Love at First Fight

by Mary Jayne Baker

  ‘I don’t believe this,’ Cal muttered. ‘So that’s why you always hated her so much.’

  ‘Yeah. And if you ask me, she’s more than capable of staging something like this for no other reason than revenge. I don’t think Joanna would recognise a moral if it bit her on the arse.’

  Cal was silent for a moment, looking blank.

  ‘OK. Let’s say I’ll buy the idea she’s behind it,’ he said at last. ‘How’s she done it? I don’t think Hattie would believe I’d done the dirty on her just like that because Joanna told her we’d kissed, or even if she lied and claimed we’d slept together. Not without talking to me.’

  ‘I guess Joanna showed her some sort of proof. Forged presumably, unless there’s anything incriminating you can think of that she might have from when you were together.’

  ‘The only thing she might still have is some of our old notes – we used to slip them into each other’s packed lunches; it was a bit of a game between us. There might be stuff in there Hattie would find upsetting. Nothing bad enough to make her refuse to see me though, I wouldn’t have thought.’

  ‘What is in them?’

  ‘Jesus, I don’t remember. It’s years since I wrote them. I mean, some of them were just soppy sort of “miss you already” notes, others were a bit… naughtier. I couldn’t quote them to you.’

  ‘How much naughtier?’

  ‘Well, quite a bit, I guess.’ Cal rubbed his face. ‘When I was first with Joanna I’d only slept with two girls, and they’d both been one-offs. Then suddenly I was with this person who was properly uninhibited in the bedroom – I mean, she was seriously up for anything, Ben. It was exciting, at the time, going out with someone as adventurous as Jo was.’

  ‘And you talked about these adventurous sexytimes in the notes, did you?’

  ‘Yeah, sometimes. It used to turn her on, finding a dirty note in with her lunch. Then when she came over, she’d…’ He trailed off. ‘It was a long time ago.’

  ‘What sort of kink level are we talking about here?’ Ben asked. ‘I mean, if Hattie’s just discovered you’re into getting live armadillos shoved up your bum during sex then I can see why she might want to call things off, even if it’s been six years since the last one.’

  ‘Nothing like that. Nothing really dodgy. But… there’ll be references to stuff me and Hat have never done together, stuff that might surprise her – shock her even.’ Cal looked up. ‘That wouldn’t be enough to make her call things off without talking to me though, would it?’

  ‘I shouldn’t think so. Joanna’s spun it somehow. She must’ve done.’

  ‘What can I do, Ben?’ He let out another strangled sob. ‘I have to talk to Hat and make it right again. Have to.’

  ‘I think you just need to wait until she wants to talk to you. She’s asked for space; you probably ought to respect that.’

  ‘Yeah, but only because she thinks I’ve cheated on her or… or something. I need to prove I’ve been set up, if that’s what’s happened. I’m not calling off our wedding on Saturday – I won’t.’ He struggled with tears for a moment, trying to get his frantically bobbing Adam’s apple under control. ‘God, I wish I could get hold of Joanna. I’d get her to own up to it if I had to throttle it out of her. I mean, she’s trying to ruin my fucking life here!’

  ‘Part of me wonders if it even is revenge, or just a game she’s decided to play because she’s bored. I wouldn’t put anything past her.’ Ben clapped Cal on the back. ‘You want to stay over at mine tonight, kid?’

  ‘No, I need to be here. Hattie might come home.’

  ‘You never know, I suppose,’ Ben said doubtfully. He stood up. ‘I’ll go home and get my night stuff then. You shouldn’t be on your own.’

  Cal smiled weakly. ‘Thanks, mate.’

  ‘I’ll drop in on Bridie on my way back. She’ll probably be pretty upset right now, plus she might have news from Hattie. If she was going to talk to anyone about what was wrong, it’d be Bride.’

  Cal sighed. ‘I guess Bridie’ll hate me too, now.’

  ‘Well, hopefully only temporarily. Don’t worry, Cal. We’ll get your name cleared somehow.’

  Bridie was still in Hattie’s room, trying to comfort her, when the doorbell rang. Once the tears had started to flow, Hattie hadn’t been able to check them and it was only now, two hours later, that she’d finally fallen quiet again.

