Stirred with Love (28 page)

‘Did you get salt and vinegar flavour?’ Kate asked when he finally joined her. Will handed her a bag of crisps followed by a glass of wine. ‘I know you men are terrible at remembering the little things.’

Will’s expression remained unchanged. Kate noticed him gulp as he sat down across from her. She frowned, looking into his eyes but they didn’t hold any clues.

 Then he began to speak. ‘Kate, there’s something I need to tell you.’

‘Please don’t tell me that you’re married and have three children. I’m not going to share you, you know,’ she joked, hoping to lighten the ominous atmosphere that had descended over them.

‘What is it?’ she added into the uncomfortable silence that followed.

Will gnawed on his bottom lip. ‘You’re going to hate me.’

Kate stared at him with genuine concern when he looked back again. ‘Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?’ she said.

Will cleared his throat. ‘Do you remember when you first opened The Coffee Stop and I was back and forth at the solicitors a few doors away?’

Kate nodded, recalling how she used to look forward to his visits.

‘Well, I was there to buy up the land at the back of Church Square.’

Kate didn’t understand. ‘But I thought you were a computer engineer. That’s what you told me you were.’

Will shook his head. ‘I’m a property developer. I’ve had plans drawn up to knock everything down and build a new shopping centre.’

Suddenly Kate understood. ‘And The Coffee Stop doesn’t feature in those plans, does it?’ she asked quietly.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

‘I’m sorry,’ said Will. ‘This isn’t exactly the sort of thing I can spring on you. I was going to tell you this weekend.’

‘Was that before or after you slept with me?’

Will flinched. ‘Look, when I put the bid in for the land, the coffee shop wasn’t open. It didn’t feature as part of the original plans so I thought I’d scope it out to see if it had potential.’

Kate stood up and slung her handbag over her shoulder. ‘If you wanted to find out about the coffee shop, you could have asked Lily. There was absolutely no need to string me along, making me think that you liked me.’

‘But I do! It’s just that –’

‘You tricked me!’

‘I never meant –’ Will slid out of the booth as Kate moved across the floor. He reached for her hand when he caught up with her, but she snatched it away.

‘How could you?’ she asked, feeling the tears welling in her eyes and begging them not to spill until she got home.

‘Under any other circumstances, I’d be happy to let you into every secret of mine. But it’s like,’ Will raised his hands in the air, narrowly missing a bar man with a full tray of glasses, ‘all the times I’ve watched a film and the guy loses the girl because he falls for her after some stupid bet he’s taken up. I knew you’d react like –’

‘Like what exactly?’

‘Like this.’

Somewhere, through all the confusion and chaos, Kate started to understand what he was trying to say. No, she wouldn’t have been happy whenever he’d chosen to reveal his identity. But that didn’t let him off the hook.

‘All that time I thought you were coming in to see the coffee shop, you were sizing up the joint. Seeing whether to feature it in your new development or…’ she paused. “You are going to keep it going, aren’t you?’

‘I –’

Kate held up her hand to silence him before walking off. ‘Do you know what, Will? I’ve heard enough.’

‘Wait!’ he shouted after her. ‘You’ve got it all wrong.’

Not sure if the noise she could hear was her heart beating loudly or her heels clicking on the flooring, in the middle of the half empty room Will twirled Kate around to face him.

‘I didn’t mean to hurt you,’ he said.

‘Why didn’t you tell me who you really were?’

‘The timing wasn’t right. It
never
would have been
right. Can’t you see?’

‘So what was tonight all about? And this weekend away? Is that it, now your little secret is out? You could have done all that without involving me.’

‘Precisely!’ Will relaxed his shoulders, only now aware of people turning to stare. He lowered his voice before continuing. ‘The only reason I’m with you is because I want to be. But I thought that, if I left it any longer, it would seem worse when I eventually told you. Look, I’ve messed up but if Chloe hadn’t found out, I would have told you this weekend. I’m sorry. Please come and –’

‘Wait!’ Kate held up her hand. ‘You’re telling me that Chloe knew as well?’

Will sighed. ‘Yes, though I don’t know how. She said that if I didn’t tell you tonight, then she would.’

Kate gasped. ‘You’ve discussed it with her?’

