by Carrie Stone
She knew it had been the very last time she would visit those offices. The very last time she would be asked to take a business trip that she didn’t want; and the very last time she would need to decide her future with Maurice.
Although Maurice wasn’t aware of it yet, Felicity had just made her decision to leave her job and career with Maurice forever. It was time to start afresh.
Glenda took the sizzling roast beef pan from the oven and set it on the small worktop.
“Smells delicious” Bill said, coming up behind her and putting his hand on her waist.
Glenda shrugged him off. “Not here, Bill. Fee might see you” she snapped cautiously, closing the oven door.
At that very moment Felicity walked into her mother’s tiny kitchen and smiled. “Don’t stop on my account.” She winked at Bill.
Bill chuckled and picked at a hot potato from the roasting pan, managing successfully to dart out of the way as Glenda took a playful swipe at him with the oven glove.
“Get out of here, it isn’t ready yet. I need to boil the veg.”
Rolling his eyes, he picked up his reading glasses from the dining table and retreated towards the living room as Felicity watched in amusement. It was strange seeing her mother so playful and carefree. It suited her.
“Tell me more about this new PR business idea then?” Glenda said, picking up a handful of broccoli florets and lowering them into boiling water.
Felicity took a seat at the round dining table and bit the inside cheek of her mouth like she always did when in deep consideration.
“To be honest I’m not sure about it now. I think it’s something I shouldn’t rush into. Besides, I was working out my finances last night and as long as I’m careful, I can afford to be another year without work.”
Glenda sprinkled a little salt into the boiling water and turned to face her daughter, her expression serious. “You might not agree with me here, but I know you inside out, Felicity; and even though you’ve changed a lot since going to Australia, sitting around for a year and doing nothing isn’t going to make you happy.”
Felicity nodded, silently agreeing. Her mother was right. She couldn’t bear the thought of how she’d spend the next couple of weeks, let alone months. Yet fear and pride was stopping her from taking the next step. She didn’t want to rush into setting up a new business based on blind courage and have it spectacularly fail after a short time. Despite working in Public Relations in the years prior to working with Maurice, she’d forgotten a lot about the business side. However, she had so many ideas buzzing around in her head, not to mention influential contacts - that she couldn’t help but feel a little excited at the prospect.
That aside, she knew it was healthy to find something new to occupy her mind; Owen still hadn’t been in touch and the hope of him doing so was fast fading. She couldn’t go on spending every spare moment day-dreaming about a man who didn’t appear to want her.
“I think I’ll spend this week drawing up a business plan. Start to get some ideas together and perhaps call upon a few contacts and put the feelers out.”
Glenda smiled encouragingly. “That’s the right attitude, love. Get cracking with it. I have complete faith in you making a success of it. You’re too intelligent and strong-willed for things not to work. Look how you helped to build Maurice’s business up for him. Well, now it’s your turn to do it for yourself.”
Bill walked back into the kitchen and took a seat at the dining table. “What are you two ladies gossiping about?” he joked, taking off his reading glasses.
Felicity admired his smart appearance. He was a man who kept himself well for his age; she sensed he was somebody who would show her mother a good life in time to come. From the way he spoke, he was used to nice things and from the conversation they’d had earlier, he was well travelled and cultured and intended to spoil Glenda with positive experiences.
“We were talking about Fee’s new PR idea. I was telling her she should get a move on with it.” Glenda piped up, slicing the meat and putting it onto plates.
Bill nodded. “No time like the present - and you’re obviously a woman who makes things happen, so why not?”
“Part of me is wondering if I should base myself locally though. I’m not sure I can bear the thought of having an office in central London. I don’t want to get drawn into the rat race again. If I do this, I want to aim it more globally and on my terms.”
Glenda brought the plates to the table and Felicity got up to collect the dish of vegetables and potatoes.
“I don’t see that being a problem.” Bill said, taking his plate from Glenda.
“Me either, love. You don’t have to be in central London to have a successful business.”
Felicity carried the dishes to the table and set them down. “I suppose so.”
“Oh that reminds me, Glen” Bill said, helping himself to a serving of vegetables. “I was speaking with an old colleague I bumped into and he used to live in Cambridge. He was saying how he thinks the new office will do great there.” He reached across and dug his fork into two potatoes. “And you’ll never guess where his wife worked. She was the administrator of the pottery school you’ve signed up for. How’s that for fate.”
Felicity looked at her mother’s paling face and Bill’s horror at realizing he’d said something that he clearly shouldn’t have. Had she just missed something? Why was Bill referring to Cambridge and pottery school?
“You’ve signed up for pottery school?” she asked, looking at her mother suspiciously. Why hadn’t she mentioned it?
Glenda put down her knife and fork and shot daggers at Bill before turning to her daughter. This hadn’t been the way she’d planned for Felicity to find out about the move. Her heart sank at her daughter’s confused face.
“Yes, love.” She lowered her eyes, fiddling with the napkin on her lap. It was a lot more difficult than she’d thought it was going to be. Especially with both Bill and Felicity staring at her expectantly. “To be honest, the only reason I haven’t told you yet is because I’ve been waiting for the right moment. I realise now, that that’s been a mistake.”
