'Tis the Season to be Single

by Laura Ziepe

  ‘A white wine spritzer would be lovely, thanks,’ Grace replied, surprised at how she was feeling inside. It really did feel new again, as though they’d just met and she didn’t really know Simon. She had all the excitement of a first date, but was starting to feel relaxed in his company at the same time.

  ‘How’s your day been?’ Simon asked, taking a sip of his drink as he handed her the glass over. ‘What have you been up to?’

  Again, it was weird that he was being so formal and interested when towards the end of their relationship he’d barely grunted when she’d walked through the door after a long day at work. He’d hardly ever kissed her hello in the end, something that had saddened Grace. Ever since she could remember her father had always kissed her mother hello and goodbye. It was the done thing, and her father had told her how important he thought it was in a marriage. A quick, simple act to show you loved the other person.

  ‘I haven’t done much really,’ Grace confessed. ‘Just a little bit of shopping and relaxing mainly as I had the day off work today.’

  ‘Alright for some,’ Simon gave a light laugh.

  ‘How’s your work going?’ Grace asked him quizzically. She noticed this was the happiest she’d seen him look since they’d split up and she had to admit, it had hit him harder than she ever imagined. Grace honestly thought he just hadn’t cared about her anymore. She was pleased to see she was wrong, and how being around her now seemed to be making him happy again.

  ‘It’s going well.’ He nodded. ‘Thanks for asking, but I won’t bore you about it. What about you?’

  ‘I’ve been doing more freelance jobs,’ Grace told him. ‘Weddings, that kind of thing. It’s where the money is I guess. Everything is going good.’

  ‘Glad to hear it,’ he smiled. ‘Is Rachel living in the house now?’

  ‘Yes,’ Grace replied, looking at the floor. ‘It was too weird being alone there, you know? I’m glad to have company again – though it’s strange sometimes, you not being there, spending ages in the bathroom and making a mess,’ she said lightheartedly.

  ‘I wasn’t that bad,’ Simon protested, laughing.

  Grace adopted a serious expression. She was making light of the situation, but in fact, it hadn’t been funny when she’d been living with him. Feeling unappreciated day in and day out had made her truly miserable.

  ‘Okay, maybe I was that bad,’ Simon told her ruefully. ‘I’ve had time to think about where I went wrong and I know I wasn’t the best husband. Especially where the house was concerned. Leaving everything to you was wrong. I can see that now.’ He looked at his shoes regretfully. ‘I know you deserved far much more attention too. You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.’

  ‘Let’s just enjoy the evening, shall we?’ Grace suggested, in an upbeat tone. They had plenty of time to talk about where it all went wrong and what needed to change. But now, she just wanted to enjoy being in his company. Being in Simon’s presence once again had made Grace realize how much she’d actually missed him, and judging by the way Simon grabbed her hand and held it tightly as they made their way into the theatre, Grace could tell that he felt exactly the same.

  The show had been brilliant and Grace felt on top of the world as they walked out of the theatre together into the bitter cold. The ground was still icy from the snow and Simon linked arms as they made their way to Grace’s car. Grace didn’t want to leave him. This was the Simon she’d fallen in love with; he was interested in her again. It was as though his vision had been blurred and he’d finally been given the correct prescription for his glasses.

  Oh, here she is.

  But say this was just a one-off? If she gave him another chance he’d probably go straight back to how he was before. She couldn’t be fooled by his sudden change. Grace knew she needed much more than that.

  ‘So,’ Simon said, as they reached the car, ‘I’ve had a lovely night. Thanks for coming with me.’

  He looked nervous, like a teenage boy afraid of getting his heart broken.

  ‘Thanks for the flowers,’ Grace smiled. ‘I’ve had a great night too.’ She opened her car door.

  ‘Can I see you again?’ Simon asked hastily, afraid she was about to get in the car and speed off. ‘I’d love to take you out again.’ He was watching her intently. ‘If that’s okay with you, that is?’

  ‘I’d like that,’ Grace replied, flashing him a natural smile. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. ‘I’d really like that a lot.’

  Chapter 15

  ‘Diane, hi,’ Amber said, hugging the petite woman in front of her. She’d known Jack’s mother since she was a baby and Diane felt like a second mum in a way. She’d always told Diane everything happening in her life and felt completely comfortable with her.

