Knowing Me Knowing You (36 page)

Kate smiled as Joel picked up Cyrus and put him onto his shoulders, running around with him and making the boy squeal with delight.

‘
Kate Baxter, I’m talking to you,
’
Hermione said, turning to see why her friend hadn’t replied.

‘
Sorry, what did you say?
’

‘
Hmm, I think I want to hear all about what happened in that romance lodge,
’
Hermione spoke, eyeing her friend with suspicion.

‘
Nothing happened,
’
Kate replied her cheeks already flushing.

‘
Oh my God Sweetie, w
hat happened? Are you and Joel
...
’

‘
No, well yes
-
I don’t know,
’
Kate admitted.

‘
Sit down and tell me everything!
’
Hermione demanded, pulling a chair out for her.

Kate sat down and let out a sigh, turning to look out of the window again at Joel.

‘
We slept together,
’
she admitted.

‘
Ooooooooooo
!
I knew it! I saw it in the tea leaves and the runes
.
I knew this was the start of something, I told you, didn’t I tell you
!
’
Hermione gabbled excitedly, tapping her hands on the table in appreciation of the news.

‘
It isn’t like that,
’
Kate replied.

‘
What
d’you
mean it isn’t like that? Like what? You’ve been pretending to be a couple for weeks, now you
are
a couple, simple.
’

‘
We aren’t a couple.
’

‘
Now you’ve lost me Sweeti
e, I thought you said you had...
’

‘
Slept together, yes
.
B
ut it isn’t as simple as that, things are difficult for me at the moment,
’
Kate told her.

‘
Don’t tell me he was no good in bed because I simply won’t believe it.
’

‘
It isn’t him, it’s me.
’

‘
You’re
no good in bed?
’

‘
No! Well, I don’t think so. It isn’t anything to do with the physical stuff, it’s me
.
I don’t know how I feel about Joel and I don’t know how I feel about starting a relationship. This is the same dating dilemma I was having before all this mad
Knowing Me Knowing You
stuff started.
’

‘
I don’t see the problem. He’s gorgeous. From what I’ve seen he’s kind and considerate, he’s intelligent and funny and he’s great with kids
.
L
ook at him out there
playing with Cyrus and
Bethan
,
’
Hermione spoke, indicating what was going on in the garden.

‘
Matthew hurt me; I can’t go through that again,
’
Kate admitted.

‘
He isn’t Matthew. I’m not sure there are any other men out there who
are
like that piece
of worthless...
’
Hermione began.

‘
Don’t
Mione
, he’s
Bethan’s
father.
’

‘
But he doesn’t want to be. Stop defending him. What he’s doing to you two is despicable,
’
Hermione stated.

‘
I
know and I’m not defending him.
I know what he is, but he wasn’t that person when we got together
.
H
e was kind and considerate just like Joel an
d he made me laugh, what if...
’

‘
What if Joel turns out the same way?
’

Kate nodded her head.

‘
Love is all about putting your faith in someone and learning to trust them. There are no guarantees, but if you don’t take a chance you never get to learn how wonderful things are when they actually work,
’
Hermione told her.

‘
I wouldn’t want to bring someone into
Bethan’s
life and have
them
walk out on her again.
’

‘
Look out there, he’s
already
in
her life,
’
Hermione told her.

Kate looked out in the garden and saw Joel holding hands with
Bethan
and running towards the swing. He lifted her into it and pushed her high into the air as she laughed and giggled.

‘
He says he’s falling in love with me.
’

‘
Could you fall in love with him if you let yourself?
’

‘
Very easily,
’
Kate admitted.

‘
Want me to read your leaves again?
’

‘
No, it’s something I’ve got to work out for myself.
’

‘
Well if I was you I wouldn’t leave it too long
.
Y
ou could miss out on the best thing that’s ever happened to you,
’
Hermione spoke seriously.

‘
Bethan’s
asleep,
’
Kate remarked as Joel pulled his car up outside her home.

‘
All that running around the garden and two hundred goes on the slide would make me need a sleep. In fact watching her do it has the same effect,
’
Joel replied.

‘
Could you help me with my bag and I’ll carry
Bethan
?
’
Kate asked him.

