Abi's House

by Jenny Kane

  Feeling a little foolish, but knowing it was her own fault, Abi went into the bedroom she’d shared with Luke and pulled a set of designer luggage from the walk-in wardrobe. It was more like a small room than a wardrobe, and it was almost empty. She’d given all Luke’s suits and jumpers to charity weeks ago, and as she’d never been into clothes, her side of the space was far from full.

  Unhooking her few remaining dresses, Abi bundled them into the first case with more haste than care, before dumping in a few pairs of shoes and her one pair of decent knee-high boots. Next came the jumpers and T-shirts, followed by her underwear, which was scooped up in a giant armful and dropped at the top of the case, before she squeezed it shut and went to see how Max was getting on.

  Abi’s phone rang as she bumped the case on wheels down the stairs.

  ‘Hi, Beth. We’re just packing up this end, how’s it going at home?

  Abi picked up on Beth’s excited but panicked voice as she relayed the news. ‘What? Christie’s! That is incredible! Stan must be chuffed to bits. When’s the auction?’

  When Beth answered, Abi’s happy expression disappeared as fast as it had arrived. ‘Please tell me you’re kidding? We’ll never all make it in time … OK … right, well, I’ll tell Max and …’ Abi reached the front door and was about to wheel the case to the van when she stopped dead. The colour drained from her face. ‘Simon.’

  ‘What?’ Beth groaned ‘What’s he doing there?’

  ‘I’ll have to go.’

  Abi hung up and ran towards the van. She got there just in time to see Max give Simon a black eye.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  ‘Simon! What the bloody hell are you doing here?’

  ‘Oh, that’s rich! What are you and the overstuffed gorilla doing here?’ Simon was cradling his eye, ‘who I’m about to have arrested for assault, by the way.’

  Abi ripped the mobile out of Simon’s free hand. ‘Really? And how will your company feel when they hear that you have been arrested for trespass and acting in a manner likely to cause an affray?’

  ‘You weren’t even here. You have no idea what happened. That oaf took a swing at me from nowhere.’

  Max was fuming. ‘I was in the van. I didn’t hear him coming. Suddenly I was being hauled backwards and shouted at. He was accusing me of burglary. I acted on instinct. It was self-defence.’

  Abi crossed her arms and stared at her brother-in-law, her blood was pumping through her veins so fast it felt as if she was running on pure anger and adrenalin. ‘What sort of burglar raids a house like this, in broad daylight, then only takes a chest of drawers and some old art supplies? Which he secures in the back of his van extra-carefully before dashing off? And, come to think of it, what’s so weird about a house that is for sale having goods taken away in a van anyway?’

  ‘It isn’t a removal van!’ Simon was looking wrong-footed.

  ‘No, it isn’t. But it is a van you’ve seen before, when you gatecrashed my life in Cornwall. Which is a good point, isn’t it? I could add kidnap to the charge sheet. I have plenty of witnesses to that incident.’

  With a careful eye on Max, Simon put a hand on Abi’s elbow and tried to steer her away so he could talk to her in private, ‘Look, Abi, I was just worried about you.’

  Shaking him off angrily, Abi stood her ground. ‘No, you weren’t. And anything you have to say you can say here, in front of Max. He’s been more of a friend to me in the last few weeks than you have been in all the years I’ve known you. Max has helped me, supported me, and looked after me. He does not make me feel stupid or inadequate, and he has managed to work out that quality of life and making people happy is more worthwhile than making money to buy and show off things you don’t need.’

  Max came up behind Abi and put his arm protectively on her shoulder. ‘If you’d stopped to think, Mr Carter, you’d have worked out that we are here to collect Abi’s things. Perhaps you could tell us why you’re here?’

  ‘I don’t see why I have to answer to you!’

  ‘You don’t. But you do have to tell Abi.’

  ‘I’ve been keeping an eye on the place. You obviously don’t care what happens to my brother’s things, so I thought I’d try and find out who the new owners were and make sure they didn’t sell off Luke’s belongings.’

  Abi groaned her annoyance as she regarded her brother-in-law’s anger screwed up face. ‘You’re insane, or paranoid, or both. But on the other hand, perhaps your appearance is timely. I was going to call you when we were finished. You can have the remainder of your brother’s things. I have all I want.’