  ‘Amber, hello. How are you doing? I haven’t seen you in a while,’ she replied, her eyes shining brightly, looking pleased to see her. ‘Gosh, it’s freezing out there. Do come in.’

  ‘Oh, you know me, nothing much new. Just working and going out with friends,’ she told her, taking off her coat. ‘Has Jack told you he’s meeting me here? We’re going to the new Italian restaurant that’s just opened. Lovely Christmas tree by the way,’ Amber admired, walking through to the front room. Jack’s mother wasn’t a mumsy mum who wore sexless floral smocks by any means. She’d always been elegant and stylish, and her beautiful gold and silver decorated living room was no different. It oozed class and Amber thought the room was beautiful, just like every year. She’d envied Jack growing up living in such a lovely, spacious five-bedroom house; she’d have swapped it for the two-bedroom flat she’d lived in with her mum when she was younger any day of the week and she loved spending Christmas there. But looking back, Amber realized material items and the size of your house didn’t really matter; Amber had always felt loved by her mother, and that was what really counted. Her mother had given Amber everything she ever wanted, perhaps to make up for the fact her father had left, or maybe just because that’s what mothers did. Either way, she knew was lucky.

  Diane had always had good taste, especially when it came to buying her son’s clothes when they were younger. Jack was often seen sporting the latest designer brands and the ‘in’ garments of the time, and as Amber had grown up, she’d often asked Diane to give her own mother a helping hand when buying her own Christmas gifts. Her own mother had been pretty much clueless and Amber had frequently found herself hunting through the receipts to sneakily take things back.

  ‘No, I haven’t heard from Jack, but it will be lovely to see him before he goes out. He’s constantly busy nowadays with Natalya,’ she said, clicking her tongue but smiling. ‘Do you want a cup of tea?’

  ‘Maybe just a quick one while I wait for Jack,’ Amber responded, descending into the armchair.

  A few moments later, Diane walked back into the room with two mugs of tea. ‘So, what did you think of Natalya?’ she asked inquisitively. ‘Jack told me she joined you at the Christmas market.’

  ‘She seems really nice,’ Amber answered in a high-pitched voice, taking the mug from her, unable to say her true feelings. ‘What about you? Jack tells me you all love her as much as he does.’

  Diane nodded. ‘She does seem like a nice girl, yes. Jack seems happy – that’s the most important thing to us.’

  ‘Yes, he does seem happy,’ Amber agreed, not completely certain that was entirely true. Sure, he seemed really into Natalya, especially the first time she’d seen them together, but Amber was certain he would eventually get fed up if Natalya was as childish and needy as she’d recently seemed. There was just something about her that Amber wasn’t sure of.

  ‘Still, I’ll always be secretly devastated that he’s finally found a woman to take care of him,’ Diane laughed. ‘You know how Jack’s a mummy’s boy.’ She smiled fondly.

  ‘Oh, you know he’ll still be like that,’ Amber replied, trying to make her feel better. ‘You two will always be close.’

  Diane exhaled. ‘I
’m only joking of course. But I haven’t seen as much of him since he met her. He’s hardly ever here anymore and when he is, Natalya’s with him. That’s love for you, I guess. He had to fly the nest one day,’ she smiled good-naturedly.

  It stung to hear the word ‘love’. Amber swallowed hard and tried to smile back.

  ‘Me and your mum are secretly disappointed that the two of you didn’t get married.’ She gave a short bark of laughter, but looked genuinely disappointed. ‘We always said how perfect it would have been when you were both little. We could have been grandmothers together. We’d have loved it. No rivalry.’

  Amber was stunned by the comment. She knew Diane was half-joking, but she didn’t realize how much she was wishing the very same thing, and she felt her cheeks flush a little.

  ‘Don’t be silly. We’ve always just been really good friends.’

  ‘Oh, I know,’ Diane grinned. ‘I’d have loved you as my daughter-in-law though,’ she said, looking crestfallen that this was now out of the question.

  Amber wanted to scream that there was nothing that she’d love more than that too. She wanted to shout out that she loved Jack. Not just as a friend, but really, truly loved him. How she regretted that it had taken her all this time to realize. But she sat there, forcing a smile in silence.

