The Woman Who Didn't

by HC Michaels

  He winced. “I was going to say it was me.”

  ‘It’s not you, it’s me,” she quoted in a sing-song voice. “I think that line’s been used somewhere before.”

  “Listen, can we just talk about Amber please?” he asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

  “Sure. Go ahead,” she said, anger still clear in her voice. “What’s your plan here? You know we don’t have a spare bedroom for her. She’s not going to like this.”

  He’d been to Rin’s house a few times to drop off Amber, although he’d never stepped past the front fence. The house actually belonged to her husband, so going inside didn’t seem right. He’d never asked but was certain Jeff would feel the same way. It was a small brick bungalow in Burwood, a nice suburb, but far less impressive than the one he lived in. The house looked tiny. It would be lucky if it contained three bedrooms, let alone a second bathroom. The whole thing could fit inside his living room, yet it was home not only to Rin and Jeff, but their three children. Fitting Amber in there would be a struggle. Thankfully, he’d already thought about how to solve that problem.

  “Amber’s mentioned you have a shed in the backyard,” he said. “How about I pay some builders to convert it into a bedroom for her?”

  “Is this a joke?” she asked. “Please don’t tell me that you’re suggesting I stick our daughter in a shed.”

  “I’ll pay some builders to convert it into a bedroom,” he quickly explained.

  “It’s Jeff’s shed,” she said, still sounding entirely unconvinced. “It’s full of his stuff. Where will he put it all?”

  “I don’t know. Underneath? We can make it two storeys. Amber can have a little apartment in your backyard.” His mind whirled with possibilities. “Or we can build Jeff another shed. It’ll add a lot of value to your house.”

  She was quiet, which meant she was thinking about it. It must be a tempting offer for someone on a limited budget like hers. When they’d divorced, he’d only just started working as a lawyer. Giving her sixty percent of everything he owned hadn’t been too much of a hardship. He’d barely owned anything. She hadn’t seemed to have improved her situation much over the years. Jeff was an accountant on an accountant’s salary and Rin had never returned to work, instead increasing the household expenses by having more children. She lived a very different life to him.

  “And how will she get to school?” asked Rin, sounding a lot calmer.

  “Can’t you drive her?” He frowned, aware that she no longer worked.

  “And I’ve got nothing better to do than be a taxi driver,” she huffed. “I have three other kids, you know.”

  “I thought you wanted Amber to live with you? We can drop this whole thing if you like.” Years of arguing in a courtroom had taught him it was time to call her bluff. He was being very generous offering to rebuild her shed and give her what she’d fought so hard for all those years ago. Amber. She could figure out how to get her to school.

  “Fine,” she conceded. “I’ll talk to Jeff and call you back.”

  He could hear a child whining in the background. One of Amber’s half-siblings. This would be a good chance for her to get to know them better. He was doing the right thing. It would be a win for everyone. Amber could move back in with him next year once Skye’s treatment was finished.

  “Thanks, Rin,” he said, trying to inject some warmth in his tone. “I appreciate it.”

  “I’m sure you don’t.”

  She disconnected the call, leaving him feeling ill. The conversation had done nothing to ease the guilt of his past sins. It’d only added to it. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Amber wasn’t that noisy.

  Skye came over to stand behind his chair, wrapping her arms around him and feathering his face with tender kisses.

  “Thank you, Kronos,” she whispered.

  “You’re so supportive.” Her kisses trailed to his neck.

  “And loving.” She undid the top button of his shirt.

  “And sexy.” She slid her hand into his shirt and caressed his chest.

  He could no longer think. When she was standing behind him like this, he couldn’t tell she was sick. He could close his eyes and pretend she was well.

  “Your surgery was only last week,” he said. “We can’t …”

  “There’s plenty we can still do.” Her hands slid to his stomach and he groaned in response.

  Whatever she wanted was all right with him.

  Jeff watched his wife put down the phone, having just talked to Theo. He noticed a flush creeping up her neck.