  ‘Yeah, right. Like I’m going to believe that!’

  With a restraining hand on Max’s arm, Abi said, ‘Simon, this is the very last time I am going to ask you this, because I have no intention of ever seeing you again after today: what do you want? What is all this insanity about?’

  ‘You! You, of course.’

  His always-in-control mask slipped a little, and just for a second Abi wondered if she was looking at the real Simon. With a faint hint of defeat in his voice, he carried on talking.

  ‘Luke never appreciated you. He never saw what you could become.’

  Abi’s eyes narrowed. ‘What I could become?’

  ‘Yes! You could look incredible if you let yourself. The perfect businessman’s wife. I could have made you that woman.’

  Abi opened her mouth. No coherent words would form on her tongue as Simon reached forward and took her hands. ‘It’s not too late, Abigail! We could use the money from renting this house out to secure a place I’ve made enquiries about for us in Oxford. You’d love it. So close to all the right connections for my business – and with you in place as a permanent hostess and –’

  ‘Stop!’ Abi’s shout echoed around the driveway, cutting across Simon, which wiped the beseeching expression off his face to be replaced by its usual arrogant countenance. ‘You’ve secured a place for us in Oxford? For us?’

  Abi was incredulous, as she and Max exchanged glances that clearly stated they thought Simon had lost his mind. ‘What century are you living in? You have no idea who I am, do you?’ Even after all Simon had done, Abi couldn’t stop herself feeling pity for him. ‘Is this your idea of a relationship, Simon? Really? How awful for you.’ She shook her head, ‘All these years you’ve looked at me, building up a picture of what you want to see in your mind, but you’ve never noticed the real me at all. You’ve never really seen me.’

  Simon’s angry embarrassment put the arrogant businessman within him well and truly back in charge. ‘You’ve made a big mistake trying to keep all of my brother’s things from me, Abigail.’

  ‘Haven’t you been listening to me? I said I have taken all I want from my memories of Luke. The rest is yours.’

  ‘And why would I believe you?’

  Max’s temper was beginning to crack again, ‘If you’d like to follow me, Mr Carter, you’ll see that Abi is, as ever, telling the truth.’

  Stalking after them, Simon walked into his brother’s old home and followed the line of Abi’s pointing hand. A neatly stacked pile of Luke’s music collection, the modern art Abi didn’t like, and various other bits and pieces from his life, along with the keys to his Porsche 4x4, sat waiting with a note on them asking the removal firm to deliver them to Simon’s work address.

  ‘Satisfied?’ Abi looked her brother-in-law in the eye. ‘Do you know, for a second back there I felt sorry for you. I thought, just for a moment, that you were telling me the truth. A blinkered, unrealistic truth, but the truth nonetheless. How dare you pretend to care for me, when all you want are my assets and me for a dressing-up doll with a fake smile to please your clients! Luke would be ashamed of you. I hope whatever memories and money you can glean from his possessions will make you happy.’

  Simon’s greedy expression contorted into a mixture of humiliation and disgust that made Abi wonder about his true feelings for her once more, ‘You’ve kept nothing. You didn’t love him at all.’


  Abi put an arm on Max’s side to restrain him from punching Simon again. Speaking with extreme care, she addressed Simon as if he was a bomb that was about to explode. ‘I loved Luke. I think he loved me too, in the beginning, but I couldn’t be the trophy wife he needed and he grew to resent me. Dislike me, even. I tried hard to be who he wanted me to be, but I couldn’t do it. In the end I made him unhappy, and I’d do the same for you. I have my wedding ring, which I will always love, and the sofa we used to sit on together in the early days before he became obsessed with keeping up with the Joneses, and pushing himself harder and harder just so we could show off material things we didn’t need. If he hadn’t been like that he might still be here now.’

  Simon picked up the car keys. ‘Is it in the garage?’

  Max shook his head. ‘For a moment there I thought you might have learned from your brother’s mistake. A mistake which cost him his life, as well as the most beautiful, kindest woman in the world. Seems I was wrong.’

