The Unexpected Consequences of Love (33 page)

It was Sunday afternoon and the beach was crowded with vacationers. A light breeze coming in off the sea ruffled Tula's hair as she shielded her eyes from the sun and watched Sophie emerge from the water in her black swimsuit.

Okay, this was a secret it was
definitely
killing her to keep. With a bit of luck, she wouldn't have to do it for much longer. Since Josh had confided in her on Friday evening, she'd been buzzing with the knowledge, bursting with it and simultaneously terrified she might accidentally let slip something that would give the game away.

Except it wasn't a game, was it? It was important, and please God, everything that had gone so horribly wrong years ago was finally about to come right.

Tula double-checked that everyone was in position. Yes, there they were, sixty or so meters away to the right. And over there to the left, sitting in the shade of the café, were Josh and Riley.
Her
perfect
Riley…

Okay, and here came Sophie now, shaking the sea from her hair as she made her way back up the beach. Reaching Tula, she picked up her purple towel and quickly dried off before sitting down.

“You should have come in. The water's fantastic.”

Thank goodness for dark glasses. Tula grimaced. “Didn't feel like swimming today. Too lazy.”

“It's good exercise.”

“I've been getting plenty of good exercise, thanks very much.”

“You're smirking again.”

“Can't help it. I'm very smug.”

Sophie smiled. “Ever been happier?”

“No.” Tula shook her head. “Never. Honestly, nothing's ever felt so right.”

“Ah, that's good. You deserve it.”

“So do you.” She hadn't meant to say it; the words had slipped out. God, just knowing what was about to happen was getting her jittery. Sitting up and arranging herself on the pink rug, Tula said, “How am I looking? Pretty good?”

Sophie said teasingly, “Like a woman in love,” and flicked the ends of her hair at her, showering her with droplets of water.

“Go on then, take some pictures of me. Flattering ones.” Tula nodded at the Nikon in its case. “Make me look fantastic.”

Luckily Sophie never turned down a photo opportunity. She reached for the case and took out her favorite camera. Tula's heart broke into a panicky canter, because she'd just set the train of events in motion. Plus she knew Josh and Riley were watching from the café.
Please
let
it
work
.

“Okay,” said Sophie, moving backwards and fiddling with the buttons on the camera. “Turn your face up to the left, rest your arm on your knee, just relax…”

Tula did as she was told.
Oh, but how could she relax?

“What's wrong?” Sophie lowered the camera.

“Nothing.”

“You need to loosen up. Let your shoulders go back. And just dangle your hand.”

Tula had another go, but it was impossible. The harder she tried, the more scrunched up she became. Her fingers had completely lost their ability to dangle.

“You're not on your way to the electric chair,” said Sophie. “Just try to smile in the normal way.”

“I am.”

“No you aren't.”

Tula tried again. Sophie took some shots and said, “Now you look like a dog that's secretly eaten all the cookies and is waiting to be found out.”

“Thanks a lot.” She glanced at the pictures Sophie was showing her on the screen and winced. “Eww.”

“See what I mean? I've never seen you like this before.”

“I don't know why it's happening.” And now even her mouth felt strange; oh help, this was impossible. Hastily Tula rubbed her hands over her face to hide the guilt. “Okay, give me two minutes to stop feeling awkward…”

“Take deep breaths,” Sophie said helpfully. “Give your arms a shake, stop thinking about the camera, and just relax.”

Were they all watching her from their various viewpoints? Did they appreciate how incredibly stressful this was?

“It's no good. Don't worry about it. Take photos of someone else instead.” Tula waved a dismissive hand and began to scan the beach, casually and taking care not to zone in too fast. Kneeling on the rug, she noted the relevant targets and took a deep steadying breath. Then she pointed and said in a voice barely recognizable as her own, “Oh, look over there, at those little ones in the matching pink T-shirts!”

“Where?” Sophie raised the Nikon and followed the direction of her gaze.

“Just in front of the big sand castle, see? Next to that yellow beach ball.”

“Got them. Oh, cute. They're twins! Ha, look at the one on the right. She's about to trip over that bucket of water… Whoops, there it goes.” Laughing, Sophie began happily clicking away, oblivious to the fact that Tula was no longer watching the two small girls. Instead, her gaze was fixed on Sophie, waiting for the reaction that would surely come any second now…

And then she saw it. The lens moved a fraction to the right. The clicking of the camera abruptly stopped. Glancing over her shoulder, Tula saw Josh and Riley in turn watching Sophie.

How on earth was she feeling now? It was anyone's guess.

***

Sophie stared through the viewfinder, her index finger frozen in midair, her entire body stiff with disbelief. She'd only meant to glance fleetingly at the twins' parents, but that was because she hadn't expected one of them to be her ex-husband.

