The Woman Next Door

by Natasha Boydell

  ‘Bloody hell, Indie, we didn’t know you were coming!’ Ellie looked behind her and shouted over her shoulder, ‘Freddo, come down here, you’ll never guess who’s just rocked up!’

  Freddy appeared a few seconds later, in his signature tracksuit bottoms and jumper, the only one in the family who wasn’t surprised to see her there. ‘All right, sis,’ he said.

  ‘Where’s Benji?’ Indie asked, after she had hugged everyone.

  ‘Oh you know Benji, he’s busy, but he’s coming over for dinner later,’ Angie explained. ‘He’s got a new girlfriend, Bianca someone, he wants us to meet.’

  ‘Not Bianca Friedman? The hot new actress Bianca Friedman?’ Chrissie asked, eyes wide.

  ‘God knows, I can’t keep track of that boy,’ Angie said, looking proud.

  ‘And Dad?’ Indie asked.

  ‘Dad and What’s-her-face are coming over too.’

  Indie gave her mother a withering look. Jack had been remarried for eight years but Angie still referred to his wife as What’s-her-face.

  ‘Well, this calls for a celebration,’ Angie said brightly. ‘I’ll get the champagne!’

  Ellie and Chrissie started to follow her into the kitchen but Indie hung back and grabbed Freddy’s arm. ‘What’s the plan?’ she hissed. ‘When are you gonna tell them about Katie?’

  ‘Tonight,’ he said. ‘Get it out of the way.’

  ‘I’m here for you, Freddo, I’ve got your back, okay?’

  He smiled at her. ‘I’m really glad you’re here, Indie.’

  ‘Tom, do you remember a boy called Freddy Taylor? He used to live next door to us when we lived in London?’

  Katie’s brother scrunched up his nose as he tried to remember. ‘Vaguely,’ he said. Then his face lit up with recognition. ‘Oh yes I do! He had loads of brothers and sisters, didn’t he? We used to play in their treehouse.’

  ‘That’s it,’ she said, cautiously.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I bumped into him, in Oxford.’

  ‘Wow, small world.’ Tom didn’t seem that interested.

  ‘We’re kind of seeing each other.’

  ‘Good for you.’

  ‘The thing is… I’m going to tell Mum and Dad and I’m a bit worried about it.’

  ‘Why?’

  This was her opportunity to tell her brother the whole story. Up until now she had urged her mum not to burden him with the truth but she knew that if she and Freddy were for keeps there was no way they could keep it from him. In any case, it wasn’t fair on him to be the only one in the dark. She looked at her brother, who was sprawled across the sofa, legs thrown over one of the arms, playing a game on his phone and she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

  ‘Don’t worry about it, I’m just being silly.’

  ‘You know, I do remember him now. He used to wet his pants all the time. Fresh Pants Freddy, that’s what we used to call him!’

  Katie groaned. ‘Thanks for that, Tom, I’ll be sure to remind him.’

  ‘Fresh Pants Freddy!’ Tom was chuckling away to himself. Katie threw a cushion at him and went to make herself a cup of tea. He was still laughing when she came back.

  ‘So, Mr Smarty Pants, how’s university going?’

  Eight pairs of eyes looked at Freddy expectantly from around the kitchen table. Indie watched her brother closely as he thought carefully about how to respond to Benji’s question.

  ‘Yeah, really good thanks,’ he said. ‘The course is really interesting; the digs are pretty tidy and I’ve met a good bunch of people. I’m in the university football team.’

  ‘Good for you,’ Jack said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ He lifted his glass of champagne up towards Freddy and everyone followed suit.

  ‘There’s something else actually. Something I wanted to talk to you about.’

  ‘Oh yes?’ Jack was already distracted, tucking into the curry they’d ordered because Angie had said she couldn’t be bothered to cook for so many people.

  ‘I’ve actually met someone.’

  ‘Ooooooh, Freddo’s got a girlfriend,’ Ellie said teasingly and Indie saw Freddy reddening.

  ‘Good for you, lad. What’s this mystery girl called?’

