Doing the Right Thing

by Barbara Elsborg

  Will moved toward Addie as though he was going to kiss her and she froze.

  “I didn’t get the chance to tell you everything,” he said. “It’s over between Vee and me, but she doesn’t have anyone else to help her. The divorce didn’t go through so technically I’m still married. I’m sorry, Addie.”

  His wife? Addie felt as though she’d been punched in the stomach, but she stood up straight, raised her head and looked right at him. “Bye, Will.”

  The moment the door closed, she went to stand in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom. What had she been thinking? Addie wanted to look sexy and she looked like a tart. He was married and she was a tart. Addie took off the shoes, dragged off the dress, screwed it into a ball and threw it down.

  Will rushed back to Alwoodley, repeatedly calling Vee on his mobile. She didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure whether to ring the emergency services, hesitation borne of the possibility that Vee was fine and doing this to test him. A tiny part of him hoped he’d be too late and even as he thought that, he was disgusted with himself and pressed his foot harder on the accelerator.

  By the time he pulled onto the drive, Will was wet through with sweat. He ran into the house, calling her name, and found her throwing up in the bathroom. She looked terrible, her skin waxen, her hair lank and stringy over her face.

  “What have you taken?”

  “It doesn’t matter. It’s gone now.” Vee heaved again, leaving a thin trail of vomit hanging from her mouth.

  Will was both furious with her and sorry for her. He dropped down and rubbed her back. How had it all come to this? They’d met at a party and Will hadn’t been able to believe a gorgeous French woman wanted to spend the evening talking to him. They seemed to have so much in common, and by the time Will found out she changed her interests like a child playing with toys, it didn’t matter because he was hooked. Vee’s all-encompassing need for him flattered when it should have alarmed. But the first few years were good ones. Will thought she’d been faithful then.

  “Vee, you need to go to hospital.”

  “I don’t want to. You can look after me.” She flushed the toilet.

  Will recoiled. “You should see a doctor. You might need your stomach pumped.” He bit back the word “again”.

  “I think I’ve managed that on my own.”

  She pulled herself up and bent over the wash basin, splashing cold water on her face. Will held out a towel.

  “You don’t care about me,” Vee said, her voice flat.

  Will gritted his teeth. Everything he’d ever done was because he cared about her. Even the divorce. He only wanted her to be happy. “You know that’s not true. I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “But you don’t love me anymore.” She burst into tears. “Nobody loves me.”

  It was like listening to a defective CD.

  “Vee, that’s not true.”

  “My parents don’t care about me and neither do you.”

  “Of course I care about you.” Though he wasn’t sure her parents did, which made his contribution to Vee’s well-being even more important.

  “Don’t leave me,” she wailed.

  “No, I won’t leave you.”

  She moved toward him and Will put his arms around her, letting her sob into his chest. He wondered if Addie was crying too. He should have explained, said more than that crap about the divorce not going though. Whilst the mess he was in was mostly Vee’s making, it was not all her fault. He’d let things slide into this and now he had to sort it out.

  Once he got Vee into the shower, Will went downstairs. Since she’d asked for something to eat, he guessed she felt better. He ordered a Chinese takeaway. Then he went into the garage so she wouldn’t hear and rang the Marriott. There was no reply from Addie’s room. They said she hadn’t checked out, but that didn’t mean she was still there. How had she got home? God, he hadn’t thought.

  Should he have handled this differently? He didn’t want Addie to think he had this albatross of a wife hanging round his neck, even if it was true. He should have left Addie alone. In a few weeks, he’d be going back to London and she’d be up here. She deserved better than that. He thought about her face when she’d stood in front of him in that tight red dress and those shoes. She’d wanted to look sexy and she did. And he’d left her.

  Will groaned.

  Will watched Vee eat, but he didn’t touch the food he’d ordered for himself.

  “Try some of my duck,” she said.

