‘What’s he getting you?’ Jodie looked up from writing her Christmas cards at the opposite side of the dining table and nodded towards the growing pile of gifts that I’d painstakingly spent the last couple of hours wrapping.
‘I’m not sure. I’m hoping for a pair of Ugg boots.’
‘Ugg boots? From Ricky? I thought he was skint.’
‘He is, but I said I’ve always wanted a pair and that they’d be perfect for work for the colder weather. He said, “We’ll have to see what Santa brings,” with a twinkle in his eyes, so I think I’m going to be in luck.’
Jodie raised an eyebrow.
‘Don’t look at me like that. He’s not completely unreliable, you know.’
‘Given the small fortune you’ve spent on him, I hope he doesn’t disappoint you with a biro and a box of cheap chocolates.’
‘He’s never bought me chocolates and the last gift was thoughtful.’
‘The sketchpad and pencil?’ she asked. ‘Yeah, they were lovely… until you spotted them in the pound shop last week.’
My shoulders sagged. That had been an unexpected discovery, made even worse by the pencil being sold in a pack of four. Presumably he’d decided the packaging looked cheap – which it did – and one pencil on its own created the illusion of more expense. I hadn’t mentioned it to Ricky. It seemed churlish to bring it up after several weeks had passed and while things were going so well. The value of the gift hadn’t bothered me at all. The lies about me being worth the expense had. I’d struggled to sleep that night wondering if that had been some sort of message that my value to him was £1.25 and what that said about our relationship.
‘It’s not the money he spends, it’s the thought that counts.’ Even as I said the words, I wasn’t convinced. I genuinely didn’t want him to spend a fortune on me but he was living practically rent-free with very few expenses and masses of overtime. It wasn’t unreasonable to anticipate a little treat.
‘Yes, it is,’ Jodie agreed, ‘but one biro from a multipack and a box of chocolates doesn’t exactly scream, “I saw this and thought of you”, does it?’
She was right about that but, cost aside, the sketchpad and pencil had been thoughtful gifts. I didn’t need to worry about Christmas. He was definitely going to get me some Ugg boots. They weren’t cheap so I didn’t anticipate anything else, but that was fine as the boots were all I wanted.
I continued wrapping his gifts. Okay, so I had gone a bit overboard, but I’d felt a bit lost when it came to Christmas shopping, realising that I no longer had a family to buy for. I’d missed shopping for a new cardigan for Nanna; one of our many Christmas traditions. I’d missed buying her a new pair of slippers, a bottle of Opium Eau de Toilette, a selection of romance novels, and some Yardley Lily of the Valley bubble bath, which she adored. My first Christmas without her. My first Christmas in Whitsborough Bay. My first Christmas with Ricky. It was certainly going to be different.
‘God, I’m so bored!’ Jodie flung her pen down. ‘I hate writing Christmas cards.’
‘Then take a break.’
‘But I’ll only have to do them another time.’
‘Then don’t take a break.’
‘But I’ve got writer’s cramp.’
‘THEN TAKE A BREAK!’
Jodie laughed. ‘I’ll check my emails,’ she said, picking up her tablet.
‘Oh my God!’ she said ten minutes later. ‘Stop what you’re doing right now. You have got to see this! Let me stop it and go back to the start.’
‘What is it? Cats opening doors? Parkour fails?’ Jodie had an obsession with watching clips like that.
‘No. My old colleague Vix sent me it. It’s CCTV of a couple in Dice Pizza in Whitsborough Bay. They’re… no, I don’t want to spoil it for you. I’m shocked, though.’
Intrigued, I pushed aside the box I’d just wrapped. ‘Let’s see, then.’
She crouched beside me with her iPad. ‘Apparently the staff in the takeaway suspected that a drunk couple were getting a bit amorous a few weeks ago and, when they checked CCTV, this is what they found.’
Slightly grainy footage filled the screen, showing a male and female staggering into the pizza shop. I recognised the interior from ordering takeout there a couple of times. They paused at the counter. While the woman must have been giving their order to the server, the man ground into her from behind, and fondled her breasts right in front of the server.
