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  As she looked at the details again, she noticed a phone number. Realising she had only a few seconds before Jake came back, Neve took out her phone and took a quick photograph of the screen.

  Just as she put her phone back in her bag, the door opened, and Jake reappeared.

  ‘Just Stan, wanted to borrow some turps,’ he said, shuffling round to the computer screen and logging out of the system. ‘And don’t worry about Lee. I expect he was just making sure Poppy was all right. That’s his job.’

  ‘Yeah, sure. Thanks again,’ said Neve, with what she hoped was a convincing smile. ‘I’d better go.’

  ‘Neve,’ said Jake, turning to face her.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Remember, I’m here if you ever need me. Whatever the occasion. You do know that, don’t you?’

  ‘I do. And thank you.’ His kindness was touching, and Neve appreciated his concern.

  ‘I probably shouldn’t say this, and I’ll probably kick myself afterwards, but what the hell…’ began Jake.

  ‘You don’t have to say anything,’ said Neve, gently.

  ‘I do, because likewise, if I don’t, I’ll kick myself for that too.’

  ‘Looks like you’re in for a good kicking,’ said Neve, trying to make light of the situation, even though the laugh she tagged on was full of nerves.

  ‘You deserve to be happy, Neve,’ he said, taking her hand in his and cupping it with the other.

  Neve looked down at their hands and placed her free hand on top of his, her thumb brushed the acrylic paint smeared across his knuckles. ‘I am happy,’ she said. ‘On the whole, I am.’

  ‘You deserve to be happier,’ said Jake. ‘I can—’

  Neve made a shushing sound, cutting through the sentence, moving her hand on his cheek. ‘I know,’ she said, looking him directly in the eye. She resisted the urge to kiss him, instead disengaged herself from him and stepped away. She was dangerously close to giving in to her desire. Pausing in the doorway, she turned to him. ‘You’re a good man, Jake Rees.’

  He gave a rueful look, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. ‘I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing,’ he said and then added sincerely, ‘I meant what I said.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Go on then, or you’ll be late. Reassure that husband of yours that’s there’s nothing to worry about.’

  Neve gave Jake a small smile. ‘Nothing to worry about at all.’

  Chapter 4

  Kit loosened his tie as he sat down at his desk. It had been a stressful morning already and the day wasn’t going to get any easier. Thankfully, Poppy was now safely at school, but it was still bothering him that she was hanging around with an older bloke. And then there was Neve.

  He could kick himself for giving her false hope at the weekend with his eagerness to make love. He should be more careful about what he was saying as lately she had been pressing him again about having a baby. As much as it pained him to see her so upset about his refusal to agree, the thought, or rather the fear, of having another child was stronger. Besides, Neve knew the score. He’d made it perfectly clear from the word go, but the other night, well, he’d been unfair to her.

  She had looked so damn sexy after getting back from her swim. Her hair still damp, and falling in those soft waves, her face clear of make-up which made her green eyes seem larger and more alluring. She’d come in laughing at something Poppy was saying, her T-shirt not quite as damp as her hair, but enough so that he could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. He’d got an immediate erection.

  Making sure Poppy was occupied with a packet of crisps, a can of Coke and her favourite tv show, Kit had taken the stairs two at a time and practically burst into the bedroom just in time to catch Neve before she took a shower.

  ‘Well, someone’s eager,’ Neve had said, raising her eyebrows, as he had pulled her towards him and wriggled her T-shirt off over her head.

  ‘And why wouldn’t I be?’ Kit had mumbled as he had started to kiss her neck and work his way down to her breasts.

  Neve had run her hands through his hair. ‘I saw Sophie at the swimming pool,’ she said.

  ‘Mmm,’ said Kit, distractedly, working her joggers down over her bottom.

  ‘You’ll never guess what?’ said Neve, as she stepped out of her fit-wear.

  ‘No, you’re right, I’ll never guess,’ said Kit, sweeping her up into his arms and laying her on the bed. ‘And I’m not going to. You can tell me later.’ He undid his trousers, his eyes lingering over his wife’s body.

  ‘She’s pregnant,’ said Neve.