‘Not in so many words. I spoke to her on the phone. She –’

 Kate couldn’t believe what she was hearing. One minute she was looking forward to a weekend away with a man who she thought cared about her. The next she was staring at a liar, a cheat, a man who had used her to get insider knowledge about how well the coffee shop was doing. How could everything go so wrong in such a short space of time?

‘So I’m the last one to know,’ she whispered.

Will frowned, knowing exactly how it looked. ‘Please, come and sit down again,’ he begged. ‘Let me try to explain.’

Kate shook her head. ‘Not now. I need some time alone. I’m going to call a taxi.’

Chloe sat in her pyjamas, her left leg hooked over the arm of the settee. She tried to concentrate on her magazine but all she could think about was Kate. Would Will tell Kate what he planned to do or would he bottle out? She knew if he hadn’t told her that she would go through with her threat. There was no way she was going to let him lead Kate on. But she had thought Will was a decent guy until she’d seen those plans. And he certainly thought a lot of Kate now. Chloe could see that from the way his eyes lit up whenever he saw her. No, she’d been right to give him a chance to explain first. And either way, she’d be there for Kate.

‘What’s on your mind, Chloe?’

Chloe flinched. The last thing she wanted was to slip up and let Lily find out before Kate as well. So she said the first thing that came into her head.

‘Lily, do you think a man of forty three is too old for me?’

Lily raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘I would say so, yes.’

‘Forty three isn’t that old.’

‘It is when you’re barely eighteen.’

Rosie jumped off the chair and onto Chloe’s lap. Chloe shuffled round to make room for her.

‘Have you met someone?’ Lily probed.

Chloe nodded, thinking back to her first encounter with Jack Ryan. Seeing him in the college canteen had made the start of the new term even more exciting for her. When she’d first seen him, he’d had his back towards her, but when he’d turned and given her a bird’s eye view, she’d been smitten. Dressed in jeans and a checked shirt, it had been hard to put an age to him. He had dark hair, cut short with a trim goatee beard. As he wasn’t in any of her lectures, Chloe had hardly caught his eye, so it’d been time for pathetic tactics.

‘Oh, I
am
sorry,’ she apologised after colliding intentionally with him. Books crashed to the floor, papers floated through the air. While she let him retrieve her things, she took a closer look. By the amount of laughter lines visible, and a few grey hairs appearing here and there, she realised he was a lot older than she’d originally thought. And taller too which, as well as suiting her, went great with his toned physique. He indulged her with a smile while he handed everything back.

‘Thanks,’ she murmured and looked away in embarrassment – well, that’s what she wanted him to think, but she wasn’t embarrassed at all. It was just a practised look that always worked. Today had been no exception.

‘If you wanted me to buy you a coffee, you only had to ask.’ He flashed a smile that had her skin flushing in seconds. ‘You needn’t have gone to so much trouble.’

‘It wasn’t any trouble,’ Chloe assured him. Ten minutes later, they were chatting like old friends.

‘How long have you been seeing him?’ Lily cut short her day-dream.

‘Oh, I’ve only seen him around college during breaks,’ Chloe fibbed. She’d actually been seeing Jack for three weeks but hadn’t dared tell anyone. She wanted to get to know him a little better first. What was the point in getting everyone freaked out about the age gap until she was certain that the relationship would develop?

‘A man of forty-three surely must have been married before?’ asked Lily.

Chloe averted her eyes. She knew what would come next.

‘So he’s divorced.’

Chloe nodded again.

‘Are you sure of that?’

‘Yes, he told me so. And why should the age gap be a problem? I’m a mature eighteen year old. I can handle myself.’

Dressed in pink pyjamas scattered with teddy bear motifs and huge penguin slippers on her feet, Lily thought that Chloe didn’t look much of a sophisticated lady.

‘That’s what an immature eighteen-year old would think,’ she replied.

‘But what else
is
there to think?’ Chloe continued, in order to change the conversation as she saw Lily’s shoulders sagging. ‘I like him a lot, he likes me a lot and neither of us wants to settle down.’

‘So you’re simply going to have sex with him until you move onto someone else?’

‘Lily! I can’t believe you’d say that!’ Chloe sounded more embarrassed than horrified and picked up a magazine to hide behind.

‘That’s what you’re implying if you don’t want to settle down with him.’ 

