Chapter Thirty-Three
‘I like that,’ I said to Milo. I sat back in my chair. Grinned. ‘Wisdom,’ I repeated. ‘Wow! That makes me feel so much better.’
My spirits were rising faster than a hot air balloon. Not only did Milo think I was beautiful, but he also thought I was wise. Well, okay, maybe not as wise as a tawny owl. After all, I’d once nearly run him over. But, thanks to my age, I was wiser than Sexy Samantha. And that cheered me up no end.
There was something else in the mix. A shift. I was starting to feel an affinity with Milo. He too had experienced the breakdown of a marriage. He’d also questioned whether – as a spouse – he fell short in some way. He’d understood the need to check out the opposition. To make comparisons. He too had keenly felt not just the loss of his partner, but also the loss of his confidence. His self-esteem.
I privately wondered why his wife had walked away. Frankly it beggared belief. The guy was gorgeous. Sex on legs. And, okay, I’d initially thought him a horrible man, but now… well… he was rapidly showing me another side. One of compassion. Sympathy. Understanding. He knew exactly how I felt because he’d been there too.
‘Did you really stalk your wife’s new partner?’ I asked.
Milo looked embarrassed.
‘I did,’ he admitted. ‘I didn’t know the person. Rather, I knew of them. I’d heard their name bandied about. Quite a bit, actually. Good old mentionitis. It was someone Martha worked with. There was an unexpected situation where the two of us happened to be in almost the same place at the same time. I hadn’t been spotted, so I followed them. God knows why. And whilst I didn’t impersonate Inspector Clouseau scuttling between lampposts, I did nonetheless spend several minutes spying on them. And tormenting myself.’ He spread his hands wide. ‘As you do.’
‘I’d have done the same thing,’ I confessed.
I had a sudden overwhelming curiosity about Milo’s ex-wife. What had she been like? Had she gone off with a younger man? Perhaps, not content with her Antonio Banderas lookalike, she’d swapped Milo for a toyboy.
‘And, er, there’s no chance of a reconciliation?’ I asked nosily.
‘None whatsoever.’
I looked at Milo expectantly, waiting for him to enlarge. Instead, he dropped his gaze. Looked at his fingernails. Apparently, his thumbs were a sudden source of fascination.
Okay, he wasn’t going to expand. How annoying. But surely if I dug carefully, I might unearth some juicy reveals in another minute or two? I just needed to tread delicately through his emotions. It was like picking at a loose bit of yarn. If I badgered him enough, his whole story might unravel.
‘So, I take it your wife fell out of love with you,’ I prompted.
Milo took a deep breath, then exhaled gustily.
‘I guess so,’ he shrugged. ‘That said, Martha and I still keep in touch. And she’s not far away. West Kingsdown, to be precise. It’s about five miles from here. Every now and again we have a coffee together. Sometimes with her other half,’ he added.
‘No!’ I said, staggered.
Would me and Sexy Samantha ever be like that?
Hey, Samantha! Fancy meeting up in Costa later? You can tell me how it’s going with Robin. Does he still forage up his nose for bogies when he thinks nobody is looking? x
And perhaps Samantha would reply accordingly:
Hiya, Tilly! It would be SO good to swap notes. I have LOADS of moans about Robin! Who better to understand than someone who spent years picking up his festering socks and underpants?! Can’t wait to meet up xxx
Milo was talking again.
‘Martha says she still loves me. Just that she’s no longer in love with me.’
‘Hm,’ I said, my tone sceptical. ‘Sometimes that’s a case of leaving the door open – in case they have a change of heart and want to come back.’
Milo gave me a smile that said otherwise.
‘There will be no change of heart on Martha’s part. Trust me on that one.’
I still had the feeling there was more to this story. What was he withholding? He wasn’t being very fair. After all, I’d practically regurgitated my entire married life to him. From yearning to start a family with Robin, to how Mother Nature had decided otherwise, right up to discovering Robin and Sexy Samantha at it . Milo knew all about my fleeing to the Stag Theatre. How I’d been so distressed to the point of nearly flattening him and others. I’d moaned about Sexy Samantha dissing my curtains. The carpets. The furniture. How she’d snidely revealed that she’d been in my house previously. Likely rolled around in the marital bed while I’d been away in Cornwall. And how I’d moved in with my bestie, only to be repeatedly asked to absent myself so she and her new man could make out.
I’d told Milo everything. Well, almost everything. But now I was feeling shortchanged. I wanted to know all the details of his marriage breakdown. From how he’d discovered Martha was cheating on him, to how he compared himself to the new man in her life.
Come on Milo , I silently urged. Spill the beans .