by Ashley Croft
With a heart lighter than she’d had for many weeks, she took a deep breath, picked up the mug and headed into the lounge.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Molly couldn’t believe that everything was going to plan – at least where the race was concerned. Ewan had called for her as arranged and the gentle few miles’ pedal to the start of the event at one of the college sports fields had been the perfect warm-up. The sun shone down from a cloudless blue sky and she was worried she might be too hot in her cycling tights and new LC Holdings jersey.
The sight of scores of other tandems, their riders all buzzed and jokey and nervous, just like her, had sent her adrenaline and endorphins sky-high. The flags and banners of the charity were flapping cheerfully in the breeze and enthusiastic volunteers were bouncing around handing out free drink bottles, race numbers and power bars.
Liam had sent a driver who was following along in a van with spares for the bike and dry clothes in case of disaster, but Molly hoped they wouldn’t need them. The start area had the air of a party atmosphere and she kept having to remind herself she was actually here to cycle seventy-five miles. With their sponsorship now totalling over a thousand pounds, there was no going back.
Some of their colleagues in the lab had held a bake sale to raise extra funds and their administrator and Ewan’s fan, Mrs Choudhry, had organised a quiz night and raffle, which had contributed two hundred pounds to the total. Sarah had also held a charity jewellery-making workshop too boost the funds. Added to the pledges from family, friends and colleagues in other departments, it was a massive amount but she and Ewan still had to complete the race or they’d be letting everyone and the charity down. The pressure made her stomach flip over and over. This was all too real …
Over by the starting area, she spotted Pete with a clipboard going through what looked like a pre-race check with his co-rider. She’d seen Pete collecting his bike from the rack at work, on her way out of the lab when she’d smuggled out the Love Bug and taken it to Sarah’s. If he ever found out what she’d done … If anyone found out what she’d done … Her nerves and worries about the race paled into insignificance compared to her worries about giving the Bug to Sarah.
Sarah. She should be here now. Maybe Molly could stop her from using the Bug on Niall. It might not be too late. Perhaps she’d even come to her senses and changed her mind.
Frantically Molly looked around for her, scanning every woman not in Lycra. None of them were her sister, but there were so many supporters milling around the competitors that perhaps it wasn’t surprising.
Yet Sarah had promised to be there to see them off.
‘Molly, can we go through the bike safety check one final time?’
Ewan was back from the Portaloos.
‘Sure.’
She listened half-heartedly as he knelt by the bike and reeled off a list of components, although she was still searching the crowds for Sarah.
Oh shit. Pete walked towards them as Ewan was finishing his checks. Molly could see Pete’s “stoker”, a post-doc from the electronic engineering lab, holding their tandem by the start line.
Molly pasted on a devil-may-care smile.
‘All set then?’ he said cheerfully.
‘I think so.’ She sipped casually from her water bottle as if she was enjoying a cocktail.
Ewan straightened up and glared at Pete. ‘We’re good to go.’
‘Not worried about losing another spoke?’ Pete asked with a grin.
‘No. The bike’s had a complete service and is in tip-top condition,’ said Ewan firmly.
Pete smirked. ‘Never did get hold of that top-of-the-range model, then?’
‘No,’ said Ewan tightly. Molly wished for Pete to evaporate. With her worries about Sarah, the Love Bug and the race, she didn’t want the added stress of fisticuffs breaking out between Ewan and Pete. Then again, it would mean they might be disqualified, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
‘Still, it’s always nice to add a new level of challenge to these things, isn’t it?’ said Pete.
‘We’re fine. We’ve done the training and worked hard,’ Ewan said calmly. Molly admired his restraint. She was a nanosecond away from squirting Pete with her water bottle. And where the bloody hell was Sarah?
‘See you at the finish, then,’ said Pete, obviously meaning he’d wait for them at the finish line.
‘Grrr. I could thump him sometimes,’ said Molly after Pete had sauntered back to his own bike.
‘Don’t let him get to you,’ said Ewan.
‘And you don’t?’ Molly shot back.
Ewan pulled a face but there was no time for a row because Barry, their support van driver, arrived. ‘Shall I take your stuff to the van?’ he asked.
