by Lacey London
‘Cute? Alice, you hate children!’ I laugh nervously and fold my arms. ‘What’s going on?’
Alice blows a piece of hair out of her face and screws up her nose. ‘Nothing.’
‘Oh, please! You are a terrible liar! Spill it.’
She shoots me a blank stare and chews her lip.
‘Alice!’ I yell, a little too loudly.
‘Fine!’ She concedes. ‘But you have to promise not to tell anyone.’
‘OK…’ I reply, wondering what on earth she is going to say next.
She fiddles with her watch for a moment, choosing her words carefully. ‘Eve has somewhat of a bad reputation around here.’
‘What kind of reputation?’ My brow crinkles in confusion. ‘Eve’s lovely.’
Alice looks down at her perfectly manicured nails and exhales loudly. ‘Do you know how Owen met Eve?’
I look up at the sky and rack my brains. ‘Actually, I don’t.’
‘Eve was a lap dancer.’ Alice holds her breath and waits for my response. ‘She used to be a stripper.’
‘A stripper?’ I laugh, slapping her thigh. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous.’
‘I swear.’ She holds her hands up to emphasise her point.
No way, I think to myself. They have most definitely got this wrong. The beautiful, classy lady who lives next door can’t possibly be involved in something as seedy as stripping.
‘Only that’s not all.’ Alice continues, seemingly not happy with dropping only one bombshell on me. ‘She also had a thing with Tamara’s husband…’
‘Tamara?’ I look at her like she has lost her mind. ‘Who the hell is Tamara?’
‘Tamara used to work in Gwen’s shop. She lived right here on the lane until last year.’
‘What happened last year?’ I whisper, not really wanting to know the answer.
‘Eve happened. Tamara moved away from the village immediately after the divorce. Couldn’t bear to be around Eve.’ Noah lets out a whimper and Alice rocks his pram gently. ‘If I were you, Clara, I would be very careful about letting that woman around your husband.’
Eve wouldn’t have an affair. No way. I look into Alice’s eyes and wonder what reason she could have for making this up.
‘I didn’t want to tell you because Eve has taken enough stick for this already. Just remember what I said, Clara. Be very, very careful…’
There are times in life when you should open your mind before you open your mouth…
Chapter 14
I wish I could tell you that the rest of the party went well, but it didn’t. After Alice’s outrageous bombshell things went from bad to worse. Lianna and Eve’s drunken behaviour didn’t improve either. From diving into the play pit with the children to swigging wine straight from the bottle, it’s fair to say that they weren’t exactly well received by Francesca and her friends. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to hold me responsible for their unruly behaviour, but I won’t hold my breath about getting invited to any more of Francesca’s parties.
With Li and Eve making a swift exit after the play pit incident, I stayed behind to help Francesca clean up. I was itching to ask Alice more about the whole stripper thing, but I couldn’t get her alone and Gwen’s sudden frosty exterior convinced me not to probe her either. I genuinely cannot believe that Eve was a stripper. Eve of all people! It is almost comical. I have been thinking about it nonstop since I arrived back home. I would ask Eve directly about it, but if it isn’t true I would be absolutely mortified.
Noticing that Janie is in bed sleeping off the vodka that she consumed earlier, I decide that now would be a good time to tell Oliver about this afternoon’s bizarre events. Crashed out on the couch watching the football, he seems a little annoyed that I have interrupted him mid match. Revealing all about Lianna and Eve’s shocking behaviour, I am completely shocked when he erupts into laughter.
‘What’s so funny?’ I ask, crossing my arms and frowning.
‘Oh, come on!’ He takes off his baseball cap and tosses it onto the floor. ‘Li and Eve gate crashing Francesca’s fancy party! It’s hilarious!’
‘Really?’ I squint my eyes and look at him in disbelief.
‘Really! That bunch of women need to learn how to loosen up.’
I bite my lip and turn my attention to the television. Why is he so against Gwen and her friends and more worryingly, why is he defending Eve?
‘Don’t you like Francesca?’ I ask, tapping my foot in annoyance.