  He couldn’t bring himself to talk to her because he was seething with fury. She was behaving as though nothing was the matter. An attempted suicide and now she tucked into a Chinese takeaway? Vee stuck a fork into his noodles and speared one of the few king prawns. Will bristled.

  “You remember the Chinese meal we had in La Rochelle, when you were certain we were eating cat?” Vee smiled.

  When Will didn’t say anything, Vee started to sniff.

  “I’m sorry if I ruined your evening. Were you with someone? I’m sorry, Will. I was frightened. I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “You were supposed to be moving out.”

  She put down her fork and began to cry. “I know you don’t want me here, but I think what we have is worth fighting for.”

  He knew then that this was a setup. Inconvenience aside, he’d change the number of his mobile.

  “Did you really take a load of tablets?”

  Vee stiffened. “You think I’m lying?”

  Yeah, he did, but he was sure she wouldn’t admit it. She knew what she was doing, exactly how to play him. Will reckoned she’d taken enough to make herself sick, but not enough to do any real damage except to him.

  “I changed my mind,” she said. “I didn’t want to die.”

  Will looked at her as she picked her way through his noodles. Tears over, appetite back. She was beautiful, but the fun and adventure he’d once felt from being with her had disappeared. Life with Vee was dull, and if it was exciting, it was for the wrong reason, like tonight.

  “What went wrong, Will?” She looked up at him with her huge eyes and he felt nothing but sadness.

  “You cheated on me.”

  “Jake was a mistake,” Vee said in a little voice.

  “How do you figure that out? A mistake because I walked in on you? A mistake because he was no good in bed? A mistake because he was only interested in a quick fuck and you wanted more?”

  “You didn’t believe me about Ed and it made me want to hurt you. Only it was a mistake because I realized how much I loved you.”

  Will pushed his plate away. “I don’t want you anymore, Vee. You shouldn’t have told the notaire we’d changed our minds. I haven’t.”

  She stopped eating. “Please let’s try again.” Her lip quivered.

  “Vee, it’s too late. I haven’t the energy to rekindle a fire that hasn’t just gone out, but been obliterated by a deluge of water.”

  “So, there is someone else.”

  It didn’t escape his attention that the pathetic note in her voice had vanished.

  “Yes.” Will hoped that was true.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Addie walked into Magelan’s on Monday morning with a smile in place, but as she passed Julie, the courage she’d conjured up while making her way through the carpark evaporated from the tips of her fingers. She detoured via the visitor’s toilets to throw up. When she came out of the cubicle, Daisy stood by the wash basins.

  “I hope you’re not pregnant,” she said.

  “Nervous stomach.”

  “What are you nervous about? Being pregnant?”

  “Very funny, Daisy.”

  Addie had thought about getting Lisa to ring and say she was ill, but if she didn’t face Will that day, then she’d have to face him the next.

  “Addie, sorry about that press release. I know I should have said it was me.”

  “Yeah, you should, Daisy. I got into a lot of trouble.”

  “I wouldn’t have let
them sack you. I was going to tell Ed it was me when we went out on our date, but the moment was never right.”

  “Did you have a good time?”

  Daisy blushed. “Really good. He’s a great dancer and he’s so funny, but he’s not interested in a relationship. He just wanted company. Anyway, he’ll be gone in a few weeks.”

  Me too, Addie thought.

  When she reached her desk, it was piled with files and correspondence. Plenty to keep her busy.

  “Morning, Addie,” Joe called across the partition.

  “Morning, Joe. Anything exciting happen in my absence? Pay rise of astronomic proportions, world hunger solved, Genghis left us to strike terror into the heart of the government?”

  He laughed. “The big guns have already introduced changes. The sales team are off on a corporate kissing session next week. I expect that includes you.”

  Since Addie wasn’t going to be working for Magelan’s after Christmas, she doubted it.