  He doubted she was the only woman to get nervous around Theo. He was that kind of guy. All suave and debonair with overtones of power and wealth. Still, he wasn’t very clever. No man with a brain in his head would leave a woman like Tamarin.

  That was one of the reasons Jeff always called her by her full name. Everyone else called her Rin, including Theo. Calling her Tamarin gave him a point of difference. Besides, it was an exotic name. It suited her. When her parents had named her after a picturesque Mauritian surfing town, he’d bet they never expected it to be stripped back to three harsh sounding letters. Theo could call her Rin as much as he liked, she’d always be Tamarin to Jeff.

  It was hard not to be jealous of Theo. No woman had ever flushed like that around him.

  He reminded himself he should be grateful. Theo had treated Tamarin so poorly she’d practically fallen into his arms. He wasn’t sure he could’ve ended up with a woman so beautiful in any other circumstances.

  As she’d had their daughter and two sons, she’d only gotten more beautiful, for now she wasn’t just his wife, she was the mother of his children. He had to pinch himself sometimes. He was one very lucky guy.

  He’d been listening in to her conversation, his ears pricking up when she said something about his shed. What on earth was that about? Why was his shed any of Theo’s business?

  Then Rory had started to whine. He was hungry. Rory was always hungry.

  “Shh, Rors,” he’d said, trying to hush him. “Mummy’s on the phone.”

  There was nothing like a child to kill your ability to eavesdrop.

  Tamarin had now moved to the sink to wash some dishes. He’d noticed this was her habit after speaking to Theo—to find the nearest bit of housework and launch herself into it. The flush had reached her chin now, threatening to overtake her whole body.

  He was so bloody sick of that arsehole. It seemed divorce wasn’t enough to sever him from their lives. Unless Theo got hit by a bus, they’d never be free of him. Maybe if Tamarin hadn’t had a child with him, he’d have disappeared for good by now instead of constantly showing up and upsetting her. Or worse, putting that secret smile on her face when she thought nobody was watching. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was still in love with him.

  He should’ve been a bus driver instead of an accountant.

  “Rory, come quick,” Samantha called from the next room. “James is getting a high score.”

  Rory raced from his side, happy to be included by his older siblings. Usually they got more pleasure from leaving him out. Samantha’s timing was unusually brilliant.

  “Is Rory okay?” asked Tamarin, seeming to remember a moment ago he’d been whining for something.

  “He’s fine. Dying of hunger, but I think he’ll pull through. What did Theo want?” Jeff tried to sound casual. The look on her face told him he’d failed. It annoyed her when he asked too many questions about Theo.

  “He wants us to take Amber back while Skye has her treatment,” she said, like this wasn’t exactly what she’d always wanted.

  “That’s fantastic. Isn’t it?” he asked, trying to work out why she wasn’t happy with this news. She’d been devastated when Amber moved out.

  “Of course, it is. You know that’s what I want.” She dried her hands on a tea towel and leant against the sink. “It’s just ... where are we going to put her?”

  “She can bunk with Samantha,” he suggested.
<
br />   “Sammy would love that.” Tamarin smiled. “Amber not so much.”

  “Don’t tell me he’s suggesting we put her in the shed?” he asked, putting together the snippets of conversation he’d overheard.

  “Yes.” Tamarin raked her hands through her thick hair.

  Jeff shook his head. “What the hell is he thinking?”

  She bit down on her lip like she did when she was unsure about something. “Actually, it’s not such a silly idea.”

  Jeff knew Theo could be persuasive. He persuaded people for a living, but this was ridiculous. He wasn’t going to let Amber sleep in the shed like she was a dog!

  “He wants to pay a builder to renovate the shed and turn it into a little apartment for her,” said Tamarin.

  “But where will I put all of Dad’s stuff?” he asked, horrified at the thought of moving it all. Their house had once belonged to his parents, who bought it when they were first married. When Jeff inherited it, a lot of his father’s belongings had ended up in the shed.