‘No.’ He replies, not taking his eyes off the match.
‘Why?’
‘I just don’t. Can you drop it now, please? I’m trying to enjoy the game!’ Rubbing his temples in agitation, he reaches down for his beer.
‘Fine.’ I mumble. You enjoy the game. Beer and football? How clichéd.’
Oliver rolls his eyes cockily and I debate telling him about Eve’s chequered past. I bet he wouldn’t be so defensive about her then. Glancing out of the window at her house, something inside stops me from saying anything. Everyone has a past, don’t they? My mother always taught me to give people a second chance in life, but sometimes giving people a second chance is like giving them another bullet because they missed in the first place.
Snuggling into Oliver’s warm chest, I find myself worrying about Alice’s other revelation. Eve had a thing with a married man. What on earth did that mean and why didn’t I push her to find out? Twisting my wedding band around my finger, I suddenly feel a little anxious. Can you really be friends with a person that you can’t trust? If Eve has had an affair with a married man before then what’s to stop her from going after mine? Not that Oliver would look twice at Eve, obviously. I have total faith in my lovely husband. I can safely say that I trust him completely. I just can’t seem to shake that nagging feeling that I am playing with fire and if that’s the case, it won’t be long before someone gets burned…
Be careful who you trust.
Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend…
Chapter 15
‘Shh!’ Rocking Noah back and forth, I let out an almighty yawn and tip toe around the living room. ‘I have changed you, fed you, cuddled you… What is it that you want?’
Why won’t he stop crying? Why? Why? Why? With Oliver having to collect his dad from the airport tomorrow, it has been left to me to do the night shift. For almost two hours now I have tried every trick in the book and nothing is working. Maybe he’s ill? Maybe there’s something seriously wrong with him? Feeling an overwhelming wave of nausea run through me, I crash down into a chair and let out an exhausted sob. I am so tired. I genuinely don’t think I can stay awake for a moment longer.
Just as I am about to burst into tears, Janie appears at the top of the stairs.
‘What the hell is going on down here?’ Pulling a hot pink dressing gown tightly around her, she stomps down the stairs and stops in front of me.
‘He won’t stop crying. I have tried everything! I don’t know what to do…’ My voice trails off into a series of sobs as I cover my mouth with my hand.
‘For crying out loud! Give me that baby!’ Janie carefully takes Noah out of my arms and holds him against her inflated chest.
Bouncing her hips from side to side like she needs to go to the bathroom, she hums gently and works her way around the living room. Doesn’t she think I have already tried that? Within minutes, Noah ceases into silence.
‘How do you do that?’ I whisper, staring at her open mouthed as she disappears up the stairs with the baby.
Staring at the ground in disbelief, I genuinely feel shocked to the core. Does Noah hate me? Is that it? Why will he fall asleep for Janie, but scream until he is purple whenever I try the exact same technique? A few moments later, Janie returns and grabs a bottle of scotch from the kitchen. Pouring out two large measures, she hands me a glass and tightens her robe to prevent an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.
‘I’m not meant to drink.’ I stare at the glass miserably and try to keep my eyes open. ‘I’m breastfeeding.’
>
‘Jesus Christ, Clara!’ Janie throws back her drink and pours another. ‘One drink ain’t gonna hurt you.’
Begrudgingly taking a sip of the golden liquid, I allow the alcohol to relax me from the inside out and breathe a sigh of relief. It has been so long since I had a drink I had almost forgotten what it was like.
‘How do you do that?’ I ask again. ‘With Noah. How do you do it?’
Tapping her acrylic nails on the glass she leans forward and looks over her shoulder, as if to make sure the coast is clear before revealing her secret.
‘Kids are like dogs.’
‘What?’ I ask, not quite sure that I have heard her correctly.
‘You heard me. They’re like a pack of wild hyenas, a rabid dog or a lone wolf.’ She curls up her top lip into a snarl as she speaks. ‘They can smell fear.’
‘OK…’ I whisper, looking at her in bewilderment. How much of that scotch has she had?
‘You show them that you’re scared and that’s it. Game over.’
