Nothing New for Sophie Drew: a heart-warming romantic comedy

by Katey Lovell

  Bile rose in my throat as the penny dropped. For the second time in less than a week I felt trapped in an excruciating situation. I wanted to jump out of the car. I would have, if we hadn’t been doing seventy miles an hour on the motorway.

  “Seen it for yourself, have you?”

  “He told me he had no money,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I gave him some. It was supposed to be for Summer.”

  “I know. Everyone in Newcastle knows. He’s been bragging to the lads about how he’s still got you wrapped around his little finger, and you know how fast gossip spreads. Chris told me, and I messaged you straight away. I thought you had a right to know.”

  “He wouldn’t spend money like that on the stag do,” I said, as much to convince myself as Max. “His daughter’s mother is blackmailing him, threatening to move Summer to the other end of the country unless he gives her more money. He’s struggling, because he already gives her more than half his wages.”

  “He’s obviously not that hard up, if he can afford to fly out to Vegas. They’re going to the big fight at the MGM Grand too, apparently. Tickets for that must have cost a fortune. Not exactly the actions of someone who’s trying to save every penny to keep their daughter close. I’m not saying this to be a bastard. It’s not revenge.” Max’s voice cracked. “I just think you deserve to know what he’s really like.”

  “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation,” I replied, although I couldn’t for the life of me think of one. “There has to be.”

  “And you’re still defending him.” Max slammed the heel of his hand against the steering wheel. “I guess that kiss at the festival wasn’t as meaningless as you’ve been trying to make out after all.”

  The lights of my hometown twinkled in the distance like a blanket of stars. “I’ll drop Tawna and Eve off first. You’ll need to give me directions.” His voice dropped, quiet and throaty. “And then I’ll take you home.”

  Chapter 26

  Funerals are never pleasant but, although I was surrounded by people I knew, I felt more alone than ever as I sat in the crematorium. Max had been replying to my texts, but only with a few short words saying he wasn’t ready to talk, and although he’d been back from America for a week Darius hadn’t replied to my messages. Tawna and Eve were busy with their own lives after our New York jaunt. Scrat Cat was my closest friend, that’s how sad my life was.

  Mum sat beside me for the memorial service, and I knew she was fighting with her emotions from the way she was searching through her handbag for a tissue. I couldn’t peel my eyes away from Norma, dressed head to toe in black, sat at the front of the room with Bri, his wife and other members of their family. She was so strong.

  I was proud of myself for holding it together through the eulogy, taking long deep breaths to stave off tears. I managed not to cry as Norma shared the story of when she had met Fred, and how he’d wooed her with a bar of Fry’s Turkish Delight.

  What happened next caught me unawares.

  “And now,” said the celebrant, “at Fred’s own request, we’re going to play a song that meant a lot to him.”

  As the wine-red curtains closed around Fred’s coffin, the opening bars of “Going Home” started to play. And that was when I openly sobbed my heart out for our very own local hero.

  “I’m sorry for taking your last tissue,” I said to Mum, as we stood reading the cards on the array of floral tributes. “That song just got to me.”

  “I know, love. I know.” She pulled me into a hug. “Your dad had a tear in his eye too.”

  “It won’t be the same at the ground without him there,” I said, as an awful thought struck me. “And who’s Norma going to sit with on match days now? Who’s she going to palm her sweets off onto if Fred’s not there?”

  “She’ll have your Dad and Bez, and Finley and Joel,” Mum said. “Or maybe she’ll move her seat and sit with Bri.”

  “Maybe,” I said, although I couldn’t see her switching to the side stand. The Gallowgate was where Norma belonged, right at the heart of the supporters.

  We went to pass on our sympathies to the family mourners, even though we’d already made our sorrow known. Norma looked exhausted, bless her, and seeing her trying to hold herself together for the sake of everyone else set me off crying again.

  As I turned away I noticed a figure standing underneath the central archway on the other side of the garden of remembrance. The silhouette was familiar; the fair hair reflecting the brilliance of the sun, which seemed too joyous for such a sombre occasion.