  Kit stopped unzipping his flies. Neve talking about pregnancies and babies was never a good sign.

  Neve carried on. ‘Twelve weeks. Her and Mark are really happy. She said Mark was over the moon.’

  ‘Stop,’ said Kit. ‘I don’t want to hear about other people’s pregnancies. Not exactly a turn on. And before you say anything else, I know where this is going.’

  ‘Please, Kit. I know we’ve talked about it before but just think about it. I mean, really think about it.’

  He wanted to tell Neve that he was never going to change his mind, but he knew that would mean an argument and (a) he was sick of arguing about it, and (b) he was as horny as hell. If they argued, that would mean no sex.

  He felt a twinge in his boxers. ‘OK, I’ll think about it,’ he said, straddling his wife on the bed.

  ‘You will?’

  ‘I will.’

  Her face was alight with happiness and any guilt Kit might have felt was brushed away as she opened her legs to him.

  And now, of course, he had paid for agreeing to think about a baby in that moment when all he could think about was sex, when he would have agreed to practically anything. Neve wasn’t about to let it slide and now he’d upset her. That, together with the stress of Poppy going walkabout, meant he felt sorry for Neve. Being married to Kit probably wasn’t turning out quite the way she’d envisaged. Kit knew he had to make amends with his wife. Especially so, with Jake lurking in the background; he didn’t want Neve thinking Jake was a more appealing alternative.

  Kit didn’t want to have to keep tabs on what Neve was up to, but if it came to it, he would. He had far too much to lose to allow himself the indulgence of taking his eye off the ball. It wasn’t just that, but Poppy would lose a mother – another mother, and he didn’t want that for his daughter. He wasn’t sure he’d ever find anyone as understanding as Neve when it came to Poppy. Right from the start, over seven years ago, Neve and Poppy had hit it off. Neve was only in her early twenties then, several years Kit’s junior, and had already been through the wringer. He knew she’d gone through a particularly tough time, suffering a miscarriage and then going through a divorce.

  Kit appreciated that this was nothing short of harrowing, so much so, that Neve had needed counselling and still did, hence the art therapy. It genuinely made him wonder why the hell she wanted to put herself through all that again. He knew he couldn’t face it and he couldn’t understand why she was so … so desperate. So desperate to put herself in that position again, to make herself vulnerable, to open herself up to the possibility of history repeating itself. It was beyond his understanding. And that was where they fundamentally differed.

  And now Neve was spending more and more time at her art lessons. Was she desperate enough to do something silly? Did she think Jake Rees was the answer?

  Well, Kit wasn’t prepared to allow that to happen. He was going to pull out all the stops to make sure it didn’t. What was it they said? All’s fair in love and war. He nodded to himself. He liked that motto. It suited him. He’d been described by some people as driven, focused and determined. Others, usually those on the opposite side of the negotiating table to him, might chose words like, single-minded, stubborn and belligerent. Kit couldn’t deny any of these observations. The strategy he used in the boardroom could easily be transferred into his personal life. Kit was a winner and he certainly wasn’t going to lose to a
nyone, especially to the likes of Jake Rees.

  Going into the shower room at the back of his office, Kit had a quick freshen up and splashed his neck with the aftershave Neve had bought him for his birthday that year. He remembered her saying at the time that it was very sexy and her favourite. He looked at the bottle. ‘Compulsive’. He hoped it would live up to its name.

  He spent the next hour catching up on emails and preparing for the meeting that afternoon with the Harbourmaster. Sean had put together a PowerPoint presentation and forwarded it over to Kit to give it a once over. Kit had tweaked it here and there and added his part to it, before sending it back to his partner.

  By the time Neve arrived, at eleven on the dot, Kit was happy everything was in order.

  ‘Hi, sweetheart,’ he said, as she came into the office. She was still wearing the pretty blue dress which pleased him, and he noticed she’d applied fresh make up and tied her hair up in a bun with a few loose tendrils around her face, just as he liked it. ‘You look gorgeous.’ He drew her in and kissed her on the mouth, ignoring her resistance. She was still pissed off with him but the fact that she’d agreed to come over was, he regarded, a good sign.

