Should Have Known Better

by A J McDine

  She added a smiley face and pressed send before she could change her mind.

  Max whined softly in his basket. Kate scratched his ear.

  'I refuse to sit and stare at my phone like a lovesick kid waiting for Adam to text back,' she told the dog, as he gazed adoringly into her eyes. 'Come on, Maxie, let's go for a walk, shall we?'

  Max leapt out of his bed and circled round her in a frenzy of excitement. Shrugging on her coat, Kate found his lead and pulled on her wellies. She followed Max across the back garden and through the broken fence into the woods.

  After endless wet and windy days, the sun had finally made an appearance in a cloudless sky so blue it reminded Kate of the sapphire in her mother’s engagement ring.

  She felt her spirits lift as Max bounded through the trees, his tail tracing circles in the air as he sniffed out rabbity smells. Old Man's Beard festooned bramble bushes, and underneath a twisted yew tree, a clump of snowdrops had pushed their way through the decaying leaves.

  Kate reached into the back pocket of her jeans for her phone to take a picture of the delicate white, bell-like flowers, but realised she must have left it on the kitchen table. Would Adam have texted her by the time she returned, she wondered. Did he even want to meet her again? She thought the evening had gone well, but it was hard to know for sure. He hadn't suggested a second date, nor had he tried to kiss her. Not even a chivalrous peck on the cheek. And Rory was right. She'd been disappointed he hadn't.

  Perhaps he liked her as a friend, nothing more. But that was fine by her. Sex only complicated things anyway. And she had other more important things on her mind. Like Ben, for instance. Ben, who had latched onto Chloe like a leech, who had got her drunk so he could…

  Kate threw a stick for Max, who tore after it like an ungainly gazelle.

  If Adam did get in touch, should she mention her concerns about Ben? And if so, what the hell would she say? Your son’s infatuated with my daughter. Please tell him to back off.

  At first, she'd dismissed Ben as harmless. A teenage boy with an innocent crush. But what really happened the night of the party? Chloe swore Ben hadn’t assaulted her. Was she telling the truth, or protecting him? And the texts had left Kate feeling increasingly uneasy. At what point did a crush become an obsession?

  Chloe said she liked Ben as a friend, nothing more. The irony wasn’t lost on Kate. Maybe that’s how Adam felt about her. Max dropped his stick at her feet and woofed excitedly. She hurled it through the trees, her shoulder muscles screaming in protest. The stick landed in the middle of a rhododendron bush. Max dived in after it until only his tail was visible.

  ‘Max!’ she called, worried his collar would catch on one of the branches. He gave a muffled woof and wiggled out of the bush backwards. ‘Come here, you silly dog.’

  He scampered over and dropped something on the ground by her feet. Not a stick, but a boot. A high-heeled, black leather boot with a silver buckle on the side. A boot they hadn’t seen since the night of the party.

  Chloe’s missing boot.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  CHLOE

  ‘Chloe, have you got a minute?’ her mum called, as Chloe sat at her desk, summoning the energy to open her history textbook.

  Sighing loudly, she pushed her chair back and slouched into her mum’s room.

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘I don’t know what to wear tonight. What d’you think, my velvet dress or this?’ Her hands fluttered over the black jeans and embroidered jersey smock top she was wearing.

  ‘Definitely the dress,’ Chloe said.

  ‘You don’t think it’s too dressy for the pub? That it’ll make it look like I’m trying too hard?’

  Isn’t that precisely what you’re doing? Chloe stopped herself from saying out loud just in time. Instead, she smiled, shifted a pile of discarded clothes out of the way and sat on the bed. ‘Not at all. Anyway, men like women to make an effort, don’t they?’

  ‘Christ, whatever happened to feminism?’ muttered her mum, reaching into her wardrobe for her damson-red velvet dress. ‘I suppose I could wear it over my jeans.’

  ‘That’d look ridiculous. Wear it with your long black boots and a nice necklace.’ Chloe remembered her mum’s words the morning of the open day at Kingsgate, and she arched an eyebrow. ‘It’s pretty. It suits you. And you want to make a good impression, don't you?’

