As Weekends Go (Choc Lit) (18 page)

They wandered back to the hotel, saying little else to each other.

When they entered the bar, Danny smiled and waved at them.

‘Where’s Alex?’ Kenny asked him, head pivoting.

‘Not sure,’ said Danny. ‘He was talking to Rebecca in the doorway earlier, and then they went.’

Abi whipped out her phone.

‘No, don’t,’ said Kenny, grabbing it. ‘Let’s catch them red-handed.’

Danny looked shocked. ‘Maybe they’re in the lounge,’ he offered, seeing Abi’s face.

‘No, it was empty,’ said Kenny. ‘I’m telling you man, they’re
at
it.’

‘Oh, don’t be silly. They’ve probably gone for a stroll somewhere,’ said Abi. ‘Let’s have a drink. They’ll be here in a minute.’ No way did she suspect anything untoward was going on. If anything, she felt more relaxed, knowing Danny had seen them. So, what if Rebecca had forgotten to text her? It proved how much she was enjoying Alex’s company.

Although knowing Bex, she’d probably blown him out, the daft mare.

Oh, well, perhaps she’d give her a knock later.

Rebecca may not have let Alex Heath kiss her, but the look in his eyes when he’d asked her, that mouth so tantalisingly close to her own, had driven her to the brink. She’d had to walk away from him. Did the man have any idea how alluring he was?

He drew alongside her on the bridge. ‘I crossed the line, didn’t I?’

‘We both did,’ she said, concentrating on the tinkling stream below. ‘I’m as much to blame as you are.’

‘No, you’re not. I should have backed off, but I couldn’t.’

The rush of affection she felt for him frightened her.

Oh Lord, whose phone was that beeping in the distance?

Oh, it’s mine, she thought, grappling with her handbag. It fell on the floor. She bent down to retrieve it, but Alex got there first.

‘Let me do it,’ he said, handing it to her.

‘Thank you.’ She pulled her phone from it. ‘Damn! It’s a message from Abi. I was supposed to text her. They’re probably mid-salsa by now.’

She read it aloud: ‘
Hi, honey. No sign of you, so assume you’re either somewhere else with Alex, or in the land of nod? Kenny and I didn’t make the club. We’re back at the hotel, in the bar. Hope you’re okay? Drop me a little reply when you can.
’

Alex’s phone beeped. ‘I bet this is Millsy.’ He peered down at the screen. ‘Yep!

Wants to know where we are. I won’t read you the rest, it’s too rude.’

Guilt and shame captured Rebecca’s thoughts. ‘I think I’d better go back to my room, Alex.’

‘Sure.’ He led her back across the footbridge. ‘What time’s your train tomorrow?’

‘Two thirty.
Why?
’

‘Just wondered,’ he said, looking straight ahead.

They walked on. Alex said nothing to her about joining Abi and Kenny in the bar, and she didn’t ask. She just wanted to get back to her room. As did Alex, to his, she imagined, seeing the neutral expression on his face.

Please,
please
let them get past the bar doorway without being spotted.

They entered the lobby and collected their key cards, no sign of Abi, Kenny, or Danny, whatsoever.

Thank heavens!

They ascended the stairs, stopping on the second floor. Rebecca could taste the awkwardness, feel it bubbling in her chest.

‘Thanks again for my meal,’ she said, eyes scoping the carpet, fearful he’d register the emotion in them, the longer she lingered.

He lifted her chin, planted the softest of kisses on her cheek. ‘You’re more than welcome.’

‘Goodnight, Alex.’ She turned away, the hollow feeling returning to the pit of her stomach as she eased her key card into its slot and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

She remained there, backed against it, tears stinging her eyes, fists balled in frustration.
You utter, utter idiot, Rebecca!
What on earth are you playing at?

From her balcony Rebecca stared up at the stars, envying all those guests sleeping soundly in their beds as she lay curled up on her sun lounger at 3.30 in the morning in her wrinkled dress, assessing and reassessing her life, her relationship with Greg, their marriage.

It was eerily quiet. She wondered if Alex was still awake too.

Probably not.

She’d let Abi know she was safely back in her room ages ago, but had left it at that, saying she’d catch up with her later. She’d then heard her friend return to the room next door. Thankfully, without Kenny.

Ah, well, they’d all be going their separate ways today.

Rebecca stirred, realising that she must have finally dozed off. The sound of a car door slamming, assaulted her eardrums. Being at the back of the hotel she couldn’t see anyone, but could hear people exchanging pleasantries and swapping weekend news. Probably the early shifters crunching across the gravel to work, she figured.

Amidst the sound of bottles clanking and chairs being unstacked below, the crash of pots and pans rang out. The smell of bacon drifted over the balcony.

Monday had dawned hotter than Sunday.