  ‘You smell nice,’ she said.

  Kit grinned. ‘A birthday present, from an admirer.’

  ‘Is that right? She raised her eyebrows a fraction.

  ‘Neve,’ began Kit, taking her hands in his. ‘I’m really sorry for upsetting you earlier. About what I said last night and how I haven’t been very considerate of your feelings.’

  There was a look of mild surprise on her face, but she didn’t pull away and didn’t launch into a verbal attack. Another good sign.

  She gave a sigh. ‘I don’t really know what else to say. I thought last night you meant it when you said you’d think about it but now I realise it was just to shut me up, so you didn’t miss out on a shag.’

  ‘What?!’ He stopped himself from feigning indignation, it probably wouldn’t go down too well right now. ‘I’ve never shagged you,’ he said. ‘I’ve always, always, made love to you.’

  ‘You know what I mean.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I can’t help it. You’re so bloody gorgeous and I’m a hot-blooded male. I apologise, I let my …’

  ‘Dick rule your head,’ said Neve, finishing the sentence for him.

  ‘Guilty as charged,’ said Kit. ‘Look, let’s go out on the boat. I picked up a hamper earlier from that little Italian bistro in town. I don’t want to argue anymore and I promise, absolutely promise, cross my heart and hope to die promise, that I’ll think more about it.’

  ‘Is there any point?’ said Neve. ‘In promising, I mean. Will you really think more about it?’

  ‘I will. But if you’re asking me to promise I’ll change my mind, I can’t do that.’

  ‘We’re at a stalemate. An impasse.’ She looked down at their hands and back up at him. ‘I guess it’s a game of brinkmanship to see who blinks first.’

  ‘I’ll think about it as much from your perspective, if you promise me you’ll think about it as much from mine,’ said Kit. He waited while she gave a resigned sigh.

  ‘I don’t really have much choice.’

  ‘It’s been a stressful morning. Come on, let’s forget about the world and its troubles.’

  ‘Our troubles.’

  ‘You don’t seem to be buying into this,’ said Kit, unable to tamp down the feeling of being a little peeved at her lack of enthusiasm. He didn’t like to admit it, but Neve’s shift in attitude, her more assertive stance, unsettled him. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was getting coaching from someone else. OK, coaching might be a little strong, but certainly something, or someone, was influencing her, even if it might only be subconsciously. ‘Is there anything else bothering you?’

  ‘No. I’m sorry. Nothing. I think I’m just jaded from it all. You’re right, let’s check out of the world for an hour.’

  He kissed her again. ‘Excellent. We’ll speak to Poppy this evening, and tomorrow I’m going to pay The Forum a visit and find out who that bloke was with Poppy today.’

  ‘No! Don’t do that.’

  ‘What? Why not? Aren’t you bothered? You didn’t see him, Neve, he had trouble written all over him. I know you think I can be a stick in the mud at times, but he’s bad news.’ Kit picked up his jacket from the back of his chair. ‘Anyway, enough of all that, remember, we’re forgetting about the world for an hour.’

  ‘I know but …’

  Kit put his finger to his wife’s lips. ‘No buts, let’s go.’

  Chapter 5

  Neve hadn’t slept well that night, despite the evening’s talk to Poppy about the dangers of going off on her own being a marginal success. Poppy appeared to listen and, indeed, agree with Neve and Kit that disappearing wasn’t a good idea and talking to strangers was a no-no. Although, Poppy maintained that Lee was her new friend and she liked him, despite Neve pointing out that it was the first time Poppy had met Lee and had then tried to explain to Poppy how it takes time to get to know a person. Neve wasn’t really sure Poppy grasped the notion that not everyone she met should be regarded as a friend straight away. None of this had sat well with Kit, but to his credit, he had remained calm and accepted that Poppy hadn’t been able to really appreciate the danger she could put herself in.

  Neve knew Poppy found it hard to understand the point they were making. She simply didn’t have the cognitive development to grasp exactly what they were saying. It had to be broken down into simplistic terms to gain any meaning for Poppy.