‘Game over?’ I repeat, not really knowing what she means.
Nodding seriously, Janie runs her hand through her hair and throws back the contents of her glass before standing up. ‘If he knows you’re scared, you’ve already lost the battle. That’s all you need to know.’
Slamming her glass down on the coffee table she sashays back up the stairs, flashing me a knowing wink as she goes. For a while after she leaves, I stay in the armchair staring into space. Could Janie really be right? Is it me that is making Noah scream? I must admit that after an hour of trying, I feel my heart rate increase and my palms sweat uncontrollably. Even though I know he is safe and well, a little part of me can’t help but flare into a mad panic. Just the thought of something being wrong with Noah makes me hysterical. Could it be possible that Noah is reacting from my anxiety? It does sound a bit farfetched. Grabbing my phone from the coffee table, I jab on the Safari icon and begin to scour the internet.
I read so much conflicting evidence that I don’t know what to think. I take a final slip of whiskey before padding into the kitchen and pour the rest down the drain. A quick glance at my watch tells me that it is way past midnight and most definitely time for me to get into bed. A year of abstinence from alcohol has meant that just two pathetic sips has made me feel a little woozy and I intend to take full advantage of its sleep inducing properties.
Flicking off the light, I pad up to our bedroom and crawl under the duvet next to a sleeping Oliver. My entire body is aching from top to toe as my head hits the pillow. I never realised that sleep deprivation could make you feel actual physical pain. I guess I have finally discovered what it means to be truly exhausted. Feeling a warm arm slip around my waist, I roll over to see Oliver suddenly wide awake.
‘I was just about to come give you a hand.’ Tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear, he smiles sleepily.
‘He just wouldn’t settle.’ My eyes close involuntarily and I let out a huge yawn. ‘Your mother worked her magic as usual.’
‘Yeah. She’s pretty good with the little guy.’ He runs his fingers through my curls and I let out a little moan.
‘Mmm.’ I mumble, feeling myself starting to drift off.
‘He has been grouchy all day. He was bawling like crazy before and as soon as Eve picked him up, silence!’
My eyes spring open and I roll over to face him. ‘Eve? Eve was here?’
‘Yeah.’ He replies, scratching his nose. ‘She came by when you went to the store.’
‘What for?’ My voice comes out as a high pitched squeak and I attempt a cough to cover it.
Since Alice’s revelation the other day I have tried to avoid Eve. Not that I don’t trust her, obviously. I just want to know the full story before I decide how I feel about it.
Oliver shrugs his shoulders and stretches before rolling over to go back to sleep. Not wanting to sound like a paranoid wife, I resist the overwhelming urge to probe him further. Eve never calls around here without texting me first. During the entire time that we have been here she hasn’t spontaneously called over once. Now that I think of it, I waved at her as I pulled off the driveway on my way to the supermarket, so she was aware that I wasn’t home. Hearing Alice’s words ring around my head, I suddenly feel a little nauseous.
Eve had a thing with Tamara’s husband.
Oh, God! Pulling the duvet up to my chin I try to put it to the back of my mind. Eve is my friend. A very good friend. There’s no way that anything would be going on with her and Oliver. Convincing myself that I am just dog tired, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to make myself drift into a much needed sleep.
Despite my efforts, I can’t think of anything except Eve. Eve and her platinum blonde hair, perfect body and piercing blue eyes. I have been on enough evenings out with Eve to know how men look at her. Hell, she has even had me questioning my own sexuality before now. Tossing onto my chest, I make a promise to myself to get to the bottom of this whole stripper thing once and for all. I can’t have some stupid village gossip ruining my friendship with Eve. We aren’t in a school yard any more. We are all mature married women. I’m sure we can discuss this like grownups.
Exhaling quietly, I try to think of how I would feel about Eve if she has had an affair with a married man. I’m not a saint myself, far from it, but I would be lying if I said that I wouldn’t look at her differently. Attempting to push it to the back of my mind, I squeeze my eyes shut and resort to counting sheep.