As she sat up she caught sight of her arm. Bloody midges! It was like a dot to dot puzzle. She closed her eyes, letting a shaft of sunlight kiss her face. Her neck ached. Her head must have lolled over the side of the sun lounger when she’d nodded off. What her hair looked like, she didn’t dare think about.

Disorientated, she peered over the balcony, catching the eye of the pool cleaner, whose puzzled expression confirmed everything she needed to know.

She ducked back inside her room and scanned her watch. Plenty of time for an overhaul.

She zipped into the bathroom for a shower. The noise of the hairdryer whirring soon afterwards must have alerted Abi because when Rebecca stepped back into the room, she’d had a text from her.
‘Morning, honey! Can I come in?’

Clad in her bathrobe, with her hair swept up in a high ponytail, Rebecca texted Abi back, any veneer of nonchalance she’d been hoping to display fragmenting as soon as she opened the door to her.

‘Bex, what’s wrong? You’ve been crying.’

Rebecca knew at that moment, seeing the worry and compassion on Abi’s face that she could no longer pretend.

‘You’re right about Greg,’ she said, letting her friend in. ‘I’ve been in denial for months. I don’t recognise him any more, Abi.’

‘Let’s sit on the bed,’ said Abi, turning Rebecca round and steering her towards it.

They plonked down next to each other.

‘I’m so embarrassed and angry with myself,’ said Rebecca. ‘I should have voiced my concerns to him way back. This conference of his gave me yet another excuse to avoid the issue.
Don’t hassle him, Bex, it’s his big moment.
Truth is, I’ve been too scared of what I might hear. All the things we spoke about before we moved into the house, the future action-plan as we jokingly called it, have been trumped by his fixation with work and climbing the social ladder. He’s hardly seen anything of my family this past year. It’s like we’re not good enough for him any more.’

‘You’re including yourself in that?’

‘Yes, because that’s how I feel,’ said Rebecca. ‘I need to sort it out with him. This can’t go on. And now to top it off, I go and meet a man like Alex.’

‘Oh, swoon.’ Abi fanned her face with her hand. ‘Sorry, Bex, but he is one fine specimen. Sorry to change the subject, but where did the two of you get to last night?’

‘We went for a walk in the grounds. He asked me if he could kiss me.’

‘Oh, double swoon.’ Abi’s fanning speed increased. ‘I know this is atrociously bad of me, but please tell me you said yes.’

Rebecca shook her head. ‘I came
this
close though.’ She demonstrated, holding her thumb and forefinger a centimetre apart. ‘I wanted him so much it physically hurt. I keep imagining if I’d said yes, what it might have led to, and I feel so ashamed and two-faced about it, my brain’s sore,’ said Rebecca, her lower lip wobbling.

Abi wrapped her arms around her. ‘Hey, kid, like I said before, you’re human. Compared to me this weekend, you’ve been a saint. Put it down to experience. This time tomorrow it’ll all be two-hundred-odd miles behind us.’

Rebecca laid her head on Abi’s shoulder and closed her eyes. ‘I’m not so sure.’

They both jumped as Rebecca’s mobile rang, staring at it like it was a hand grenade, when they saw the words:
‘Greg calling’
.

‘Leave it!’ said Abi.

‘I can’t,’ said Rebecca, picking it up and walking towards the chaise longue. She could see Abi mouthing to her, ‘Act normal with him!’

‘Hi, Greg,’ she said, between nervy breaths, sitting down.

‘I wasn’t sure you’d be up,’ he replied, no reference to him hurrying her off the phone the previous day. ‘What time will you be home?’

‘Train’s at two thirty, so probably not until about six o’clock.’

Her attention strayed a little as he rattled off his schedule to her: meeting ’til twelve, working lunch, and an afternoon of number crunching re the conference. He’d be lucky to get out of the office by eight, he said. Oh, and could she start thinking about what food and booze they’d need for Mum’s do on Saturday because he wouldn’t have time.

Rebecca didn’t bother questioning it, or the fact he wouldn’t now be at home to greet her. Strangely enough, she felt relieved, and said goodbye having barely uttered a sentence, other than: would he want dinner?

‘I should have told Nick about Greg’s mum’s party when he called me earlier,’ said Abi, when Rebecca relayed the conversation to her. ‘He’s taking me to
The Imperial Garden
tomorrow night, so I’ll mention it then.’

‘I thought Nick wasn’t keen on Chinese food.’

‘He isn’t.’ Abi laughed. ‘He was sober when he said it as well. Told me he’s landing early afternoon and will pick me up at seven tomorrow night. Very strange.’

‘Very sweet, you mean. That’s one of your favourite restaurants.’

‘True. So tell me, how did you leave it with Alex?’