  ‘Ignore it, sweetie,’ Bridie whispered.

  ‘What if it’s Cal?’ Hattie said, casting a worried look in the direction of the stairs.

  ‘It can’t be. As far as he’s concerned, you’re in Wales. Why would he come here looking for you?’

  The bell rang again, more urgently this time.

  ‘Perhaps I should go get rid of them.’ Bridie gave Hattie a squeeze before standing up. ‘You stay hidden in here. I’ll be back just as soon as I can.’

  She closed the door carefully behind her, smoothed her hair and went to answer the front door.

  ‘Ben,’ she said when she found him on the step. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘To see how you are. Can I come in?’

  Bridie glanced up the stairs. ‘Um, it’s… not really a good time right now. Could you call me later?’

  ‘Just let me in for five minutes, please. I could really use a hug, Bride.’

  He did look worried, his usually smiling face pale and haggard, and his voice sounded trembly too. Bridie couldn’t help relenting when she saw the mute appeal in his eyes.

  ‘Well, all right,’ she said, standing aside. ‘But it’ll have to be quick. I’m kind of in the middle of something.’

  He followed her to the living room and immediately took her in his arms, holding her as tight as he could without hurting her. Bridie sighed as she pressed her body against him. She needed a hug pretty badly herself.

  ‘How are you doing, love?’ he whispered.

  ‘Not so great. What about you?’

  ‘Not great either, but a lot better than poor Cal,’ Ben said. ‘He’s distraught she won’t even talk to him. I left him staring into space, trying not to cry.’

  ‘Huh. I bet.’

  He held her back to look quizzically into her face. ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘Nothing. Sorry.’

  ‘Do you know something? Has she called you?’

  ‘You saw her message,’ Bridie said, looking away. ‘She doesn’t want to talk to anyone. She wants to be on her own.’

  ‘OK, well that answer was just deliberately evasive. What do you know, Bride?’

  She sighed. ‘You’d better sit down.’

  He took a seat on the sofa and Bridie sat beside him.

  ‘Ben… you love me, right?’ she asked, turning so she could take his hands in hers. ‘I mean, you trust me?’

  He blinked. ‘Well yeah, you know I do.’

  ‘And I can trust you too. Can’t I?’

  ‘With your life, Bridie. What’s this all about?’

  ‘Love, if Cal had done something wrong, really wrong… would you take his part? Or would you be on the side of the wronged party?’

  ‘That depends what it was,’ Ben said cautiously. ‘I mean, I love him, don’t I? He’s my brother.’

  ‘I know.’ She fell silent for a moment, frowning thoughtfully at the carpet. ‘I know.’

  ‘Bridie, what is it? What does Hattie think Cal’s done?’

  ‘It’s not what she thinks he’s done, it’s what he’s actually done.’ She looked up at him. ‘He’s been shagging around on her, Ben.’

  He shook his head. ‘No. He wouldn’t do that. It’s Joanna who’s planted this in her head, right?’

  ‘Well, yes.’

  ‘Exactly. She’s set him up, Bridie, and I know why. He turned her down for sex last night and she’s smarting about it. Not to mention the fact she’s just fucking evil.’

  Bridie sighed. ‘I wish I could believe that, Ben. The evidence against him is pretty conclusive, I’m sorry to say. Joanna’s got a lovely little c
ollection of dick pics sent to her from Cal’s Facebook account over the last few months.’

  ‘Eh?’ Ben frowned. ‘No. She must’ve faked them.’

  ‘She could’ve faked the messages but not the photos. Hattie’s positive it’s Cal in them. He’s got a purple birthmark shaped like a raspberry on his hip, hasn’t he?’

  Ben was starting to look worried now. ‘Well yeah, he has, but… I mean, that still doesn’t prove anything. It could’ve been painted on in Photoshop or something.’

  ‘The exact colour and shape? And what about everything else? The late-night visit he hid, the flowers and chocs for Hattie whenever he came back from some tryst that he pretended was a trip away for work, the messages containing information only he could’ve known, the mucky notes—’

  ‘Cal told me about the notes. They’re from back when they were together.’