  Dropping the house keys back at the estate agent’s, Abi signed all the outstanding documents required to complete the sale and gave instructions to Nigel Davison about the disposal of the remaining furniture. They quickly arranged for a truck to come to fetch her sofa, the dresser, and a few other items that, once Simon had disappeared and the fear of him popping up again was gone, Abi had chosen to take back to Cornwall after all. Now, as they began the two-hour drive to the Travelodge where they were spending the night, Abi put her hand on Max’s leg.

  ‘The most beautiful woman in the world, huh?’

  Max’s face flushed. ‘Maybe.’

  Abi smiled into the fading light of the day. She felt exhausted, but finally free from the chains of guilt that she had allowed herself to be wrapped in for so long. ‘I think you really have earned that extra portion of chips.’

  ‘Christie’s!’

  Abi laughed as the chip Max had just speared on his fork fell off in mutual shock with its would-be consumer. ‘Yes. Isn’t it wonderful? Stan is chuffed to bits apparently.’

  ‘I can’t believe how fast Peter got that sorted. Is it a specialist oriental ceramics auction?’

  ‘No, it’s a general auction. Peter did tell Stan that he’d get more if he waited for the next specialist auction in six months’ time, but Stan said he could be dead by then, so they should crack on.’

  ‘Sounds like Stan! Ever the realist.’ Max chewed slowly. ‘I bet he’ll be determined to go up to London to the auction himself. I can hear him now: “One more adventure to add to the score sheet, me’andsome!”’

  Abi giggled, ‘I bet you’re right, and Stan should be there. Shame I won’t be there too.’

  ‘Why ever not?’

  ‘That’s the problem with going for the first available auction. It’s on the second of September. No way can I leave Beth to cope with the family launch of the gallery on her own, especially as she is hoping that I’ll entertain the children with some of my pictures.’

  ‘Oh hell, I hadn’t thought of that!’

  Hiding her disappointment that she wouldn’t be there with Stan while he saw his treasure make thousands, Abi took a sip of wine. ‘Will you be able to go with him, Max? Beth said that Jacob had offered, and I know they get on well, but you’ve known Stan a bit longer.’

  ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

  They’d stopped eating almost an hour ago. Abi couldn’t face another drink, yet she didn’t want to be the first to mention bedtime. The rooms they’d been allocated were next door to each other, and she felt odd at the thought of them, having been so close all day, lying in beds so near to each other and yet so far apart. Abi knew she couldn’t suggest abandoning one of the rooms so they could share after all the fuss she’d made about taking things slowly. How could she do a complete about turn and tell Max that all she wanted was to be held in his arms all night?

  ‘Are you alright? You must be shattered, I know I am.’ Max pushed his empty tea cup away, ‘I’m going to have to turn in or I’ll be falling asleep at the wheel tomorrow, and I’d quite like to make an early start if that’s OK?’

  ‘Of course, yes.’ Abi got up too quickly, and knocked the remains of her glass of water over. ‘Oh hell, oh I’m so sorry.’

  Dabbing at the puddle of water as it spread over the table, Max said, ‘Not to worry, you’re tired. It’s been a long, emotional day. Come on.’

  Abi’s heart began to beat quicker with hope as he took her hand. ‘Bedtime, young lady.’ As they walked up the stairs, Max hooked his arm around her waist.

  ‘Here we are then.’ Max stopped outside her door. Leaning down, he gently lifted Abi up off her feet so that they were face to face, and kissed her with so much tenderness Abi thought she might cry.

  Putting her down again, Max patted her on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, I don’t break my promises, as much as I’d like to ravish you and then cuddle you to sleep, I respect your need to wait.’

  Only a second later, Abi was on her own in the corridor, wishing she’d had the guts to tell Max that his suggestion of ravishment had sounded very nice, thank you.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  ‘My life has turned into a never-ending list of things to do!’

  Beth sank onto the sofa in her living room, next to Jacob who was scanning his laptop for last-minute hotel deals in the area of London near Christie’s.

  ‘You’ll get through it, love, don’t worry.’

