match.
He let out his breath contentedly. Perfect.
Diddly dah. Diddly dah dah dah.
The harsh electronic notes of his mobile broke into the silence with shocking brutality. He reached into his pocket with resignation. His mother, probably, wondering where he was. He should have had the sense to leave a note for her.
‘Hello?’ He fumbled for the green button without looking at the number that came up.
‘Ben. Hi.’
Feeling his body tense, he sat up straight. Martina. ‘Hi. How are you?’
‘Did you get my texts?’
‘Yeah. You OK?’ It was odd hearing her voice again. It had been how long – a month? And yet the tones were so familiar.
‘Yeah. You?’
‘I’m good. Great.’
Please God, she doesn’t want to try again.
‘It’s been a month. I miss you,’ she said.
‘Yeah.’ God, he’d become inarticulate. ‘How’s things? Work going well?’ Martina was a lawyer, working in a large global firm in the City. Her hours had always been long, but she thrived on it. Her work, like her eating habits, was a form of self flagellation. Quite what she was punishing herself for, Ben had no idea.
‘Challenging.’
‘Good challenging?’
‘Yes and no.’
There was a silence. Again Ben could hear the tick tock of the clock. Down on the shore, the large black and white birds had gone and a flock of smaller birds had replaced them. The sea was looking rougher now and a large dark cloud hung over the horizon. The fine weather of the early morning looked as if it was moving away. He should really get going.
‘Ben, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I wish we could have done it all differently.’
‘Me too.’
‘I am trying with the food, really I am.’
‘Good. I only wish the best for you, Teeny.’
‘I know.’
Again there was a short pause, then she said, ‘I do miss you, Ben.’ His heart sank. ‘But only in a good kind of way. Actually, I’ve started seeing someone else. I wanted to tell you.’
The words were shocking. He’d never imagined that she would start dating again so quickly.
‘He’s a lawyer at my firm. Nothing started before we split, Ben, honest. But he’s fancied me for some time, apparently. We headed out for a drink one night and it went from there. Are you OK about it? I want you to be OK, Ben.’
Ben twiddled the teaspoon in his saucer. It made a small chinking noise against the cup. Martina and someone else. It was an odd thought and underlined their separation in a way he hadn’t managed to in the past month. It gave him permission, he realised, to move on. Perhaps it was what he’d been waiting for.
He smiled. ‘Babes, I’m delighted.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. It’d make me feel very good to know that you’ve found happiness.’
‘Thank you, Ben. I do miss you, you know. Really. I’ll never forget what we had.’
‘Nor me.’ He meant it too.
‘Is there anyone else for you, Ben?’
Was there? He would like to think so but wasn’t at all sure. ‘Maybe,’ he said slowly. ‘I don’t know if she cares for me though.’
‘Go for it Ben. You’re a great guy. Go get her.’
The sun through the window picked out the rich deep amber of his eyes as he rumpled his hair and grinned. ‘Thanks, Teeny. Be happy.’
‘You too, babes.’
He flipped his phone shut and looked out. It was starting to rain. He’d better go. But his heart felt light, whatever the weather could throw at him.
Chapter Thirteen
‘Ben, you’re dripping! For heaven’s sake, let’s get your things off.’
Kath, greeting him at the door a good three hours later, spotted her son coming into the hall and dodged out of her living room to intercept him. Daisy, feeling prim and proper and dressed in her Sunday best, was uncomfortable – more than uncomfortable, seriously awkward. Only her mother’s pleading and the knowledge that with Kath present her father would be on his best behaviour had finally persuaded her to accompany them to the Gillies’s for lunch. That and the
He let out his breath contentedly. Perfect.
Diddly dah. Diddly dah dah dah.
The harsh electronic notes of his mobile broke into the silence with shocking brutality. He reached into his pocket with resignation. His mother, probably, wondering where he was. He should have had the sense to leave a note for her.
‘Hello?’ He fumbled for the green button without looking at the number that came up.
‘Ben. Hi.’
Feeling his body tense, he sat up straight. Martina. ‘Hi. How are you?’
‘Did you get my texts?’
‘Yeah. You OK?’ It was odd hearing her voice again. It had been how long – a month? And yet the tones were so familiar.
‘Yeah. You?’
‘I’m good. Great.’
Please God, she doesn’t want to try again.
‘It’s been a month. I miss you,’ she said.
‘Yeah.’ God, he’d become inarticulate. ‘How’s things? Work going well?’ Martina was a lawyer, working in a large global firm in the City. Her hours had always been long, but she thrived on it. Her work, like her eating habits, was a form of self flagellation. Quite what she was punishing herself for, Ben had no idea.
‘Challenging.’
‘Good challenging?’
‘Yes and no.’
There was a silence. Again Ben could hear the tick tock of the clock. Down on the shore, the large black and white birds had gone and a flock of smaller birds had replaced them. The sea was looking rougher now and a large dark cloud hung over the horizon. The fine weather of the early morning looked as if it was moving away. He should really get going.
‘Ben, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I wish we could have done it all differently.’
‘Me too.’
‘I am trying with the food, really I am.’
‘Good. I only wish the best for you, Teeny.’
‘I know.’
Again there was a short pause, then she said, ‘I do miss you, Ben.’ His heart sank. ‘But only in a good kind of way. Actually, I’ve started seeing someone else. I wanted to tell you.’
The words were shocking. He’d never imagined that she would start dating again so quickly.
‘He’s a lawyer at my firm. Nothing started before we split, Ben, honest. But he’s fancied me for some time, apparently. We headed out for a drink one night and it went from there. Are you OK about it? I want you to be OK, Ben.’
Ben twiddled the teaspoon in his saucer. It made a small chinking noise against the cup. Martina and someone else. It was an odd thought and underlined their separation in a way he hadn’t managed to in the past month. It gave him permission, he realised, to move on. Perhaps it was what he’d been waiting for.
He smiled. ‘Babes, I’m delighted.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. It’d make me feel very good to know that you’ve found happiness.’
‘Thank you, Ben. I do miss you, you know. Really. I’ll never forget what we had.’
‘Nor me.’ He meant it too.
‘Is there anyone else for you, Ben?’
Was there? He would like to think so but wasn’t at all sure. ‘Maybe,’ he said slowly. ‘I don’t know if she cares for me though.’
‘Go for it Ben. You’re a great guy. Go get her.’
The sun through the window picked out the rich deep amber of his eyes as he rumpled his hair and grinned. ‘Thanks, Teeny. Be happy.’
‘You too, babes.’
He flipped his phone shut and looked out. It was starting to rain. He’d better go. But his heart felt light, whatever the weather could throw at him.
Chapter Thirteen
‘Ben, you’re dripping! For heaven’s sake, let’s get your things off.’
Kath, greeting him at the door a good three hours later, spotted her son coming into the hall and dodged out of her living room to intercept him. Daisy, feeling prim and proper and dressed in her Sunday best, was uncomfortable – more than uncomfortable, seriously awkward. Only her mother’s pleading and the knowledge that with Kath present her father would be on his best behaviour had finally persuaded her to accompany them to the Gillies’s for lunch. That and the
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