  The figure raised his hand in a wave, and I raised mine back, then we were heading toward each other, pulled by a force greater than gravity. When we were face to face Max pulled me into an embrace, an embrace he realised I needed before I even realised I needed it myself.

  A lot of talking and a lot of tears later, we curled up together on Max’s bed. Even though his mattress was hard and his bedding smelled strongly of an unfamiliar fabric softener, it had felt right snuggling up to him, fully clothed and on top of the covers. As we cuddled and talked, I felt safe.

  Max told me everything he knew about Darius from his brother’s business partner. Words like manipulative and controlling were used as he filled me in on how Darius had been bragging about how he was going to win me back, especially after the festival.

  “He was using you, and I hate him for that,” Max said, brushing a stray hair out of my face. “How could he take advantage of your love for Summer like that? Especially when you were in the depths of grief.”

  “I nearly didn’t give him the money. But in the end I couldn’t not, not when I thought it was going to keep him and Summer together. I don’t understand why he’d spend so much money on going to Vegas if Nadia’s threatening to take her away. I’ve tried texting him, ringing him, everything… but he’s not replied.”

  “I hate to say it, but he doesn’t need you now he’s got what he wanted. He’s a bastard, Sophie, a heartless bastard.”

  “I trusted him.” My voice was meek, barely there. “I ignored all the warning signs and didn’t listen when people tried to tell me what he was like. I was a fool.”

  “We’re all capable of being a fool when we’re in love,” Max said, stroking my hair. I closed my eyes, enjoying the relaxing sensation his touch brought to me. I was halfway between wake and sleep as he added, “And I should know.”

  He wrapped an arm around me and I shuffled sleepily until my body was pressed against his, succumbing to the exhaustion. I fell asleep, and it was the best sleep I’d had in a long time.

  “Hiya.” Max’s croaky voice told me that he was only just waking up – that and the dusting of sleep that nestled in the corners of his eyes.

  “What time is it?” I squinted, turning to look at the small blue alarm clock on the bedside table, shocked to discover how late it was. “It’s almost eight!”

  “Which sounds like a good excuse to go out for tea,” Max said, although he made no move to get out of bed. In fact, he pressed his lips against the spot behind my ear and proceeded to plant delicate fluttery kisses down the back of my neck. I tilted my head at the tickle of his stubble, turning to fully face him.

  “You could give me the guided tour of the house before we go,” I suggested.

  It would have been impossible not to have noticed the sheer size and grandeur of the house. It wasn’t in an area of the city I knew particularly well, but I did know it was expensive, and I wondered how Max could afford to live here on his wage.

  “Ah,” he said, pulling his arm away. My body cooled instantly at his release. “There’s something I ought to tell you.”

  The sheepish expression he was wearing seemed out of place on his normally open face, and he turned away from me as he climbed off the bed, stripped off his shirt and pulled on a fresh plain black T-shirt.

  Dread filled me. I knew it was too good to be true. Nothing in my life went smoothly, so why did I expect it to with Max? In one single second a million thoughts ram
paged through my head.

  He was a murderer.

  Secretly married.

  A drug addict.

  He liked Status Quo.

  None of them was feasible, except the Status Quo one as an outside bet, but it didn’t stop me fearing the very worst.

  “This isn’t my house,” he said finally.

  “O-kaaay,” I answered slowly.

  I began to wonder if it was a repeat of what Tawna had gone through in one of her pre-Johnny relationships. A man she’d been seeing had borrowed the keys to his friend’s penthouse apartment in the hope that it’d charm her pants off. His own abode was far less impressive – a shared house riddled with damp.

  “I do live here,” he explained, “but it’s my parents’ house.” He was still facing away from me. “They’re away for the weekend visiting my grandad.”

  “You still live at home?” I did a poor job of disguising my surprise.

  “Yep,” he admitted, embarrassment in his eyes. “I know it’s not exactly a turn-on. You probably think I’m a real mummy’s boy.”