‘Yes, thanks,’ said Ewan.
‘Do you have everything you need?’ he asked Molly.
This is it, she thought, as an even more massive lurch of last-minute nerves hit her. There’s no going back for any of us. Sarah obviously wasn’t going to see them before the start of the race. If she could see her, Molly might feel better. What if something had happened to her – or the baby?
‘Um. I’d like to check my phone again. I can’t see Sarah and I wondered if she’d texted me,’ she said to Barry and Ewan.
‘She’s probably waiting at the start line. There are hundreds of people over there,’ said Ewan.
Molly scanned the crowds of people around the start banner one last time but couldn’t see Sarah. ‘Maybe. I hope so,’ she said.
Another announcement boomed over the tannoy, calling all the competitors to assemble at the start. Molly knew she’d have to check her phone at the end of the race. It was time to go.
Barry shouldered her backpack. ‘You two had better go. I’ll be in the support cortege and at the finish. There are feeding stations along the way when you need a top-up of your water bottles. If anything happens to the bike, I’ve got basic spares. I’m no expert but I used to have a tandem and I can fix most minor problems.’
‘Thanks,’ said Molly, twitching with adrenaline and anxiety.
‘It’s good of you to give up your Sunday,’ said Ewan.
Barry grinned. ‘No problem. Liam would have driven the van himself but he’s got some important wedmin to deal with.’ The tannoy blared again, ordering the competitors to the start. Molly’s legs felt wobbly as hell and she hadn’t even got on the bike.
‘We have to go,’ said Ewan, nerves adding brusqueness to his voice. He was clearly anxious about the race too, which wasn’t encouraging. Shit.
‘Oh God, what have I done?’ she said, referring to the race and the Love Bug.
He smiled at her and squeezed her arm. ‘We’ll be fine. We probably won’t beat Parasitic Pete but we’ll make it and let’s face it, he’d give anything to be your stoker.’
‘What a horrible thought,’ said Molly, knowing the moment of truth had come. ‘Come on, let’s get this over with.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Back in the cottage in Fenham, Sarah handed Niall his favourite mug and sat opposite him. Her stomach fluttered wildly as if a colony of big hairy moths were trying to escape.
Niall sniffed at the builder’s strength tea as if it was nectar. It had made Sarah feel sick to make it but she wanted him in a good mood. ‘Hmm. Lovely. You could strip paint with that. No one makes a cuppa like you, Sarah.’
‘Not even Vanessa?’ she asked.
‘Vanessa doesn’t drink tea or coffee, unless it’s herbal.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘Can’t stand the stuff myself. Reminds me of cough medicine, but Vanessa says it’s better for you and she is the health expert. She knows bloody everything about diet and nutrition. Unfortunately.’ With a sigh, he sipped the tea and looked around him, peering closely at the decoration.
‘The cottage looks smart. Have you repainted the door?’
‘The frame was chipped when I threw Toby at you so Liam helped me fill it in and paint it and the rest of the woodwork.’
‘I thought so.’ In between sips of tea, Sarah could see him staring at the ceiling again. ‘You’ve repaired those dodgy downlighters too.’
‘Yes. The transformer had packed it in.’
‘Did Liam fix that too?’
‘Liam can’t do electrics. You have to be registered for that.’
‘You’ll have to send me the electrician’s invoice then. I don’t want you to have to pay for any work or have to ask strange men.’
‘Liam’s not a strange man. He’s a … a … client and a friend.’ Sarah hesitated on how to describe Liam. He was a friend, a very good friend who made her laugh and was always there with practical advice. He was honest, blunt even, and definitely pragmatic where business was concerned, but honesty was a good thing.
‘Even so, Sare, I don’t want you to rely on some guy you’ve only just met who’s probably trying it on.’
‘Liam’s not trying it on,’ Sarah replied patiently, sensing danger in Niall’s tone. The last thing she wanted was a row to erupt when she’d tried so hard to stay calm before she told him she’d accepted their separation – forever. ‘He only wants to help.’
