by Anne Mather
‘Well, I must admit I was delighted when you said you were coming down again. Two visits in less than a month. It must be a record.’ She paused. ‘Is it anything to do with Matt?’
‘Why should you think that?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Her mother looked anxious. ‘Has he been to see you again?’
‘No.’ Joanna was defensive. ‘I told you, Matt and I are getting a divorce.’
‘Well, I know what you said...but ever since you got here a few days ago, I’ve felt you had something on your mind.’
And of course, she had.
‘David is expecting me back,’ Joanna said now, trying to change the subject. ‘August is a busy month, and he does pay my salary, you know.’
Glenys snorted. ‘Surely, you’re not going to pretend you need the money, Joanna. Despite what you say about Matt, I’m sure he gives you a generous allowance.
‘I don’t take money from Matt.’
‘Well, I’m sure your father left you comfortably off, then,’ exclaimed her mother impatiently. ‘I remember you telling me that Matt’s company paid him millions of dollars for Carlyle Construction.’
Joanna didn’t want to think about that, particularly after what Matt had said.
She couldn’t deny she’d been surprised when her father’s solicitor had told her Angus had been virtually bankrupt when he died. Even the house he’d lived in, and where Joanna had spent her childhood, was mortgaged to the hilt. There’d been a little cash, which had eventually cleared probate. But she couldn’t think where all the money might have gone.
‘I like my job,’ she said, avoiding her mother’s comment. ‘I like my independence.’
‘Nevertheless, Lionel and I worry about you living in London on your own.’
Joanna sighed, and then decided she couldn’t put it off any longer. ‘I won’t be on my own much longer,’ she said, and saw the way her mother’s eyes widened in surprise.
With a wry smile, she continued, ‘I think I’m pregnant, Mum. I need to go back to London to see my doctor. To prove that the two pregnancy tests I took were not—’
‘You’re pregnant!’ Her mother didn’t let her finish. ‘Oh, Joanna, am I going to be a grandmother at last?’ And then, with rather less enthusiasm, ‘I suppose David Bellamy is the father.’
‘No!’ Joanna was appalled that her mother should think such a thing. ‘David’s a friend, that’s all. Look, I didn’t want to tell you this, but he’s already got a partner. A male partner. But, please, keep that to yourself.’
‘Of course.’ But her mother looked only partially relieved. ‘Then who?’
‘It’s Matt’s, of course,’ said Joanna flatly. ‘We spent the night together when I was in Miami. Go figure!’
Glenys stared at her daughter. ‘But—I thought you said you went to ask him for a divorce.’
‘I did.’
‘I can’t believe it.’ Glenys struggled for words. ‘All those years you were trying for a baby...’ Her voice trailed away and she shook her head.
‘It just happened, that’s all. As you say, we’d tried so long to have a baby, I had no idea I’d get pregnant so easily.’
‘Still, there must be something between you two if you spent a night together,’ Glenys protested. ‘Have you told him yet?’
‘No. How could I?’ Joanna wished her mother weren’t so delighted by the news. ‘It—it was a mistake, Mum,’ she said flatly. ‘Now I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do.’
‘But it’s good news, surely,’ exclaimed her mother. ‘You and Matt have always wanted a family.’
‘Yes, but it’s not me and Matt any more.’ Joanna expelled a shaky breath. ‘Is it?’
‘So, what does that mean?’ Glenys frowned. ‘You are going to tell him, aren’t you? You’ve got to, Joanna. It’s his baby, too, remember?’
As if she could forget.
* * *
By the time she got back to London, Joanna was still in two minds. She knew she ought to tell Matt, but the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was only getting in touch with him again because she needed his support.
Of course, unless she dipped into the money her father had left her, she probably wouldn’t be able to manage on her own. Childminders cost a small fortune these days. Her plans to use that money to accept David’s invitation and become a partner in the gallery might have to be shelved.