  Will and Ed had been busy. The corporate hospitality side of Booth’s was being given to London. The accompanied coach journeys were to end because it wasn’t cost-effective to have essential staff members away from the office eating fish and chips and flying kites. Well, it hadn’t quite said that. The invoicing to London. The foreign paperwork to London. Addie wondered what would be left.

  She was on the list to attend the course in Shropshire, along with Genghis, Graham, Charlotte and Beth. A coach would collect them from the office on Sunday afternoon. They’d stay at the Richmond Manor Hotel with its award-winning wellness spa, championship golf course and indoor and outdoor heated pools. Back to Leeds on Wednesday morning. They were promised a life-changing experience to transform them into highly energized sales facilitators who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Well, Addie was saying no. She wasn’t going.

  Fifteen new messages in her inbox, several from Will that Addie had clicked on with a nervous finger. None were personal.

  “No more wagging off out of the office for you, then?” Graham called.

  “Does that mean you’ll actually be here every day until 5:30, Graham?”

  He glared at her. If Addie had been intending to stay on, losing the coach trips would have been disappointing, but she only had the Lincoln visit booked before Christmas.

  Charlotte perched her pert bottom on the edge of Addie’s desk. “I need your money for the Christmas party.”

  “Not sure I can go anymore.”

  “You still have to pay. We got the special deal because of the numbers that said they’d go, so it’s not fair if you drop out.”

  Addie thought how nice if Charlotte had said, “You must come, Addie, it wouldn’t be the same without you.” Although thinking about it, if she had, Addie would have dropped dead from shock. She wrote out a cheque.

  “I managed to get Will and Ed to come,” Charlotte said, whisking the slip away.

  That settled it, Addie wouldn’t be going.

  As soon as Addie saw Will, she felt as though he’d thrown out a line and she’d swallowed the hook. She turned away, but her eyes always wandered back in his direction. She watched him walking, talking, working. But whenever he came to her end of the office, Addie fled to the Ladies’.

  “Again?” Graham asked.

  “Bladder infection,” Addie whispered.

  When the coast was clear, she slunk back to her desk and the phone rang. Some sixth sense told her it was Will.

  “When everyone goes to lunch, come to my office, please. We need to talk.”

  Addie put down the receiver without speaking. Everyone knew what “We need to talk” meant. It was never “we need to talk about where we’re going on holiday” or “we need to talk about moving in together”. He wanted to tell her it was over. Of course it was. What was there to talk about? Addie wished she had enough money to book a cheap flight, walk out and not look back. She wished she was brave and adventurous, but she was a coward.

  When she stepped into Will’s office, all she saw in his face was guilt. There was no kindness, no desire, just regret.

  “Close the door, Addie.”

  Even his voice sounded sad. She pushed the door shut and turned round.

  “I owe you an apology,” Will said. He came from behind the desk and stepped toward her.

  “No, it’s fine.” Yes, you bloody well do, Addie’s heart screamed.

  “I signed the divorce papers months ago. I thought that was the end of it.”

  Addie stood motionless. Did he think that made a difference? He ran when Vee whistled.

  “It appears…technically…we’re still married. I’ve told her it’s over, but she’s having difficulty letting go. Vee relies on me too much. She doesn’t get on with her parents and I don’t want—”

  “It’s all right.” Addie couldn’t listen to this. Nothing about her, all him and Vee. She was expecting him to go on to say he hoped Addie would one day find the right guy, get married and have beautiful babies, two dogs and a goldfish. “We both got carried away. Forget it.” She forced herself to smile.

  “Really?” Will asked.

  She saw the confusion on his face and was glad.

  “Yes,” Addie lied. The bastard, how can he believe me? “I know it’s awkward. I’ll do my best to keep out of your way before…” Her voice began to crack and she launched into a coughing fit to disguise the sound. “Before I start my new job.”

  “You’ve got another job?”

  “Yes. I’m going to New Zealand to crew on a yacht. I’d planned to go in February, but I thought I’d have a look round Australia first. Graham’s made it sound so appealing.” Not. Flies, flies and more flies from what she could make out, not to mention the snakes and the spiders. “Is there anything else because I’m busy?” She scuttled out of his office before he could answer and collided with Ed.