  Beth flipped through her notepad, looking at all the tasks still to cross off before she could even think about the gallery opening properly. ‘We’re almost ready for the family afternoon, and it shouldn’t take too much to swap things around for the official launch, but are we ready to start selling for real? I mean, I haven’t even had a go at using the till yet. What if I can’t work it? How embarrassing would that be! And the man hasn’t brought the credit card machine, and the phone line needs changing for that as well, and I’m gutted I can’t come up to London with you guys for the auction.’

  ‘Me too.’ Jacob smouldered at her over the top of his computer. ‘I was looking forward to corrupting you in new and interesting places.’

  ‘You are unstoppable!’

  ‘True.’ Jacob stopped what he was doing for a moment. ‘It is a shame though. Stan would have loved you and Abi to be there as well, but he understands that you need to be at the gallery. To be honest I think we’re as sorry that we won’t be at the family opening as you are at missing the auction.’

  ‘You will look after Stan, won’t you?’

  ‘Of course. We’ll be fine. Max is going to drive us up, as there’s room for three in the front of his van, and it’s nice and upright, so Stan will be comfortable. Then we’ll have three rooms together – if I can find them – and with Max on one side of him and me on the other Stan will be just fine.’

  Beth snuggled down onto Jacob’s shoulder and stared at the computer screen with him. ‘Thanks, hun.’ Yawning, she closed her eyes. ‘At least Art and Sole is beginning to look like a gallery.’

  ‘So the schoolkids’ pictures are up now then?’

  ‘Yes, Abi and I hung them this afternoon. Took ages, but I must admit they look great. It’s going to be tough keeping the blinds down over the shop windows in this hot weather, but I don’t want people to see them before the big day.’

  ‘Ahh, got one! Well, three.’ Jacob pressed the ‘Book Rooms’ button before anyone beat him to it, and opened his wallet for his credit card to confirm the booking. ‘Now all we have to do is find Max a suit. Do you think he has clothes other than boiler suits?’

  ‘Oooh, bitchy! That’s my best friend you are talking about!’ Beth laughed. ‘He does indeed. He looks all handsome when he’s dressed up.’

  ‘Does Abi think so?’

  ‘I’m sure she does. She hasn’t spoken about Max much since she got back from Surrey. In fact, she’s been pretty quiet all round now I think about it, but we’ve been so busy, what with her illustrating job starting aga
in and the gallery and everything. I haven’t had the chance to talk to her properly. Maybe we’ll have a girls’ night out after the launch to celebrate that, and to toast your success in London. What time does the auction start?’

  ‘Not until six, so at least we won’t have to spend more than one night up there. Keep your fingers firmly crossed for some Ming lovers to turn up.’

  Beth smiled, ‘Of course I will.’ Then suddenly she sat up straight, ‘Oh God, I’ve just thought.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘What if the gallery sign doesn’t turn up on time? I was supposed to call the signwriter today to confirm a time for the erection, and I forgot all about it.’

  Jacob put down the computer and pulled her onto his lap instead, ‘It will be just fine. You can call him about his erection in the morning, and deal with this one now …’

  ‘Abi, Abi? Are you alright? I can hear voices.’

  Abi opened her bedroom door, ‘I’m sorry, Stan, I should have told you. Come and say hello to Oliver.’

  Stan looked about him, and saw no one. ‘Oliver?’

  ‘Over here, look.’ Abi steered Stan across the room and pointed to her laptop, ‘Ollie, this is Stan. Stan, this is my brother.’

  Ollie held up a hand in greeting. ‘Hello, Stan. Abi has told me so much about you. Thank you so much for taking such good care of her down there.’

  Stan gave Abi a confused look, before saying, ‘Well I’m pleased to meet you too, young man. Although I should say that it’s more a case of Abi looking after me, but … where are you?’

  ‘I’m in Yorkshire. This is Skype. Great, isn’t it?’

  ‘Ahhhh.’ Stan nodded, comprehension gradually spreading across his face. ‘Sally, that’s my daughter in Australia, she told me about it, but I didn’t know where to start, so I never sorted it out.’

  Abi pulled up a chair next to Stan, ‘I could set it up for you, if you’d like me to. If Sally has a laptop or a tablet or something?’

  ‘Oh, she has all the gadgets; it’s just me who hasn’t a clue!’