Lipstick and Lies (34 page)

‘Well done.’
Morag whipped off the cap and
sun
glasses and chuck
ed them back in the glove box.

‘Geez, I’m shaking like an aspen
.
’
I clambered back into the passenger seat.
‘I thought I was goin
g to crap myself with nerves.’

‘You’re not alone,’ said Morag.
She lifted one b
uttock and noisily broke wind.

‘Oh for–’
I flapped
the mobile phone about,
fanning the air between us.

‘Sorry,’ Morag apologised
.
‘
The a
drenalin caught up with me
– nervous
tummy.’
She buzzed the wi
ndow down to let in fresh air.

I snapped my seat belt on.
‘
Mission
accomplished Lacey.
Let’s hurry back to Nell’s
,
and pick up our boys.’

By the time we arrived at Nell’s
,
my old neighbour was looking a little frayed around the edges.
Both boys were grumpy and grizzly
,
plus Rosie was awake and wan
ting attention.

‘Thank Gawd you’re both back,’ sighed Nell.
‘I don’t know how mothers cope with triplets.
So
,
was it a successful venture?’

‘Oh yes,’ I said smugly.
‘One hundred per cent.
It’s all on here,’ I tapped my mobile.
‘I’m looking forward to sharing this with Jamie.
If nothing else,
I will prove
Selina is a liar and a cheat.’

By the time we were back at Morag’s, both boys were
hungry and complaining loudly.

‘Come on in Cass
,
’ said Morag as she unstrapped Henry from his car seat.
‘Give Eddie a jar of Mr Heinz.
I’m pretty sure our men are still w
atching their football match.’

‘Okay
.
’
I slung my hold-all over one shoulder
and
lifted Eddie onto my hip
.
Wrestling
with the rear seat-belt
, I pulled the
baby seat out of the Galaxy.
Taking a step backwards
,
I was just about to use my foot to slam the door when Morag
shrieked
with horror.

‘Cass!
Do not even
think
about sh
utting my car door like that.’

‘Oh for the love of–’
I swung around and reversed my backside against the door instead.
It clunked shut.
Weighted down, I staggered into Morag’s hallway just in time to hear Matt and Jam
ie erupting at the television.

‘What a load of RUBBISH!’ Jamie
shouted
.

‘DISGRACEFUL!’ Matt
bellowed his agreement
.
‘The
lads at the
local primary school can play better t
han that lot.’

I deposited Eddie’s car seat in the hall
,
and f
ollowed Morag into the lounge.

‘Ah, hello my angel!’
Matt
hastily
removed
his
feet
from
the coffee table
.
He stood up and began plumping cushions
.
Gone were the day
s when his house was littered with
muddy riding boots, or
had
grubby saddles
leaning up
against the French doors.
Now that Morag was Mrs Harding with her feet firmly installed under the fashionably distressed kitchen table, Matt’s house was like something out of the pages of Country Li
ving magazine.

‘Hi,’ Morag went over and kissed Matt full on the mouth.
‘Take Henry while I get a bottle for him
,
and then I’ll sort out dinner.
Jamie, would you and Cass like to join us?
The kids are welcome too.’

Jamie eased himself out of an armchair.
‘Thanks Morag
.
T
hat’s sweet of you
.
B
ut we’ll be heading home.’

‘As
you like.
’
Mo
rag headed off to the kitchen.

‘Cassie,’ Jamie nodded at me.
‘How are you feeling?’

Since when had my husband ever nodded at me by way of
greeting
?

‘Hello darling,’ I smiled.
Jamie didn’t smile back.
‘I’m fine.
Sound as a pound.’
I stared at my husband.
He was acting very strange.
Quiet.
I’d never seen him like this before.
Matt suddenly seemed very ali
ve to the shift in atmosphere.

‘I’ll just see how Morag is doing with that milk,’ he said tactfully.
He almost bolted from the room
,
such was hi
s discomfort.

‘And you?’
I asked.

‘Me what?’

‘Well, how are you of course?’
What
an
awful conversation.
So stilted.

‘Tired.’

‘Oh dear.
Didn
’t you sleep well last night?’

‘Funnily enough, no.’ A
nerve
was going in Jamie’s cheek.

‘Why?’ I asked in a
small voice.

Jamie
finally crossed the room, but only to take
Eddie from
my arms
.
‘Hello my handsome boy,’ he kissed the top of Eddie’s downy head.
‘And what have you been up to today?’
Jamie wa
s rewarded with a gummy smile.

‘Why?’ I asked again.

‘We’ll
talk at home Cassie.’