‘Ew! Get a room! That’s gross.’
‘That’s nothing compared to what happens next,’ Jodie said.
Order presumably placed, they moved into the far corner of the waiting area, out of sight of the serving staff and started kissing passionately, hands all over each other. I squirmed, feeling very uncomfortable watching it. The couple changed position.
‘What’s she doing on her knees?’ I said, realising exactly what she was doing as soon as the words left my mouth. ‘No! She never is!’
‘She is,’ Jodie said. ‘Classy or what? Pizza and a blow job. And look! She doesn’t even stop when someone else comes in.’ Sure enough, a woman walked up to the counter, was handed a few pizzas and left, either oblivious to or deliberately ignoring the floorshow.
The clip must have been edited because it flickered, then the couple were back at the counter. The woman was at the front again. Whatever she was saying to the server had him going back and forth a few times with different boxes which meant they were at the counter for a while. And the whole time they were there, her skirt was hitched up and her companion was thrusting into her from behind.
‘Her turn now,’ Jodie said, giggling.
‘I can’t believe they’re doing that,’ I cried. ‘It must be against hygiene standards.’
We both giggled. ‘I hope they don’t fancy any chocolate,’ Jodie said. ‘Could you imagine that happening downstairs?’
A few more urgent thrusts and the mystery man was obviously spent. He stepped back and zipped up his flies. Jodie and I both squealed as the woman put one of her hands between her legs, then wiped it down her skirt, before wriggling her skirt back into position. She took the pizza from the server and turned round, flicking her long blonde hair out of her face. At that moment, the camera had a really clear view of her face and I gasped.
‘Shit! That’s BJ!’
‘No! The dirty cow. Looks like I was right about what BJ stands for. Is that Smurf, then?’
I shook my head, my eyes glued to the screen. ‘No. Smurf’s huge. That’s not him.’ Her companion was wearing a baseball cap so I couldn’t see his face. ‘I don’t know who that…’
But as he passed the camera, he removed his cap and my stomach dropped down a six foot well. ‘Yes I do. That’s Ricky.’
16
‘Oh, God, Charlee! I’m so sorry!’ Jodie slapped the tablet cover closed. ‘I hadn’t watched it till the end. If I’d seen it was him…’
She looked as though she might burst into tears at any point whereas I felt surprisingly calm. I’d never have had Ricky pegged as a cheater but now I wondered why I hadn’t considered it. All that overtime but no money? It seemed so blindingly obvious now.
I patted Jodie on the shoulder. ‘It’s not your fault. You weren’t to know it was him.’ I grabbed the gift I’d just wrapped and ripped the paper off it. ‘Looks like I’ll be returning all of these. Lucky I found out before Christmas.’
Jodie straightened up. ‘Can I?’
‘Be my guest.’
For the next ten minutes, we furiously ripped the paper off all the gifts, dropped it onto the floor and stamped on it, adding a few select adjectives to describe Ricky and BJ.
When we were finished, Jodie cracked open a couple of bottles of lager and handed me one. ‘What happens now?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘You’re not thinking of staying with him?’
I smiled at her shocked expression. ‘No chance. I just mean I’m not sure how best to end it. I can’t face him tonight.’
‘T
hen stay here. I can lend you something to sleep in and a fresh T-shirt for the morning.’
‘You’re on. Let me text him.’
✉︎ To Ricky
Lots of planning to do so staying above the shop tonight xx
I was loathe to add the kisses but I always signed off texts that way and I didn’t want to do anything to arouse his suspicions. I could have hurled my phone at the wall in disgust at his response:
✉︎ From Ricky
I’m out with Smurf and BJ. Will probably stay at theirs. See you later xx
‘How long do you reckon it’s been going on?’ Jodie asked after I read his text out to her.
