“Getting into the habit of going to the gym,” said Maggie. “Rex was saying how much he enjoyed it.”
Rachael climbed into the car and Rex closed the door behind her.
“And how’s Callum today? I’m not sure he’s enjoying Thor’s sessions,” asked Rex.
“I’m not sure Callum enjoys anything, Rex,” replied Maggie. “Maybe you guys can cheer him up a bit at the weekend.”
“Can’t promise that, I’m afraid, he’s a grumpy bastard at the best of times. No offence, Maggie, but he is. He was even grumpy on the last golf trip and then he buggered off and left us in the lurch. Some of the boys said he had work stuff going on but I think Myles had pissed him off; he couldn’t take a joke. I’m not sure how that reunion’s going to work this weekend.”
Rachael glanced at Maggie.
“Where are you all going on this night out, anyway? You need to tell us so that we can avoid you,” asked Rachael, changing the subject.
“Some Italian place for dinner,” said Rex, helpfully. “Davie’s booked the whole restaurant so no point in me telling you where it is, and then we’re going on to that new place, Fanshaw’s, or whatever it’s called. It’s sort of a bar come nightclub. Have you been there, Maggie?”
“Darling, do I look like a clubber? Me and nightclubs don’t usually get on and the one we went to in Wales was just full of children, if my memory serves me right. To be fair, I’d had a few of those bomber things, so my memory is a bit hazy.”
“Jägerbombs,” added Rachael, winking at Rex. “Maggie became quite an expert didn’t you, Mags? Anyway, clear off,” said Rachael, ‘we’re already late. I defrosted one of Amy’s Thai curries, we can have that when I get back.”
“OK, ladies, have fun,” said Rex and, as he stepped away from the car, Maggie raised the window and drove off.
Maggie was quiet. She wasn’t sure how the reunion was going to go either, but she could guarantee that it wasn’t going to be amicable.
“Sorry I was late,” said Rachael, checking her face in the small passenger mirror; she’d put lipstick on this evening to coordinate with her leggings. She’d got the idea from an episode of Super Model and bought the lipstick while shopping with Amy. Amy had thought she’d completely lost it. She liked it, although it definitely wasn’t as pink as her leggings.
“No problem,” replied Maggie. “It can’t be easy getting back from work in time. I need to get away quite sharpish after the class, by the way, I’m meeting Myles.”
“You’re meeting Myles tonight?” replied Rachael, astonished. “Where?”
“At a hotel. I’ll drop you home and then head over. Callum’s on dog duty. I haven’t told him I’m not coming home yet, he thinks I’m going to a book group with a friend. I’ll message him later to say that I’ve had a couple of drinks and can’t drive and I’m staying the night.”
“Won’t he get suspicious?” asked Rachael, astonished at Maggie’s bravery.
“Probably, but I couldn’t care less,” replied Maggie. “He stayed out last Saturday and didn’t even bother to message me. I can’t wait to see Myles, it’s been a shit week.”
“Are you worried about this weekend?” asked Rachael. “I’d be terrified.”
“I am terrified, I just know something’s going to go wrong. I hope Myles can hold it together. If he gets drunk, I’m dreading he’ll say something.” Maggie tried not to visualise the scenario.
“Oh I’m sure it will all be fine,” said Rachael. “We’ll have a good laugh when we’re out, I’m sure you’re worrying over nothing.”
But as they both fell silent, neither of them were convinced.
* * *
The circuits class had been busy and as everyone gathered their belongings at the end, Thor reminded them about the night out. He tried not to smile as he noticed Gemma and Kyle standing side by side. He was impressed that Gemma had come along to the class again and this time she was working out alongside Kyle. Kyle had kept an eye on her and encouraged her when it got tough and, now standing beside him, she started to chat. Thor positioned himself nearby; he was desperate to listen in.
“Are you going to the night out,” she asked, shyly.
“Yeah, I’m going. Should be a laugh. You should definitely come.”
Kyle picked up his jacket.
“I need some shopping. Do you want to join me? I can help with those diet sheets if you like?”
