ Melissa replied casually.
‘You slept with Steve!’
Pleased by the look of horror on Jason’s face, Melissa nodded. She wanted him to know how it felt, how much it hurt. That’s the only reason she had gone on a couple of dates with Steve. The sex had been awful and she’d hated every second of it. But it had been worth it for revenge.
Jason paced the room and punched the wall. ‘I don’t believe you, Mel. Why Steve? Couldn’t you have humped a stranger? I took my car to that cunt only last week.’
‘No point you getting sanctimonious with me. You started all this. At least Steve wasn’t a full-blown affair.’
‘Steve. Fucking Steve,’ Jason mumbled.
Thoroughly chuffed her husband was so upset, Melissa said, ‘Sit down. I think we both need a drink, don’t you?’
‘Well? Any sign of blood?’ Donte asked as Shay returned to the bedroom carrying crisps and two cans of Coke. All his pals at school were in awe of him having Shay as a sister. They rated her ‘cool’ and ‘well fit’.
‘No visible sign of blood or gore, but neither of ’em looks too happy. I think they were arguing about something, but shut up as soon as I opened the door.’
Donte propped himself on his elbow. ‘If they don’t get back together, can we still keep in touch and hang out occasionally?’
‘And why would I want to hang out with a little squirt like you?’ Shay mocked.
‘Because I’m the closest thing you’ll ever have to a little brother.’
Shay grabbed Donte in a headlock. They might not be blood relations, but they’d always referred to themselves as brother and sister. ‘I suppose we might keep in touch. If you’re lucky.’
Jason Rampling was still reeling. Melissa sleeping with another bloke was something he hadn’t prepared himself for and the fact it was his bloody mechanic just made the situation ten times worse. ‘I’m paying that liberty-taking bastard a visit tomorrow. I’ll give him what for! I bet you was pissed, weren’t you? Ply you with booze first, did he?’
‘No. I wasn’t pissed,’ Melissa lied. ‘And don’t you dare pay him a visit. We weren’t together at the time, Jason. I was a free woman.’
‘Loose woman, more like. And what do you mean, “not together”? Have I missed something here? You divorced me without me knowing? Only, as far as I’m aware, we are still married. You might not be wearing your ring, but I am,’ Jason said, thrusting his hand towards her. That hurt too. The fact she had taken her ring off. He hadn’t, not once.
‘If it makes you feel any better, I only slept with Steve the one time. It didn’t feel right, so I ended things immediately afterwards.’
‘Was you dating him then? Or just bending over car bonnets?’
‘Neither, and I seriously do not have to justify myself to you, Jason Rampling. You even ruined our wedding reception, remember? What a hideous old slapper she was. Most humiliating moment of my life. Do you honestly think I believe you have gone this past year without having sex once? I wasn’t born bloody yesterday, you know.’
Jason put his head in his hands. All this was far more difficult than he’d anticipated. Melissa had changed, seemed stronger and more bullish. ‘I had a couple of one-night stands, OK. But I swear they meant nothing. It’s you I want to be with.’
Melissa forced a smile. This was difficult for her too, but she knew deep down what she wanted. ‘We can make this work you know.’
Jason clenched his wife’s hand. ‘I hope so.’
‘How are Elton and Kyle doing? And Barbara?’ Donte asked Shay.
‘The boys are doing well. They go to some recording studio along the A13 to practise their music now. They’re MCs. Babs has got a job now too, but she’s fatter than ever, poor cow.’
Donte’s eyes opened wide. Jason’s younger brothers were mixed-race like him, but always acted, spoke and dressed like proper black boys. That impressed Donte. He’d learned lots of slang words from them and they’d taught him plenty about music. ‘Are they recording an actual track?’
Shay scrolled through her phone. ‘Why don’t you ask them yourself?’
Melissa knocked back her wine. It had been a tough evening, but she was proud of the way she’d held herself together and was sure they were getting somewhere. ‘Who were the other couple?’ she asked Jason.
‘What other couple?’
‘The couple of flings you admitted to.’
Jason held his hands up. ‘I don’t even remember their names, and that’s God’s honest truth. One I met on a stag weekend. I was that drunk I couldn’t even perform properly. And the other I met up town in some bar. It was just sex, babe. Nothing more, nothing less.’
‘I bet you never used anything, did you? That’s another thing we better add to our “To Do” list. You’ll need to get a test done at the STD clinic.’
‘I’m not bloody stupid, Mel. There’s sod-all wrong with me. How do I know you haven’t got a dose? Make Steve bag up, did ya?’
‘Yes, I did actually, Jason. I’m not quite as irresponsible as you. You get tested before you come home, or you don’t come home at all. Entirely up to you.’
‘OK, I’ll get tested, for Christ’s sake. But I need you to do something for me too.’
‘What?’
‘Let me put all Bobby’s stuff away somewhere and redecorate the nursery. I find it depressing, and if we’re going to make a fresh start we need to look to the future, not the past.’
Melissa’s eyes welled up. She still sa
t in the nursery some days, but not every day. Eleanor, her counsellor, had suggested the very same thing as Jason, so Melissa nodded sadly. ‘OK. But I want to keep the photo on the wall. We can’t forget about him completely.’
‘He’ll never be forgotten, babe. He’s our little boy.’
Feeling emotional, Melissa quickly changed the subject. ‘Did you know my dad moved to Spain?’
Jason’s eyes opened wide. ‘No. When?’
‘A couple of months back. He sold the house and the business. The old slapper’s gone with him. I don’t think he felt safe here any more after being shot. Good riddance to the pair of ’em, if you ask me.’
‘Did they ever arrest anyone for shooting him?’
‘Not as far as I know. My dad reckons it was Craig Thurston who shot him. I think the police arrested him but then let him go. Didn’t you used to do business with him?’
‘That was ages ago. I haven’t seen Craig for Christ knows how long,’ Jason lied.
‘Well, don’t be having no more to do with him, will you? Looks really bad, you hanging out with him, if he tried to murder my dad.’
‘Nah, course not. I don’t think it was Craig though. I know your dad owed him money once, but he got that back. Why would he want your dad dead?’
‘Don’t know. But my dad reckons he heard his voice.’
‘How do you know all this? You talked to your dad?’
‘No way! I will never speak to him again after what he did to Mum. I bumped into my dad’s cousin and he told me all the gossip. He reckons Craig is a proper wrong ’un and is involved in drugs now.’
Life of Crime Page 20