Up Close and Personal (35 page)

‘Yes,’ said Nicole, smiling. ‘I imagine you would be.’ She removed a copy of the
Loxwood Chronicle
from the basket under the buggy. ‘Have you seen this?’ she said, reading the front-page headline out loud: ‘
Badgers force developer to backtrack
.’

Bear nodded. ‘Yeah, it’s great news, isn’t it? After my tip-off, the Badger Protection League carried out a new survey of the site and confirmed that it was home to the largest sett in the county. As soon as the developer realized he’d have to scale down his plans, he withdrew the application altogether.’

‘
I’m sure you’ve made a lot of local people very happy,’ Nicole said. ‘I don’t know anyone who wanted those houses to be built.’

‘I’m just pleased we managed save a precious piece of Greenbelt from being swallowed up,’ Bear replied. ‘According to one of my sources, the council’s planning to buy the land from the developer and turn it into a nature reserve.’

‘How wonderful,’ Nicole said. ‘That’s just what Loxwood needs.’

As she spoke, a massive yawn escaped from Bear’s mouth.

‘Late one last night, was it?’ Nicole said.

‘Yeah, I went out for a drink with a couple of my contacts at the Conservation Society. I had a bit too much and ended up crashing on one of the guy’s sofas. I’m just on my way back to Ashwicke now.’

‘Were you celebrating anything in particular?’

‘Actually, it was a farewell drink.’

Nicole’s eyes grew wide. ‘You’re
leaving
?’

‘Yep, I’ve got all the material I need for my article, so I’ll be hitching up the caravan and heading back home to Hampshire.’

‘When?’ Nicole said, trying – and failing miserably – to keep the forlorn note out of her voice.

‘Tomorrow.’

Nicole’s insides folded. ‘That’s a shame.’

‘I’m going to miss you,’ Bear said.

Nicole’s eyes rose to meet his. ‘I’ll miss you too; we both will.’ She ruffled Tilly’s blonde curls. ‘I think this one’s taken quite a shine to you.’

‘The feeling’s mutual.’ Bear cocked his head to the side.
‘So, what do you ladies have planned for the rest of the day?’

‘We’re on our way to the park,’ Nicole said. ‘Tilly wants to feed the ducks.’

‘That sounds like fun. Is Connor stuck in the surgery, then?’

‘I expect so … I don’t really know.’ Nicole sighed. ‘Look, I may as well tell you – Connor and I have split up.’

Bear’s jaw dropped. ‘No … really?’

She nodded. ‘I found out he was having an affair with one of his patients.’

‘Oh, Nicole, that must have been awful for you.’

‘To be honest, the rot set in a long time ago; the affair was just the final straw.’ She scuffed the pavement with the sole of her shoe. ‘That’s part of the reason I haven’t felt very sociable lately … Things are a bit tricky at the moment. Our lawyers are trying to thrash out an interim financial settlement, but Connor’s being very difficult about it.’ She looked up as a gaggle of schoolchildren approached the newsagent’s. ‘I don’t really want to talk about it, though; it’s far too depressing.’

Bear’s face clouded over. ‘No, of course you don’t. I’ll let you get on your way, shall I?’ He touched Nicole’s arm. ‘And, listen, I really hope everything works out for you and Tilly.’

‘Don’t go,’ Nicole said plaintively. She cleared her throat. ‘What I mean is, why don’t you come to the park with us? If you’ve got nothing better to do, of course.’

Bear smiled – a wide, sexy smile that made Nicole feel quite hot. ‘I can’t think of anything I’d like better.’

*

For the next couple of hours, they wandered through the park with Tilly, feeding the ducks, eating ice cream, and talking about anything and everything, while at the same time studiously avoiding any reference to Nicole’s impending divorce. It was a long time since Nicole had felt so relaxed. Her life as a mother was so frenetic and Bear seemed to have a magical calming influence, not just on her – but Tilly too. Eventually they found themselves sitting on a bench overlooking the pond. Beside them, Tilly lay fast asleep in her buggy, exhausted from the afternoon’s excitement. As she watched the sun sink in the sky, Nicole was reminded that in the morning Bear would be gone.

‘Have you enjoyed your time in Loxwood?’ she asked him.

‘Absolutely,’ Bear replied. ‘It’s been memorable for all sorts of reasons. I came here to research an article and maybe, if I was very lucky, to make some new friends.’ He took a deep breath. ‘But one thing I never expected, not even in my wildest dreams, was to fall in love.’

Nicole’s mouth suddenly felt dry and when she spoke her voice was shrill. ‘Who’s the lucky girl, then?’

Bear took one of her hands in his. ‘I’m looking at her.’