One… Two… Three… Four… Eve… Stripper… Affair…
How is it that when are trying to pretend that you don’t care about something, it becomes all that you can think about?
I’m not worried about my enemies, it’s my friends that are keeping me awake at night…
Chapter 16
Waving off Oliver and Janie animatedly, I wait for them to disappear into the distance before slamming the door and running into the kitchen. My phone beeps in the depths of my handbag and not for the first time today, I choose to ignore it. I already know that it will be Lianna. She must have sent me ten messages since Friday, but I haven’t responded to a single one of them. After her behaviour at Francesca’s place I really don’t feel like talking to her. Don’t get me wrong, Francesca didn’t seem to hold me responsible, but I do know that she had a Bake and Cake party today and I wasn’t invited. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.
I could just kill Li for embarrassing me in front of my new friends. She knew very well how much this party meant to me and how desperately I wanted to make a good impression. The amount of times I have bent her ear over how difficult it is moving to a new area and how desperately I wanted to build friendships here like I have with her and Marc. My skin smarts as I recall Gwen’s disapproving face. No, I am definitely not ready to talk to her just yet.
Smoothing down my crazy hair, I secure Noah into his car seat and slip out of the back door. All night I tossed and turned, unable to get more than thirty minutes sleep before waking with a jolt. The idea of Eve’s sizzling secret has plagued my thoughts for days now and I can’t take it anymore. Not willing to lose another second of sleep over it, I decided in the early hours of the morning that I would get to the bottom of this once and for all. Knocking on Eve’s door, I fix a smile to my face and wait for her to answer. In true Eve style, she sashays down the hall and motions through the glass for me to let myself in.
‘To what do I owe this honour?’ She calls over her shoulder, strutting into the kitchen with a smile.
‘Oh, no reason. I just thought that I would call in.’ I place Noah’s car chair next to the kitchen island and pull myself up onto a stool.
‘Coffee?’ She asks, flicking on the machine and automatically pulling out a jar of decaf.
I nod in response and scan my eyes over Eve’s rather revealing outfit. I have never noticed it before, but Eve wears the most inappropriate workout clothes. From the too small sports bra to the almost see through leggings, she looks like an extra from an Eric
Prydz music video. Self-consciously tugging on the sleeve of my jumper, I scan the room for evidence. As you have probably guessed, what I am looking for is clues to Eve’s past. Not that I am exactly sure what I am expecting to find here. A leather whip on the window sill? A pink thong hanging from the chandelier? Maybe I’ll find a certificate that says, ‘I used to be a stripper and slept with someone’s husband because I am a whore.’
Accepting a mug, I flash Eve what I hope is a genuine smile and take a much needed sip of coffee. Not wanting to dive straight in at the deep end, I decide to make some small talk first.
‘So, how are your plans for the villas coming along?’
‘Fantastic.’ Eve sighs. ‘We’re flying out to Barbados in a couple of weeks to go over the final details.’
‘Wow! That’s great. I bet Lianna is so excited.’ Even mentioning Lianna’s name annoys me.
‘Owen booked the flights on Friday.’ She hops onto a stool and her eyes sparkle brightly. ‘Speaking of Li, she should be here any moment now.’
‘Really?’ I ask screwing my nose up in confusion. ‘She never mentioned that was coming down here.’
‘Yeah. We’re going to go over some paper samples and then head into town for some drinks. I am just dying for a Cosmopolitan.’
Smiling in response, I wait for her to invite me along, but she doesn’t, so I go in for the kill. ‘Eve, did I ever tell you about how Oliver and I met?’ I twist a strand of hair around my finger and cross my legs to get comfortable.
‘Only like a million times!’ Eve laughs, flicking her hair over her shoulder. ‘Hot stranger in the bar, shows up at your office… blah… blah… blah. I have lost track of how many times you have reeled off your perfect little romance.’
‘Good!’ I fire back. ‘Well, what’s the deal with you and Owen, how did you two meet?’
Eve screws up her nose in confusion and looks at me as though I have lost my mind. ‘What’s brought this on?’ Laughing nervously, she taps her perfectly manicured nails on the breakfast bar.