It Takes Two

by Emily Harvale

  ‘What?’ Simon said. ‘What’s happened? I’m coming over.’

  ‘No! There’s no need. And there’s no need to go to the hospital. Aidan’s here. He’s just brought Mum home in a chauffeur-driven limousine.’

  ‘He’s what?’

  ‘Brought Mum home. I’ve got to go, Simon.’

  ‘Yes that’s right. Run into his arms. Jesus Christ. I know exactly how your dad feels.’

  ‘What?’ Ali watched Aidan help her mum out of the car, whilst the chauffeur, who was obviously the person who rang the doorbell, stood to one side of Ali, holding a massive bouquet of red roses. ‘What’s that supposed to mean, Simon? Why are you so angry? Aidan’s saved you the trouble of picking up Mum. You should be grateful, not annoyed.’

  ‘Yeah right. It’s not my gratitude he wants. It’s yours. And not just gratitude either. And it seems he’s got it. Be careful, Ali. He may not be the man you think he is. I’ve got a very bad feeling about him. He’s hiding something. Once he gets what he wants, he’ll be off. I’m pretty sure of that.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Simon. You know nothing about the man. You only met him yesterday, and I have to say you didn’t behave like one of my friends should, towards a man I’m dating. And don’t tell me what to do. I’m perfectly capable of choosing who to date. I’ve been doing it for years without your help. Aidan’s kind and thoughtful and he doesn’t deserve the way you’re talking about him. How do you know what he wants? Or whether he’ll leave once he gets it?’

  ‘I know he wants you. And I’m also sure he’s going to get you. Even if it’s just a one- night stand.’

  ‘Simon! That’s a horrible thing to say. I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you when you’re in a better mood.’

  ‘You’ll have a long wait.’

  Simon rang off before she did, and for a second or two, Ali stared at the screen of her phone, displaying the call had ended.

  ‘Hello darling,’ Tabitha said, smiling, but not looking particularly happy. Her arm was linked through Aidan’s and they walked slowly towards the front door. ‘Wasn’t it lovely of Aidan to bring me home, and in such style, too? Have you … heard from your father?’

  Ali rubbed her forehead and nodded, suddenly exhausted by it all. She walked forward to meet her mum. ‘Yes, Mum. It was lovely of Aidan. Dad had quite a lot to drink last night and he’s not feeling well this morning, but I’m sure he’ll be round later.’

  Tabitha reached out and kissed Ali on the cheek. ‘I wouldn’t count on it, darling. I don’t think your father is terribly happy with me. I hope he’ll give me a chance to explain.’ She gave a little cough. ‘But we mustn’t bore Aidan with our problems.’

  ‘You couldn’t possibly bore me,’ Aidan said. Smiling at Ali he added: ‘I hope you don’t mind me doing this, Ali, but when we spoke half an hour or so ago and you said that there might be a problem, I thought that this might help. And these.’ He held out his hand and the chauffeur passed him the bouquet, which he then gave to Ali. ‘I assumed you wouldn’t have brought the roses from yesterday, so these are a replacement.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Ali took the roses in one hand, and linked her other arm through her mum’s, placing Tabitha between her and Aidan. ‘Thank you for everything. It means a lot to me.’

  ‘If there’s anything else I can do, you know you only have to ask. But now, unless there is, I’ll leave you to it. The last thing you want whilst you both settle back in, is me getting under your feet. I’ll call you later, Ali.’

  ‘Thank you, Aidan,’ Tabitha said, whilst Ali merely nodded.

  Then they watched him leave in the chauffeur-driven car and Ali had to fight a sudden urge to run after him and ask him to take her away from all this. Away from her mum and dad and the rows. But mostly, away from Simon and his increasingly unpleasant attitude. Anyone would think the man was jealous. Could that explain it? Could Simon be jealous of Aidan?