‘Sorry?’ she said, not trusting her own ears.

‘I love you, Nicole,’ Bear said, in the tenderest voice imaginable. ‘Ever since I met you I’ve been going around day after day, full of emotion, like a bottle full of butterflies – and now I’ve finally been able to take the lid off.’ He smiled. ‘I can’t tell you how good that feels.’

Nicole felt weak, as if she were about to melt into a pool at Bear’s feet. At the same time, everything around her had lost its definition. The grass, the duck pond, even
the mighty oak trees that surrounded them, were suddenly less substantial. Nicole felt that if she touched anything it would fall down, like scenery on a film set, revealing the real, and infinitely less exciting, world concealed behind. The next thing she knew, Bear’s arms were around her and she was drowning in one lengthy, mesmerizing kiss after another. On and on they rolled until she felt quite lightheaded.

Yasmin was feeling uncharacteristically nervous as she approached Rob’s desk. Ever since they’d slept together, he’d been avoiding her, but today there would be no escape.

‘Hey there,’ she said, picking up an Xbox game that was sitting on his desk. ‘I didn’t know you were a gamer.’

Rob didn’t look up from his computer screen. ‘I’m not. It’s a birthday present for my son.’

‘That’s nice,’ Yasmin said. ‘How old will he be?’

Rob’s fingers froze on the keyboard. ‘Was there something you wanted?’

‘I, um … I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for lunch today.’

The sports editor raised an eyebrow. ‘What – just you and me?’

Yasmin nodded. ‘I thought we could try that new deli round the corner … my treat.’

Rob began shuffling paperwork. ‘Sorry, I’m really up against it today. I was just going to grab a sandwich and eat it at my desk.’

‘Please, Rob,’ Yasmin said. ‘There’s something I want to talk to you about.’

He looked at her. ‘Half an hour,’ he said. ‘That’s the best I can do.’

‘Fine. I’ll meet you in the lobby at one.’

The deli was packed and very noisy, an atmosphere hardly conducive to the sort of intimate conversation Yasmin had in mind. Rob managed to bag a couple of stools at the end of the stainless-steel counter and a harried-looking waitress came to take their order. Yasmin, who’d been feeling queasy all morning, ordered the plainest thing on the menu – a chicken salad – while Rob went for the deli’s speciality – a cholesterol-laden grilled cheese and chorizo panini.

‘You’ll give yourself a heart attack eating that,’ Yasmin told him when their order arrived.

Rob frowned. ‘What do you care?’

It was on the tip of Yasmin’s tongue to say that, actually, she did care. Quite a lot. But she held her tongue.

‘So,’ Rob said, as he bit into his sandwich. ‘What was it you wanted to talk to me about?’

Yasmin opened her mouth, then shut it again. She’d spent hours rehearsing what she was going to say, but now the time had arrived, she was lost for words. ‘Well,’ she began hesitantly. ‘The thing is …’ She forked a piece of lettuce into her mouth to buy herself a few more seconds.

As Rob took another giant bite of panini, a dollop of cheese squelched out of the side and landed on his chin. The sight and smell of it made Yasmin feel quite nauseous. She put a hand to her stomach. ‘What I wanted to tell you was …’ she said. Looking around, she spotted a sign for the Ladies. ‘Will you excuse me for a minute,’ she
said, jumping down from her stool and making a run for it.

By the time she got back, Rob had finished his panini and ordered a cappuccino. Beside Yasmin’s salad was a steaming mug of herbal tea.

‘It’s ginger,’ Rob said, pushing it towards her. ‘A great remedy for nausea. My ex-wife swore by it when
she
was pregnant.’

Yasmin’s cheeks burned as if she’d been slapped. ‘You know?’

Rob nodded.

‘But how?’ she said, picking up her mug and savouring its warmth. ‘I’m not even showing yet.’

‘It’s obvious,’ Rob replied. ‘Your boobs have got bigger and you keep rushing to the toilet during meetings. Oh, and yesterday I watched you wolf a whole tub of Ben and Jerry’s at your desk.’

Yasmin grimaced guiltily. ‘I used to eat ice cream once in a blue moon. Now I crave it day and night.’

‘With my wife it was pickled onions.’ Rob steepled his fingers under his chin. ‘Is it mine?’

Yasmin cleared her throat. ‘Yes. And before you say anything else, I’m keeping it.’

‘Good.’

‘I know this must have come as a huge shock to you,’ she continued. ‘And …’ Her voice tailed off. ‘What did you say?’

‘I said “good”.’

Yasmin frowned. ‘You
want
me to keep this baby?’

