‘Let’s celebrate. I snuck a little something into the fridge just in case.’ She opened its door and pulled out a bottle. Christie watched her, touched by her sister’s support. Then, while Christie went to the cupboard for two glasses, ignoring the temptation of her secret cigarette stash, Mel set about opening the cava. Just as the cork shot into the air, there was a tap at the door.
‘Is this a private celebration? Or can anyone join in?’
Afterwards, Christie would remember the apparent dislocation of Mel’s jaw as her eyes took in the outdoor type standing at the back door. He was wearing khaki fatigues topped by a checked shirt, open at the neck and with rolled-up sleeves Tall with dark curly hair, square-jawed with high cheekbones and wide brown eyes, he was a dead ringer for one of those rugged models in the mail-order catalogues that kept dropping through the letterbox.
‘Richard! Come in.’ Christie waved a champagne glass at him. ‘Meet Mel, my sister. We don’t normally drink so early but this is special.’
‘She’s about to take the world of TV by storm.’ Mel was exultant as she put her hand on Christie’s shoulder.
‘How exciting! Don’t let me stop you.’ Richard hesitated, then stepped into the kitchen. ‘I’ve come for Olly. Sorry I’m early but I finished work so I thought I’d come straight over.’
‘Mel, could you go and see what those boys are up to?’ Christie asked, and Mel, giving her sister a knowing look, obligingly disappeared into the garden. ‘Won’t you have a drink while they have supper? It’s just about ready.’
When he accepted, she led the way into the sitting room. The last thing she wanted was the embarrassment of him witnessing the burned offering that Mel was about to serve up to his son.
Olly and Fred had been number-one friends ever since Fred had come home from school and told her he had felt sorry for a new boy standing alone in the playground and had asked him to play. Her heart had swollen with pride at this evidence of her son’s generous spirit. Since then, she had occasionally seen Richard at the school gates where she was aware he had set several mums’ hearts beating faster. And with some reason, she thought, as he made himself comfortable on the sofa. A good-looking man with an air of mystery was bound to arouse interest. So far, school-gate gossip had it that he was divorced and had been in the army before recently setting up his own company, some sort of outward-bound executive-training business outside Aylesbury. Olly seemed to shuffle happily between Richard and his ex-wife, who also lived locally but was seen less often.
She caught him looking out of the window at the garden, still bright in the sunshine. For a moment he seemed lost in a daydream but, abruptly, he snapped back into the present. ‘So, can I ask how you’re planning to take the world of TV by storm? Sounds intriguing.’ He put his glass on the coffee-table, before leaning back and waiting for her to speak.
Feeling self-conscious under his gaze, wishing she’d had time to change back into her usual uniform of jeans and top, she gave an awkward laugh. ‘I’m afraid Mel was exaggerating. As usual. I’ve just been invited to try out for a presenting job. It probably won’t come to anything.’
‘Why on earth not? Be positive.’ He lifted his drink and toasted her. ‘Here’s to your success.’
She smiled back. ‘Thanks. To positivity!’ And raised her glass.
At that moment there was a shout as two small boys raced into the room, skidding on the large rug. ‘Dad, I’m Jenson Button and I’ve beaten Lewis Hamilton – that’s Fred!’ Olly squealed to a halt in front of his father, narrowly avoiding Richard’s raised glass. His tow-coloured hair was threaded with leaves, his hands and flushed cheeks streaked with mud, his eyes bright with excitement. Bits of grass clung to his sweatshirt.
‘No, you’re not. My McLaren’s much faster than yours.’ Just as dishevelled, Fred ran a circuit of the room and disappeared again in the direction of Mel’s shout of ‘Supper!’
‘Easy.’ Richard ruffled his son’s hair, sending a couple of leaves spiralling to the floor. ‘I don’t want you to break anything. Remember, this isn’t our house where things aren’t so precious.’
Looking round the room, Christie looked for something precious. Apart from Nick’s photo, there was nothing except the pieces of wonky pottery that Libby had made at school and presented to her with such pride. Seeing it through Richard’s eyes, she was suddenly aware of how makeshift the room looked. The furniture – the ancient three-piece, the coffee-table, two battered armchairs, the TV cabinet, a large free-standing bookcase – seemed small, worn and lost in this generous space.
‘Is Mummy back yet?’ Olly asked his father, with such hope that Christie had to fight the urge to hug him.
‘Not yet.’ Richard squeezed his son’s shoulder. ‘We’ll ring her when we get home, though. Promise.’
Satisfied with the answer, Olly careered after Fred with a screech of brakes and a roar of engine noise.
‘Caro’s in Brussels,’ Richard explained to Christie. ‘She’s a translator and is there more often than not these days.’
‘Single-parenting’s difficult, isn’t it?’ Christie sympathised.
‘Actually, I don’t find it that bad,’ he contradicted her, with an apologetic smile. ‘My work’s pretty flexible.’
‘I don’t think I really know what you do.’
‘I put overgrown schoolboys masquerading as company execs through team-building experiences. It’s actually great fun and they really get something out of it. So do the women who, I’m happy to report, are very resilient. The farmland and woods we use are a paradise for kids. Fred must come over. In fact, Olly and I are camping out on Saturday night. Do you think Fred’d fancy that?’
‘He’d love it. If you’re sure.’
‘Completely. Two boys are much easier than one. It’ll be fun.’
Christie smiled. She’d welcome the opportunity for a bit of bonding time alone with Libby. Her daughter was busy embarking on the terrible teens with gusto and Christie wanted to narrow what sometimes seemed an ever-widening gap between them. Meanwhile, Fred would benefit from being with a substitute father-figure for once. The close adults in his life were all women, with the exception of Maureen’s Ted – and he didn’t really count. ‘Yes, that would be great.’
‘That’s settled, then. Now tell me about your job.’ He sat back again to concentrate on what she had to say.
Basking in his interest, Christie began to describe her lunch. The high that had accompanied her home from the Ivy returned and Richard was soon laughing with her, clearly astonished when she described Julia’s presence. ‘God! She sounds a bit full-on.’
‘She probably goes there all the time.’ But Christie felt less breezy than she sounded. ‘But her being so near did make me feel a bit uncomfortable.’
‘Isn’t she the one who was all over the papers at the end of last year? I dimly remember reading about her.’
‘That’s her. One of her clients was staying with her and she found his body. He was on his own in her pool and must have slipped. A terrible thing.’
‘Apart from that, how much do you know about her?’