  Freddy hesitated and looked at Indie. She gave him a reassuring nod.

  ‘Her name’s Katie. Katie Brennan.’

  Jack continued chewing away contentedly, oblivious to the relevance of the name, but when Indie looked at her mother, she had completely frozen, fork still halfway to her mouth. She looked at Freddy, pale-faced.

  ‘Katie Brennan?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘As in, the Katie Brennan? The one we used to know?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Who’s Katie Brennan?’ Jack asked, sensing the change in mood. No one spoke for a moment.

  ‘Dad, the Brennans.’ Indie finally broke the silence. ‘The family who used to live next door. Freddy is going out with the daughter.’

  ‘Christ!’ Jack said, as the penny dropped. Indie kept her eyes firmly fixed on Freddy. He had a determined look on his face but she imagined that he wanted to shrink down into his chair and disappear. She took his hand and squeezed it, and he smiled gratefully at her.

  ‘I don’t understand,’ Angie was saying. ‘How did this even happen?’

  ‘It was a total coincidence,’ Freddy explained. ‘She’s studying at Oxford too. I saw her in a café and recognised her. We swapped numbers and started meeting up. It just happened. There’s something there, Mum, something special. We’ve been together for a few months now.’

  ‘What’s going on?’ What’s-her-face demanded. ‘I don’t understand.’

  Everyone ignored her.

  ‘Jesus, Freddo, you don’t half pick them,’ Benji commented. To his right, his new girlfriend was checking her phone, looking bored. She had turned out not to be the famous actress Bianca Friedman, thank God. That probably would have tipped this situation over the edge. Indie glanced at her mum, who still hadn’t moved, and then at her dad, who was managing to look both perplexed and outraged.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Freddy said. ‘I’m sorry for blurting it out like this, and for any bad memories or hurt that it’s bringing back, I really am. But I’m not sorry that I’ve met her. She’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love her.’

  You could have heard a pin drop. Indie glanced around the table. Most of her family were still staring at Freddy in shock. Chrissie and What’s-her-face were looking confused and slightly pissed off about being in the dark about something so important. Bianca was still scrolling on her phone. Poor Freddy looked like a stubborn, petrified little boy. How on earth do we get past this?

  But this was exactly why she had come back to her family now. To make up for what she did all those years ago, to have her brother’s back when he needed her. She took a deep breath.

  ‘Well, I for one can’t wait for the wedding.’

  Everyone’s eyes turned to her and she looked defiantly back. She had achieved exactly what she wanted, to turn the attention away from Freddy onto her. Trust Indie to say the most inappropriate thing possible, to make the situation worse, they were thinking.

  She waited for her mum to turn on her and start having a go, or for her dad to shake his head and say that he was disappointed in her. Then she heard a muffled snort and turned to see Ellie, desperately trying to suppress her giggles. Next came Benji, although he wasn’t so subtle as he started guffawing loudly. Then Freddy joined in, a laughter that she suspected was more nerves than amusement.

  Jack was staring at his children in bemusement. Then, as if powerless to stop himself, he started chuckling, quietly at first but getting louder and louder as he became infected by everyone else’s laughter. Finally, Indie looked at Angie, who had found something very fascinating in her glass of champagne.

  ‘Mum?’ she asked, tentatively.

  Angie looked up. She had tears running down her face, but her expression wasn’t one of sorrow.

&nb
sp; ‘Jesus Christ, Indie,’ she said, between sobs of laughter.

  Their mother’s reaction was the cue they had all been waiting for and the table erupted. Benji was doubled over. Ellie was clutching onto Chrissie, trying to explain it all to her but unable to speak coherently. Jack was leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, howling. Then poor Freddy laughed so hard that he fell off his chair and it was game over. They all lost their marbles.

  ‘So, love, how has the first term gone for you?’

  Katie was sitting in the living room with her parents, nursing a cup of tea. Tom had disappeared out to the pub as soon as they’d finished eating.

  ‘It’s been amazing,’ she said, smiling despite her nerves. ‘It’s such a special place and I’m loving my course.’

  ‘That’s wonderful,’ Sophie said, beaming at her.

