at Jake. Her eyes clouded with the tears she was fighting to hold back.
'I fled to Scotland, built my home and my life, and divorced him.'
With a slight smile playing on her lips, she said, 'Charlie is the only good thing to have come out of such a rotten relationship, and even then he was conceived in hate and spite.' That much she was able to admit.
Jake was trying hard not to show any signs of shock or dismay at what he was hearing. Still he sat, and just listened. Any thought of eating his breakfast completely forgotten. He smiled too when she mentioned Charlie, he was indeed a great kid.
Having started to talk, it seemed Carrie couldn't stop.
'You're probably wondering why I reacted the way I did last night. Surely I should be glad that he's got what he deserved. It would be news for a few days and then be chip wrapping. I've handled the shame and headlines before, I could handle them again.' Carrie paused, reached for her cup and took a sip of her tea. She pulled a face as the cold tea swirled in her mouth. That seemed to rally her slightly and she gave him a half-hearted smile.
'The truth is, I'm not sure why I reacted the way I did.'
Carrie took a deep breath as she launched into the rest of her story.
'I've been receiving threats over the last couple of months and they'd begun to get more threatening, more sinister. Part of me thought that Pip was somehow behind them. That he was wanting to get me back for my success and for having a son that he's never seen. I couldn't even bring myself to put his name on Charlie's birth certificate.'
'Everything has just been so difficult these last few months, trying to carry on as normal, keeping the danger from Charlie. I think the news last night was just too much and I broke down under the strain of everything.'
Jake finally spoke. 'What did Alan mean by 'it's not over'?'
'I don't know.' Carrie's voice finally broke on a sob.
Jake could hold back no longer. He went to Carrie's side and pulled her into his arms. Carrie clung to him and just cried her heart out, feeling emotionally wrung out. Jake pulled a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket and handed it to her.
He held her close, rocking her to and fro while he gently stroked her hair.
Jake was fighting his own demons while he comforted her. He hated himself for thinking the worst of her when she'd clearly been through hell since he'd known her.
He couldn't fathom out why he wanted to comfort her. This was a new feeling for him where a woman was concerned. He wanted to protect her and tell her everything would be alright, but he didn't know that. He felt completely at a loss for the first time in his adult life and he didn't like it.
He felt Carrie quieten in his arms and looked down into her face. He took the now soaking handkerchief and wiped the remaining tears from her face. Her beautiful green eyes looked so lost and unsure and yet so full of trust, Jake found himself moving closer to kiss her, unable to prevent the inevitable.
Yet again, Carrie felt safe and comforted in his arms. She liked the feeling and yet it was alien to her, when she'd had to stand on her own two feet since the day she'd married Pip.
Jake's lips felt so good as they danced across hers. She could smell the spice of his aftershave as his mouth continued to caress her face. He dropped light kisses on her mouth, moved to the tip of her nose before he then caressed first one eyelid and then the other. He returned to her mouth and she gave herself up to the kiss with an intensity that scared her.
Jake didn't know how long they stayed like that, matching each other, kiss for kiss, their tongues plunging deeper and deeper into the other's mouth. He didn't know how he managed to maintain control, he wanted to rip her clothes from her and take her right there at the dining table. But a small voice from the recesses of his mind reminded him that the timing was still wrong and reluctantly he finally pulled away. He continued to hold Carrie tight
'I fled to Scotland, built my home and my life, and divorced him.'
With a slight smile playing on her lips, she said, 'Charlie is the only good thing to have come out of such a rotten relationship, and even then he was conceived in hate and spite.' That much she was able to admit.
Jake was trying hard not to show any signs of shock or dismay at what he was hearing. Still he sat, and just listened. Any thought of eating his breakfast completely forgotten. He smiled too when she mentioned Charlie, he was indeed a great kid.
Having started to talk, it seemed Carrie couldn't stop.
'You're probably wondering why I reacted the way I did last night. Surely I should be glad that he's got what he deserved. It would be news for a few days and then be chip wrapping. I've handled the shame and headlines before, I could handle them again.' Carrie paused, reached for her cup and took a sip of her tea. She pulled a face as the cold tea swirled in her mouth. That seemed to rally her slightly and she gave him a half-hearted smile.
'The truth is, I'm not sure why I reacted the way I did.'
Carrie took a deep breath as she launched into the rest of her story.
'I've been receiving threats over the last couple of months and they'd begun to get more threatening, more sinister. Part of me thought that Pip was somehow behind them. That he was wanting to get me back for my success and for having a son that he's never seen. I couldn't even bring myself to put his name on Charlie's birth certificate.'
'Everything has just been so difficult these last few months, trying to carry on as normal, keeping the danger from Charlie. I think the news last night was just too much and I broke down under the strain of everything.'
Jake finally spoke. 'What did Alan mean by 'it's not over'?'
'I don't know.' Carrie's voice finally broke on a sob.
Jake could hold back no longer. He went to Carrie's side and pulled her into his arms. Carrie clung to him and just cried her heart out, feeling emotionally wrung out. Jake pulled a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his jacket and handed it to her.
He held her close, rocking her to and fro while he gently stroked her hair.
Jake was fighting his own demons while he comforted her. He hated himself for thinking the worst of her when she'd clearly been through hell since he'd known her.
He couldn't fathom out why he wanted to comfort her. This was a new feeling for him where a woman was concerned. He wanted to protect her and tell her everything would be alright, but he didn't know that. He felt completely at a loss for the first time in his adult life and he didn't like it.
He felt Carrie quieten in his arms and looked down into her face. He took the now soaking handkerchief and wiped the remaining tears from her face. Her beautiful green eyes looked so lost and unsure and yet so full of trust, Jake found himself moving closer to kiss her, unable to prevent the inevitable.
Yet again, Carrie felt safe and comforted in his arms. She liked the feeling and yet it was alien to her, when she'd had to stand on her own two feet since the day she'd married Pip.
Jake's lips felt so good as they danced across hers. She could smell the spice of his aftershave as his mouth continued to caress her face. He dropped light kisses on her mouth, moved to the tip of her nose before he then caressed first one eyelid and then the other. He returned to her mouth and she gave herself up to the kiss with an intensity that scared her.
Jake didn't know how long they stayed like that, matching each other, kiss for kiss, their tongues plunging deeper and deeper into the other's mouth. He didn't know how he managed to maintain control, he wanted to rip her clothes from her and take her right there at the dining table. But a small voice from the recesses of his mind reminded him that the timing was still wrong and reluctantly he finally pulled away. He continued to hold Carrie tight
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