‘He’s much too old for you. Don’t be taken in just because you’re desperate and lonely.’ Niall gulped down his tea.
Anger bubbled up inside her. ‘Niall, you can’t tell me who I can and can’t be friends with after what you did with Vanessa and while I might have felt very alone these past few months, I’m definitely not desperate.’
‘I’m sorry. All I meant was that you deserve better than this Liam bloke.’
Sarah’s good intentions were ebbing away. ‘Better than what? He’s sensitive and considerate, he’s good-looking, he’s got his own business, he drives a Range Rover …’
‘So it’s his money you’re interested in as well as his DIY skills?’ Niall sneered.
‘That’s beneath you, Ni.’
‘Yeah. Yeah … but I still care about you, babe. I want you to be happy, no matter what’s happened between us.’
‘Well, we can’t always have what we want, can we?’ Sarah said curtly.
‘No … but …’ He sighed. ‘Sometimes maybe we don’t know what we really want until it’s taken away from us.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh, nothing. I suppose I was only thinking that the grass isn’t always greener.’
‘It’s a bit late for that, isn’t it?’ Sarah said, thinking he was acting very oddly.
‘I suppose so.’ Niall let out a sigh. ‘That was a great cup of tea. I’ve missed your cuppas. I’ve missed a lot of things.’
Sarah resisted the urge to say something sarcastic about Vanessa and gathered herself together with a huge effort. ‘Do you want another one and a biscuit?’ she said.
‘I shouldn’t. Vanessa says the tea’s full of caffeine and that biscuits are full of crap … Oh, go on then. One won’t hurt.’
Sarah went into the kitchen, aware she was simply putting off the moment when they had to get down to business. Niall seemed very emotional, probably because he’d now realised that with the sale of the house, their relationship was well and truly over. Well, it served him right if he was feeling miserable and guilty at last. On the other hand, in his frame of mind, she wasn’t quite sure how he’d react when she mentioned the baby, because no matter how badly he took the news, and how shocked he was, she would have to leave him in no uncertain terms that he was going to have to make a financial contribution towards its upbringing.
She hoped he wouldn’t be too negative because she wasn’t sure she could keep her cool if he did. The kettle boiled and Sarah poured the water onto the fresh tea bag. While it brewed, she reached for a fresh packet of Hobnobs from the cupboard. A peace offering … or something to butter him up.
‘Is that a new rug in front of the fire?’ Niall called through the open door.
‘Sort of. A student was chucking it out so I got it.’ It was true. Liam was a student.
‘Looks expensive.’
‘I doubt it.’
She poured milk into Niall’s mug, added the hot water to a ginger teabag for herself, and leaned against the counter, waiting for the tea to brew. Niall kept talking, about the new rug and the decorating and how his cousin had been done for speeding again and his mum wanted to buy a campervan, at her age and …
Sarah squashed the teabag, rolling her eyes at Niall’s chatter. He just couldn’t seem to shut up. It must be nerves or guilt or both making him rattle on and on about trivia. She decided to put the mugs and biscuits on a tray and walked into the sitting room.
Sarah froze, halfway through the doorway. Niall held the perfume atomiser in his hand.
Sarah’s hands shook so much that tea slopped onto the surface. Oh God, no …
‘Who bought you this?’ he asked.
Her throat dried. ‘Molly …’
He wrinkled his nose. ‘Looks expensive to me. I thought Molly was always broke?’
‘A boyfriend gave it to her. She doesn’t like it so she gave it to me.’
‘A boyfriend with a Range Rover, by any chance?’
Sweat broke out on the small of her back. ‘Don’t be silly. Anyone would think you’re jealous of me and him.’
‘Maybe I am …’ Niall said.
Tea sloshed onto the tray as she set it down on the coffee table.
‘What do you mean, Niall?’ she said, watching him pass the bottle from hand to hand, like a bomb. Sarah’s heart was in her mouth. She needed to get the bottle away from him fast and he was acting so strangely.
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I guess I just don’t like the idea of another man buying you presents and doing jobs around the house. Our house.’
‘It’s a bit late for that,’ Sarah said, her pulse leaping as Niall pulled off the gold cap.