Bill raised his eyebrows and discreetly made a motion with his hand for her to continue speaking.
Felicity shook her head in confusion; she really didn’t have a clue what her mother was trying to tell her. Why was she keeping her enrolment from pottery school a secret?
“I don’t understand…?” she began, ignoring her mother’s desperate glances at Bill.
Glenda cut in before her daughter had a chance to complicate things further.
With an encouraging nudge under the table from Bill’s foot, she took a breath and blurted out their plans for the move, ignoring the shock forming on Fee’s face.
“Well, thank you very much for telling me sooner.” Felicity said sharply after Glenda had finished speaking. She caught the glance between Glenda and Bill and got up from the table in anger feeling like she’d been betrayed.
For weeks they’d been harbouring their plans and not once thought to tell her? It stung that her mother could be so deceiving. Had those feelings of a stronger mother-daughter bond between them been imagined? Surely if she truly cared for her she wouldn’t have kept it a secret?
“I’m going home” she said, picking up her purse and car keys from the kitchen counter. “I’m sure you can appreciate that I’m a little upset at the situation. I don’t think this is the right moment to sit over a roast dinner and play happy families.”
Glenda got up and tried to reach out for her daughter. “Fee, wait love. I’m so sorry.”
Felicity saw the tears in her mother’s eyes and knew she truly meant it. But she couldn’t bring herself to accept what she’d just been told. She was livid with anger.
Glenda grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. “Please, love, just let me explain my reasons.”
Felicity shook her head sadly. “Another time maybe.”
She slammed the door behind her and walked out of
the block of flats towards her car with a heavy heart. If her mother was moving to Cambridge – where did that leave her?
Chapter Twenty Three
Felicity studied the pile of clothes at the foot of her bed and sighed. She’d spent the morning in a quandary after her brief conversation with Zara. Although sorting through her wardrobe had seemed like a good distraction at the time, she regretted the mammoth task she was only halfway through completing.
If it hadn’t been for Zara’s continuous praise of Steve that she’d been forced to listen to throughout the phone call, then perhaps she wouldn’t have found herself feeling so bitter and resentful. However, given the circumstances, she couldn’t shake off her initial idea of confronting Steve with regard to his misdemeanours. It was her mother’s insistence that had stopped her from following through that idea in the first place, claiming that meddling in the relationship would only cause further issues. Yet now she wasn’t on speaking terms with Glenda, she didn’t have her to answer to.
Besides, hadn’t her mother already proved that avoiding truth and keeping things under wraps would only lead to an unhappy outcome? She couldn’t allow her friend to be made a fool of; otherwise, what did that make her? By confronting Steve without Zara knowing she hoped he’d come to his senses and start to value his family and relationship a little more. She couldn’t avoid the matter any longer. It was eating away at her.
Scooting down slightly in her seat, Felicity waited for Steve to reach the end of his road before she pulled her car out behind his. Knowing that he wasn’t the brightest spark in the box, she didn’t feel the need to be too covert about trailing him - but nonetheless she maintained a distance to be on the safe side. Up ahead he turned right onto the high road and she indicated, following suit. She’d replayed the conversation in her head one hundred times over but her stomach still lurched at the thought of facing him. What would happen if he refused to stop his affair and threatened to leave Zara? There was a niggling voice of doubt repeatedly whispering in her mind that she needed to tread carefully. The only person who could end up hurt in this situation would be Zara. But what choice did she have? Wouldn’t Zara end up hurt anyway once she discovered both Glenda and Felicity had known about Steve and failed to tell her?
It took thirty-five minutes of tense and confusing thoughts as Felicity followed him into West London at a slow speed. As they’d grown closer to his destination, she’d begun to have doubts about the whole scenario. As far as she could see, he was headed toward where he should be. Could she have made a mistake? Maybe her mother had been right. Was she looking for trouble when it wasn’t her place?
Steve’s van came to a stop at the end of a long cul-de-sac road, in front of a large building with the name ‘AIMS’ emblazoned above its red brick exterior. She pulled her car into a nearby space and switched off the engine. It was a very odd road to be carrying out a large scale building work project. Most of the neighbouring properties appeared to be either residential or guest houses. She felt herself getting hot and flushed as her trepidation grew and she had a strong urge to turn around and go home – and forget the whole idea.
What on earth was she doing? She started up the engine as she scolded herself for taking leave of her senses. She was playing with fire. Putting the car into first gear, she pulled out of her parking space, at the same moment as Steve got out of his van.
Felicity stamped on the brake in surprise. Gone were the cement stained overalls and fluorescent jacket that he’d been wearing when he’d left the house earlier. In their place he wore a smart pair of trousers and a striped shirt. Her heart sank. It was just as she’d feared. She’d had every right to be suspicious.
She watched as he fiddled with his mobile before slipping it into his pocket and made his made slowly toward the entrance of the AIMS building. Quickly reversing the car back into the spot she’d been about to vacate, she took a fleeting second to weigh up her options. Steve was undoubtedly on his way to meet the blonde woman, probably with the intention of taking her for a plush breakfast, not to mention more. If she was going to confront him, this had to be her moment.