“Oh that would be really good,” replied Gemma, beaming. “I’ve got to get some candles for my nephew’s birthday cake. It’s a football cake, it’s awesome, my sister made it. It’s all in St Johnston’s colours. She’s so clever, I wish I could bake.”
“Are you a St Johnston fan?” asked Kyle.
“I’m a season ticket holder,” smiled Gemma, proudly. “I’ve been going since I was five, my dad’s from Perth. Do you support them too?”
“I used to play for them at U21,” said Kyle, “until I got injured. They had to let me go. I used to be quite good.”
“Oh my God, that’s so amazing. You shouldn’t give up, my brother plays in a football league; reckon he’d love you in his team. We need to swap phone numbers.”
And as the stars aligned Thor smiled. Kyle had achieved more than a green heart; he’d hopefully found the real thing. Barbara was right. Who needed a dating app? Groceries obviously weren’t the only things you could find in a supermarket.
* * *
Checking everything was in order for the morning, Thor put his files in the desk drawer, locked it and then picked up his phone. He called Jess.
“Hi, it’s me,” he said nervously, not sure how this was going to go. “I got your message.”
“Hi,” said Jess; she sounded fine. “Have you just finished work?”
“Yep, it’s been a long day.”
“What time did you start?” she asked. Thor was surprised, she’d never really asked him about his daily routine before.
“Well my first client was five-thirty but I was up at four-thirty.”
“You must be tired.”
“Not bad, I’m getting used to it.”
There was a brief silence.
“Do you fancy coming over?” he asked. “I’m up again at five but you could still stay if you wanted to. I’ll bring you tea in bed.”
“I’d like that,” she replied. “I’ll give you a massage.”
“Can’t wait,” he replied. “Drive carefully.”
And as he hung up, Thor thanked the universe and headed out of the door.
CHAPTER 64
Myles Cavendish didn’t do things by halves and the hotel suite he had booked was palatial. He had ordered champagne and oysters and, despite the fact that Maggie had always found oysters totally unappealing, she had forced them down with large mouthfuls of incredibly expensive champagne. She’d still found them distasteful. She couldn’t understand how they could possibly be considered an aphrodisiac. In her opinion, if they made you feel sick it didn’t bode well for a good night in the sack. According to Myles, it was the zinc content that improved sex drive. In her opinion, a supplement would be a lot easier to handle. Hopefully he hadn’t noticed her trying not to gag. It had still been romantic though, despite their failed attempt at having sex in the shower. Maggie hadn’t been able to stop laughing as she’d seen their reflection in the mirror and, giving up on any attempt at trying to have sex anywhere other than a bed, Myles had picked her up and carried her through to the bedroom where he’d taken his time and been surprisingly tender. Maggie had finally given into spontaneity and as she’d relaxed, Myles had shown her just exactly what lovemaking was all about. Sadly, she realising only now that Callum had never made love to her. They’d had sex, but it had never been like this. Myles definitely knew how to seduce a woman.
Lying in his arms, Maggie felt content. She wished she could fast forward the next few weeks; she knew it was going to be painful for all of them. As much as she wanted to be apart from Callum, she didn’t want to see him humili
ated. She had no idea how they were going to achieve that.
“Please try and avoid Callum tomorrow,” said Maggie quietly. “I don’t want to have to tell him about you after you’ve fallen out again. It’s going to be difficult enough without any more issues.”
Myles got the message. He still felt guilty for goading him on the golf trip and, quite rightly, Callum probably hated him more now than he did before. They’d had several run-ins over the years; he’d always managed to rub Callum up the wrong way.
“I’ll do my best,” replied Myles. “I’ll try and stay out of his way. Is it still just Steve and Simon that know about us, do you think?”
“I hope so,” replied Maggie. “Although Mike might know as Christie found out when we were in Cardiff. Christie’s not a gossip, though, so hopefully she’s kept it to herself.”
“Its very kind of you to take me on, Mrs Dunbar.”