Sarah stepped forward. ‘Niall. Don’t do that …’
‘Why? What’s up?’ He held up the atomiser. ‘Why not? So it is from your new boyfriend after all?’
‘If it is, it’s none of your business. What do you care?’ Sarah reached for the bottle but Niall pressed the aerosol cap. A fine spray with a pungent scent filled the air. Sarah’s heart almost burst from her chest.
‘Niall, stop it. That stuff’s going all over the tea!’
She tried to snatch the bottle but Niall held it away and pressed it again. He sniffed at the scent and inhaled. ‘Jesus. That’s feckin’ strong. Whatever bloke gave it to you, has shit taste or no sense of smell.’
‘Molly gave it to me. I told you!’
‘Come on, Sarah, we both know it was Saint Liam, your “handyman”. I wasn’t born yesterday.’
‘So what if it was Liam,’ said Sarah, grabbing the bottle. ‘You don’t give a toss, anyway? You’ve left me for bloody Vanessa. You’re the one who’s made me sell the cottage and ruined our lives. You’re the one who’s broken my heart. You’re the git who’s left me pregnant to bring up our baby on my own!’
Niall stood stock-still. His jaw dropped open. The air reeked of sickly fragrance. Sarah wanted to throw up.
‘What did you say?’
‘I’m having a baby. But what do you care? You don’t want a family – you hate babies. You don’t want to be burdened. You told me.’
‘A baby? Like my baby?’
‘Who the hell else’s, Niall!’
‘I thought … well, him, Liam thing, the old guy.’
‘No, not Liam’s. Yours! Your baby, Niall. Get it?’
Niall collapsed onto the sofa, his mouth gaping. ‘What? When? How long have you known?’
‘Since New Year’s Eve. Since before you went out on your shift. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to distract you when you had to go to work and I wanted to wait until we were together at home. Then when I got back you were shagging Vanessa …’
‘Oh Jesus … but why didn’t you tell me after that?’
‘Would it have changed things? You said you didn’t want a family.’
&n
bsp; ‘I didn’t. I thought I didn’t but …’ He stared at Sarah. ‘But now I know I’m going to be a dad. Now I know you’re having my baby. Now I’m here with you … everything’s changed, Sarah.’
Sarah was light-headed with shock and horror. Her eyes switched from the atomiser to Niall’s anguished face. There were tears actually glistening in his eyes. He’d seemed moody and jealous before he’d sniffed the Love Bug but now he was positively overflowing with emotion. Surely the Love Bug couldn’t work that quickly? Molly had even hinted it might not work at all, but what if it had caused this turnaround in Niall?
She clenched her fist, horrified at the possibility. Molly had warned her enough about its effects …
‘But … what about Vanessa?’ she said croakily. ‘I thought you and her were soul mates. You said she made you feel free. You can’t have changed your mind …’
‘I’ve been so stupid and I know you might never forgive me,’ Niall said, pleading with Sarah. ‘We never had the connection that you and I have. In fact, I can now see everything more clearly than I’ve ever done. I love you, darlin’, and I want to come back and from now on I’m going to do everything I can to put things right between us. All of us.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
As they pedalled past the twenty-mile marker, Molly’s euphoria had evaporated and the only tingling she was experiencing was the numbness in her bum. The clouds had come over as they’d been riding, first fluffy white ones, then dirty great grey ones that had unleashed a biblical deluge of rain on them. She thought about Sarah, hoping that she was dry and safe and that the baby was all right. What if something terrible had happened to the baby or with Niall?
Thirty-five miles in, she’d even lost the capacity to worry. She only had the energy to press down the pedals, one after the other, up, down, like a metronome. Despite her cycling jacket, she was literally soaked to the skin and the wind was cutting through her. They hadn’t wanted to waste time changing their clothes so they’d just got on with things. The roads flowed with water, and she needed all her concentration to steer the bike and keep going on and on. Not only was it raining on them, and although the route was a quiet one, any passing car couldn’t help but speed through the puddles and spray them with dirty, cold water. It shot up her nostrils and spattered her face.
