Double Fault (5 page)

“Of course they are. I was hardly likely to leave all your keys over with a complete stranger was I?” She read smug satisfaction in his smile as he bent to retrieve the boxes and then nudged the door wider with his hip, leaving her with little alternative but to return to the car and start unloading the rest of her paraphernalia. Feeling like all sorts of an idiot she was still heaving them onto the pavement when he returned and gave a hiss of irritation.

“For god’s sake go indoors and get warm.  Make some coffee or something while I bring the rest of these in.”

She swallowed the protest she was about to make and instead, realizing it would give her time to hide anything belonging to the twins, hurried ahead of him down the path.  The hall was still strewn with cardboard boxes from her frantic foray into the cupboard earlier that morning and the sink was full of dirty dishes but, unusually, the children’s toys were remarkably absent. They were still jumbled into a plastic tub in the tiny utility area off the kitchen, next to their shiny wellington boots. Even their cereal bowls, bright with nursery rhyme characters, were hidden by piled up crockery.  She gave a sigh of relief and concentrated on unpacking the cooler boxes as Pierce dumped them on the table, avoiding his eyes in case he looked sorry for her.

It was all very well for him to say he had come from this sort of background but it would take a lot to convince her he could truly remember what it was like.  He had earned too much money for too long to look at her shabby little house with any sort of sentimentality.  He would see it for exactly what it was; a home tacked together with second-hand furniture and other people’s cast offs, and judge her accordingly.

As if in confirmation of her dark thoughts, he dumped the final two boxes on the table and then pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. When he eventually spoke he sounded puzzled.  “Can’t you do better than this Kerry? Surely, with your education and background, you could have found something a bit more glamorous than working for a home catering service.  I would have expected you to go for something that pays a bit better as well because it’s obvious you’re really struggling.”

“I happen to enjoy it,” she snapped, hastily closing a cupboard door on several tubes of brightly colored sweets and two lollipops.  “And although it’s none of your business, my education was very decidedly against girls having careers.  Ambition was a dirty word at the school my father chose for me. It was a school noted for producing society hostesses with a good line in small talk and a limited repertoire of cordon bleu recipes, not somewhere that turned out doctors and lawyers.”

“Come on, it can’t have been that bad,” he shook his head disbelievingly.  “I don’t remember you suffering from any glaring educational inadequacies.  In fact I was always amazed by how many books you read while I was practicing.”

“Well it was that or die of boredom,” she surprised herself by smiling.  “I guess I do owe something to the tennis circuit after all.  It gave me a chance to educate myself.”

“Am I supposed to be glad you don’t hold it in total contempt?” Pierce’s voice sharpened as he stood up.  “Was that the only good thing about it Kerry?  Was it only me who was happy during the months we were together because, if so, you’re wasting your talents?  You should be an actress.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t happy, only that I was bored sometimes,” she flushed as she wove further lies into her story. “You were always so busy; there were so many demands on your time; so I guess it wasn’t surprising I got fed up occasionally.  After all there were limits to the number of saunas I could take, or the number of hours I could lie in the sun.”

“…and the amount of money you could spend,” his lips tightened as he referred to the mammoth shopping sprees she’d indulged in, treating herself at her father’s expense until even Pierce had shouted at her.  It was one of the few things they’d argued about; Kerry protesting it was only money while he retorted that it was obvious she’d always had it if she could spend it so irresponsibly.

Well things were certainly different now.  She doubted she would ever be able to spend freely again, not even if
Melanie’s Kitchen
fulfilled its ambition and became a financial success.  She had learned a bitter lesson during the past three years, a lesson she was unlikely to forget although she wasn’t about to admit it to Pierce.

“Oh that,” she dismissed his remark with a shrug as she turned away and filled the kettle.  “The money was there to spend wasn’t it?”

“Until your father threw you out,” he crossed the kitchen in three strides and stood in front of her, a troubled expression on his face.  “Was it my fault Kerry? Was travelling with me the lifestyle he objected to? Would he have been happier about it if I’d bought you an engagement ring, made a commitment?”

“Probably,” she busied herself with mugs and milk so she didn’t have to look at him.  “But it never came into it did it? Neither of us wanted any sort of commitment.  I was too young and you were married to your career. Besides, in this day and age who cares about such things?”

“Apparently your father does,” his hands on her shoulders made her jump and then wince as his fingers bit into her flesh. 

“Put those mugs down dammit and look at me.  If I was the reason you fell out with your father then I want to know about it.  Stop putting up this ridiculous barrier and tell me what really happened.”

She was saved by the telephone.  It was Mel.

“Kerry, was everything okay today?”

“Fine,” the lie rolled off her tongue with practiced ease. “How are you feeling now?”

“Back in the land of the living. Thanks for standing in for me.”

“You’re welcome.  Do I need to cover for you tomorrow too?”

“Yes please. According to food hygiene regulations I have to be clear for at least forty-eight hours before I can start handling food again.”

“In that case I’ll do Wednesday as well,” Trying to ignore the fact that Pierce was still standing too close to her, Kerry reached for her pad.  “Give me the details and…oh no…my car is out of action. It broke down this afternoon.”

“Don’t worry.  You can have the van. You can pick it up when Dad collects you.  That’s the other reason I phoned. He’s on his way over to you. He feels so badly about letting you down at lunchtime that he’s taking you home for tea.”

“He doesn’t have to do that,” Kerry protested, panic building as she wondered how she was going to get Pierce out of the house before Mel’s Dad arrived and started talking about the children.

