Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
It had worked for Felicity, at least.
She felt like she was walking on air for the rest of the weekend, and it was by no means easy to get up on Monday and go to work knowing James wouldn’t be there.
To take her mind off his penguin-shaped absence, Felicity spent the morning in the cat nursery, taking care of two tiny black and white kittens who had recently arrived. Ah things are not so bad , she thought, as she gave them both a stroke. It’s a hard life , she thought with a smile, as she dangled a fishing line toy for Bobby Charlton. I love my job , she thought, when it was time for cuddles with Holly and Gennie who would finally respond to being stroked like normal cats. Tiny Holly even gave a little chirrup whenever Felicity was near her cage and flicked up her tail in greeting. It was heart-meltingly cute. Things are looking up.
‘Felicity!’ came Andrea’s voice from the office.
‘Yesssss?’ said Felicity, swinging round the door frame with a big smile on her face. Then she stopped sharp. Andrea wasn’t alone.
‘Oh, hello there,’ she said, to the very elegant, very tall Asian lady in a long expensive-looking wool coat, who was standing rather incongruously in the middle of the room.
Andrea was sitting behind her desk. She looked – what was that look? Apologetic? Whatever it was, it was not a facial expression Felicity had ever seen Andrea make before.
‘Felicity, this lady is looking for James,’ she said slowly.
Felicity’s hands and feet started tingling as she realised who this person was. Of course. Nothing was ever straightforward, was it?
‘Can I help you?’ said Felicity quietly. She couldn’t get over how beautiful the other woman was. Dark, flowing, shiny, oh-so-silky hair. Amazing dark eyes. And she looked like a grown-up, somehow. Felicity was suddenly ten years old again.
‘I don’t know,’ said this person – who was obviously Erika – looking Felicity up and down with clear disapproval. ‘Do you happen to know how I can get hold of him? I have something very urgent that I need to speak to him about.’
‘Well, I can’t just give you his number or anything, I’m afraid.’ Felicity could feel her heart pounding out of her chest.
The person-who-was-obviously-Erika’s beautiful dark eyes narrowed and she lifted her perfectly shaped chin in apparent defiance.
‘I’m not some random stranger. My name is Erika. James and I are… old friends.’ She was gesticulating with gloved hands. Expensive-looking leather gloves, of course.
‘I don’t care if you’re his mum,’ replied Felicity. ‘I can’t give out his number.’ She could feel Andrea’s eyes on her.
Erika’s lips pursed sharply as if she had been asked to swallow something unpleasant. ‘I think you’re being rather unhelpful.’
Felicity clenched her fists. ‘I think you should go.’
And with that, Felicity stepped aside. Was that subtle enough?
Erika didn’t move, though. She threw a furious look at Andrea as if for assistance, but Andrea just spread her hands wide and shrugged.
‘I know who you are, you know,’ she said, looking back at Felicity. It felt like those incredible eyes were boring into Felicity’s very soul.
Felicity crossed her arms over her chest. Her Animal Saviours T-Shirt felt grubbier and more faded than ever.
‘Good for you,’ she replied.
‘Do you like the house? I designed that house; those interiors are all mine. That kitchen island is made of Italian marble.’
Felicity flinched. ‘Not my taste,’ she said, slowly.
Erika snorted. ‘That doesn’t surprise me.’
‘I think it’s probably because it’s so soulless.’
Erika drew her breath in sharply. Out of the corner of her eye Felicity could see Andrea’s head going backwards and forwards between them as if she was watching Wimbledon. She may as well have been munching popcorn.
‘I think you’ll find it’s minimalist.’
‘That’s one word for it. I prefer “empty”.’
‘Well, yes, you would think that. Clearly you have no appreciation for interior design. I suspected as much.’
‘Hey, we can’t all be stuck up our own arses now, can we?’ replied Felicity, her voice calm but her mind screaming a warning.
‘What the hell is going on here?’ came a familiar voice from the doorway.
James was leaning against the doorpost, looking impossibly handsome and also, somewhat cross.
Immaculate timing as always.
‘Ah, there you are, darling,’ said Erika, but James held up a hand.
‘Don’t “darling” me,’ he said. ‘And don’t think I didn’t hear what you just said to Felicity.’
Felicity did a little inward jig and put out a hand towards him, but he shrugged it off.
‘I heard what you said, too,’ he said, looking down at her with raised eyebrows.
‘I can explain.’
‘Save it for later,’ said James.
‘James, I need to talk to you,’ said Erika, ignoring this little exchange and lifting her immaculate chin even higher.
Any further, and she’ll be looking at the ceiling.
‘Well, this is hardly the place, now, is it?’ It was his turn to cross his arms. Felicity tried not to notice how his shirt fabric stretched in all the right places. She felt like a naughty schoolgirl again, but she was confident James would give Erika short shrift and then there would be plenty of time for her to make it up to him.
‘It’s important, James,’ said Erika, with a sideways glance at Felicity, as if daring her to butt in.
James contemplated her for a moment and everyone held their collective breath.
‘Okay, fine. But not here. I’ll give you my new number and you can call me on the phone like a normal person. In the meantime, let’s leave these lovely people to get back to their work, shall we?’
Erika nodded in satisfaction just as Felicity’s jaw dropped to her chest.
Wait, what?
Erika swept out of the building so quickly she practically left cartoon swish marks in her wake. James lingered long enough to keep up appearances, long enough to drop off the lunches he’d bought for them and check on the cats, but then he made a sharp exit. He had flatly refused to listen to Felicity’s explanations.