Before she could hesitate further, she found herself out of the car and striding towards an unknowing Steve like a woman possessed. It was now or never and with every step her confidence and anger was growing. How dare he humiliate her best friend and sneak off to a place as unsuspecting and ridiculous as this to carry out his affair. She thought of Zara, eight months pregnant and sat at home, unable to walk comfortably and trying to look after Daisy on her own, whilst he plodded ahead of her in his best clothing, thinking of only one thing.
“Going somewhere are you?” Felicity said with an icy tone as she caught up directly behind him.
At the sound of her voice, Steve span around in surprise and Felicity noticed his face flash with both confusion and fear as he registered her standing in front of him.
He looked at her in bewilderment and she noticed the colour draining from his cheeks. “Fee? What are you doing here?”
In all of the years that she had known him, she had never felt quite as much repulsion and dislike as she was suddenly feeling for the pathetic excuse of a man standing before her.
“That’s the very question I am asking of you, Steve” she said, voice trembling, unable to control her anger.
Steve looked visibly shaken as he tried to reach out carefully and take her arm to lead her from the pathway. “Not here, Fee. I can explain. But did you follow me?”
Felicity shook off his grip and looked at him furiously. “Explain? You honestly think you can explain yourself out of this one?” She felt bile rising in her throat. Was he really expecting her to believe his lies? Surely he didn’t think she was another Zara? “And yes, of course I followed you. Somebody had to, I couldn’t go on letting Zara be taking advantage of.”
She was suddenly caught off-guard as Steve quickly reached out, his grip once again locking on her arm and, despite her resistance, managed to pull her a few steps toward a quiet corner of the car park.
“Ouch, get off of me.”
“Quieten down, Fee, I’m not hurting you. I’m just asking you to listen.” Steve took his hand away from Felicity’s arm and she looked at him expectantly. He looked tired and defeated. Quite obviously her appearance wasn’t something he’d been anticipating.
“Well? Who is she?” Felicity folded her arms across her chest and wondered what Zara had ever seen in him. Even in his smarter clothes, he still fell short of being described as remotely handsome. His choppy mousy haircut and slightly buck teeth, weren’t as appealing in a ‘goofy’ way as they perhaps had been in his younger years. With his heavily ringed eyes and receding hairline, he looked every inch his age and more. How he’d even managed to interest someone other than Zara, was beyond Felicity.
“Who is who?” Steve looked at Felicity with a mystified expression. “There is no woman? I don’t know what you’re referring to?”
“The blonde woman that I saw you with.” Felicity said in a challenging tone. “The one that you’re here to meet.”
Steve looked shocked and for a moment Felicity wondered if she’d made a mistake. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought his expression was genuine. He shook his head and gave a small chuckle, rubbing his face in disbelief.
“Oh, God, Fee, how could you get it so wrong?” he laughed again, feeling into his pocket and pulling out something.
Felicity went to say something and then stopped herself, hesitating. She had noticed the small white badge in Steve’s hand and she looked at it curiously.
“I work here. This is my badge.” Steve pointed to the AIMS sign and held out the plastic coated name tag in Felicity’s direction. “I started three weeks ago. I’m still a trainee at the moment.”
Felicity studied the photo of a harassed looking Steve and noted the telesales job title underneath it.
“Telesales? But I don’t understand - you’re a builder – why are you working here? Does Zara�
�”
Steve cut in before she could continue and lowered his eyes in embarrassment. “No, Zara doesn’t know.” He took a deep breath and puffed it out in an agonizing manner.
Felicity bit her lip. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting at all.
“I had no choice. The building game is finished. I haven’t had work in months.” Steve flushed and Felicity could sense his awkwardness at having to be open with her. “I tried everything, Fee. I really did.”
“But why haven’t you told Zara?” She couldn’t help but use a condescending tone.
Steve looked at her sharply and narrowed his eyes in incredulity. “She’s my life, Fee. Her and the kids. Do you know how hard it’s been - not being able to bring a penny into the household and watching my family life crumble around me?”
He rubbed his face again in exasperation. “I couldn’t let her down. Especially with the baby on the way. How could I let on to her that I didn’t have any work? I couldn’t do it to her. For three months I left the house every day in my work clothes, pretending. I used to sit in the car sometimes for the whole day.” His voice rose an octave and he cleared his throat, avoiding her eyes. “I couldn’t bear to let her know that her husband was really a failure.”
Felicity softened, forgetting all her previous judgments and instinctively reached out to him. “She would have understood. You know how she is, Zara would have supported you. Lots of men fall out of work.”
“I know that. But I wouldn’t put that burden on her. She doesn’t deserve it. She deserves someone to take care of her. Not the other way around.”
Felicity silently agreed. “Who was the woman though? I saw you with her on Thursday. Is she Catherine?”
Steve looked at Felicity in surprise. “How do you know about Catherine? She’s my boss. She’s David Radley’s wife. You know David I think?”
It was Felicity’s turn to be shocked. “That was David’s wife?” She thought of the blonde woman and tried to remember the last time she’d briefly seen David’s wife. It was true. Both women had the same style hair and appearance. How had she failed to notice it sooner?