  ‘Not all of them. Joanna gave Hat a selection of nice new ones too,’ Bridie told him. ‘And yeah, I guess she could’ve forged them, but that along with everything else doesn’t look good, does it?’

  ‘No, I… I won’t believe it,’ Ben muttered. ‘Not Cal. Joanna’s set it all up to frame him. I don’t know how but she has.’

  ‘You won’t believe it because you don’t want to believe it. I get it. Neither did I,’ Bridie said gently. ‘But from these notes he wrote, it’s clear your brother’s into some stuff Hat had no idea about. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility to think he might go to Joanna for some of his more specialised tastes, especially while Hat’s been feeling all tired and mank from the pregnancy.’

  ‘He wouldn’t cheat. Cal’s not like that.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have thought he’d have a penchant for light bondage or sex in public places either, but apparently he does,’ Bridie observed darkly. ‘Explain the photos, if you’re so convinced he’s innocent. Explain how Joanna could’ve known when Hattie had her dress fitting in order to fake the messages he sent her.’

  ‘I… can’t.’ Ben reached up to rub his eyes. ‘God, this is like being trapped in a nightmare. It can’t be happening.’

  Bridie pressed his hand. ‘So? Can I trust you?’ she asked quietly. ‘If Cal’s really done this thing, where do you stand?’

  ‘Well, with you and Hattie, if he was genuinely unfaithful to her. Not that it’d ever stop him being my brother, but I wouldn’t try to defend him.’

  She smiled and gave him a kiss. ‘Thanks, Ben. I knew you’d want to do the right thing.’

  ‘I just can’t get my head around him doing something like that, after everything our dad put our mum through when it came out about all the affairs. I mean, while Hattie’s pregnant too! That really doesn’t sound like something Cal’s capable of.’

  ‘No.’ She sighed. ‘But he must have done it, mustn’t he? There’s no other explanation that makes sense.’

  ‘Bride, how do you know all this?’ Ben asked. ‘You’re talking like you’ve seen these notes and things. Did Hattie send you photos?’

  She regarded him for a moment. ‘You promise I can trust you?’

  ‘I told you. With your life, if it ever came to that.’

  ‘Then come upstairs with me a minute.’

  He looked puzzled. ‘All right.’

  She guided him up to Hattie’s room, opened the door and stood aside to let Ben see.

  ‘Hattie!’ he said when he saw her there on the bed. He let out a short laugh of relief and came forward to envelop her in a hug. ‘Bloody hell, love, am I glad to see you. I thought you were in Wales.’

  Hattie looked helplessly at Bridie. ‘Bride? What’s going on? What’s he doing here?’

  ‘It’s OK,’ Bridie said gently, going to sit by her friend so she could put an arm around her. ‘We can trust him, Hat. I told him all about it and he wants to help us.’

  ‘But…’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Ben said, giving Hattie’s shoulder a pat. ‘I’m on your side. That’s my niece or nephew you’re caddying about in there, isn’t it? I just want to help get this to a happy ending.’

  Hattie shook her head. ‘Sorry, Ben, but happy endings are off the cards now. They have to be.’

  ‘Well, we’ll see.’ He picked up one of the scraps of paper on the bed. ‘So these are the infamous notes, are they?’

  ‘Yes,’ Bridie said. ‘A mix of old and new.’

  He squinted at it. ‘You know, girls, I don’t reckon this is really our Cal’s writing.’

  ‘You would say that though,’ Hattie muttered. ‘I can promise you, it’s a perfect match. I’ve been staring at it for hours.’

  ‘It’s a lot like it, yes, but the As aren’t quite right. Cal does his small As weird, sort of like a number four. Mum was always trying to correct him of it as a kid but he couldn’t break the habit.’

  Bridie watched as something like hope kindled in Hattie’s eyes.

  ‘You think Joanna forged them?’ she said.

  ‘Someone did.’

  ‘Why would she do that?’

  Ben shrugged. ‘Because Cal rejected her, for one. Because she loves stirring up shit to make her vacuous, empty life more interesting, for another. Anyway, I’d bet money my brother didn’t write these.’ He picked up an older note in Cal’s handwriting and handed them both to her. ‘See for yourself.’