  The catalyst for Neve’s broken sleep however, was Poppy’s new friend, Lee. Or, as Neve knew him, Ashley Farnham. A face and a name from Neve’s past. One she didn’t associate with happy events.

  It was bizarre that he had reappeared here in the little village of Ambleton. Surely that was more than a coincidence. Whatever his reasons were for going by the name of Lee, the fact he’d made contact with her daughter troubled Neve. Did he know Neve lived in Ambleton? Did he know of her connection with Poppy?

  She had tossed these questions around all night, unable to settle on an answer. Long held but tucked away memories of Ashley Farnham invaded her thoughts. In the end, she had got up and gone downstairs where she’d poured herself a glass of Kit’s whiskey in a bid to help her sleep.

  It had worked but when she had woken this morning, she instantly knew something was troubling her. It took her a few seconds to remember and her heart dropped when she did. It was no good, she couldn’t carry on in this state of uncertainty. She had to find out what he was doing here.

  Neve jotted down the phone number from the picture she had taken of Jake’s computer screen and added it to her contacts under the name ‘Laura’, who was one of the mums from school. Neve knew it would be a good cover if she happened to have a text come through and someone, Kit in particular, noticed the alert flash up on the screen.

  Neve picked up her phone, tapped out a text message and pressed send. She watched the little blue line race across the top of her screen, followed up by a ping – confirmation her message had been sent. The word ‘Delivered’ appeared under the message. Satisfied, Neve slipped her phone into her bag and called up the stairs for Poppy to hurry up. ‘We don’t want to miss the bus!’ Neve gave Willow a couple of dog treats and settled her in her basket. ‘Stay there. Good girl.’

  Poppy clomped her way down the stairs. ‘I’m ready.’

  ‘You’ve got toothpaste in the corner of your mouth,’ said Neve, handing Poppy a tissue.

  ‘Can you take me today?’ said Poppy as she rubbed the tissue round her mouth and then scrunched it up, leaving it on the hall table.

  ‘In the bin, please,’ said Neve, slipping her feet into her shoes. ‘And I am taking you. I always do.’

  Poppy shuffled off to the kitchen and after disposing of the tissue, came back to put her own shoes on. ‘I meant take me to school. Not the bus stop.’

  ‘But I never take you to school.’

  �
�I don’t want to go on the bus.’ Poppy tugged the Velcro strap across the top of her foot.

  ‘Why?’

  Poppy shrugged. ‘Just don’t.’

  ‘Well, that’s not a reason, is it?’ said Neve. She knew from past experience, the key with Poppy was consistency. If you let Poppy call the shots too often, then it became a battle for her to be compliant about the smallest of things. Everything became an issue, which ultimately turned into an argument. ‘Anyway, your dad’s paid for the bus. They’ll be expecting you and I can’t be driving backwards and forwards into town every day.’

  ‘You’ve got nothing else to do,’ said Poppy, her bottom lip sticking out as she stood up and picked up her bag and hockey stick.

  Neve gave a small laugh as she checked her mobile phone. ‘Oh, I’ve got plenty of things to be getting on with. How do you think this ship keeps sailing?’

  ‘It’s not a ship. It’s a house.’

  Neve sighed inwardly. Her mistake. Metaphors didn’t figure in Poppy’s world. ‘Well, what I mean is, if I’m not at home, then who is going to do all the housework, shopping, cleaning, washing and everything else that needs doing? They don’t get done on their own.’ She placed a hand on Poppy’s back and shepherded her out the door.

  Neve checked her phone again as she slid into the driver’s seat. No reply to her text message yet.

  ‘Why do you keep looking at your phone?’ asked Poppy, sitting beside her.

  ‘I don’t,’ said Neve, although she knew to refute it was pointless.

  ‘Yes, you do. That’s twice since I came down.’

  ‘I’m just waiting for a reply to a text message. From my friend, Lucie, you know, who runs the coffee shop. I was waiting to see if she’s free to meet up.’ Neve mentally crossed her fingers and said a silent apology for the lie as they drove off towards the centre of the village.

  Within a few minutes, they rounded the corner, the war memorial in sight where the school bus stopped to collect Poppy.