‘
Sure.
’

Kate carefully undid
Bethan’s
car seat belt and lifted the sleeping child out and into her arms. As she walked up the path and approached the door something felt wrong. She looked up and noticed one of the windows upstairs was open.

‘
Joel,
’
Kate spoke cautiously.

‘
Yeah.
’

‘
I think someone’s been in the house, the
window’s
open.
’

Joel joined her on the path and put her bag down.

‘
Maybe you just forgot to close it,
’
he
suggested.

‘
I didn’t, I’m sure of it. Would you go in first?
’
Kate asked, handing Joel the key.

‘
Sure, wait here.
’

Kate held
Bethan
to her as she watched Joel open the front door and enter the house.

‘
You’d better come in,
’
Joel called a minute or two later as he returned to the front door.

Kate hurried in and was greeted by the sight of Matthew, sat on her sofa, a cup of coffee in his hand, his feet up on the table and the television blaring out a football match.

‘
Hello Kate,
’
he greeted softly, hurriedly putting the cup down and removing his feet from the table.

‘
How did you get in? What are you doing here?
’
Kate blurted out
her heart thumping in her chest as she looked at him.

‘
Hello
Bethan
, aw, she’s asleep
.
S
he looks so much like me when she’s peaceful like that doesn’t she?
’
Matthew spoke, standing up and moving towards Kate to look at
Bethan
.

‘
Get away from her. Joel, could you take
Bethan
up to her room?
’
Kate asked, transferring
Bethan
to him.

‘
Why don’t
I
do that? She always liked it when I put her to bed,
’
Matthew said, attempting to take his daughter.

‘
Don’t you touch
her!
’
Kate exclaimed immediately, hurriedly passing
Bethan
to Joel.

‘
She’s my daughter.
’

‘
Last week you didn’t believe she
was
your daughter; you said you wanted a DNA test. Joel, please take her upstairs. How did you get in here?
’
Kate demanded to know as Joel took
Bethan
away from the situation.

‘
I still have a key. Look Kate, there’s no easy way to say this so I’m just going to come right out and say it. I want to try again,
’
Matthew told her.

‘
What?
’
Kate exclaimed, thinking she was hearing things.

‘
I want us to try again, be a family,
’
Matthew repeated.

‘
You have got to be joking,
’
Kate said.

‘
No, I’ve never been more serious in my life. I know I’ve been a bastard to you and to
Bethan
, I don’t know why, call it a midlife crisis if you like. I felt trapped, I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of having a child,
I
didn’t take to it like you did.
’

‘
I didn’t have a ch
oice.
S
he arrived and someone had to get on with it,
’
Kate spat.

‘
And you were amazing, you
are
amazing Kate. I know I’ve walked out on the best thing that’s ever
happened to me and I need to try and put things right. I need to make it up to you and I need to make it up to
Bethan
,
’
Matthew spoke.

‘
Yes you do.
B
ut not like this and it’s gone way past making things up to me. We’re divorced,
’
Kate reminded him.

‘
It isn’t irrevocable.
’

‘
It is as far as I’m concerned. And what’s happened to that rabid Amanda?
’

‘
I don’t know what I was thinking; she was a passing fancy, nothing in comparison to you,
’
Matthew spoke, reaching out for Kate’s hands.

‘
I’ll go,
’
Joel said, re-entering the room to see the couple holding hands.

Kate snatched her hands away from Matthew and turned to face Joel.

‘
No, don’t go,
’
Kate said, looking at him pleadingly.

‘
I think you two have a lot to talk about that’s all,
’
Joel answered coolly.

‘
I’ve got nothing left to say to him. I told you that,
’
Kate whispered.

‘
You need to sort things out for
Bethan
,
’
Joel told her.

‘
But that’s all.
’

‘
Give me a call,
’
Joel said, backing towards the door.

‘
Joel,
’
Kate said
tears welling up in her eyes.

‘
It’s OK, honestly
.
I understand,
’
Joel told her, giving her an encouraging smile.

Kate watched him leave and a lump formed in her throat as she couldn’t help but recall the way he had touched her the night before and whispered her name as she clung to him.

‘
Who is that thug anyway?
’
Matthew questioned as he appeared in the hallway and brought Kate back to reality.