‘I dread to think. He’s been putting in alleged overtime since I moved here so my guess is the moment he moved back and was staying with Smurf.’ My heart sank for Smurf, presumably just as much in the dark as I’d been. ‘He’s stayed over there so often. Do you think he could have been having sex with BJ while Smurf was asleep in the next room?’
‘Having seen that video, I think Ricky’s capable of anything.’
‘How could he do that to his best mate? He’s always banged on about how much Smurf meant to him. Said he was more like a brother to him than his real brother.’
‘I’ll never understand how anyone can treat another person with such a lack of respect,’ Jodie said, and I knew from the distant look in her eyes that she was thinking about Karl. She shrugged and took another swig of her drink. ‘So what’s the plan? Revenge?’
Over a couple more drinks, we discussed all sorts of crazy revenge strategies but concluded they weren’t my style. I was going for the dignified approach: changing the locks, dumping his stuff at his mum’s, and sending him the footage of his evening of fun. I texted Matt:
✉︎ To Matt
I don’t suppose you, your dad or your brother can include a locksmith among the huge range of talents you have?
My phone rang seconds later.
‘Has he hurt you?’ Matt asked, his voice full of concern. I knew he was thinking about the incident after the flooding.
‘Yes, but not in the way you think. He’s been seeing someone else but he doesn’t know I know so I want to change the locks before I tell him.’
He sighed. ‘I’m so sorry, Charlee. Are you okay?’
‘I will be when I’m shot of him.’
We arranged to meet at Coral Court at 7.30 a.m. so Matt could check the type of lock and pick up a new one from the builder’s merchant. Hopefully that would give enough time for him to fit it and for me to drop Ricky’s stuff at his mum’s before the shop got busy. Ashleigh was now on her Christmas break from college so was working full-time for the next four days so at least Jodie wouldn’t be on her own if things took a little longer than hoped.
Feeling drained, I headed to bed shortly after nine, assuring Jodie that I wasn’t going to spend the night sobbing into my pillow.
As it happens, I didn’t cry at all that night. I didn’t sleep either. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Ricky and BJ together in Dice Pizza. I thought about the couple of times that I’d been out with the group and remembered that they’d gone to the toilets at the same time. I’d thought nothing of it until now.
What about that time when I’d phoned Ricky to invite him to the Castle Street lights switch-on? A woman had answered his phone, giggling. He’d said Smurf was there but had that been a lie? Had he been alone with BJ and I’d phoned them mid-shag?
What about that time before I’d found the premises, when he’d arrived home for lunch later than expected, jumped straight in the shower, and initially resisted my advances? Had he seen her after work and was that why he was late? Had he jumped in the shower knowing he reeked of her knock-off perfume? We’d made love on the sofa after that and it had been incredible, but had he been with us both that same day? Ew! Images of them together in pub toilets, at Smurf’s flat, and even in our flat wouldn’t leave me.
My mind whirred with doubts about what else Ricky had lied to me about. Jodie had asked, ‘How’s he skint when he does so much overtime?’ What if doing overtime had been a lie? What if it had been an excuse to be with her? All those times when he’d avoided helping in the shop, had he been with her too?
I thought about my plumbing emergency and how I hadn’t been able to get hold of Ricky that day. When I phoned Smurf, he’d seemed surprised when I asked if he’d seen Ricky. Had he known what was going on? No! BJ was his girlfriend. He’d have thrown her out if he’d thought that something was going on between them. Maybe he’d thought that Ricky could be playing away with someone else, though. Poor Smurf. He was going to get a hell of a shock. Should I tell him? He had a right to know, but did I have the right to break that news?
17
I gave up trying to sleep a little after five. Both bedrooms were front-facing and I padded over to the window in my bare feet, the duvet wrapped round me for warmth as the central heating hadn’t yet clicked on.