  If her mum spotted the dig, she didn’t say anything. ‘I guess.’ She stripped down to her underwear and pulled the stretchy velvet dress over her head. She was fiddling with the clasp of a necklace when the doorbell chimed, and Max let off a volley of barking. She froze in horror.

  ‘Shit! He’s early. I haven’t even done my make-up or hair yet. Will you let him in?’

  ‘Can’t Grandpa?’ Chloe grumbled.

  ‘He had a migraine, so I sent him to bed. Please Chlo, Adam can’t see me like this.’

  Chloe stared at her mum, who looked totally normal, and huffed. ‘All right then. But don’t be long. I have a heap of revision to do.’

  Her mum shot her a grateful look. Chloe clattered downstairs, grabbed hold of Max’s collar and opened the door. Adam was standing on the doorstep with a bunch of pale pink roses. His face broke into a smile.

  ‘Hello, Chloe, how’s it going?’

  ‘Good thanks. Come in. Mum won’t be long.’

  Adam stepped past her into the house, ruffling Max’s head and handing her the roses. Chloe breathed in their heady scent.

  ‘These are gorgeous. I’ll put them in some water.’ She remembered her manners as she headed for the kitchen. ‘Would you like a drink while you wait?’

  ‘Depends how long your mum’s going to be.’

  ‘At least ten minutes, I should think.’

  ‘In that case, I’ll have a coffee.’ Adam pulled up a chair.

  ‘How’s Ben?’ Chloe asked, watching Adam’s face carefully as she arranged the roses in a vase.

  ‘Ben’s Ben, you know what he’s like. Did he tell you he’s had an unconditional offer from Kingsgate?’

  ‘No. Ouch!’ Chloe said as a razor-sharp thorn embedded itself in the pad of her thumb.

  Adam jumped up. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine. It’s just a thorn.’

  ‘Let me see.’ He held her thumb up to the strip light and squeezed it gently. A bead of blood appeared, and he wiped it away with a handkerchief. ‘I can’t see anything in there, but you’d better hold it under the tap to make sure.’ She followed him over to the sink and winced as the icy water ran over her hand and trickled down her wrist.

  ‘Lucky Ben to have an unconditional offer.’

  Adam nodded. ‘He would have struggled to get the grades otherwise. He’s more than capable if he puts the work in, but he seems so distracted at the moment, always on his bloody phone.’

  Texting me, Chloe thought bitterly. After a string of forlorn messages, she’d taken to leaving her phone switched off. But she knew that wasn’t the answer. And then there was the mystery of her missing boot. Max had found it in the woods, not far from the house. Judging by the expression on her mum’s face, she thought malevolent forces were at work.

  ‘Don’t you think it’s odd?’ she’d said, holding the boot by the tips of her thumb and index finger as if she was worried about smudging fingerprints.

  ‘Nope,’ Chloe had scoffed. ‘There’s bound to be a perfectly reasonable explanation. Like Max took it and left it there so he could retrieve it later. It’s what dogs do.’

  ‘He’s a labrador, not a retriever, and he’s never stolen a shoe in his life.’

  ‘He chewed up Grandpa’s favourite slippers one time and hid them behind the sofa,’ Chloe reminded her.

  ‘When he was a puppy,’ her mum retorted. ‘You lost your boot on the night of the party. Do you remember going into the woods?’

  Chloe’s face was mutinous. ‘I told you I don’t remember anything about the party. Stop fussing for God’s sake. It’s driving me mad.�
�

  ‘Have you had any offers?’ Adam asked, bringing her back to the present.

  ‘An unconditional offer from Kent, but only a conditional offer from Kingsgate and that’s where I really want to go.’

  Adam led her over to a chair and wrapped a clean piece of kitchen roll round her thumb. ‘Plasters?’

  ‘Second drawer by the fridge.’

  Adam found a box of Elastoplasts. ‘There you go,’ he said. ‘Good as new.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘My pleasure. Can’t have you bleeding out from one of my roses.’ He sat down, his head bent to one side. ‘The head of the law school at Kingsgate is an old friend of mine. I could put in a word for you, if you like?’

  Chloe remembered the head of faculty giving her presentation at the open day all those months ago. Professor Jan Steel, if she remembered correctly. She had impressed Chloe with her quiet confidence. Softly-spoken but with a commanding presence.