Theo.

Theo
.

I'm not dreaming. It is actually him.

Looking the same, apart from a bit older. God, though. He was here. In St. Carys. With a woman. And two small children. And now one of the twins was waving a blue plastic spade at him and he was laughing,
actually
laughing,
as he pretended to reach over and grab it away from her.

The sound filling her ears, Sophie realized, was that of her own rapid breathing. An overload of information had caused her to lose track of time. Slowly she lowered the Nikon and rested it on her bare thigh.

The penny wavered. It wasn't until she turned to look at Tula that it finally, properly dropped.

Tula, despite her best efforts, had always been the most hopeless fibber in the world.

Sophie gripped the camera with both hands to make sure it didn't fall. Within the space of the last minute, her emotions had ranged from shock and fear to curiosity and unfolding realization. Her mouth dry, she said, “You knew.”

Tula was the picture of pink-cheeked guilt. It was blindingly obvious now why she'd been unable to relax enough to have the photos taken.

“Oh my God.” Sophie stared at her. “Did
you
do this?”

“No.” Tula shook her head. “But I knew it was being done.”

“It's Theo.” Okay, stupid thing to say, but she needed to spell it out for herself. “And he isn't here by chance. I don't believe this is happening…”

“Take another look at him,” Tula prompted. “Go on. How does he seem to you?”

How
does
he
seem?
Slowly Sophie brought the camera back up to eye level and searched through the viewfinder until she found him again. Theo was wearing a white T-shirt and knee-length navy board shorts. He was filling a blue plastic bucket with sand with the help of one of the small girls, while the other proudly waved a shell at him. She said something to Theo, who threw his head back and laughed.

Sophie felt the backs of her eyes prickle with heat; during the last four years she'd thought of Theo thousands of times, but never had she pictured him laughing. In her imagination he'd always been sad, despairing, angry, or just plain stony-faced and sullen. Not once had it even occurred to her to think of him as being happy.

Then again, nor had she imagined a scenario like this.

And now the little girl was offering him the shell, curling her chubby arms around his neck, and planting a kiss on the side of his face. Whereupon Theo scooped her up into his arms and tickled her until she collapsed in fits of giggles against his chest.

Watching them, Sophie's heart turned over. The smile on Theo's lips, the look of absolute love in his eyes was just wonderful to see. Unable to help herself, she clicked the shutter and captured the moment.

Theo had twin girls. And a partner too. Shifting focus, Sophie studied the woman sitting beside him. Chestnut-brown hair, sparkling eyes, and a pretty, smiley mouth. She was wearing a sea-green tank top and cream shorts. Good legs, bare feet, tanned arms, and…yes, a wedding ring on the appropriate finger.

Just to be sure, a quick check of Theo's left hand confirmed the presence of a matching gold band.

When she moved the angle of the lens to take another look at his face, she got the shock of her life.

He was gazing straight at her.

Sophie almost dropped the camera in her haste to look away. “Shit, he knows I'm here!”

“Of course he does,” said Tula. “How else would Josh have managed to set this whole thing up?”

“
Josh?
” But the idea that Josh had been behind this was oddly inevitable. Sophie's heart was racing; of course it had been him. She might not know how, but she knew why. Aloud, she said, “How did he find him?” Because
she
knew where Theo had been living, but it was beyond her how Josh could have tracked him down.

“Um, not sure.” Tula shrugged. “But he did. Because it matters to him too, in case you hadn't noticed.
You
matter to him. And don't worry,” she added, “everything's fine. Theo wants you to know how sorry he is. Will you speak to him?”

He's sorry
.

Sophie swallowed, her mouth dry. “Is he okay?”

“Look at him. Of course he's okay. If you don't want to do it, you can just leave the beach.” Tula's voice softened. “But you really should meet him. Have a talk.”

Of course she had to. In a daze, Sophie passed over the camera. In return, Tula handed her the navy cotton caftan she'd taken off before diving into the sea. Yes, that was a good idea. She pulled it on over her head.

“If you'd rather not do it in front of his wife, just go for a walk along the water's edge and he'll join you,” said Tula.

Everything had been worked out, each eventuality planned for. God, this was
so
surreal.

“It's all right. I'd like to meet her too.” Sophie took a deep breath and brushed dry sand off her legs. “Okay, wish me luck. Here goes.”

***

Josh had never watched anything so intently in his life. At his feet, Griff was wagging his tail and gazing adoringly up at him in the hope that a bit of stick throwing might be about to happen. Then he jumped up and rested his paws on Josh's knee, as if this might spur him into action.