  Amber heard a key in the front door then and her heart leapt, knowing that Jack had arrived.

  Diane’s head turned towards the front door and she smiled widely. ‘Oh hello.’

  ‘You alright Mum?’ Jack’s voice came from around the corner.

  Amber sat there, a smile frozen on her lips and as Jack walked through the door with Natalya following close behind him, her face fell instantly and she glanced at the pair on them in astonishment. Why on earth was Natalya there? Jack had told her it was just the two of them. If Amber had known he was bringing Natalya she would never have agreed to it in the first place. It was weird. Why would she want to go to dinner with another couple, only to feel like the spare part? Why had Jack not warned her? She was annoyed now. Really annoyed.

  ‘Hi Diane,’ Natalya shot her a sweet smile, her voice soft and honey like.

  ‘Natalya, I didn’t realize you were going to dinner as well,’ Diane said, looking a little discomfited on Amber’s behalf.

  Jack’s eyes flicked towards Amber’s. He looked a little guilty and embarrassed. ‘You don’t mind, Ambs, do you? It’s only Natalya had cancelled plans with her friends as she thought I was seeing her tonight. She got the day wrong. When I told her I was going out with you she asked if she could come too and I didn’t think it would be a problem.’

  Amber stood up, trying to hide her irritability. ‘Look, why don’t you two go alone? Three is a crowd and I don’t want to cramp your style,’ she said, feeling as though she was going to burst with frustration. What a coincidence Natalya had thought it was tonight she was seeing Jack. Amber would bet on it she didn’t even have any plans to cancel in the first place. That was just to make Jack feel sorry for her. It was just to ruin their plans together. It had worked because Jack was too blind to see it. Or was he just choosing to ignore it? Jack always opted for an easy life.

  ‘Oh, I feel terrible now if you’re going to leave,’ Natalya said in sulky tones, pouting. ‘But if you’d feel uncomfortable and don’t want to go…’

  ‘Amber, you won’t be cramping our style. I’m not going without you so please come,’ Jack said firmly and seriously.

  Amber looked at Natalya’s mock guilty face and smiled tightly at her. ‘If you really want me to come, Jack, then of course I will.’

  ‘Good, that’s all sorted then,’ Jack said happily.

  ‘I’m sure you’ll all have a lovely time together,’ Diane smiled sympathetically at her and Amber noticed a look of worry flash through her eyes. It was so obvious now that Natalya was anxious and trying to control Jack and who he spent time with. She couldn’t let him do anything alone. If he did (like work drinks) she gave him a hard time about it. Had Diane noticed too? Was she beginning to see how manipulative Natalya was being? Or had Amber lost the plot? Was she imagining all these things because she now understood her true feelings for her oldest friend? Amber was unsure.

  The restaurant was busy, understaffed and full, with several large tables of rowdy people clearly out for work Christmas dinners. As Amber sat there listening to Jack and Natalya laughing, she was beginning to regret agreeing to come. Natalya seemed to be purposely talking to Jack about things Amber couldn’t join in with, and she was starting to feel well and truly fed up, no matter how hard Jack tried to include her. She couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed by Jack. Why hadn’t he put his foot down and told Natalya it was just going to be the two of them tonight and he could see her the following day or something? Did he really think this was okay, expecting her to tag along with another couple? Could he not see how ridiculous they looked?

  ‘What’s your mum doing for her birthday next week?’ Jack asked, changing the subject from whatever it was Natalya was talking about.

  ‘We have the concert remember? At the O2?’ she reminded him, noticing Natalya’s beady eyes watching her avidly as she spoke. She ignored her and spoke to Jack. ‘It’s us two and our mums. Mum has been looking forward to it for weeks.’

  ‘What concert?’ Natalya asked, looking slightly aggrieved, but attempting to hide it with an excited shrilly voice. ‘You didn’t tell me about this, Jack.’

  Amber flapped her hand vacantly. ‘Clearly he’s forgotten about it, haven’t you, Jack? Not a big deal.’ Amber shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. ‘It’s my mum’s favourite, Rod Stewart. I can’t imagine it would be of much interest to you, Natalya,’ she told her breezily, knowing how much she was annoying her. ‘We used to have to listen to his CDs all the time when we were younger. Our mums were obsessed. I think we know every word to all his songs.’ She gave a hearty laugh.