Her mother believed Joanna had no choice but to tell Matt. She also reminded her that in a few months she wouldn’t be able to work at all. Glenys suggested that when she left the gallery, she should move to Cornwall. She could stay with them until the baby was born.
‘It will give you a breathing space,’ she’d argued, when Joanna had demurred. ‘I’m not asking you to move in with us permanently. But I don’t like the idea of you having to cope with this alone.’
Joanna had left, assuring her that she’d do nothing without consulting her mother first, and realised how close she and Glenys had become since her father’s death. The bitterness Angus had always felt towards his ex-wife had certainly influenced Joanna’s teenage years.
David was glad to see her when she got back.
‘This place hasn’t been the same without you around,’ he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a kiss on the cheek. ‘I was half afraid you were having second thoughts about investing in the gallery. Are you sure Novak isn’t still in the picture?’
‘Hardly,’ Joanna corrected him drily. ‘As far as Matt is concerned, our marriage is over.’
‘Well, you know how jealous I am,’ said David good-humouredly. ‘Anyway, I haven’t forgotten he didn’t exactly follow you back to England, did he? It’s possible he’s seeing someone else.’
But, remembering what Matt had said, Joanna found his comments rather irritating. ‘You know it was nothing like that,’ she said shortly. ‘I told you his father had had another stroke. Matt’s been dealing with the company in his absence.’ She paused, and then added unwillingly, ‘In any case, he’s probably left the company by now. He’s moving to the Bahamas—to write a book.’
‘You’re kidding.’ David was incredulous, not realising he was treading on dangerous ground. ‘Perhaps he thinks if he tells you he’s leaving NovCo, you won’t fleece him for as much alimony, eh?’
Joanna resented his suggestion that Matt might cheat her. Yet wasn’t that exactly what her father had said? She sighed, bending her head. ‘I don’t want any alimony,’ she declared stiffly. ‘Matt knows I can support myself.’
A sudden awareness of the baby and the problems it might create came into her mind. It was stupid, she knew, but she was dreading telling David. He apparently already thought she was gullible. He had yet to discover how gullible she’d been.
‘You’re crazy!’ he said now, and for a moment Joanna was afraid she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. But when he continued, she soon realised she’d been mistaken. ‘If I was in your shoes. I’d take him for every penny I could get.’
* * *
Needing confirmation of her condition, Joanna made an appointment with her doctor. And came out of the surgery with a handful of leaflets in her hands.
Okay, it was definite. She was expecting a baby. In the spring, Dr Foulds had told her. He would make an appointment in a few weeks for her to have her first scan at the local hospital, and they would be able to give her a date for when the baby was actually due.
Despite all her misgivings, Joanna found the prospect exciting. How ironic it was that she’d become pregnant now after only one night of lovemaking, when in the past she’d begun to believe she couldn’t conceive.
She was having a baby. What was less certain was how Matt would feel about it. She’d finally decided that she had to tell him. Matt was the baby’s father. It wouldn’t b
e fair to keep it from him.
To that end, she waited until a time she could be reasonably sure he would be at the New York apartment. It was a little over a month since he’d visited London, but with Oliver still so ill, perhaps he might not have moved to the Bahamas quite yet.
She phoned in the early morning, New York time. Which meant she’d had to sneak out of the gallery so David didn’t hear the call. She chose the little café where she often shopped for cappuccinos in the middle of the morning. Finding an empty booth, she ordered a diet soda, and made the call.
The phone seemed to ring for an unconscionable amount of time before it was answered. Joanna had been on the point of giving up, having decided that Matt had either left early for the office or he’d already sold the apartment.
Then the receiver was lifted and a languid female voice said, ‘Do you know what time it is?’
Joanna swallowed convulsively, unable to think of anything to say. The woman’s voice was not familiar and it was easy for her to think the worst. That Matt had taken a mistress, as David had said.
She was tempted to end the call, but she forced herself to speak. Swallowing again, she said, ‘Is that you, Sophie? Is Matt there? I’d like to speak to him.’