‘I know she’s tricky,’ was all he said. ‘But you are normally so kind. I’m surprised at you, honestly.’
That cut deep. She spent a couple of miserable hours that afternoon feeling like the worst person in the world as his words ran round and round in her mind like ball bearings. The logical part of her brain knew it wasn’t entirely fair. Clearly, he hadn’t heard the way Erika had spoken to her . She had only been responding, had only snapped because of the way Erika had been. Her attitude had just been so… horrible. Surely in those circumstances what Felicity had said was justifiable. Perhaps.
What a stuck-up cow , thought Felicity, and then felt shame all over again as if James could mystically hear her thoughts. She so badly wanted to talk it through with him properly, but knew she’d have to wait until later. In the meantime, she needed someone else’s take on this. As painful as it was to admit, she might actually have to ask Andrea what she thought. She had been a witness, after all. But, knowing Andrea as she did, she’d almost certainly wish she hadn’t asked.
God help me.
Despondently, Felicity lingered behind at the end of the day in hopes of probing Andrea on the whole incident while she was locking up. She wasn’t expecting a great deal, as Andrea usually gave some massive generalisation or other, told you what you needed to do to sort everything out in no more than three short sentences and then got a bit bored of hearing about other humans’ lives and returned to her animals.
So, she was surprised to say the least when Andrea leaned in conspiratorially.
‘What did you think of that Erika? I thought she was a complete cow.’
Felicity let out an impromptu snort of laughter.
‘A complete cow. Didn’t you think?’ said Andrea again, as if Felicity hadn’t heard her.
Felicity shrugged and tried to think of something nice to say. ‘I thought she was very beautiful.’
‘Oh yes, sure, very beautiful but also a total cow and nowhere near nice enough to be with James, by the way.’
‘Is that so?’ said Felicity.
‘ Nowhere near. He’s an absolute doll. The only explanation is that she’s either got a really rich family and hooked him in with that or he was so blinded by her beauty he couldn’t see her cow-like characteristics.’
Felicity was starting to feel a bit better. ‘He was smitten with her,’ she said. ‘Totally smitten. He told me she walked out on him on Boxing Day. Broke his heart. I didn’t know they were still in touch…’
‘ She walked out on him ?’ said Andrea. ‘She must have had a stroke. Or some kind of aneurism. A funny turn of some sort, anyway. Nothing else makes sense. What possible reason could anyone have to walk out on a man like that?’
That’s for sure , thought Felicity.
‘So, what the heck was she doing here then, do you reckon?’ she said out loud.
‘Oh, she wants him back,’ said Andrea, simply. ‘She will have invented some excuse. A family emergency or something. But it’s all a ploy to win him back. You mark my words. She’s a conniving cow.’
Felicity laughed. ‘It might be something completely genuine. Then you’ll feel awful.’
‘No, I bloody won’t. And speaking of bloody, if she ever comes back here, I know a few activist friends who would happily come and throw red paint at her for those leather gloves.’
‘You don’t mean that.’
‘I bloody do.’
‘Okay, well, I’m sure that won’t be necessary but, you know, I’ll let you know.’
‘You do that.’ Andrea nodded as she locked the big door.
‘Hey. How’s things with Javier?’
Andrea turned and looked at her then. ‘I can’t believe you remembered his name. I thought you were too wrapped up in your penguin.’
‘Ouch.’
‘I didn’t mean that to sound quite so bitchy.’
‘I’m very glad to hear it.’
‘Javier is a delightfully sexy man, as it goes.’
‘Oh. Great. Um, not sure that’s quite what I meant but okay.’
‘Ha ha, don’t be so squeamish. Old people have sex too, you know.’
‘Oh sweet Lord. Yes, I’m painfully aware of that fact, thanks to you.’
‘Cheeky minx.’ Andrea was smiling from ear to ear.
‘You like him, then?’
‘I think I might keep him. Haven’t decided yet. It depends if he actually gets his act together and gets a divorce.’
‘He’s married?’
Andrea’s shoulders sagged a tiny bit. It was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. But it was there.
‘Separated. It’s not ideal but it’s very complicated. His wife is… well, let’s say I like to think of myself as the light relief.’
‘Far, far too much information now. Thanks!’
Andrea was still smiling as she waved her goodbyes.
As she watched her walk away, bobbly old fleece in place, grey plait swinging from side to side in a jaunty fashion, Felicity had a sudden urge to run up behind her and hug her. Andrea was full of surprises.
That night, Felicity lay in the bath and ran through the whole encounter in her head. Sure, she hadn’t exactly been friendly, but Andrea was right, Erika had been a cow, too. Still, she felt awful for her part in it. Jealousy was an ugly emotion, that was for sure. Was it jealousy? Maybe it was anger? Possibly both . Even though she didn’t really have any right, even though it seemed a bit perverse, she still felt so cross at Erika for walking out on James the way she did, for hurting him so badly. When she was towelled and dried and curled up in her pyjamas on the sofa, she took a deep breath and called him. Engaged tone. Hmmm, okay .
She waited a few minutes and tried again.
Still, engaged.
He must be calling her right now , she thought with horror.
And then another thought whipped in like a dart.
Erika had said, ‘I know all about you.’ But how did she know all about her if James and Erika weren’t in touch? And she knew Erika didn’t have his number, which implied they weren’t in touch. But then, it didn’t make any sense, unless they were in touch. They must be in touch. The question is, how? And how often? And how much touching had gone on, exactly?