“Or stupid,” said Maggie. “No one will speak to me either, once it’s all out in the open.”
“We’ll have to leave the country. Where do you fancy?”
“Anywhere there are no gorgeous young things to tempt you away,” replied Maggie. “And, of course, there’re the horses and the dogs and three children…I don’t think you know what you’ve let yourself in for.”
“Trust me, Mags, I know exactly what I’ve let myself in for. I just wish I’d met you twenty years earlier.”
Maggie held him tight. She had fallen in love with him, she knew that now, and if it meant taking the biggest risk of her life, she was prepared to give it a go. And if didn’t work out, then so be it. At least she’d finally found out what it really meant to love someone and, for that, she’d always be grateful.
* * *
Sitting at home in front of the TV, Callum was enjoying the freedom to message Emma. She was out with friends this evening so the texts were sporadic, but it was good to hear from her all the same. They’d been planning the best time for him to tell Maggie, not that it would be unexpected, but it would be uncomfortable and they would need a bolthole. Her sister had a flat they could use temporarily, until they sorted things out, but her husband had no idea and Callum envisaged quite a few complications. Her husband wasn’t impoverished and Emma had money and property of her own so she wouldn’t be destitute, but she didn’t think her husband would take things lightly; they would need to be prepared.
As he picked up the remote to change the channel, his phone beeped again. Picking it up, he checked the messages eagerly. This time it was Maggie. Callum sighed. It was probably another instruction that she’d forgotten to add to her list of things for him to do this evening.
Sorry, I’ve had a couple of unplanned gins so staying at Melanie’s. Will be back in the morning. If you could give dogs a quick walk, Mrs O will be in at 8. She has a key. X
Callum stared at the message. He’d never heard of Melanie, but he didn’t really know any of Maggie’s acquaintances. He wondered whether she was with whoever she was having an affair with. Not that it really mattered. She was obviously seeing someone and so was he. Thor was right. They had to talk about it and sort it all out. Hopefully they could deal with it on Sunday.
“Ok,” he replied and, pressing Send, he went back to the TV.
* * *
“Would you like a glass of wine?” asked Thor, as Jess put her bag down in the hall and removed her coat. He wasn’t sure how this was going to go or whether she was planning on staying. She’d brought a bag with her, hopefully that was a sign. If she said yes to the wine, he could safely assume that she didn’t plan on going home.
“That would be great, thanks,” she said, smiling at him. She seemed different this evening, less confrontational. It was nice and she looked stunning.
“White or red?” he asked.
“I don’t mind,” she replied. “Are you having one?”
“Yep,” he said, looking at her. “It would be rude not to join you, wouldn’t it?”
“Well you choose, you’ve got work in the morning so whatever suits you.”
Thor opened the fridge and took out a bottle of white. He poured two glasses and handed one to Jess. He kissed her gently on the lips.
“Cheers,” he whispered. “Thanks for coming, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered as she kissed him back. “Can we just start all over again, please? I’m sorry for being such a pain.”
“Will you trust me this time?”
“I’ll try,” she whispered. “One of the guys at work said he thought I should. He said he’d trained with you and, if I was his daughter, he’d be OK with my choice of man.”
Thor grinned. Who’d have thought it. Callum Dunbar. Life was very strange sometimes.
“Well let’s give it a go then,” he replied.
And leaving the two glasses of wine untouched, Thor took her hand and led her through to the bedroom.
CHAPTER 65
Saturday
The turnout was good. Ages ranged from eighteen to seventy-five and everyone was in good spirits. Thor had allowed them a night off. If they wanted a blow-out, it was fine with him. Living well wasn’t meant to be a prison sentence; letting their hair down occasionally was good for the soul, if not the body. If anyone wanted to drink they wouldn’t be judged and for those who didn’t want a drink, well, they wouldn’t be judged either. They had tomorrow to relax. He planned on having a real day off.
Things were obviously going well with Kyle and Gemma; he’d noticed that they’d arrived together and Gemma looked lovely this evening. Happiness always shone through.