  Chapter Thirty-One

  After the shocks and rows of Saturday morning, the rest of the day had passed in a relaxed and surprisingly pleasant fashion. Even Gertie had been loving and supportive to her daughter and when she returned home to her dogs, after lunch, Ali and Tabitha curled up together on the sofa, the French doors to the garden thrown open, and listened to birdsong and soothing background music, whilst Ali read a book to her mum. In the evening, they ordered Chinese and sat and watched TV before Ali helped her mum upstairs to bed and slept in the guest room next door. Ali couldn’t remember the last time they had spent so many hours together in blissful contentment. Well, almost blissful and almost content. Ali couldn’t let go of the possibility of her parents’ now aborted, reconciliation, and she couldn’t forget her argument with Simon. She even had a nightmare about it and woke up late on Sunday morning unable to shake off a feeling of dread.

  Ali smiled at her mum as Tabitha tucked into a hearty, Sunday morning brunch. Tabitha seemed cheerful again this morning and had stayed in bed until half past ten, which was most unlike her. Tabitha was always up with the larks and went to bed with the owls. Burning the candle at both ends was something she had always done.

  Ali had been up since nine. After tossing and turning all night, her mind was still whirling with thoughts of Simon, Aidan, Alejandro and her dad, and sitting on the sofa alone, she hadn’t been able to concentrate on her book. Was it too much to ask for things to take a turn for the better?

  ‘Aidan phoned this morning and asked me out to lunch,’ Ali said, when her mum had finished eating.

  ‘That’s super, darling. You must go. I’ll be fine here on my own. That long sleep did me a world of good.’ She pushed her plate away and took a mouthful of coffee.

  ‘I am going. But you won’t be on your own. There’s still a chance you may get dizzy so we’re not taking any risks.’

  ‘Is mum coming to relieve you?’

  Ali shook her head. ‘Dad is.’

  The colour drained from Tabitha’s face before a flush of pink crept into her cheeks. ‘Tom?’ Shakily, she placed her coffee cup on the table. ‘You’ve spoken to him? He’s agreed to come.’

  ‘Yes. He should be here any minute.’

  Tabitha darted a look at her watch. ‘But I haven’t dressed. Look at me. I’m a complete mess.’ She dragged a hand through her blonde hair.

  ‘You look lovely, Mum.’

  ‘No. He mustn’t see me like this. I must at least put on some mascara and something a little more flattering than striped pyjamas.’

  Ali grabbed her mum’s hand. ‘They’re Dad’s pyjamas, and I may be your daughter and far less experienced in these things, but I’m pretty sure he’ll find that flattering if not downright sexy. As for mascara, you don’t need it, but here.’ Ali handed her mum a make-up bag. ‘I brought some of your make-up down earlier, just in case.’

  Tabitha reached out and kissed her daughter. ‘You’re an angel, darling.’

  Whilst Ali filled the dishwasher, Tabitha applied a small amount of blusher to her cheeks, mascara to her lashes and a smear of the sheerest red lip gloss. She had just enough time to close the zip before the doorbell rang.

  ‘He’s here!’ Tabitha jumped off her chair and leant against the table, sat back down and tried to look relaxed, stood up again and held on to the back of the chair, finally flopping back onto her seat and resting her forearms on the table.

  Ali grinned and went to answer the door, looking back at her mum as she did so. ‘Relax, Mum. You look beautiful. The paper is on the table. Pretend to be doing the crossword. Dad always loved to help you with that.’

  ‘I didn’t need his help.’

  Ali popped her head back round the door. ‘I know that and you know that, but Dad doesn’t have to. Pretend you do. It may work wonders.’

  ‘How did you get to be so smart on the relationship front?’ Tabitha called after her as she walked along the hall.

  ‘I’m not,’ Ali called back. ‘Just ask Simon.’

  Tom was holding a bouquet of red roses when Ali op
ened the door. He looked nervous – like a teenager on a first date and had clearly made an extra effort with his appearance. He was wearing the trousers and the shirt that Ali knew her mum had bought him almost a year ago, for part of his birthday present. They had still been happy then. Or reasonably so.

  ‘Hello, Dad. Are those for me?’

  Tom kissed Ali on the cheek. ‘Don’t be absurd, darling. They’re for your mother. But I expect she already has several from that man.’

  Ali stepped aside to let him in. ‘I assume you mean Alejandro.’

  ‘Are there others?’

  ‘Now you’re the one who’s being absurd. There’s no one, Dad. No one but you.’