  ‘Yep, we certainly do.’ Jack’s mouth curves up in a reminiscent smile, his blue eyes crinkling in amusement.

  ‘I wouldn’t mind going.’ Natalya smiled at Jack lovingly, ignoring Amber altogether. ‘I’m surprisingly a Rod fan, you know.’ She giggled coquettishly. ‘I’ve always loved his music and I haven’t been to a concert in ages.’

  ‘We only have the four tickets I’m afraid,’ Amber told her hastily, unable to believe she had the audacity to try and gatecrash their plans yet again. No way was she coming to this one. No way in the world would she manage to worm her way in again. Amber was onto her.

  ‘I wonder if there’s any chance of getting another ticket,’ Jack said questioningly, looking over to Amber.

  ‘It’s a sellout,’ Amber explained, attempting a disappointed expression. ‘We were lucky to get the tickets we’ve got.’

  ‘Pity,’ Natalya replied, slightly narrowing her eyes, the light in them fading. She smiled at Amber. ‘Never mind, can’t be helped.’

  ‘Perhaps I’ll take you to another concert as part of your Christmas present,’ Jack suggested kindly.

  Didn’t he see she just didn’t want them to be alone together? What was wrong with him? The more time Amber was spending with Natalya, the more she was beginning to dislike her. She hated the fact that Jack was close to Amber. She didn’t even want them to be together when their mothers were attending too! Just imagine how she’d feel if she knew Amber loved him as more than a friend; she’d be even more desperate to keep them apart. Another reason Amber needed to keep her feelings quiet.

  She’d almost certainly lose Jack for good and she just couldn’t risk that ever happening.

  Chapter 16

  ‘You look happy,’ Rachel told Grace, frowning as she stared at her jolly expression in the kitchen as she made breakfast. ‘Was it a good night at the theatre?’ Rachel gazed at her friend in curiosity. There was definitely something different about her today; she looked lighter, merrier and as though she had received some good news. Even her hair seemed to be bouncing with happiness as she walked over to the breakfa
st table.

  ‘It was great, thank you,’ Grace smiled widely.

  ‘How’s your sister?’ Rachel asked.

  ‘She’s really good. Same as always,’ Grace replied, checking her mobile phone, her face splitting into a smile as she read a message.

  Rachel put down her spoon which made a loud banging sound. ‘Okay, okay, what’s happened? What are you so happy for?’ she asked her with a grin.

  ‘What?’ Grace looked taken aback. ‘Oh no reason,’ she said, shoving her phone into her bag a little suspiciously. ‘Just in a good mood today that’s all. It’s nearly Christmas time after all. My favourite time of year.’

  ‘Oh right,’ Rachel sipped her tea. ‘Who were you messaging?’ she asked casually.

  ‘My sister just said something funny,’ Grace replied, looking out the window. ‘What are you up to today?’

  It was Saturday, the day she’d agreed to go out with Nick and Rachel was dreading it. She wasn’t nervous or excited, she was simply worrying about how awkward it was going to be spending the day with such a rude and abrupt man. Had she been crazy accepting his offer? Now the day had arrived she was beginning to believe she was. It was Mark and Bianca’s news that had led her to this. They really did have a lot to answer for.

  ‘I’m meeting Nick, remember?’ Rachel groaned.

  ‘Where are you off to? Anywhere nice?’ Grace asked her chirpily. ‘What time are you leaving?’

  ‘I have no idea. He said he would pick me up. I thought a daytime date would be a bit safer, you know. Lunch is more informal than dinner. I assume we’re going for lunch anyway; he was curt and brief over the phone. No change there,’ she said, rolling her eyes.

  ‘Maybe he’ll surprise you and be really nice,’ Grace said optimistically.

  ‘Mm, we’ll see. What about you anyway? What are you doing today?’ Rachel asked Grace.

  ‘I may do a bit of Christmas shopping,’ Grace told her distractedly. ‘I’m unsure yet. Or maybe I’ll just lay on the sofa and watch some Christmas films; it feels too cold to go out.’