“Guys, can I pour you a glass of wine?” asked Thor as they came over. “And I’d like you to meet Jess. Jess, this is Kyle and Gemma, both star pupils.”
Kyle looked at Thor and, quickly looking away, smiled as he shook Jess’s hand. Thor was a lucky guy, and he was beginning to think that he was too.
“Pleased to meet you,” said Kyle politely, “and this is Gemma.”
Gemma looked at him and blushed.
“Come on, let’s have a drink!” said Thor, slapping Kyle on the back.
* * *
“So how was your night with Myles?” asked Rachael, lowering her voice. “God, this gin tastes good; it seems like a lifetime since I’ve had a proper drink.”
“Fabulous,” replied Maggie. “Well, apart from the oysters. But I didn’t have the heart to say no.”
“Oh God, you’re braver than me, I couldn’t have done that. Rex tried to make me eat them once when we went to France. I put one in my mouth and threw up in his lap. To be honest, I thought they tasted like sperm.”
The stiff-looking woman standing behind Rachael turned around as she heard the word sperm. Maggie smiled at her. “Oysters,” she said to the woman, “apparently they taste like sperm, very salty.” The woman glared at her and looked away. Rachael tried not to laugh. “And they’re slimy,” Maggie continued. “I really don’t understand how people enjoy them. Anyway, apart from the oysters, it was very romantic. He’d booked the presidential suite, completely over the top but I can’t fault his style, and he bought me the most beautiful silk robe back from Paris. He went to so most effort.”
“I wonder how they’re getting on this evening?” asked Rachael.
“God knows,” replied Maggie. “I asked Myles to try and avoid Callum but you know what they’re like when they start drinking.”
“Yeah, well I hope Rex is behaving because he’s still on detention. If he stuffs up tonight, that’s it. And I’ve told him I really mean it this time. Anyway, let’s enjoy ourselves tonight and we need to drink up. Thor says we’re moving on in a minute. His girlfriend’s suggested some new place that she’s heard about, she says we can all get a dance there which sounds good to me. Slange!” said Rachael, raising her glass and downing her gin. Maggie laughed. It was good to see that Rachael hadn’t lost her ability in the drinking department.
“Slange!” said Maggie, trying to keep up. “Here’s to a great ni
ght, but please don’t let me buy Jägerbombs; I nearly killed myself last time.”
And as they picked up their coats and followed the rest of the group out of the bar, Maggie and Rachael linked arms and headed into the night.
CHAPTER 66
As the guys all filed into Fanshaw’s, spirits were high. Dinner had been good, the wine had flowed liberally and the banter had equalled both. Myles, as instructed, had managed to position himself well away from Callum and had, so far, kept a low profile; he was more than happy to keep the spotlight on the birthday boy. Slightly bored, Myles looked around the bar, which was now filling up with a myriad of after-dinner revellers looking for a party. Usually he’d be scanning the room for an attractive woman to chat up but, happy that he didn’t need – or have any desire to – he leant casually against the bar. The bar was busy and Davie the birthday boy was struggling to organise another round over the ever-increasing noise level. By Myles’ calculations, it was going to take an age to get another drink; he’d maybe head to the gents now and he could check his voicemails at the same time.
As Myles walked into the gents, Steve Sinclair was at the urinals.
“Christ, I’ve been dying for a slash,” he said. “I’ve been stood at that bar trying to order for bloody ages. They need to get their staffing sorted.”
Myles stood beside him.
“Dinner was good, though,” he said. “I can’t believe Davie’s fifty. I don’t want to think about it.”
“Well you can’t be far away,” replied Steve. “When are you fifty? We’ll be hoping for a good bash for yours although most of us aren’t allowed to go away again after the last debacle, we’ll have to bring the women. Have you got anyone yet or are you still sniffing round Maggie?”
Myles didn’t reply.
“You are, aren’t you?” said Steve, zipping himself up. “You sly old bastard. Is that still going on?”
“It might be,” replied Myles. “She wants to get a divorce.”
Trust Me, I’m a Personal Trainer Page 33