“Not my fight I’m afraid,” she could tell Mel was grinning. “He just popped in here to see if I’d survived the day. As he was leaving he asked me to let you know he was on his way to give you time to gather up the twin’s pajamas and whatever else they need for bedtime. Mum wants to send them home ready for bed. You know how she’s always looking for an excuse to get them into the bath!”

Kerry sighed.  This was a regular ritual and one she usually enjoyed because it gave her a break from the continual demands her children put on her, as well as providing Mel’s mother with half-an-hour of pleasure as she soaped and powdered them. Tonight though, it was the last thing she wanted. For a start she wasn’t sure if she could get rid of Pierce quickly enough and also she needed some thinking time, alone.

Now he’d found her again it was obvious he wasn’t going to go away until he’d got to the bottom of her story, so she needed to decide what to do.  She knew she should tell him about the children before things got out of hand but the thought frightened her far more than she would have thought possible. How would he react when he realized how much she had deceived him? That she had done it for all the right reasons didn’t seem to matter now he was standing in front of her with a black frown on his face.

“Are you okay Kerry? Are you sure you can cope until Wednesday?” Mel’s worried voice broke the silence.

“Of course I can.  I was just finding a blank page on my pad,” Kerry reached for a pencil and hoped Pierce hadn’t noticed she had a totally clean sheet of paper in front of her.

* * *

The doorbell rang as she was scribbling down the last few details but although she hung up abruptly, barely giving Mel time to say goodbye, she was too late.  Pierce had already taken the few steps necessary to cross her cramped hallway and open the door, and when she hurried through from the kitchen he was staring in total disbelief at the burly figure of Mel’s father, George, who was sporting a very grubby twin on either arm.

Chapter Three

Lauren took one look at Pierce and burst into tears. She held her arms out to Kerry, her tiny body wracked by sobs of fright.

“Now, now! Mummy will think you haven’t enjoyed yourself if you cry like that. Tell her what we did this afternoon,” George tried to console her as he handed her over.

But Lauren wasn’t listening as she clung to Kerry and buried her face in her neck. “No like,” she sobbed. “Go ’way!”

Ben, however, was made of sterner stuff.  “We bin Mel’s,” he told Pierce.

“You didn’t go in though did you,” George put in hastily. “You waved from the car so you wouldn’t catch her old tummy bug, didn’t you?” He was becoming more and more ruffled by Pierce’s silent stare, and consequently more and more hearty.

“Wiv choclit,” Ben agreed, swiveling his eyes round to give his mother a beatific smile.

“So I see,” Kerry used a shaky hand to wipe away the smear of chocolate that ringed his mouth. “Was it good?”

But Ben had already dismissed his long finished chocolate bar and was trying to wriggle out of George’s grasp.  Always a child of the moment, he was more interested in Pierce.

“Me Ben,” he announced, and launched himself into his father’s arms.

* * *

Kerry threw several small items of clothing into a bag and returned to the kitchen in less than five minutes, hoping Ben hadn’t managed to deposit too many chocolaty fingerprints on Pierce’s pale sweater and slacks in the meantime. Her heart was thudding like a sledgehammer when she pushed open the door. She was terrified she had already left Pierce alone with George for too long. Terrified he would have already learned the answer to the question she had seen in his eyes as he carried Ben into the kitchen.

To her amazement all was quiet as Ben examined the intricacies of Pierce’s watch. Even Lauren, safe in the familiar protection of George’s arms, was wide-eyed with interest as Pierce pressed a high-pitched alarm.

Kerry’s heart contracted. This was what it should have been like; Pierce, the children and herself; a real family. She stood silently in the doorway watching them, surprised by Pierce’s patience as he obligingly pressed the alarm again, and then again, to squeals of excited laughter. He was smiling and his voice was softer than usual as he talked to the children, directing his remarks mainly to Ben but occasionally including Lauren so she was gradually losing her initial fright. For once silent, George watched approvingly as if he knew his own jocular behavior would be overshadowed by this interesting stranger who didn’t seem at all put out by the smears of chocolate on his otherwise pristine clothes.

When George looked up and saw her standing in the doorway, he grinned. “Loyalty counts for nothing in the face of modern technology,” he said.  “I can’t compete with a…what did you say it was Pierce?”

“An android smart watch. It works like a mini computer.”

She tried to smile as she recalled how Pierce had always had to have the latest piece of equipment but when she looked at him the expression on his face ripped her apart.  His eyes, which had been soft and blue as he talked to the children, hardened into slivers of grey as he stood up, balancing Ben easily on one arm.

“We’ll finish our discussion tomorrow.” His curt tone probably sounded businesslike to George but Kerry heard the threat in it and her hands started shaking again as she took Ben from him.  He was telling her he knew Ben and Lauren were his and that their next discussion would be long and very painful. He was also telling her she had better have some good answers ready for the questions she could see in his eyes.

Her response was too bright as she moved towards the door.  “Tomorrow will be fine but you’ll have to excuse us right now because there’s a meal waiting for us.”

George stood up with a smile.  “And knowing my wife there’s bound to be a treat involved too which might spoil if we’re late.” 

He held out his hand to Pierce.  “It’s been a pleasure to meet you. I wish I knew why you seem so familiar though. It’ll keep me awake tonight trying to figure it out. Are you sure we haven’t met before?”

“Positive. I just look like someone you know,” Pierce didn’t go into the Pierce Simon, famous tennis player routine that Kerry had seen so often in the past. Instead he picked up her bag and followed them through to the front door. The periwinkle blue eyes he shared with the twins, right down to the thick rim of lashes and straight black brows, were on Kerry as he spoke.

* * *

“What a pleasant young man,” George glanced across at Kerry as he turned on the ignition and started the car.  “He said you are friends from way back and that you met up again today by chance.”