The woman—girl, whoever she was—gave an impatient sigh. ‘I’m not Sophie,’ she said shortly. ‘And Matt’s not here. In any case, he wouldn’t appreciate you calling him at this hour of the morning. Whatever it is, call him on his mobile. We usually find that’s the safest thing to do.’
Joanna’s mouth was unpleasantly dry, but she had to go on. ‘I know the office number, but I don’t know his mobile,’ she admitted unwillingly.
The girl sighed again. ‘If you give me your name, I’ll tell him you called.’
‘No.’ All Joanna wanted to do now was end the call. ‘No, it’s not important. I—I’ll catch him later.’
‘Okay.’ The woman sounded as if she didn’t care one way or the other. Then, offhandedly, ‘I don’t know his mobile number either. But they might be willing to give it to you at the office.’
Joanna doubted it, but she said, ‘Thanks,’ and rang off. Annoyingly, she found she was shaking. She almost spilled the diet soda the girl brought for her, and, thrusting a five-pound note down on the table, she made her escape.
Outside, in the street, she couldn’t prevent the hot tears that filled her eyes at the knowledge that someone else was staying in Matt’s apartment. Someone who didn’t know his mobile number, which was odd.
Was she just some female escort he’d brought home with him? Surely he hadn’t had time to start a more permanent affair. But they were obviously sleeping together? Why else would a strange—sleepy—woman answer his phone at six o’clock in the morning?
She considered ringing again in the evening. But the thought of giving him her news, maybe in the presence of a new girlfriend, filled her with distaste. Remembering the angry way he’d left her apartment weeks ago, and now this morning’s phone call, she was no longer sure what his reaction would be.
She sighed. Well, for the present, she would keep the baby’s existence to herself. She would tell Matt, she assured herself. When she was ready. But he couldn’t blame her for being secretive if he was keeping secrets of his own.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MATT NOVAK SWUNG the tiller of his sleek racing dinghy towards the shore, and, ducking to avoid the boom, he guided the craft smoothly into the landing at Long Point.
It was still comparatively early in the morning. These days he found it difficult to sleep beyond six a.m., and in consequence he’d started taking the dinghy out before many of his fellow yachtsmen were on the water. Which suited him just fine.
While he was gradually adapting to the island lifestyle, he had no desire to get to know other ex-pats like himself. He had come to the Bahamas to escape the corporate world. Not to make friends with the kind of people he’d left behind.
‘You okay, Mr Matt?’
Henry Powell was waiting for him on the jetty and caught the rope that Matt threw to him, expertly fastening the craft to an iron mooring ring.
‘I’m good,’ Matt responded, checking that the sail was secure before vaulting onto the landing. He raked back his unruly hair with a careless hand. ‘Beautiful morning, Henry.’
‘All mornings on Cable Cay are beautiful mornings,’ declared Henry proudly.
He was an older man, of medium height and thick-set, his dark face leathery, lined from the sun. He and Matt had known one another since Matt was a boy, when his father had first brought him here on holiday all those years ago.
Oliver Novak had bought the villa at Long Point, but in recent years, he’d taken to renting it out during the winter months, with Henry acting as his steward. But Henry had been delighted when Matt had decided to buy the place from his father and occupy it on a more permanent basis.
Matt occasionally spent a week in New York, acting as his father’s deputy, but since Sophie was making such a success of her tenure as CEO of NovCo, it was no longer such a necessary chore.
Henry paused now, and then added significantly, ‘You ready to go up to the villa now, Mr Matt? ’Cos I have to tell you, you got a visitor.’
Matt stifled a curse and gave the older man a grim look. ‘A visitor?’ He could only think of his mother and he definitely did not want to see her.
‘Yes, sir, Mr Matt.’ Henry evidently sensed it was not news his employer wanted to hear. ‘It’s Ms Sophie. She spent last night in Nassau and flew out here this morning.’