  “I don’t think that at all. I just don’t get why you’d keep it a secret.”

  He paused to pull a hoodie out of his wardrobe. “I did move out once. I had a place of my own, but two years ago my dad was diagnosed with MS. He’s doing well at the moment, but when he has a flare he can hardly move. He was reliant on a wheelchair for a while and he was too heavy for my mum to lift or push in the chair. I moved back to help.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I knew through Eve how hard it was caring for a parent, the emotional and physical burden. “That must be tough.”

  “It is what it is. Thankfully he’s doing well at the moment, although he has to use a stick to walk. He used to love running, even did the Great North Run a few times. It’s hard to believe that, looking at him now.”

  I got the impression from the sadness in his eyes that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

  “Can we get going for that food?” I was suddenly famished. “I really fancy an all-day breakfast.”

  “I’m sure we can find a pub that can stretch to that. Do you still want the tour of the house first though?”

  I nodded, keen to see the place he called home.

  Max gave me the grand tour, and it actually was pretty grand – five bedrooms (three with en suites), two living rooms, a dining room, an office and a large kitchen diner. That was without mentioning the garage, the summer house, the large garden complete with pond and water feature… It was a beautiful home.

  When I’d finished admiring everything about the house, from its convenient location to the tasteful yet individual décor (which Max told me was all his mum’s doing) we made our way to a pub Max insisted served the best pick-me-ups in the city.

  We’d only just sat down when my mobile rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Sophie? It’s Mum,” she said through strangled sobs. “I’m afraid I have some awful news.”

  Chapter 27

  “What is it, Mum? What’s the matter? Is it Norma?”

  You heard about couples who literally couldn’t live without each other. What if Fred’s funeral had hit her so hard that she realised she couldn’t physically live without him?

  “No, no, Norma’s fine.” Mum’s voice wavered as she continued. “I’ve just been on the phone to Nick. There’s something wrong with the twins.” She gulped loudly, then sniffed.

  I clenched my fist so fiercely that I feared my thumb might break as I scrabbled around my brain for something – anything – I could say that might make the situation better. I failed to come up with anything.

  “Are you sure? Everything was fine at the last scan, Chantel told me. They’re checking her regularly to make sure her and the babies are okay.”

  “After you left the funeral Chantel called the midwife because she’d had some pains.” Mum was trying to be matter-of-fact, but she couldn’t conceal the trembling in her voice. “They sent her straight to the hospital for another scan and it showed that one baby is significantly bigger than the other.”

  I swallowed. It hurt.

  “They said it can happen when twins share a placenta, the bigger one is taking more blood. Normally it’s picked up earlier than this, but it’s serious, Sophie. They said there’s a possibility she could lose one or both of the babies.”

  My stomach knotted at the thought of my poor sister-in-law coming to terms with the fact the babies she’d been so excited for, buying tiny packs of pure white cotton Babygros that she “just couldn’t resist” along with her Waitrose shop, might not make it. When was our family going to get a break?

  “What happens now?”

  Mum exhaled. Even her sigh sounded wobbly. “They’re monitoring her closely, but they’ve warned them that if it gets worse they may have to deliver the twins early. Obviously the longer they can stay where they are, the better, and Nick did say there were other treatments available, but there are no guarantees. They’ve told Chantel to rest as much as possible in the meantime.” Mum sobbed audibly. “I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”

  “Is there anything I can do? Maybe look after Noah for them?”

  “Chantel’s parents have still got Noah,” Mum said. “Chantel hadn’t collected him because she went straight to the hospital from the funeral. She wanted him with her, bless her, but she’s exhausted and tearful, and Noah would only pick up on her stress, so she agreed he’ll stay at her mum and dad’s tonight.”

  “Well, if they need me to have him in the future, I will. Family comes first.”

  “You’re a kind and thoughtful soul. You always have been.” My heart clenched. “I hope you know how much I love you.”

  “I love you too, Mum.”

