6. Chapter Six
Chapter Six
‘ W asn’t that a bit rash? You can’t give up his school place just like that.’ Cass leaned over and topped up my glass of wine.
‘I’ll grab another bottle,’ said Jasper, getting up from the sofa.
‘Honestly, Cass, what choice did I have? Mr Kieling said the fees would need to be paid within a week, and as we both know, there’s no chance of that.’
‘Couldn’t Hugo and Marion help?’
‘They’re not answering my calls.’
‘No luck with Rob either?’
‘No.’
‘I may be able to help with that,’ said Jasper, placing two bottles, one red, one white, down on the coffee table. ‘He texted me asking if I fancied a drink.’
‘He what? Rob doesn’t even like you!’
‘Thanks,’ said Jasper with a good-natured laugh.
‘You’re not going, I hope?’ said Cass.
‘It’s not the worst idea. I could talk to him and find out what’s going on.’
‘He’s such a coward,’ I said. ‘He doesn’t dare face me, and thinks you’ll be gentle with him. I agree with Jasper, Cass. At least if they meet up, Jasper can try to get to the bottom of things. Perhaps I should come too?’
‘Ah,’ said Jasper, looking awkward. ‘He said he’s not ready to see you yet and if I bring you along, he’ll leave.’
‘Perhaps he’s forgotten I’m his wife? Mind you, if I saw him, I couldn’t guarantee he’d come out of it unscathed, and I wouldn’t want to put you in a tricky position, Jasper, what with you being an officer of the law.’
‘When does he want to meet?’ asked Cass.
Jasper looked at his watch. ‘Now. He texted five minutes ago when I was in the kitchen.’
‘You’d best get going then,’ said Cass. ‘Be sure to give him a slap from me.’
Jasper kissed Cass, grabbed his coat, and let himself out of the house.
We were two-thirds of the way through our second bottle of wine when Jasper returned. ‘That was quick,’ said Cass.
Jasper looked at his watch. ‘An hour was more than enough. That guy’s a total arsehole. Sorry,’ he said, turning to me.
‘No, go ahead, I agree. What did he say?’
Jasper sighed and flopped down on the sofa beside Cass. ‘Where to start?’
‘Start with what’s happened to all our money.’
‘OK. Well, it turns out Rob went into business with some guy he met while playing golf. It was meant to be this amazing opportunity to invest in a new eco housing estate. Only, it turned out the guy was a crook and the housing estate a total fantasy.’
‘And Rob invested everything into it?’
‘Yep, and not just your money, either. He put in a massive chunk of the money he got from Hugo, plus he staked his entire business on it. Oh, and a few more of his golfing buddies chipped in tens of thousands to boot.’
‘Crap.’
‘So there’s no way of getting any of it back?’
‘It was hard to get a clear picture, given Rob was already wasted by the time I got to the pub, but it seems not.’
‘But why hasn’t he told me any of this? I’m his wife !’
Jasper shrugged. ‘Like you said, he’s a coward. To be honest, I almost felt sorry for him. I got the impression he was trying to impress his parents with this latest deal. Mind you, to still be courting their approval at his age is a bit pathetic.’
‘Where’s he staying?’
‘He wouldn’t tell me, but it’s not with Hugo and Marion. I don’t think he dares face them.’
‘Did he ask after me or Bertie?’
‘Sorry, Liv. He seemed interested in nothing and no one but himself. I told him he needed to speak to you, but he said he needed time to work things out.’
‘Bastard.’
‘Arsehole.’
‘Polla.’
I looked across at Cass and raised my eyebrow. ‘You knew about Dad’s pet name for Rob?’
Cass blushed. ‘I may have heard him use that name once or twice…’
‘You know Bertie got in massive trouble at school for calling his friends that word? Dad told him it meant cool, so he started calling all his friends polla.’
‘He didn’t?’ Cass’s own eyebrows shot up, and the muscles in her face danced beneath her skin as she tried to control her emotions.
‘Cass… don’t.’
Cass spluttered into her wine. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘I know this isn’t a laughing matter and you’re going through a ton of shit. But… p… p… polla. My God.’
Her laughter was infectious. Despite my entire world crashing down around my ears, it felt good to laugh. Our giggles turned hysterical, tears rolling down our cheeks until mine became confused by their origin and I bent over as sobs lurched my body back and forth.
‘Oh, you poor thing,’ said Cass, dropping to her knees on the floor beside me and stroking my hair.
‘I wish Mum was here,’ I said, once my breathing became under control.
‘I think we all do, sis. I’m afraid I’ll have to do.’ Cass handed me a clump of tissues and a glass of water.
‘Mum trained you well. As substitutes go, you’ll do.’
‘Thanks. Jasper, can you grab the spare duvet from upstairs?’ Cass turned back to me. ‘Are you sure you’re all right sleeping on the sofa?’
‘It’s better than the streets,’ I said, raising a smile. ‘I can’t believe Bertie settled so well after all that’s happened.’
Given how little I knew myself about the situation, I’d kept my explanation to Bertie brief. I’d told him he was taking some time off school (to which he’d cheered), that he was going for a sleepover with his cousins (more cheers), and that his dad had had to go away for a while on business (a shrug of the shoulders).
‘When are you going to tell him everything?’ Cass asked.
‘I don’t know. God knows what Rob’s up to, or where this all leaves us. I should probably speak to Hugo and Marion, find out what they know.’ I shuddered at the thought.
‘Why don’t you leave Bertie here with Jasper tomorrow? He’s got the next four days off and all he has planned is a bit of DIY.’
‘Do you think he’d mind? I could visit Dad too.’
‘You don’t mind watching Bertie tomorrow, do you?’ asked Cass as Jasper walked into the room. ‘Liv needs to see her in-laws then pop in at Dad’s.’
‘No, I’d love a day with the little guy.’
‘Thank you. Thank you both. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’
‘That’s what family’s for,’ said Cass. She reached down and kissed my cheek. ‘Now, get some sleep. You need all your strength if you’re to get through this shit-storm your husband’s landed you in.’