“You escaped then?” said Jez.
“Yeah, thank Christ I was in the SAS. Their stealth tactics got me out of a tight spot there.” His grin fell when he looked at Mikey. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
Resolutely refusing to look Amber’s way, Mikey exited the room. Jez noticed Amber look to her husband as he left, her eyes glittering with fury. While her attention was diverted Jackson took the opportunity to slip round her and hurry over to Jez and Riley.
“You made it,” smiled Riley. He might have a bad history with Jules but he and Jackson got on really well and had formed a firm friendship.
“It was a close call,” he replied. “Jesus, she should fight in the cage. She’d soon have them backed into a corner.”
“Oh hell, she’s coming back,” muttered Riley.
“Where’s Mikey?” demanded Amber, hands on hips.
Her superior tone was starting to get on Jez’s nerves. She seemed incapable of being polite anymore. “How should I know? I’m not his keeper.”
Her eyes glittered, mouth thinning into a disdainful line. She waltzed out of the room, heading towards the kitchen, so certain he’d gone to be with Jules her hands shook with anger.
“Mikey,” she exclaimed, flinging open the kitchen door to find Beth and Jules helping Cathy with dinner and no sign of her husband. “Oh,” she said, her anger dissipating. “Where is he?”
“Not here,” was Cathy’s terse reply.
There was the sound of running water and Mikey emerged from the downstairs toilet. “What’s up?” he said when he realised they were all looking at him.
“Dinner’s ready,” said Cathy. “Thank God.”
CHAPTER 9
The atmosphere around the dining table was tense, Cathy doing her best to be the perfect hostess, fussing around them all, which didn’t help.
“Are these napkins?” said Jackson, holding up a doily.
Jules sniggered, snatched it off his extended finger and twirled it around her own. “It’s a doily you philistine. I know what a doily is,” she added when everyone stared at her. “I do believe I’m the only one at this table who went to finishing school.”
“Did you actually finish?” said Jez with good humour.
“Nah, I couldn’t do with all those stuck-up ponces.” Her eyes shifted to Amber. “I can’t stand snobs.”
Amber’s gaze hardened and she stabbed a potato with her fork.
“Is everyone enjoying the food?” said Cathy, voice sounding strained.
“Yes, it’s lovely, as always,” said Beth. “You’re such a good cook.”
“Thank you,” said Cathy, grateful for the compliment.
“Yes, you’ve always been a great cook,” said Amber, surprising everyone and making Cathy smile with hope. “But I suppose it’s easy when you’ve got so much time on your hands.”
Everyone froze, looking to Cathy, whose composure was rapidly slipping. She put down her knife and fork. “Excuse me?”
“I’m only saying you’re at home all day, so it’s easy for you to learn how to cook well.”
“Time on my hands, with three kids? Are you serious?”
Amber shrugged, casually taking a sip of wine. “Well, one of them is at school now.”
“I haven’t slept since George was born,” said Cathy, outraged. “I’m constantly exhausted but you know what? I still take care of my kids, I don’t palm them off on a stranger like you.”
“I don’t know why not, you’re loaded. You could easily afford one.”
“I don’t want someone else raising my kids because I’m their mother. I’m not like you who cares more about handbags and shoes. You haven’t even noticed your son has stuck a carrot up his nose for God’s sake.”
“Josh, what are you doing?” said Mikey, leaping up to pull out the carrot.
Jules had to stuff a doily into her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
Amber seemed completely unperturbed by Cathy’s building fury or her insults. “That’s your choice. You’re a stay at home mum and that’s fine, it suits some women but not me. I have my career now.”
“Career?” snorted Cathy. “Working twelve hours a week in a nail bar? That’s not a career, that’s something a teenager would do.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“Amber, enough,” hissed Mikey but she just ignored him.
“Of what exactly?” said Cathy. “You? You must be joking.”
“You do because you’re so dowdy and your life’s boring.”
“Amber,” exclaimed Mikey.
“That’s it you,” said Jez, pointing at her with his fork.
“I can speak for myself,” announced Cathy, throwing down her napkin and getting to her feet. “I invited you here tonight because I knew we were drifting apart and I wanted to save our friendship but I don’t want to be friends with a silly, stuck-up child like you.”
“Child?” pouted Amber.
“You’re an overgrown kid and you know what? I feel sorry for Mikey being saddled with you. He needs a wife and a mother to his children, not a spoilt brat hanging around, dragging him down.”
Amber shot to her feet and pointed at Jules with her knife. “You mean a wife like her?”
“What have I done?” said Jules.
“You know full well.”
“Actually I don’t. Enlighten me,” she said, leaning back in her chair, grey eyes hard, reminding Amber so much of Ryan it was creepy. If Amber was honest with herself, Ryan frightened her and this was enough to make her go silent on the subject. She couldn’t say she knew about her and her husband because she didn’t have any proof. Neither did she want to reveal the ace up her sleeve.
Instead she looked back at Cathy and smirked because she knew it would annoy her. “I only came tonight because I felt sorry for you, you’re obviously desperate for friends.”
“That’s enough,” Mikey barked at Amber, furious and humiliated.