Opening one of the curtains and peering out into the darkness, I smiled to myself. Castle Street looked like a scene from a fairy tale. A heavy frost had settled overnight coating the cobbles in tiny crystals which sparkled in the gentle golden light from the Victorian lampposts. I gazed up and down the street, mesmerised. I could almost hear and feel the delicious crunch of frost underfoot and how romantic it would be to… I yanked the curtain back into place and stepped away from the window shaking my head. No romance. No Ricky. The anxious knot returned to my stomach. Today was going to be difficult.
I checked my phone but there were no further messages from him, not that I’d expected there to be. The anger had eased a little now that the shock had worn off but it wasn’t replaced by tears. My overriding emotion at the moment – aside from nerves – was humiliation. I felt so naïve for not considering, even for a split second, that he might be seeing someone else. He’d played a blinder with the whole ‘being back with the lads’ thing that I’d never suspected his nights out were anything other than that. As for working late. Oldest trick in the book and I’d fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
In the kitchen area, I filled the kettle as quietly as I could but Jodie shuffled out of her bedroom, rubbing her eyes.
‘I’m so sorry. I tried not to wake you.’
‘I’ve been awake for a while anyway. If you give me ten minutes to get sorted, we can drive over to yours and I can help you pack up his crap.’
‘That would be amazing, thank you. I just want it to be over.’
It didn’t take long to pack up Ricky’s stuff because he didn’t have much. His clothes filled one suitcase and two binbags and there were several well-used cardboard storage boxes stacked up in one corner of the lounge containing a mishmash of belongings.
‘I’ll be glad to see the back of “the cardboard tower”,’ I said to Jodie after we’d piled the last of the boxes up in the hall and settled down with a coffee while waiting for Matt.
‘Why didn’t he unpack the boxes?’ she asked.
‘No idea. He kept promising he would. I can’t help wondering now whether he saw no point unpacking properly because he was only staying with me as a temporary thing until he ran off with BJ.’
‘Or until you agreed to settle his debts.’
I gasped. ‘You don’t think…? He wouldn’t! That’s so…’ I couldn’t find the words but Jodie could.
‘Cold? Calculated? Devious? Manipulative?’
I stared into my coffee as I played the words over in my mind. Yes, all of the above! How had I not realised? His disappointment when I didn’t want to buy somewhere. The arguments about overtime and lack of money. His objection to contributing towards the bills because he was so skint. Sometimes he’d tugged on my heart strings and other times he’d frustrated me but both tactics had nearly worked. When I’d started thinking about Christmas gifts for Ricky, I’d wondered about paying off his credit card bills. I’d even started designing a certificate on my laptop that I’d give him as his gift, then changed my mind. It
was far too generous.
I looked up at Jodie and nodded. ‘Lucky escape eh?’
‘Doesn’t make it hurt any less.’
The buzzer sounded and my heart leapt. Matt to the rescue! He seemed to be making a habit of that.
I opened the door and was immediately enveloped in a hug. I rested my head against his chest, my heart thumping. When he stepped back, I felt disappointed. I could have stayed like that for hours feeling warm and comforted but he had a fiancée. I knew the hug was one of friendship and nothing else as both Jodie and I had received several hugs from him since we’d met him. He was a hugger. That’s all there was to it.
‘How are you feeling this morning?’ he asked.
‘Nervous. Ask me again when the deed is done.’
‘Let’s get my part done then.’ He bent down and checked the lock. ‘Should be a straightforward swap. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes.’
And then he was gone and my heart was still thumping.
‘I know the last thing on your mind right now is another man,’ Jodie said, leaning against the lounge doorframe with her hands wrapped round her drink. ‘But I think you two would be perfect together.’
‘He’s engaged. It’s never going to happen.’ Tears unexpectedly rushed to my eyes as I said it and I blinked them back, conflicted. How was it that I hadn’t yet cried about it being over with Ricky but the thought of it never happening with Matt made me tearful?
‘But you’d like it to if he wasn’t seeing Libby?’ Jodie suggested.
‘It doesn’t matter whether I would or wouldn’t. He is seeing Libby and I would never make a play for someone who’s attached, especially after being on the receiving end of how that feels.’
Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop Page 12