Not
a
chance. Not at the moment. Don't even think about it.

Sophie was making her way over to Theo and his family. She looked so effortlessly beautiful, with her tousled sun-bleached hair and slim, tanned limbs. It was probably a good thing that Tula had given her the caftan to put on over her swimsuit.

“You know, if I was writing this in a book,” Riley said cheerfully, “they'd take one look at each other and fall madly in love all over again. Which would leave you looking like a right idiot and it'd be all your own fault.”

“Great. Thanks for that. I feel so much better now.” Josh nodded.

As
if
the
exact
same
thought
hadn't already crossed his mind
.

“No problem.” Grinning, Riley finished the last mouthful of his chicken sandwich. “But it's the obvious twist.”

Josh said drily, “I think I liked you better when you were just a lazy beach bum.”

“Don't tell me you haven't thought about it,” said Riley playfully. “They were married, after all.”

“If that happens, it happens.” Josh reached down to ruffle Griff's ears. “It's a risk I have to take. Okay, there's a chance I might lose her, but up until now she hasn't been mine to lose anyway. I still won't have her.” Shaking his head, he said, “But thanks for reminding me.”

“Hey, that's just the worst-case scenario. You never know; it could all work out fine. Are you hungry?” Riley reached for his wallet on the table in front of them. “I could do with another sandwich.”

As if he could eat a thing. Josh's chest tightened as he saw Sophie approaching Theo. “No thanks. Not right now.”

“Sure?” Riley turned his attention to Griff and said, “Sandwich?”

“Woof-woof WOOF!” His tail going into metronome mode, Griff promptly bounced over, abandoning Josh in favor of Riley.

“See? As fickle as a girl.” Riley's white teeth flashed as his grin broadened. “One minute he liked you best, and now he prefers me.”

“Hi,” said Theo.

“Hi.” Sophie wondered if anyone was watching her knees, because they definitely felt as if they were knocking together like castanets.

“I'm so sorry,” said Theo.

She nodded and managed a wobbly smile.

“BUGGER,” yelled the nearer of the two small girls playing on the picnic rug between them.

Which was unexpected.

“Hello,” Theo's wife chimed in. “It's so lovely to meet you. I'm Lorna. That one's Emmy”—she pointed to the other twin—“and this is Kate. She's trying to say bucket, by the way, but it's not coming out terribly well.” Reaching for the yellow bucket and passing it over to Kate, she said, “
Bucket
, sweetheart.”

“BUGGER,” Kate screamed happily.

“They're beautiful,” said Sophie. “How old are they?”

Listen
to
me; I'm talking as if we're strangers. Which we are…except also kind of not…

“Sixteen months. They keep us busy. Poor you,” added Lorna sympathetically. “You're looking a bit stunned. Are you still in shock?”

“I think so.” Sophie smiled, instinctively liking her.

“Anyway, thank goodness you came over. We were worried you wouldn't. Now, I'm going to stay here with the twins and I think you and Theo need to go for a walk and have a bit of time together. Talk things through. But let me just say, he never meant for any of this to happen. He was completely mortified when Josh told us about you. Am I talking too much? Sorry, I'll shut up now. You two head off. Take as long as you like. We'll be here waiting for you when you get back.”

***

“She's lovely,” said Sophie, once Lorna and the twins were out of earshot. “You have great taste in wives.”

“I do.” The tension in Theo's face dissipated. “Lorna's amazing. It was her idea that we should come down here, you know. Once Josh had explained the situation. I thought I should email you or maybe call, but she said that something this important needed to be done properly, face-to-face.”

“That's really good of her.”

“It's the kind of person she is. Lorna means the world to me. Well, her and the girls. Can you believe how much my life has changed? How much
I've
changed?”

They'd reached the water's edge and were walking along it now, navigating small children and collapsing sand castles.

“I can believe it. I can see it with my own eyes.” Sophie inwardly marveled at the realization that there wasn't the faintest flicker of attraction between her and this man she'd once been married to. All that remained was fondness; it was like bumping into an old, entirely platonic, friend. “And now tell me everything,” she said, stepping over a carefully dug trench decorated with shells. “I want to know it all.”

***

It hadn't taken that long, really. Together they'd walked and talked, and Theo had brought her up to date with everything that mattered. He kept apologizing too, until Sophie made him stop. She also discovered that as soon as Lorna had said they must come down here to see her, Josh had insisted they stay at the hotel as his guests.

“It was really kind of him,” Theo added. “We've never been away anywhere before, what with getting the business up and running, then having the twins. We did try, but he refused to take any money.”

“Josh is kind.” As Sophie nodded in agreement, she felt her heart give a little squeeze.