“Get her out of my house Mikey before I drown her in the trifle,” said Cathy.
“It certainly looks runny enough,” said Amber, staring with disdain at the dessert that took pride of place in the centre of the table.
“That’s it,” yelled Beth, getting to her feet and picking up the trifle bowl.
“Throw it at her Mum,” grinned Archie excitedly.
“Take it easy,” said Riley, leaping up and managing to take it off her before she had the chance to throw it. “Just think of the cleaning up.”
Beth smiled at him gratefully and sniggered. “You’re right babe, she’s so not worth it.”
“Aww,” pouted a disappointed Archie.
“Outside before you cause anymore mayhem,” Mikey told his wife.
She scowled at him before flouncing from the room, to everyone’s relief.
Mikey picked up Zach and urged Josh to his feet, who didn’t want to leave his cousins.
“I don’t want to go,” said Josh.
“Come on mate,” said an exasperated Mikey, just wanting to run out of there in shame and embarrassment.
“No.”
“Josh, please…”
“It’s alright, he can stay the night if he wants,” said Cathy, feeling calmer now Amber was out of sight. “He’s always welcome, as are you. Just please, don’t bring her again.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’m so sorry Cathy, after all the trouble you went to. It was a lovely meal.”
“I know and we don’t blame you, do we Jez?”
“No, course not.” He got to his feet. “Come on mate, I’ll see you out.”
While his dad left with his younger brother, Josh retook his seat with a big smile. “Aunty Cathy, can I have some more chips please?”
“Course you can sweetie,” she replied.
After serving him with more chips, the boy tucking in heartily, Cathy sank into her chair and drained the wine from her glass.
“They’ve gone,” said Jez, returning to the room.
; “Thank God for that,” said Beth. “That was horrible.”
“I’m done with her,” said Cathy. “That is not someone I want in my life.”
“Me neither,” said Beth. “We don’t need her anyway.”
“No we do not.” Cathy looked to her husband, who was sitting rigid in his chair, glaring at the tabletop. “You alright babe?”
“What she said about you,” he began, voice choked with rage. “It made me so mad.”
“Don’t let her bother you, I’m not.”
“Well you just take it easy for the rest of the evening,” he said. “I’ll finish dishing up.”
“You going to put on a pinny little brother?” smiled Jules.
This made him grin. “Maybe.”
“Way-hey, go on Fanny Craddock.”
Alfie sniggered. “Aunty Jules said fanny,” he whispered to Archie, who didn’t understand the joke.
The tension gone, they all burst into happy chatter. When laughter and the clinking of glasses replaced the awkward silence, Jackson saw his chance. He got to his feet. “I have an announcement I’d like to make.”
They all went silent, looking up at him expectantly. He looked down at his wife and smiled, who smiled back up at him. “Me and Jules are going to have a baby.”
Everyone erupted into cheers and got to their feet to toast them. It was perfect timing, the happy news dispelling the last shadow of Amber’s visit.
While everyone finally started to enjoy themselves inside the house, outside Mikey was desperately trying to contain the fury raging inside him, Zach in his arms forcing him to keep calm. They had to wait on the cold street for the taxi Mikey had called to come and pick them up.
“What the hell did you think you were playing at in there?” said Mikey, trying to keep his voice low for the sake of Cathy and Jez’s neighbours as well as Zach.
“She insulted me.”
“All she did was cook you a nice meal to try and get your friendship back on track, then you came out with all that nasty bile. Were you always such a snob or is it that we’re only just noticing now?”
“I am not a snob.”
“Oh yes you are, of the first order and I’m sick of it.”
“I’m just proud of us and you should be too. Anyway, what do you care? She’s just a nobody.”
“She is not a nobody,” he seethed. “That is Cathy, wife of my best friend and business partner, godmother to our youngest son and a bloody nice woman.”
“You fancy her too then?”
“Fancy her? What are you on about? Course I don’t fancy her. I meant she’s a nice person. Unlike you I don’t just care about looks.”
“Lucky for Cathy that Jez doesn’t care about looks or he never would have married her.”
“Cathy’s a beautiful woman. What’s wrong with you? I don’t understand. Where did my wife go?”
“I’m right here, I always have been.”
“Have you? Because the woman I married seems to have vanished. She would never have done what you did tonight because she cared about people’s feelings.”
“How dare you lecture me?”
“I’ve every right after the way you humiliated me in there.”
“All I did was say a few things that I’ve wanted to get off my chest for a while. At least I’m not a drug dealer and a murderer, so what right have you got to lecture me?”
“I know I’m far from perfect and yes, I’ve done bad things but at least I know who my family are. I have loyalty and I’m capable of love. You don’t care about anyone but yourself, you haven’t even noticed that Josh isn’t with us.”
She looked around. “Where is he?”
“He didn’t want to leave. Your own son would rather be here because he gets warmth and attention.”
“It’s his choice,” she said, examining her nails.
“You’re unbelievable and no, that’s not a compliment.”
They went silent, Amber continuing to examine her nails while Mikey quietly seethed.
Finally the taxi appeared at the end of the street and as he wrenched open the door Mikey resisted the urge to yell at the driver for taking so long.