‘I don’t know him that well yet.’

Lily’s silence told Chloe that she’d better not say anything else. That Jack Ryan had two children older than her. That he was taking her out for a meal next week to introduce them all. That she was shit scared of what would happen and was desperate to confide in someone but didn’t dare. That she’d had the best sex in her life last night.

Chloe had been so nervous when she’d slept with Jack for the first time, her excitement completely overshadowed by self-doubt. Jack was forty three. She was eighteen. Jack would have had many lovers. She had been with three boys and two of them had been merely fumbles. Jack had an ex wife. She had an ex seventeen year old boyfriend. Sexually, she knew he’d be able to show her allsorts of things. She wouldn’t be able to show him anything.

But Jack had completely blown her away. She’d never felt this way before. She couldn’t wait to be with him, couldn’t stop thinking of him, dreaming of the way he smiled, the way he laughed, the way he made her feel.

A vague flush of colour tinged her cheeks as she remembered what they’d done last night. It had all been too much for her when he’d removed his clothes and she’d froze, but he’d been so gentle and she’d gradually relaxed. Eventually she’d joined him in his bed. It had been an amazing experience. She couldn’t wait to try it again.

‘If you want my honest opinion,’ Lily hoped she didn’t sound too condescending, ‘he’s too old for you. Maybe it would work, but it would be hard work. There are a lot of prejudiced people out there, me included, I’m afraid, who are going to want you to fail because you’re not conforming. It’s up to you to prove them wrong, to make sure he doesn’t use you as a trophy to show off on his arm and then discard you when he’s had enough.’

‘He won’t have time for any of that,’ Chloe grinned, determined not to let Lily’s doubts influence her. ‘He’ll be too busy keeping an eye on me!’

Just then the door flew open and Kate walked in, throwing Chloe a look of pure evil before sitting down next to Lily on the settee.

‘You’re back early,’ stated Lily. ‘It’s only half past nine.’

‘Bad period pains,’ Kate fibbed, at the same time glaring at Chloe. Then she got to her feet again. ‘Drinks anyone?’ Milky coffee always made Lily sleepy.

Except that it didn’t work. Lily kept dozing and then pretending that she hadn’t. It was nearly eleven when she finally said good night.

‘How could you!’ Kate said as soon as the door closed behind her.

‘He told you then.’ Chloe gulped. ‘I can explain.’

‘Yes, please do. Please tell me how you found out, how you contacted him to let him know without telling me. How you’ve ruined my weekend away and any plans I had for the future.’

Chloe’s mouth gaped open. ‘I…I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but I couldn’t find the words. And it was all Will’s fault. I thought I should give him the chance to explain first.’

‘Hang on.’ Kate grabbed the remote control and turned down the sound on the TV. ‘Let me get this straight.
You
knew and didn’t tell me. You decided, in your wisdom, that
he
should tell me so that you didn’t have to.’

‘No, I –’

Kate ignored the tears welling in Chloe’s eyes. ‘You made me look a complete fool. At least if I had known, I could have gone prepared.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Sorry! Is that all you can say? How do you think I felt? He took me out on the false pretence that he fancied me and all the time he wanted to find out about the coffee shop.’

‘Did he say that?’ said Chloe.

‘No,’ admitted Kate. ‘But he must have done. As soon as we sat down in the wine bar, he confessed everything.

‘Did he show you the plans?’

‘Is that how you found out?’

Chloe nodded. ‘When Will called yesterday to show you the hotel brochure, he left behind his file. As I put it behind the counter, the plans fell out. I only had time to have a quick look because he came back. I didn’t think it was my place to tell you.’

Suddenly Kate realised that not only had Will deceived her, but Chloe had too. And she trusted her far more.

She flopped down in the armchair. ‘You should have told me,’ she said.

Chloe folded her arms. ‘After all you’ve been through with Nick, I didn’t know
how
to tell you. You have to believe me!’

‘I don’t know who to believe. Can’t you understand that?’

Chloe looked across at Kate. She had an air of defeat about her, something she had never seen before.

‘What are you going to do?’ she asked.

Kate needed time to think things through, work it all out and figure out what to do next. ‘I’m not sure. He did seem sincere when he saw how upset I was.’