‘Absolutely. I’ve had two children taken away from me already, and I’m not about to lose another one.’

‘Oh,’ Yasmin said. This wasn’t the reaction she’d anticipated. ‘Well, I’m very pleased to hear it, but I want you to know that I don’t expect you to contribute anything – financially
or
emotionally.’

‘Of course I’m going to contribute,’ Rob said sharply. ‘What sort of father would I be if I didn’t?’

Yasmin snorted. ‘Isn’t that going to be a bit difficult – seeing as you don’t even like me?’

‘What gives you that idea?’

‘Where do you want me to start?’ Yasmin said. ‘It’s been a battle of wills from day one.’

Rob stared sheepishly into his coffee cup. ‘Okay, so I haven’t made things easy for you at work, I admit that. But that’s only because I’m jealous.’

‘Jealous of what?’

‘Of your talent,’ he replied. ‘Believe it or not, I used to be the editor’s golden boy – the one getting all the big-name interviews and raking in all the exclusives. Then you showed up with your bulging contacts book and your bloody brilliant writing, and suddenly I was relegated to the first division.’ Seeing her look of surprise, he raised his hand. ‘Yeah, yeah, I know how childish that sounds, but I’m a bloke … I’m naturally competitive. Only thing is, I hadn’t reckoned on falling for you.’

‘Oh, please!’ Yasmin cried.

‘It’s true,’ he said. ‘I fancied you from the minute I laid eyes on you. I liked you too. You were funny and ballsy and you knew how to stand up for yourself – only I couldn’t admit that, could I, because then I’d be fraternizing with the enemy.’

Yasmin coughed. ‘You didn’t mind fraternizing with me that night in the boardroom.’

‘Yeah, well,’ Rob said, raising his coffee cup to his lips. ‘The hottest girl in the office was coming on to me … I was hardly going to turn her down now, was I?’

‘So how come you’ve been ignoring me ever since?’

Rob sighed. ‘Because I assumed you’d be regretting our encounter and wouldn’t want anything to do with me afterwards. Why would you? After all, you’re a stunning-looking girl and I’m just an ordinary bloke who’s fighting a losing battle with middle-aged spread.’

Yasmin smiled. ‘Yeah, but you’ve got lovely eyes. Your arse isn’t bad either.’

He smiled back. ‘Oh well, that’s something I suppose.’

Yasmin took a sip of tea. ‘When are you going to break the news to your girlfriend, by the way? About the baby, I mean. I can’t imagine she’s going to be jumping for joy when she finds out.’

Rob frowned. ‘What girlfriend?’

‘That girl I saw you with in the tea tent at the Loxwood fête.’

‘You were at the fête?’ Rob said. ‘I didn’t see you there.’

‘That’s because you couldn’t take your eyes off the redhead.’

Rob laughed. ‘That wasn’t my girlfriend, you idiot. That was my sister.’

‘Your sister?’ Yasmin repeated dumbly.

‘Yeah, she lives in Loxwood. Her husband took their three kids off to the bouncy castle so she and I could have a catch-up over a cup of tea.’

Yasmin suddenly felt very foolish. ‘So do you, um, have a girlfriend?’

‘Nope,’ Rob replied. ‘I’ve been single for nearly a year
now.’ He gave an annoyed frown. ‘Do you really think I’d have slept with you if I had a girlfriend? What kind of sleazebag do you think I am?’

Yasmin chewed her lip. ‘We don’t know each other very well at all, do we?’ she said. ‘And now we’re having a baby.’

Rob reached across the table and took her hand. ‘In that case, I suggest we start making up for lost time.’

25

Juliet adjusted a vase of stiff-necked tulips and stepped back from the table. As she looked around, she couldn’t help sighing in pleasure. The dining room was tiny – barely big enough to accommodate a table and six chairs – but it looked so cosy with its low beams and leaded light windows. She turned to Dante, who was kneeling beside the fireplace, lighting a row of squat church candles.

‘Isn’t it exciting?’ she said. ‘Our first dinner party in our new house.’

Dante smiled. ‘I can’t wait to catch up with the others.’ He put the box of matches in his pocket and came up behind her, linking his hands protectively across her stomach. ‘Are you happy, Mrs Fisher?’

Juliet leaned into him, resting her head against his collarbone. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.’

It was six months since Nathan’s death. Six months during which the Fishers’ lives had changed dramatically. For Juliet, the metamorphosis had begun on the night of the fire itself. As she revealed to Dante the true nature of her relationship with Gus, it felt as if a film were sliding off her, a murky slick of grime that had clung to her for years, but which she had now shed like dead skin, emerging all smooth and shiny and new.