He let Amber climb into the back of the car first then passed her Zach.
“Here’s money for the taxi,” he said, pushing some notes into her hand.
“Aren’t you coming?” she said.
“No. I’m going back in there to hopefully limit all the damage you’ve done. Besides, it’ll do you good to spend some time with Zach. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said before slamming the car door shut.
He enjoyed the look of surprise on Amber’s face as the car set off. Hopefully that would teach her not to be a complete bitch.
Mikey walked back up the path to Cathy and Jez’s house and rang the bell, hoping they wouldn’t tell him to get stuffed.
“Mikey,” said a surprised Jez when he opened the door. “Did you forget something?”
“Yeah, my balls. I’ve sent Amber home with Zach. Can I come in?”
“Course you can, you’re always welcome.”
“Any chance I could stay the night too? I don’t even want to look at her right now.”
“Yeah, we’ve got plenty of room.”
“Thanks,” said Mikey stepping inside. “I’m so sorry about what she did, I can’t believe it.”
“We’re all still in a state of shock.”
Mikey heard laughter emanating from the direction of the dining room. “You all sound to be over it,” he said with a smile.
“It’s a good thing we’re resilient.” He clapped him on the back. “Come on, I’ll get you a drink.”
“Whatever it is, make it a double.”
Everyone went silent when Mikey walked back into the dining room and he actually felt a little bit nervous when they all stared at him.
“I sent Amber home,” he said.
They all cheered and raised their glasses.
“Sit yourself back down,” said Cathy, kissing his cheek, making it clear he was more than welcome. “You’ve got to try my trifle yet. Luckily Beth hasn’t thrown it at anyone.”
Mikey took his place beside Josh, who smiled up at him happily. Mikey grinned back at him and patted his head, wishing their own home was as warm and loving as this one.
CHAPTER 10
Amber was fuming. How dare Mikey choose that bunch of losers over her? As soon as she got in she put Zach straight to bed, relieved when he quickly fell asleep, worn out by the evening’s events.
Once he’d drifted off she stormed downstairs and called Declan. Turning on the waterworks was easy because she was so angry.
“I need you,” she whimpered the moment he answered the phone.
“On my way,” he said before hanging up.
Amber put down the phone, a triumphant smile on her lips.
Declan arrived fifteen minutes later and she was ready and waiting for him, eyes bright red and face streaked with tears.
“Oh my God, what’s happened?” he said, taking her hands.
“We went for dinner at Jez and Cathy’s and Mikey totally humiliated me in front of everyone,” she said, lip trembling.
“What did the bastard do now?”
“Oh, just the usual. He called me names, belittled me, made me feel small. Nothing I haven’t heard before,” she said with a sad smile.
“Who was there?”
“Everyone. Jez and Cathy and their kids, Jules and Jackson, Beth and Riley and their children.”
“And they didn’t do anything to stop him?”
She shook her head, eyes wide and sad. “He made it sound like a joke but Jules got it, that cow thought it was funny.”
“Is something still going on between them two?” he glowered.
“I’m sure of it, they couldn’t stop looking at each other and she kept encouraging Mikey.”
“I can’t believe Jackson hasn’t noticed yet.”
“Oh you know him, he’s very pretty but he’s not got much u
pstairs.”
“Where’s Mikey now?”
“At Jez’s. I told him I was leaving, that I wouldn’t be humiliated like that but he just threw some money at me and told me to get a taxi, like I was one of the cheap slags he picks up in nightclubs. So I picked up Zach and left, there was no way I was leaving my baby with that horrible lot.”
“What about Josh?”
“He stayed too, he’s daddy’s little boy through and through and he doesn’t like to let his prince out of his sight. Poor little Zach hardly gets a look in.”
“Oh God, I’m so sorry for what he’s putting you through,” he said, pulling her to him.
Amber couldn’t help but smile into his chest. Take that Mikey.
“I’m going to have it out with him once and for all, he can’t keep treating you like this.”
“No, wait,” she called, grabbing his arm when he made for the door. “He’ll kill you for standing up to him.”
“I’m willing to take the risk.” He reached out to touch her face. “For you.”
She cradled his hand in both of hers. “He’ll take his anger out on me too, like he always does.”
Declan sighed and shook his head. “This is so wrong.”
“I know but what can we do? He’s Mikey Maguire for God’s sake, we can’t go up against him.”
“But…”
“Just leave it, please.”
“If you don’t want me to do anything about it then why did you call me?”
“Because I needed to see a friendly face,” she said before bursting into tears.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her back to him. “One day this will all stop.”
“Not until either me or Mikey is dead.”
“Don’t say things like that.”
She tilted her face up to his. “I wish I’d married a good, kind man. Like you.”
As they gazed at each other Declan wrestled with himself. He’d spent months trying to resist her but that resistance was slowly eroding. “Damn it,” he said before taking her face in his hands and kissing her.
He wasn’t as good a kisser as Mikey but Amber still took pleasure in it because it felt like she was getting one over her husband and that bitch Jules.
“I’m sorry,” he said, stopping the kiss but keeping her close. “I keep trying to resist but I can’t anymore.”
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