‘Sophie?’ Matt was both shocked and alarmed. He could think of no reason why Sophie might come all this way to see him unless something bad had happened to their father. Or to the company. ‘Did she say why she was here?’ he queried, and Henry shook his head. ‘Does she look worried? Upset? What?’
Henry was thoughtful for a moment. ‘She looks pretty much the way she always looks,’ he decided cheerfully. ‘I left her drinking coffee with Teresa.’
Matt checked the pockets of his shorts for his phone and briefly scanned the screen. No texts were screaming at him; no email messages begging to be read. So why the hell hadn’t Sophie warned him she was coming? Unless she’d already guessed she wouldn’t be welcome.
The landing where Matt was standing was just a few yards from the villa. Away to his left, one of the island’s beautiful white sand beaches stretched away to a rocky promontory. To his right, the beach gave way to a thicket of mangroves clustered at the water’s edge, which gave Long Point its complete privacy.
A little way beyond the mangroves was the small anchorage of Cable Bay, a favourite spot with the sailing fraternity. And not far from that was the small township of Cable Cay itself, and the tiny airport of Cable West.
Matt started towards the villa. He was surrounded by blossoming poinsettia, flowering hibiscus, and other colourful shrubs; vivid splashes of colour amid the palms that shielded the property from public view. That was one of the reasons why Oliver Novak had originally bought the villa. It was an oasis of privacy on what was a small, but fairly popular, island.
As Matt stalked up the crushed shell path to the villa, he endeavoured to find some comfort in the fact that had it been a matter of life and death, his mother would surely have let him know.
He found Sophie relaxing on the veranda that encircled the villa. A jug of coffee and two mugs were on the table in front of her, although Teresa had obviously returned to her duties.
Sophie had evidently packed for the weather in the islands. Her dark hair was casually caught up in a ponytail, and beige shorts and a floral halter top were definitely not the usual wear for January in New York.
‘Hey,’ she said, when she saw him, getting up as he climbed the steps to the veranda and bestowing a sisterly kiss on his stubbled cheek. ‘Oh, you need a shave!’
Matt sh
rugged. ‘I’m not going anywhere, am I?’ He paused. ‘How are things in New York?’
‘Things are going great. As you know, if you remember how it was on your last visit.’ Sophie sank back into her seat. ‘We got the contract for the new exploration in the Arctic. And Andy Reichert thinks we might exceed all expectations this year.’
Matt pulled a wry face. ‘Good for Andy.’
‘You’re not jealous, are you?’
Matt shook his head. ‘I always thought he’d make a good CFO. Give him my congratulations and tell him in my opinion he’s the best man for the job.’
Sophie snorted. ‘I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.’
‘You’re doing good, too, of course,’ said Matt mildly, aware that Sophie could take offence very easily. ‘But I can’t believe you came here just to brag about your and Andy’s success. What’s going on? Dad and Mom are okay, aren’t they?’
Sophie looked a little less confident now. ‘Oh—sure,’ she said. ‘Dad has physio every day, and, although he’ll never be the man he once was, he’s gradually coming to terms with his limitations.’ She paused. ‘Mom’s okay, too. I guess she’s glad Dad’s back home in Miami.’
‘Right.’ Matt tried to keep his impatience in check and with some tolerance, he said, ‘So what is this? A break from routine? An impromptu holiday? If so, you should have let me—’
‘Have you seen Joanna lately?’
Matt frowned. ‘No.’ He paused. ‘Why would I? We’re divorced, Sophie. You know that.’
‘Has she been in touch?’
‘No.’ Matt was getting impatient. ‘What is this, Sophie? Why are you asking me these questions?’
Sophie sighed. ‘I just wondered if she’d phoned you, that’s all. Do you think she’d have let you know if she was thinking of getting married again?’
Sophie’s words hit Matt like a blow to his solar plexus. For a few moments, he could only stand there, gazing blankly at her, striving to breathe normally. Then he sought one of the cushioned bamboo chairs at the other side of the table and dragged himself into it.