  “He’ll build you a new shed as part of the deal.” She folded her arms. He could sense a fight brewing if he didn’t get on board with this crazy idea.

  “And you like the sound of this?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  She’d lost her marbles. She’d gone completely and absolutely bonkers.

  “Think about it,” she urged. “We’ve been craving more space around here. This could be the answer. Amber can live here for a few years—or longer if she likes—and then later we can rent it out or maybe we could use it as an office and start a business or something. It’ll add heaps of value to our house and it won’t cost us a cent.”

  That sounded like a line from Theo, but he had to admit it did make a lot of sense when you looked at it that way. He’d always liked the idea of working from home one day and they were living on top of each other in this place. When their kids became teenagers, it was only going to get worse. He hated the idea of Tamarin asking him to move to a bigger house, as she no doubt would. Maybe this was one way to put that off.

  But ... sheds are sacred spaces. Every man knows that. And he was supposed to let his wife’s first husband mess with his? It would be like a woman asking her husband’s ex-wife to give her a leg wax.

  “How much control would we have over the plans?” he asked.

  “Full control,” she said confidently. “Theo will just be paying the bill. It’ll still be our shed. Your shed.”

  He sighed, already exhausted at the thought of having to contend with his father’s belongings. He’d been avoiding sorting them out for twenty years. He wasn’t sure he was ready to do it yet.

  “All right.” He nodded. “If it means that much to you.”

  “It does. You know it does.” She kissed him on the cheek.

  He turned his face and gave her a long kiss on the lips, feeling her respond.

  “Mummy. James isn’t sharing. It’s not faaaaair,” came Rory’s voice from the living room.

  Tamarin pulled away from him. He looked at her neck and noticed the flush she’d had earlier had disappeared, despite the passionate kiss he’d just given her.

  “I’ll sort the kids out,” he said.

  “Good luck.”

  She laughed.

  He didn’t.

  He’d much rather negotiate turns on a Playstation than stay there and think about the implications of Theo being able to raise his wife’s pulse rate far higher than he ever could.

  33 Days Before The Break

  Amber snorted when she read the latest comment to pop up in her group.

  You’re so lucky to have Skye as a stepmother. She’s amazing.

  What a joke! She was glad to be able to have this conversation with fingertips rather than her mouth. This way, she could at least consider her response before hitting the send button.

  She composed some replies in her mind.

  You can have her if you like ... Yeah, she’s amazing, just ask my dad ... Seen Cinderella lately?

  She could say none of this, of course. Being mean about someone with cancer was poor form. Those kinds of diagnoses came with a free pass from being talked badly about.

  Her friends were swarming around her. She was the most popular girl in the school. This wouldn’t be a problem if they liked her for who she was and not because of who her stepmother was.

  The girls at school recited lines out of Skye’s articles like they were quotes from the holy bible. Each time a new story was posted online, they’d flock to Amber to try to glean any additional information about their messiah.

  It was getting annoying.

  “Have you got a second, sweetheart?”

  It was her dad, standing at her bedroom door. His hands were on his hips, which meant he was nervous, puffing himself out like some kind of rooster.

  “What’s wrong?” She swung her chair around to face him.

  “I’ve been talking to your mother—"

  “You’re trying to get rid of me, aren’t you?”

  She’d overheard him talking to Skye about it. She wasn’t surprised. She knew it would happen eventually. He’d already walked out on her when she was a baby. She’d been almost waiting for him to do it again. She was just wondering when he was going to talk to her about it. It wasn’t like that decision affected HER ENTIRE LIFE or anything.

  “No, of course I’m not trying to get rid of you.” The unusual high pitch to his normally husky voice said the opposite to his words.

  “Then what?” She raised a brow and waited for him to continue.

  “Like I said, I was talking to your mother and we both think it’d be best for you if you moved back in with her for a while.” He coughed as if allergic to his own hurtful words. “Not permanently. Just for a little while until Skye’s feeling better.”