  “Sorry,” she muttered and kept her head down so he couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. Another trip to the Ladies’.

  Ed watched Addie’s back and wondered what Will had done now. Nothing good. Ed had spent the weekend in London because the idea of spending time in Vee’s company appealed about as much as chewing maggots. He’d hoped by the time he arrived back, Vee would have gone, but instead he’d found her curled on the couch with her feet on his coffee table, eating his salt and vinegar crisps, glued to some godawful reality TV program with z-list celebrities. Will had been mating with his laptop in the dining room. Ed went straight to bed. All was not rosy in the Garden of Leeds, but he wondered if it was worth introducing a snake of his own.

  He popped his head into Will’s office. “Want to come to the pub?”

  “No. How did you get on this morning at Enerchex?”

  Ed went in and closed the door. “Fine. It’s all straightforward, unlike your personal life. Vee doesn’t appear to have evaporated over the weekend. Is it too much to hope she’ll have gone by the time I get back tonight?”

  Will sighed and looked up from his computer. “I was going to get rid of her. I intended to get rid of her, but on Saturday night, while I was with Addie, Vee took a load of pills.”

  Ed sat down. “Christ, not again.”

  “She threw them up.”

  Ed saw the dark circles under Will’s eyes.

  “Fuck it, Will, lose her. She’s destroying you.”

  “How can I now? You know what she’s like.”

  “Yeah, I do. That’s why you need to send her back to London.”

  Will pushed his fingers through his hair. “She won’t give up this temporary job. The best I’m going to manage is finding her somewhere else to live.”

  “Then do that. How are you going to see Addie if Vee’s hanging around?”

  “I won’t…be seeing Addie.” Will’s voice was flat.

  “Why?”

  “Ed, leave it. I fucked up. It’s over. It hardly started.”

  Ed didn’t agree with him. Addie was exactly what Will needed, only there was something that didn’t sit right about that.r />
  “I like Addie,” Ed said. “She’s funny. She’s a great cook.”

  “Shut up, Ed.”

  “Don’t you think her eyes are incredible?” Ed saw his brother’s nostrils flare. “If you’re not interested, I am. I take it you’ve no problem with that?”

  Will slammed his drawer shut with such force his phone bounced off the desk. Ed smiled as he walked out. He went straight to Addie and pulled over a chair. Everyone had gone for lunch.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “Busy.”

  She attacked her keyboard like a rabid chicken. Ed had a feeling she was hitting random keys.

  “Busy tonight?”

  “Yes. Lap dancing.”

  “Can I come?”

  “No.”

  “How about tomorrow night?”

  “Pole dancing.”

  “Wednesday?” Ed tried.

  “Finn dancing.”

  “You know I could get the wrong idea here. I like you. Don’t you like me?”

  Addie typed faster. “Did you like Daisy? And Charlotte? What about Beth? Have you asked her out yet? Are you working your way through the whole office? Am I last on the list? Do you think I’ll be hurt if you don’t include me?”

  To Ed’s horror, he saw tears falling down Addie’s cheeks. She brushed them away with the back of her hand.

  “Sorry,” she muttered, “but you look like a velociraptor, rather like your brother.” She gulped and fled.

  Ed sighed. This was going to take some thought.

  Chapter Twenty

  When Addie got to work the next morning, she found Ed at her desk.

  “Good morning. Say hello to your shadow,” he said and rolled a chair in her direction.

  Addie sat down, but as she reached for her phone, he hooked her chair with his foot and pulled her round to face him. “Hey, be nice, we’re going to be spending time together.”

  “I’m leaving at Christmas,” Addie said.

  “I’m not sitting with you that long.”

  She refused to smile.

  “Not that I wouldn’t want to,” he added. “Anyway, didn’t Will rip up your resignation?”