  ‘You know her?’

  ‘We were cohorts. Jan stayed on at Kingsgate for her masters while I went to law school. We’ve kept in touch ever since. I’m sure if I spoke to her…’

  ‘It’s very kind of you, Adam. But I want to get in on my own merits, you know?’

  ‘Fair enough, and I admire your integrity,’ Adam said. ‘But if you change your mind, let me know.’ He took a sip of coffee. ‘Changing the subject, how’s Patrick the Tosser?’

  Chloe’s mouth turned down. ‘Worse than ever. He slagged me off for using the front door the other day. We servants - sorry, waiting staff - are only supposed to use the back entrance, you see. Honestly, it’s so demeaning.’ She shivered. ‘And he’s such a creep. All the girls hate him. I found out the other day that a waitress accused him of sexual harassment years ago. His parents paid her off so she’d keep quiet.’

  Adam frowned. ‘And your mum doesn’t mind you working there?’

  Chloe liked the way his voice was brimming with fatherly concern. She shrugged. ‘She says it’s just idle gossip and he’s harmless. All talk and no trousers.’

  Adam sat forwards in his chair. ‘You should still be careful, Chloe. Men like him have no respect for women. None at all. Promise you’ll tell me if you have any problems with him?’

  Chloe nodded.

  He sat back again. ‘Good. Oh, look, here’s your mum.’

  Chloe turned almost guiltily as her mum swept into the kitchen in a haze of Paco Rabanne perfume.

  ‘So sorry to keep you waiting,’ she said breathlessly.

  Adam waved her apology away. ‘It’s fine. Chloe has been looking after me.’

  ‘Adam brought you flowers,’ Chloe said, pointing at the vase of roses.

  Her mum’s face was wreathed in smiles. She was as easy to read as a Ladybird book. ‘How beautiful!’ she gasped. ‘Thank you so much.’

  ‘My pleasure.’ Adam stood up. ‘I guess we’d better make a move?’

  ‘Our table’s booked for half seven.’ Her mum picked up her keys and phone from the worktop and shrugged on her coat. ‘Ring me if you need anything,’ she said to Chloe. ‘We won’t be late.’

  ‘I’ll be fine. Have a nice time.’

  Adam followed her mum out of the room. At the door, he stopped and turned back to Chloe. ‘Take care of yourself. And if you change your mind about Professor Steel, let me know. Promise?’

  She smiled. ‘I promise.’

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  KATE

  The pub was warm and cosy, with a roaring fire, the hoppy smell of real ale and fat ivory candles on the tables. A barmaid showed Kate and Adam to their seats and handed them menus.

  ‘I’m driving tonight so you can enjoy a drink,’ Adam said. ‘Red or white?’

  Kate flexed her toes under the table. ‘Red, please.’

  As the barmaid ran through the wine menu, Kate surreptitiously checked Adam out. He was immaculately dressed as always, this time in a neatly-pressed navy and white checked shirt and a pair of chinos. The top two buttons of the shirt were undone, showing a glimpse of chest hair. Kate found she couldn’t tear her eyes away and gave a little start when he placed his hand on hers and asked what she was going to eat.

  ‘I usually have the steak and ale. It’s famous around these parts,’ she said in a mock-country accent.

  He smiled. ‘It’s steak and kidney for me. Ben doesn’t do offal in any shape or form.’

  ‘That’s offaly boring,’ Kate said with a straight face. Adam smiled indulgently, and she flushed with pleasure.

  The barmaid arrived with a bottle of Australian shiraz and poured two glasses. Kate took a slug. ‘That’s lovely.’

  Adam raised an eyebrow. ‘Not as lovely as the Masseto, I trust?’

  ‘Of course not. That was…’ she paused as she remembered his words, ‘exquisite.’

  ‘It was. So, tell me about your week. What have you and Chloe been up to?’

  ‘Nothing much. It’s always quiet at The Willows this time of year. Not many brides want a January wedding.’

  ‘But Chloe worked last weekend?’

  ‘We had a small wedding on Saturday.’

  ‘She told me she’s been having a few problems with Patrick.’

  ‘She did?’ It was the first Kate had heard about it.

  ‘He seems to be giving her a hard time. And he has a reputation as a bit of a sleaze, I hear.’