  And then my mum broke down in tears, and I broke down in tears, and we didn’t say another word. We just cried our hearts out, companionably, down the phone line for a very long time, until Max took me back to my house, because as grateful as I was for his support, I wanted some time alone to think.

  I never even had chance to order the food I’d so been looking forward to.

  When I woke the next morning, my neck hurting from where I’d been lying at a funny angle, my spine was stiff, as though it needed to be cracked back into shape. The sun streamed in through the window where I’d not had the foresight to draw the curtains, and for one bliss-filled second I believed in the beauty of the day.

  Then I remembered. Nick and Chantel’s babies were in danger.

  I’d contemplated phoning them in a show of support, but hadn’t wanted to be a bother, plus it had been late by the time Max had finally thought me calm enough to be left alone, so I’d settled on sending a text instead. When I’d tried to package my concern into a measly amount of words it came out sounding insincere, so after deleting my message numerous times I’d settled on a simple, Mum told me your news. Call me if I can do ANYTHING. Love you, Xxx.

  I padded my way to the bathroom, pushing my shoulders back to wake myself and my body up. The image that greeted me in the mirror shocked me. Hair full of static stuck out at all angles, and I looked exhausted. Streaks of black mascara under my eyes highlighted the puffy dark bags, a combination of jet lag and stress, but I didn’t care about my appearance. I didn’t even care that Darius still hadn’t had the decency to reply to my messages asking for answers. It wasn’t life or death.

  Pushing the plug into the plughole, I turned on the cold tap and filled the sink with icy water. It spurted and spluttered the way the cold tap always did, but the relief as I splashed the water over my face was exactly what I needed. It felt brutal, but as well as washing away my smeared make-up, it cleared my head.

  For so long I’d convinced myself I was the only person whose life wasn’t going to plan. When my relationship with Darius ended, I’d felt hard done by. My plans for the future – a lavish wedding day, building a home to fill with a family, playing the part of the dutiful wife – had blown up in my face. Looking back, that mi
ndset was laughable. As my life was spiralling out of control, everyone else’s was too to varying degrees. Some were doing a better job of hiding it than others, that’s all. Eve with her mum’s Alzheimer’s. Max helping care for his dad. Tawna bickering with her mum over sugared almonds. Nick and Chantel facing an uncertain future. Everyone had problems.

  I splashed the water against my face again, before studying myself in the mirror. Still a mess, but at least I was more awake. Smoothing the damp palms of my hands against my hair, I closed my eyes and inhaled. It was time to face the day, and the world had better watch out, because I wasn’t going to be a fool anymore, nor was I wasting my precious and beautiful life worrying about things I could no longer change. It reminded me of that prayer, the one about having serenity to accept what can’t be changed, courage to change what can and wisdom to know the difference. That was what I was striving for. Serenity, courage, wisdom.

  My latest statement had the audacity to arrive, testing my resolve. Although I’d expected it, I was disappointed to see the amount I’d paid the previous month was the smallest yet, having used money meant for cancelling out my debts on the hen do and paying Darius.

  Courage to change the things I can.

  I was running out of clothes that had any monetary value, but for my own sanity I needed to make a significant payment. There had to be something else I could part with.

  There was the Le Creuset kitchenware, but I used that regularly. I considered selling my laptop, but I didn’t have a separate TV and was reluctant to give up instant access to any box set I felt in the mood to watch. Anyway, I knew neither of those would make enough money, not in their well-used states.

  I looked around my bedroom for inspiration and when my gaze lingered on my jewellery box it seemed so obvious. I knew exactly what I could sell – the diamond-encrusted choker Darius had bought me for my birthday the year before last. When he’d handed me the red velvet box, I’d expected an engagement ring, and although it was a beautiful piece of jewellery I’d known immediately that I’d never be able to wear it without feeling cheated. That’s why its one and only outing had been on my thirtieth birthday, and my life had been spun on its axis since then. Selling the choker made perfect sense, and there was a pawn shop on the same street as my office. I should have thought of it sooner; I knew it was valuable because Darius had ensured I’d added it to the contents insurance.