  “What about school?” she asked, not liking the idea of increasing her travel time each day.

  “Your mum will drive you.” He smiled even though Amber wasn’t sure this would even be possible. She’d seen how hectic mornings were in that house getting everyone organised.

  “What about my stuff? My bedroom?” She crossed her arms. “There’s no room at Mum’s.”

  “That’s the cool part...”

  She drew in a breath, knowing whatever he said next would be anything but cool.

  “I’m paying a builder to redevelop the shed in your mum’s backyard.” His face lit up with excitement. “We’re converting it to a new pad for you.”

  The shed? Definitely not cool. She wanted a bedroom, not a shedroom. The girls at school would have a field day with that one. Her popularity was about to take a dive so deep she might have to start wearing a snorkel to school.

  “And exactly how is that cool?” she asked.

  “Because you’ll have a little kitchen in it, a bathroom, a lounge area…" He grinned at her like that made this ridiculous idea sound any less insulting.

  “You mean, exactly like I have now, only smaller? And colder? And miles away from school?” She shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing.

  “Don’t be like that,” he soothed. “It’s only for a little while.”

  “Why can’t I just stay here?” She heard the whine in her voice and winced. “It’s not like Skye needs to look after me.”

  “She’s really sick, Amber.” The smile fell from her father’s face. “She needs to be left in peace to recover.”

  That seemed unfair. It wasn’t like she was exactly noisy. Amber couldn’t help but feel she was being conveniently moved away.

  Cancer or no cancer, at that moment she hated Skye. She hated her for taking away her father and she hated her for forcing her family into the public spotlight. Most of all she hated her for getting cancer. She was behind this shedroom idea, Amber was certain of it. Her father seemed genuinely frightened about her reaction to the idea. Skye would probably chop off his nuts if he didn’t get her to agree with it.

  “Okay,” she said, deciding someone had to
be the grownup here.

  “Really? It’s okay with you?” His eyes lit with relief.

  She forced a smile to her lips. “Yeah, whatever.”

  Maybe it’d be nice to live with people who actually gave a crap about her for a change. Her mother would never send her away. She’d been devastated when she’d asked to move in with her father, only agreeing to it because she could see it was in her best interest. Her mother always put her first. Her father used to as well, before Skye came along.

  “Thanks, Amber,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “It’s only for a little while. I promise. As soon as Skye’s better we’ll move you straight back in.”

  She turned back to her computer.

  Cancer really sucked.

  But right now, her father sucked even more.

  Theo threw some pillows off the bed to make room for himself. Those bloody things drove him crazy. There was absolutely no point to them. He only needed one to put his head on at night.

  “It’s done,” he said.

  “You told her?” Skye smiled with full teeth. He’d seen clients less excited to hear they’d escaped a prison sentence.

  He nodded as he lay down on the bed next to her.

  “Oh, babe. Thank you.” She blinked at him. “You take such good care of me.”

  Fuck, she was beautiful. Even sick like this, she was still gorgeous. That hair, those big blue eyes, those tits. Man, she was amazing.

  “You know I’m not one hundred percent happy about this,” he said, wanting to maximise the credit he got for making this decision.

  “I know you’re not happy. Which makes me love you even more.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. Her lips were warm, and he caught the scent of her perfume. It was the one he’d brought her back from Singapore last year. “Thank you.”

  “Stop thanking me,” he said, pulling back. “It’s what you need. Isn’t it?”

  “Of course, it is.” She shuffled over once more. “This gives me the best chance of recovery.”

  He let out a long breath. He’d done the right thing. Why then did it feel so wrong?

  Amber had let him off lightly, he knew that. He’d make it up to her, though. Maybe he could take her with him to Paris next year when Skye was better. He loved Paris and Skye never wanted to go with him. Anywhere but Paris, she’d say, which was strange for someone who loved fashion so much. Amber would enjoy it. He could buy her some new clothes, they could go out to breakfast and he could take her to the Louvre.