  He looked at her in disbelief and blinked several times. ‘How … No one?’

  Ali shook her head. ‘How do I know? Because Mum told me. And I believe her. And before you ask, she’s ended it with Alejandro. Although not because of you. Well, not exactly. She knew she wasn’t in love with him. She intended to end it after the dinner party, but falling down the stairs delayed things. She told him at the hospital shortly after you stormed out.’

  ‘She did?’

  ‘She did. She’s in the kitchen and she’s just had brunch. There’s a bottle of champagne in the fridge and I think she may need help with the crossword. I’ll come with you to say goodbye and then it’s up to you.’ Ali linked her arm through his and walked towards the kitchen. ‘And do me a favour, Dad. This time, please don’t screw it up.’

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Tom wasn’t completely certain that he had recovered from yesterday’s hangover and when Ali had phoned this morning saying that she was going out to lunch and asking if he could come around, he had been tempted to say no. But being forced to do nothing other than lie around in a darkened room drinking copious cups of coffee, had given him even more time than he had been doing of late to consider his future; and he thought he had been doing very little else over the past few months.

  He had come to a decision. His marriage was worth fighting for. His wife was worth fighting for. And he would do that, as soon as he recovered from his hangover.

  If he had been the one who had had an affair, he would have prayed that Tabby would have been willing to forgive him. Her affair had only started recently and had really been as a consequence of Tabby believing he no longer loved her and that he had found someone else. Surely he could forgive her? Couldn’t they try to put all these awful months behind them, and rebuild their lives together? Couldn’t he make his wife forget all about Alejandro? It was definitely worth a try.

  And now, if what Ali had told him was true, and his daughter had no reason to lie, Tabby had ended the affair on Friday night. There was hope once more and the light at the end of the tunnel was not an approaching train about to run him down, but an opening to a future as bright and sunny as he and Tabby could possibly make it.

  Ali said her goodbyes; now he and his wife were alone, and as his daughter had just told him, he mustn’t screw this up.

  ‘Good morning, Tabby. How are you?’ He smiled at her before he saw what she was wearing, and then the smile grew out of all proportion until his jaw ached from trying not to burst into a bout of blissful, ecstatic laughter. ‘Are those my pyjamas?’

  Tabby’s face flushed crimson as she cast her eyes downwards before looking up again to meet his gaze. ‘Yes. Do you mind? They were in the utility room. You left them behind when you … moved out.’

  He slowly shook his head. ‘Not at all. They look far better on you than they do on me.’

  ‘I don’t know about that. I always thought this pair look rather good on you. Or at least, you look good in them. Although to be honest, you look good in anything.’ She hesitated as if she had said more than she had meant to. ‘Um. Are those beautiful roses for me?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, walking towards her and handing her the bouquet. ‘And if we’re going to be honest, I also think you look good in anything, but you look particularly good in my pyjamas.’

  Tabitha blinked a few times as she took the flowers, and smiled up at him from where she sat. ‘It’s over between me and Alejandro, Tom. I ended it. I had intended to before the fall. I … I only did it to make you jealous – or to try to, I think. I didn’t love him. I meant everything I said to you on Friday at the hospital.’

  ‘And I meant everything I said to you. Before I lost my temper, that is.’

  ‘Is it possible for us to put this all behind us and start again? Can you forgive me for my stupidity? For my lapse in judgement? For my infidelity?’

  Tom nodded. ‘Anything is possible, and yes, I think so.’ He stared into her eyes and she stared into his. ‘Ali said you needed help with the crossword. She also said there’s a bottle of champagne in the fridge.’

  Tabitha smiled. ‘I think I may, and I certainly like the thought of champagne.’

  Tom took her hand in his and pulled her gently to her feet, entwining their fingers as he did so. ‘You know, you do look sensational in my pyjamas. But I have to admit, I think you would look even better wearing nothing, but perfume and that beautiful, incredibly sexy, smile.’