  ‘Have you made friends?’ Alan asked. Her happiness was always more important to him than her academic success.

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I’ve made some really good friends actually. We’re already talking about renting a house together next year.’

  ‘Good.’ Alan nodded with satisfaction.

  ‘There is something else,’ she said tentatively.

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘I’ve met someone. A boy. It’s quite serious.’

  ‘Good for you,’ Sophie said. ‘That’s lovely news.’

  ‘The thing is, it’s someone that you know. Or at least used to know.’

  She could tell that her mum understood immediately. Her dad seemed confused.

  ‘It’s Freddy Taylor.’

  They both stared at her. She watched as Sophie carefully put down her tea, as if worried that she might spill it otherwise. Alan paled.

  ‘I’m sorry, Dad, I know you told me to stay away from him and I really did try I promise, but something happened between us. I can’t explain it, but I just couldn’t keep away.’

  ‘How many students are there in Oxford?’ he asked.

  She was thrown by his question. ‘Sorry?’

  ‘How many students are there in Oxford?’

  ‘I don’t know, twenty thousand?’

  ‘Twenty thousand kids and you choose to go out with this one?’ He was incredulous.

  ‘Alan,’ Sophie said quietly, but he ignored her.

  ‘Are you honestly telling me, Katie, that of all the boys in Oxford, this is the one you want?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said, not looking him in the eye.

  ‘And you’ve got no problem with the effect this will have on your mother?’

  ‘Alan…’ Sophie said again, but he wasn’t listening.

  ‘You’ve known this boy what, a few weeks? Hardly long enough for it to be serious. You need to call it off right now, Katie, do you hear me?’

  ‘But, Dad, I love him!’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, you hardly know him.’

  He had never spoken to her like this before. ‘I do know him, Dad, and he’s a good person. A really good person. What happened in the past is not his fault and it’s not mine either.’

  ‘So, it’s all my fault, is it?’

  ‘Well, yes it is!’ Katie’s anger was rising to match her father’s now.

  ‘Oh I get it, three months at Oxford and you’re a know-it-all now I see.’

  ‘Alan!’ Sophie stood up now. ‘Enough.’

  He was silenced immediately. He looked up at Sophie and Katie saw a flash of pain cross his face. ‘I’m so sorry, love, I’m so sorry this has all come up again.’

  ‘I know you are.’ Sophie sat down next to him and took his hand. ‘But this is not Katie’s fault. And it’s not the boy’s either.’

  ‘But I just don’t understand it,’ he said. ‘There are so many people in the world. What on earth conspired to bring these two together?’

  Sophie shrugged. ‘Fate?’

  Katie watched the exchange. It was as if they’d forgotten she was even in the room. Then Alan turned to her. ‘I’m sorry, Katie, I didn’t mean to have a go.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘It was just such a shock. Your mum and I, we worked so hard to move on from that time and the thought of it coming back into our lives now is a lot to handle.’

  ‘I know that too.’

  ‘I’m not sure I can get my head around it all. What it means for you. What it means for us.’

  ‘It doesn’t have to mean anything, Dad.’

  He looked at her sadly. ‘Oh it does, Katie. It does.’

  After he had left the room, on the pretence that he had some invoicing to finish, her mum went to the kitchen to get a couple of glasses of wine and handed one to Katie.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Mum,’ Katie was on the verge of crying now as she realised, probably for the first time, the hurt that her relationship might be causing her mother.

  ‘You don’t need to be sorry. You’ve done nothing wrong.’

  ‘Except fall in love with public enemy number one.’

  ‘Well yes, except that.’

  ‘I did try to stay away from him at first, I honestly did. But there was just something there, Mum, and I couldn’t get him out of my mind. I never meant to cause any upset.’

  ‘I know that, love.’

  ‘What do we do now?’

  Sophie looked thoughtful. ‘Leave your dad to me, he’ll come round.’

  ‘But what about you?’

  ‘Don’t you worry about me, Katie. Your happiness is all I care about and if Freddy Taylor makes you happy, then that’s the most important thing.’