  Kate laughed. ‘Don’t believe everything she tells you. She’s got it in for him because he dared to tell her off for having her mobile phone with her on her very first shift.’

  ‘You’re not concerned?’

  Kate shook her head. ‘Patrick wouldn’t dare lay a finger on her if that’s what’s worrying you. He’d have me to answer to if he did. And anyway, the world is a big, bad place full of sleazeballs and misogynists. Chloe needs to know how to handle them, don’t you think?’

  ‘You want her to be independent?’

  ‘I guess I do.’

  ‘But you’re dreading her leaving home?’

  Kate grimaced. ‘Is it that obvious?’

  ‘Only to me.’

  ‘I am,’ she admitted. ‘The house is going to feel empty without her. What about Ben? Is he looking forward to uni?’

  ‘Who knows? I’m afraid Ben is a law unto himself.’

  Kate stopped tracing her finger round the rim of her glass and stared at Adam. ‘What d’you mean?’

  Adam glanced at the pub’s timbered ceiling. ‘He’s had a few issues with anxiety over the years. All related to his mother walking out when he was a baby, if you ask me. He finds it difficult to make connections with people, but when he does, it’s hard for him to untangle himself.’

  Kate chose her words carefully. ‘He seems to have become quite attached to Chloe.’

  An emotion Kate couldn’t read flickered across Adam’s face. Resignation? Concern? He rubbed his chin and said finally, ‘Yes, he does.’

  ‘He texts her a lot.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘The thing is, Chloe likes him as a friend,’ Kate began.

  ‘But not as a boyfriend?’

  ‘No. And she’s trying to concentrate on her exams at the moment.’

  ‘So she could do without any distractions?’

  Kate nodded gratefully.

  ‘You want me to have a word with him?’ Adam asked.

  ‘Would you?’

  ‘Of course. I’ll talk to him tonight.’

  ‘You won’t tell him I asked?’ Kate said, aware that Chloe would go mad if she knew she was having this conversation.

  ‘Of course not.’ Adam was quiet for a moment. ‘The thing you have to understand about Ben is that he only sees things in black and white. Unless Chloe has told him point blank to back off, he’ll think she’s still interested. Don’t worry. I’ll sort it.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Kate said, feeling pounds lighter as if she’d shrugged off a heavy rucksack. She wondered if now was the time to broach the party. She could ask Adam if he’d seen what had
happened in the garden. Share her suspicions that Ben had got Chloe drunk on purpose and lured her outside so he could try it on.

  But how would Adam react if she practically accused his son of sexual assault? Because once the words were out, there was no taking them back. She didn’t want to jeopardise their fledgling relationship if that’s what it was. And did she need to, anyway? Adam was going to tell Ben to stop bothering Chloe. He’d promised to sort it. And Chloe was adamant nothing had happened in the garden anyway.

  As Kate wavered, the barmaid arrived with their food. By the time she’d warned them the plates were piping hot, had re-filled Kate’s empty wine glass and brought a jar of mustard for Adam, Kate had made up her mind. Mentioning the party would serve no purpose other than upsetting Adam and incriminating Ben in something he may or may not have done. Because it was, Kate realised, entirely possible that Chloe had lied about how much she’d drunk and had slipped over in the garden. And Ben had been nothing but courteous in pulling her to her feet.

  ‘How’s your pie?’ she asked Adam instead.

  ‘Good. Yours?’

  ‘Lovely. I hadn’t realised how hungry I was.’

  Adam dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin. ‘Chloe tells me she still wants to go to Kingsgate.’

  ‘She’s got her heart set on the place. That’s why she’s so worried about her exams.’

  ‘I’ve told her I’m more than happy to put in a good word with Jan Steel, the head of the law school.’

  Kate speared a green bean. ‘You know her?’

  ‘From way back. We were at Kingsgate together. She might be willing to make Chloe’s offer unconditional. Then she wouldn’t have to stress about her A-levels.’

  ‘I thought the university admissions teams made the offers.’

  ‘And you don’t think the heads of faculties have the final say? Sometimes, even the most able students slip through the net through no fault of their own. All I’d be doing is making sure that didn’t happen in Chloe’s case.’