  Hattie studied them and let out a damp laugh. ‘Oh my God, Bridie, he’s right. The As are different in the older ones.’ She looked up at Ben. ‘There’s still the photos though. They’re definitely not forged. And the messages where he tells her to come over because I’m at my dress fitting, with the date an exact match.’ She choked on a sob. ‘Every time I think about it, it’s like someone’s kicked me in the stomach. How could Cal do this?’

  ‘I admit, it does look bad.’ Ben was silent for a moment. ‘Look, Hattie, will you let me talk to Cal? I won’t tell him you’re here, but I need to get his side of the story. I can’t believe the worst of him without giving him a chance to defend himself.’

  She looked wary. ‘I don’t know, Ben. I really don’t want to see him right now. I’m not strong enough for it yet.’

  ‘Please. This isn’t just about you: there’s Peanut to think about too. Let me talk to your baby’s dad, eh?’

  ‘Well…’

  ‘Hat, if Cal convinces me he’s been set up then I personally am going to prove this has all been faked if I have to drag Joanna Fitzroy here by her hair to confess it to you. Just promise you won’t cancel anything to do with the wedding for the next three days, that’s all.’

  Hattie looked at Bridie. ‘What do you think? Can we trust him?’

  ‘Definitely,’ Bridie said with a firm nod. ‘Ben has my complete confidence. He wouldn’t give us away.’

  Hattie managed a weak smile. ‘What happened to you? I remember a time when you insisted you wouldn’t trust any male of the species further than you could chuck him.’

  ‘Well that was before I got to know this one a bit better, thanks to you and your meddling,’ Bridie said, smiling at Ben.

  ‘I won’t let you down, Bride.’ He stooped to kiss her. ‘I have to go talk to Cal and find out if there’s any way to put this right. I’ll be in touch, OK?’

  Thirty-Three

  Cal was trying once again to get a message through to Hattie, the phone keypad swimming before his tear-filled eyes.

  He’d never felt more lost; more afraid. Hattie was God knew where, refusing to either see him or talk to him. He didn’t have a single ally except his brother – every one of his and Hattie’s friends and relatives now believed he was some sort of cheating scumbag. Dai and Sandra, his biggest fans since the day Hattie had first introduced him to them, were threatening to cancel the wedding right away if he couldn’t explain himself – and he had no idea what the fuck it was he was supposed to be explaining. What had Joanna said to Hattie – what had she shown her? How could he defend himself against something when he didn’t even know what it was?

  It had to be something big. It couldn’t
just be the notes. Hattie would’ve talked to him about the notes, even if she’d seen things in them that might disturb her. OK, there was some stuff that might not put him in the best light – a bit of mild kink and experimentation, not particularly shocking in general, but enough, perhaps, to worry someone who’d been his sexual partner for the last eighteen months and was about to sign up for the rest of her life. They belonged to his past, though, not his present. There must be something more – something truly damning in Hattie’s eyes, even to the extent she wouldn’t speak to him to talk it over.

  He threw down the phone. What was the point sending more messages? He’d sent dozens already, and Hattie hadn’t responded to a single one. She was miles away in Wales with her phone switched off, no doubt crying her eyes out and wondering what was going to become of her – her and the baby.

  He couldn’t get hold of Joanna either. He didn’t have her number – she always contacted him via Facebook, and when he went to send her a message, he discovered her profile had been deleted. That just left her YouTube channel, but he couldn’t imagine she was going to reply to the comment he’d left under one of her videos among the thousands there already.

  It all felt so hopeless. He was accused of something but didn’t know what it was, the person probably responsible for setting him up had disappeared, and the person he needed to talk to, to find out what this was all about, was refusing to have anything to do with him.

  It must be cheating Hattie suspected him of. There was nothing else that held up. But what could Joanna have faked or forged to make his fiancée believe it of him? And whatever it was, how could he possibly prove he’d been framed with only six days to go before the wedding? Even if he could get hold of Hattie, if Joanna had been convincing enough to talk her into this, would he really be able to talk himself out of it? It broke his heart to think that even if Hattie could be persuaded to listen to him, she might never look at him again with that familiar expression of love and trust in her eyes. And then… then there was the baby.

  Cal wiped his eyes and got to his feet when his brother walked back into the house.