Rebecca shrugged. ‘I didn’t, really. I don’t think either of us knew what to say. He knows we’re leaving at two thirty. He walked me back here last night and we parted. He did give me a little peck on the cheek, but I was so out of it, mentally. What about Kenny?’

‘Said I’d catch him before we left,’ said Abi, standing up. ‘Do you fancy getting some breakfast?’

Rebecca opened the wardrobe door, pulling out her denim shorts and a peach cotton sun top. ‘I’m not that hungry. I might chill out here for a while and pack. It’s almost nine o’clock. We’ll be checking out soon. Let me stew for a bit. I’ll be fine.’ She knew Abi understood her well enough to know when to back off.

‘Okay.’ Abi kissed her on the cheek. ‘If you change your mind about breakfast, though, give me a shout, otherwise I’ll see you in the lobby at eleven.’

‘Great,’ said Rebecca. ‘And thank you.’

Alex had lifted, pumped and pummelled every piece of equipment in the gym for the last hour, trying to shake off how troubled he felt about what had happened with Rebecca. He’d hardly slept at all, shifting from bed to balcony every ten minutes.

Kenny didn’t help, constantly voicing his theories about what might or might not have occurred. Alex had left him to it in the end, and wandered off to the pool terrace to be alone with his thoughts.

Except Kenny had now found him again.

‘What’s up, bruv?’ he said, sitting down opposite Alex at one of the tables. ‘Is it to do with Rebecca?’ Alex kept his sunglasses on, making it difficult for Kenny to gauge things. ‘Her mate Abi blew me
right
out!’

Alex looked away, not wanting any food himself as Kenny ordered two bacon rolls and a coffee from a passing waitress.

‘So, come on then, what happened?’ said Kenny as soon as she’d teetered off.

‘I fucked up, that’s what happened.’

Kenny lit up a cigarette. ‘You didn’t suggest a threesome, did you?’

‘What do you take me for?’

‘I’m winding you up! Anyway, she’s the married one. Her old man seems a bit of a prick from how Abi described him. Bit domineering. She’s younger than him, apparently.’

Alex’s jaw tightened at Kenny’s use of the word domineering. He’d had a hunch about the age gap too.

‘I didn’t sleep with her, Millsy, so stop going on about it.’

‘All right … whatever you say.’ Kenny cleared his throat before taking another drag on his cigarette. ‘You okay with me offering her and Abi a lift back to London later? Seems silly them getting the train back when I’m going the same way. You still seeing your mum and dad tomorrow?’

‘Yeah, about eleven,’ said Alex, running a hand over his damp hair. He heard the message alert ping on his phone.

‘What’s up?’ asked Kenny, seeing Alex’s frown.

‘The gaffer’s sent me a text. We’re flying out to Spain next Monday instead of Sunday now.’

‘Lucky bastard!’ Kenny winked at the waitress who’d returned with his order.

‘It’s not a jolly, Millsy.’

‘Yeah, I know that, but two friendlies and a bit of training is nothing. You’ll still be able to go out. Might even get to see gypsy girl again.’

Alex glowered at him. ‘Bit of training? They’ll have us grafting our nuts off. It’s pre-season, Ken. The only drinking allowed will be on the last night. And that’s only if we win both friendlies.’

As for gypsy girl, as Kenny had referred to her – so called because of her jet-black curls and ruby red lips – Alex had all but airbrushed his encounter with her from his mind.

She worked as a dancer in a club north of La Manga – Statton’s training base for the following week’s trip. Alex had met her during a previous visit, not long after splitting from Stacey when, having been given licence to party on their last night, the whole team had taken full advantage.

When gypsy girl, or Tyra as she’d introduced herself to him in the club, had spotted Alex, she’d put on such a show for him, they’d ended up having sex together in some shithole of a room upstairs.

Afterwards, he’d felt hollow inside, ashamed for taking out his frustration of splitting up with Stacey on some poor woman whose sole aim in life appeared to be pleasuring wankers like him. Who knew how many blokes she’d serviced? Alex was thankful he’d had the foresight to wear a condom.

Predictably, once word got round that he’d disappeared upstairs with her, all hopes of forgetting about it vaporised. Thanks to Liam Tyler, Kenny had found out when they’d arrived home and had been periodically ribbing Alex about it ever since.

Thinking about it now made Alex appreciate how special Rebecca was, how stupid he’d been to try and kiss her. How would he have restrained himself, thereafter, if she’d let him? The thought of sleeping with any married woman was bad enough, but sleeping with one you wanted so much it was driving you crazy, would be disastrous, even if your heart
was
screaming the total opposite.

‘So then, smiler … What do you reckon my chances are of getting a tour of Abi’s flat in Purley later on?’ said Kenny.

‘Honest opinion?’ said Alex, grinning at him. ‘About as likely as you giving me your second bacon roll.’