‘Oh but I was just
about to give Eddie a jar of–’

‘Make it quick,’ Jamie handed Eddie back to me.
‘The children are still down the stables.
I’ll round them up.
We’ll be waiting in the car.’
And with that he turned on his heel.
‘Catch you later guys,’ he called out to Matt and Morag.
Their voices floated back in unison.
Jamie picked up
Eddie’s
car seat and let himself out.

‘Right then,’ I said to Eddie.
‘Let’s be having that jar of baby food.’
I forced a bright smile.
But as I set off to the kitchen, my stomach was in knots.

On the drive home to Lilac Lodge, Jamie was very quiet.
His somewhat solemn mood made me feel edgy.
Even the children seemed subdued
.
Only Eddie made any noise,
happi
ly blowing bubbles to himself.

As the Muck Truck swung through the electric gates, my gaze fell upon Arthur
coming out of our garage.
He put up a hand and waved.
Jamie waved back.

‘
Here comes
Capt
ain Birdseye,’ Jamie murmured.

I giggled, relieved that the
tension between us had broken.

‘And there’s his first mate,’ I nodded at Edna who appeared a moment later
.
She was
w
iping her hands on an old rag.

We piled out of the car and into the house.
The delicious smell of home cooking
pervaded
the air.
Edna
followed us in.
She
washed her hands at the sink and
then
set about laying the table.

‘Something smells scrumptious,’ Jamie stooped to kiss h
is mother on one floury cheek.

‘Nothing amazing I’m afraid.
I left a c
hicken chasseur and
some
jacket potatoes
to slow cook in the oven
.
We’ve been working on the boat all day.
Cassandra dear, if you want to bath Eddie before dinner
I won’t be dishing up for another twenty minutes
.’

‘Yes, okay.
Thanks Edna.’
Yet again I was being organised in my own home, but as my headache was making a comeback, I batted away such irritation.
My stomach let out a growl of hunger.
It had been a long time since the coffee and Hob Nobs at Nell’s.
Food, especially cooked b
y Edna, would be most welcome.

‘I’ll give you a h
and,’ said Jamie following me.

‘Oh that’s all right darling, I can man–’

I stopped as I caught the expression on my husband’s face.
Ah.
Clearly I had been wrong about the tension between us being broken.
I turned on my heel and went out to the hallway, pausing only to shrug off my coat and sling it over the banister.
Jamie did likewise before following me up to the family bathroom.
He shut the door
,
a
nd bolted it for good measure.

‘It’s pointless locking it.
I need to get Eddie a fresh romper suit and nappy from his nursery.
What’s the matter Jamie?
Why are you look
ing at me like that?’

Jamie unbolted the door.
‘Go on then.
Go and fetch Eddie’s stuff.
Give him to me while you’
re faffing about in his room.’

‘Faffing about?
Since when do I
faff about
?’

‘All the time Cassie
,
’
said Jamie taking Eddie from me.

‘Well really
,
there’s no need to be–’

‘Just.
Go.’
Jamie
gave me a prod.

I went.
Jaw rigid.
Back stiff.
Opening Eddie’s wardrobe
,
I selected a babygro and cardigan
.
Sliding out a drawer, I
whipped out a vest
then
plucked a nappy off the
overhead
shelf.
Faff about.
As if.
Chance would be a fine thing.
I’d been far too busy filming his rotten ex-girlfriend up to no good.
Faff about indeed.
I’d soon have Jamie eating his words when he saw the results of a
very
productive afternoon.
I gathered everything into my arms
,
and went back out onto the landing.
Where was my phone?
Ah yes.
In my coat pocket
, o
ver the banister.
I hastened down the stairs.

‘The bathroom is this way Cassie,’ J
amie’s voice floated after me.

‘Yes I know, I’m just–’

‘Faffing.
This is exactly what I’m talking ab
out.’

I grabbed my coat and pulled.
It shot off the banister dislodging umpteen wax jackets piled on top of it.
‘Why does nobody in this house h
ang up their coats?’ I howled.

‘Cassie
,
will you just leave them and get back up here now please.
 
You don’t need your coat to bath Eddie.
I want to talk to you.’

‘I’m coming!’
I stomped back up the stairs, arms full, coat
trailing in my wake
.
‘If you just stopped harassing me for
one
moment,’ I brushed past Jami
e, ‘there’s something I want–’

‘I’ve run Eddie’s bath,’ said Jamie
.
He
grabb
ed
the plastic changing mat propped up against the wall
.
‘I’ve spent the bulk of the day with the kids and Matt, taking deep breaths of country air to stop me
hyperventilating with anger.’

‘Ang
er
?’

‘Yes
,
Cassie.’ Jamie laid Eddie down on the changing mat
.
His fingers
deftly attend
ed
to the
romper suit’s
poppers.
He looked up at me.
‘Mind telling me what last night was all about?
Every time I think about what happened, I squirm with embarrassment.
’