“He's crazy about you. You do know that?”

She hesitated, then slowly nodded again.

“He's done all this because he's trying to cure you.” Theo was surveying her closely. “Also, because he's in love with you.”

Oh, good grief. Sophie watched her bare toes squish into the wet sand as she stopped walking. “Did he tell you that?”

“Come on. He doesn't need to say it, does he? It's so obvious. Are you blushing or hot?”

“Both.” It was a lethal combination.

“Look, you've accepted my apology—”

“
All
of your apologies,” Sophie interjected.

“And now I need you to promise me something,” said Theo. “I've managed to wreck the last four years of your life, but it has to stop now. Don't make me feel worse about it than I already do.”

A lump the size of a horse chestnut expanded in Sophie's throat. She shook her head.

“It's no way to live.” His voice was gentle but firm.

She knew that too; it really
hadn't
been any way to live. Well, it had been okay until Josh had burst into her life. Since then, her tangled emotions had made the last few months a lot harder to bear.

“Hey, look at me,” Theo prompted. “It's okay; it's all over now. You don't have to worry anymore.”

“Don't I?” Sophie felt the old familiar stirrings of anxiety. “But what if it happens to me again?”

Theo placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to pay attention. “Right, now listen. I may have only just met Josh Strachan, but I can tell you categorically that he'd
never
do anything like that. And you know it too,” he went on steadily. “You just have to get over the fear, learn to relax, and enjoy feeling normal again.” He smiled and raised his eyebrows. “So, do you think you're going to be able to do that?”

He was okay. He was fine. He was
cured
. Gazing at his oh-so-familiar face and hearing the sincerity in his voice, Sophie realized she could do it. The time had come to let go of the guilt.

She breathed out and said, “Yes, I can.”

“Promise?”

Sophie nodded; it was as if the anxiety of the last four years had magically released its hold on her body.

Aloud she said, “Promise.”

She felt lighter, exorcised,
free
.

“Well, good. Glad to hear it.” There was no need for a hug; Theo gave her shoulders a brief reassuring squeeze, then let her go. “That makes me feel better too.” He paused for a moment. “So on a scale of one to ten, how much do you like Josh?”

This was Theo. They'd been through so much together, she could be completely herself with him. Sophie said, “Seven. Maybe eight.”

It was a measure of how close they'd once been to each other that Theo didn't bat an eyelid; the ability to know when she was joking hadn't been lost. He regarded her with amusement. “And the real number is…?”

“Out of ten?” Just the thought of Josh made her heart contract with emotion. She smiled at Theo and said, “Sixty?”

***

The problem with other people taking control of your life and making things happen is that it might not actually be the best time for it to happen to you.

As they made their way back along the beach to where Lorna and the twins were waiting, Sophie saw that the party had expanded. Tula had joined them, as had Riley and Josh, along with Griff. Yesterday when Tula had casually asked her if she was free today, she'd said yes, because she
had
been free. Until a regular client had rung last night asking to be squeezed in for a sitting at four o'clock this afternoon. And it was now twenty past three.

Hardly ideal.

Furthermore, since the client, Gloria, was forty-one weeks pregnant and keen to be photographed in all her voluptuous, about-to-give-birth glory, it wasn't the kind of appointment you could risk putting off for another day.

Sophie's pulse began to race as they neared the group. Griff was perched on Tula's lap, his stumpy tail wagging as one of the twins stroked his back. The other twin was up on Riley's shoulders, squealing with delight. Josh and Lorna were sitting together, deep in conversation.

“Yay, you're back!” Tula had spotted them.

One of the twins waved at Theo and yelled, “Da-da!”

“So you two didn't run off together,” said Riley. “Damn, I lost my bet.”

Lorna looked at Sophie. “How are you feeling now?”

Okay, this was weird. But nice. In fact, nice was an understatement. “Better.” Sophie smiled at her. “
So
much better.”

“I knew it!” Jumping to her feet, Lorna gave her a warm hug.

“
And?”
said Tula meaningfully, gesturing in less than subtle fashion at Josh.

“And I have a client booked at four. Which means I need to leave pretty much now.” Sophie turned to Josh. “Can we meet up later? If you're not busy?”

He gazed at her for several seconds, then nodded. “Okay. That's fine. Just let me know when you're ready.”

Sophie nodded too; basically she was ready—more than ready—now. All she wanted was to get this whole thing sorted out at last.

But there was no time. It would just have to wait.
God, it was going to kill her
.

“I'll see you in a bit.” Suddenly unable to look at Josh, she picked up the bag and camera Tula had brought over and gave an awkward teenage wave encompassing everyone. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”