  ‘Do you really mean it?’ Katie sagged with relief.

  ‘Of course I do.’

  ‘But are you upset, Mum? Have I upset you?’

  ‘I’m shocked, certainly. I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t brought up some bad memories from the past. And there’s no doubt that it’s going to be a tricky path to navigate, Katie. I mean the usual meet the parents is going to be a bit different for us, isn’t it? But we’ll make it work.’

  ‘Do you think Dad will ever forgive me?’

  Sophie looked at her sadly. ‘It’s not about forgiving you, love; it’s about forgiving himself.’

  26

  Sophie turned the car engine off and gazed out of the window at the house that had once been hers. It looked like it had been recently repainted and the old front door had been replaced with a contemporary one, blue with stained glass panels and a large chrome knocker. Outside, a 4x4 was parked in the driveway and she could see that their old curtains had been taken down and replaced with white shutters. The house, just like her, had moved on.

  Next she looked at the house next door. In contrast, it wasn’t that different to how she remembered it. The SUV had been replaced by something smaller, presumably now all the Taylor children had grown up and moved out, and there were some new flowers in the beds. But other than that, it seemed untouched, the last vestige of a former life.

  It was eleven years since Sophie had last been in Pemberton Road and the prospect of returning to her past had haunted her. But this visit wasn’t about the past, it was about the future. It was time to make things right, for the sake of the children. Katie and Freddy were coming up to the end of their first year of university and they were still madly in love. She had never seen her daughter like this before; she had been such a bookworm at school, never particularly interested in boys. At first, she had worried that it might distract her from her studies, that she would waste the opportunity she’d worked so hard for. But in typical Katie style she was still getting top marks in almost everything she did.

  With the summer holidays approaching, she knew that Katie was keen to invite Freddy to stay with them, and Freddy had asked Katie to spend the weekend at Pemberton Road, but it didn’t feel right to any of them when there was such animosity between the two families.

  Sophie had made the suggestion a few weeks ago, when she was having lunch with them both in Oxford. She had met Freddy a few times since Katie had told her about their relationship and he was a lovely b
oy.

  The first time she met him she had been so shocked by his likeness to Jack that she had stood there for a moment, speechless, staring at him. His physical appearance still unnerved her now but as she got to know him, she realised that he was nothing like his father, apart from their shared love of football. Jack was a joker and a flirt but Freddy was more thoughtful, more serious. And it was very clear to her that he was serious about Katie. As they tucked into their lunch, she had asked Freddy, for the first time, how his mother was.

  ‘She’s fine thanks, Sophie,’ he answered politely.

  ‘Is she still working flat out as a solicitor?’

  ‘She works hard, definitely, but she’s fairly chilled out about it all these days.’

  ‘Do you think she’d like to meet up perhaps? For a cup of tea?’

  Freddy looked shell-shocked. ‘With you?’

  ‘Yes, with me.’

  ‘Mum, what’s this about?’ Katie was looking at her, concerned.

  ‘I just think, with you two being together, perhaps it’s time that me and Angie had a chat. Cleared the air. Made life a bit easier for you two.’

  ‘Oh, Mum, you’d do that for us?’ Katie looked like she was about to cry.

  ‘Of course, Katie. If Freddy thinks it’s a good idea.’

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ Freddy agreed. ‘Shall I talk to her?’

  ‘Okay, why not,’ Sophie said. ‘I don’t want her to feel cornered. Why don’t you mention it to her and if she’s up for it, you can let me know.’

  Katie called her later that day. ‘Freddy’s spoken to Angie. She’s agreed to talk to you.’

  How noble of her was Sophie’s first thought, but she quickly swallowed her pride. ‘Great, text me her number and I’ll get in touch.’

  ‘I was thinking, Mum, why don’t you meet up in Oxford? You know, neutral ground? Perhaps Freddy and I could even be there to make things a bit less intense?’

  ‘It’s a lovely idea, Katie, but I think this is something Angie and I have to do alone.’

  As soon as Katie hung up, Sophie had typed out a quick message to Angie before she could change her mind.