  Tabitha opened her mouth to reply but Tom took the words from her with his kiss then he swept her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to the room they had once shared – and hopefully, would soon be sharing again.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  It was a perfect, summer Sunday. Looking up from where she sat on the picnic rug Aidan had set out beside the Shimmering River, all Ali could see were miles and miles of baby-blue sky, only interrupted by a few birds, flapping their wings to a rhythmic beat, inaudible from the ground. Occasionally, they caught a thermal and soared higher until the warm air dissipated and they resumed their self-propelled flight. Once or twice, a chalk white slash appeared across the sky behind a tiny, glistening speck as the scorching rays of the golden sun bounced off the fuselage of a plane passing overhead. The cool, clear waters of the river burbled and sparkled, shimmering in the sunlight, casting iridescent droplets into the air and onto the bank.

  ‘I never tire of the beauty of this place,’ Ali said, as Aidan passed her a glass of perfectly chilled white wine.

  He cast his eyes around and poured himself a glass of red. ‘Yes. It’s pretty special. More so with you in the scene.’

  Ali smiled at him. ‘Flattery will get you everywhere.’

  His eyes sparkled like the river. ‘Really? But that’s not flattery, it’s a fact. I don’t think you realise how beautiful you are. I meant it when I said you took my breath away.’

  It wasn’t just the sun making Ali’s face burn and her skin tingle.

  ‘Are you hungry?’ Aidan changed the subject.

  ‘Not at the moment.’ She looked into his eyes. She was hungry for him, but she couldn’t tell him that.

  Slowly, he took her glass from her and placed it with his into the holders in the wicker picnic basket he had brought. He leant towards her and slid an arm around her waist, easing her backwards until she lay beside him on the rug. Without a word, he kissed her; gently at first then harder and more demanding. His other hand caught her long hair between his fingers and twisted it around his hand.

  She returned his kiss with equal enthusiasm, her arms wrapping round him and pulling him closer. The rush of the river reverberated in her ears and her temple pulsed as her heart raced. A chorus of birds serenaded them, or so it seemed. Her senses heightened, her blood ran red hot in her veins and every nerve ending exploded with his touch.

  He nibbled her ear, her neck and her bottom lip before looking deeply into her eyes.

  ‘I can’t believe how much I want you, Ali.’ He sounded as if he had swallowed gravel.

  ‘I feel the same about you,’ she replied breathlessly.

  He kissed her again and there was no denying his passion. Her body responded to his touch and she arched her back as his lips travelled from her mouth to her neck. With one hand, he deftly undid the buttons on the front of her cotton dr
ess and moved his kisses downwards.

  She bit her lower lip and screwed her eyes tightly shut as a wave of ecstasy washed over her. If he could have this much of an effect with just a kiss, imagine what else he could do to her. Her head swam with the thought of it as his hand cupped her breast and his mouth moved back to hers.

  ‘I want you now, Ali. Right here. Right this minute.’

  ‘I want you too.’

  He smiled and his eyes sparkled with unabashed delight. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small silver packet. He had obviously come prepared. She tried to breathe, but couldn’t. Tried to speak, but no words came out. She watched as he unzipped his jeans. Any minute now he would make love to her. And suddenly it was Simon’s face she saw, and Simon’s words she heard: ‘He wants you, Ali, and once he’s got you, he will leave.’

  It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be. But did she even care if it was?

  ‘Christ!’ Aidan hissed. ‘The fucking thing has split. Hold on. I’ve got another one.’

  Ali had no idea why, but suddenly she burst out laughing and unfortunately couldn’t stop.

  ‘It’s not funny.’ Aidan glared at her, swatting away a bee that was buzzing too close for comfort.

  ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.’

  ‘Well, it wasn’t me. I know that much.’

  Ali tilted her head to get a better look at him and pushed herself up onto her elbows. ‘Don’t get mad. These things happen.’

  ‘Not to me they don’t.’

  ‘There’s a first time for everything.’

  ‘This is our second attempt.’

  ‘Third time lucky, don’t they say? Come on, Aidan. Smile.’

  He ran a hand through his hair and glanced down at his unzipped jeans. ‘Let’s go back to my yacht. We’ll be more comfortable there. I don’t know why I suggested this.’

  ‘A picnic was a wonderful idea. Let’s just eat, and enjoy the view for a while.’