Delicious Desires (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-two

Cathy and Lucy were serving long queue of hungry site workers. A constant line of them stood patiently in front of the van as they stocked up on cakes and chocolate to eat with their break time flasks of tea.

It had been the same
every day since she had come up to this end of the seafront. Now it was a twice daily visit at approximately eleven and three o’clock. She wondered how long it would be before the building was finished and if this line of customers would dry up or maybe become even longer with all the new people coming to work and to live in the area.

Her phone kept ringing but she hadn’t had chance to answer it. It rang again
and she ignored it once more as a suited man took his turn at the front of the queue.

She recognized him
vaguely but she couldn’t remember where from. The ringing phone stopped only to be replaced by the sound of a text message being received. She glanced at the phone. It was a missed message from David. She wondered what he wanted but decided that the customer must come first.

She
turned to the familiar man as Lucy took and wrapped an order from the next person in line.

“
Do I know you? It really bugs me when I can’t remember where I’ve seen someone before. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t down here buying cakes though.”

The man smiled up at her and then looked back at the cakes. He was trying to decide between a thick slice of carrot cake or a wedge of
heavily sugared bread pudding. Both looked delicious and he considered buying both.

“No, I’ve not had this pleasure before. I only came down for a quick visit and the queue caught my eye. They all look delicious by the way.”

Cathy grinned back at him.

“Oh sorry, you must remind me of someone else then, though I’m pretty good with faces normally.”

Dan shook his head and pointed to the carrot cake.

“No you’re right;
we did meet once before though it was under slightly more stressful circumstances. I’m Dr. Daniel Fields, a good friend of Adam Cavendish. I met you when Adam and your friend Caroline had that bit of bother with the tide.” He smiled again, and spoke lightly, but Cathy frowned. Any friend of Adam Cavendish was nothing to her.

Cathy had been about to put the slice of cake in a box, but she stopped dead.
She flung down the cake tongs and glared down at Daniel.

“Oh yes. And how is the Almighty Mr. Cavendish these days? Back on his giant feet yet is he?” Her tone was harsh and Daniel looked surprised at her.

“His back’s mended if that’s what you mean? Took about four months of very determined physiotherapy, but then he’s not one to shirk. Other things I’m not so sure about.” Daniel was pensive for a moment. If he was truthful with himself, he was more than a little worried about Adam.

He’d taken to coming to the site nearly every day to check up on him. Cathy’s expression hadn’t changed and he blundered on wondering why Caroline’s friend was so angry with the man that had saved her life twice.

“What about Miss Masters? I haven’t seen her since she left the hospital. I was a little surprised at her
behaviour given the circumstances, but there you go, can’t interfere too much. How’s she getting on?”

Cathy’s face began to turn red as her temper flared even more. She dropped the cake box and fisted her hands on her hips.

“I don’t know how you have the cheek to even ask?” She hissed as she glanced at Lucy. Cathy wasn’t sure how much the girl knew and she wasn’t about to spread gossip but Lucy was fully occupied with the next customer in line. “How the hell do you think she is? She has to work like a slave to keep this cake business going while having no proper home or support and she’s coping alone with a difficult pregnancy too. How do you think you would feel being left in the lurch like that?”

Daniel was shocked at the outburst.

“What?” He took a small step back from the van. It was quite intimidating having a very angry woman tower above him. “How’s she lost her home? Didn’t she have a flat somewhere near here? I heard through one of the workmen that she was that she was selling up and leaving. Has she got mixed up with the wrong type of chap? Has he gone and dumped her?” Daniel raised his eyebrows.

Cathy laughed bitterly.

“Ha! You can say that again. He was the wrong chap alright!” Cathy was incredulous. “That has got to be the understatement of the year. But your good friend Adam Cavendish would know all about that wouldn’t he as he’s the “chap” at the root of it all! Everything had been fine until she met that two timing bastard. If he was shacked up with that blonde floozy all the time, why did he have a fling with Caroline and then break her heart? Answer me that!” She glared down at him, daring him to answer her.

Daniel was astounded. She must be talking about someone else.

“I don’t know what or who you mean.” He was more than puzzled. “Adam isn’t with anyone. Especially not a ‘Blonde Floozy.’ He hasn’t ever had a long-term partner. I should know; I’ve known him since we were at school together, we shared digs at university and while I was at med school and I go round to his place often enough now. Are you sure we are talking about the same person?”

Cathy gawped at him suddenly confused by his obvious sincerity. She frowned as she spoke.

“But Caroline told me that this blonde woman was at the hospital when Adam was having his back sorted. She was visiting at the same time as you and Caroline, so don’t lie to me. You know exactly which blond floozy I’m talking about.” Cathy looked down at her phone as it began to ring once more. David again? She turned back to Daniel as she heard him take in a massive breath.

“Blond
e floozy? Don’t be daft woman! That was Trish at the hospital when Caroline and I were there. She’ll be as mad as hell if she hears you call her anything like that.”

Cathy spoke over her shoulder.

“I don’t care what her name is or how mad she’s going to be. It’s the truth. Caroline didn’t know what her name was, she just knew that it was that same woman who was with Adam in Dubai. She’d answered his phone once before and Caroline recognized her voice. She heard her talking to him. It broke her heart.”

Daniel was shaking his head.

“Hang on a minute. You don’t understand. That’s not right, Trish was never in Dubai. She was fielding his diverted calls after his phone was stolen, but she was never with him. She stayed here with Alf.” Daniels eyes were suddenly wide. “Is that why Caroline walked out that day at the hospital? Because Tricia was there when Adam woke up? Oh My God! What a stupid mistake.” Cathy was looking at him open mouthed but Daniel continued before she could interrupt “Tricia is Adam’s house keeper, cleaner if you like and she’s very happily married to Alf, his chauffer. They live in the guest flat at the back of Adam’s house. I know Tricia doesn’t look or sound like your average cleaning lady, but that’s what she is. And Caroline thought that Adam was having an affair with her?”

Cathy’s brain clicked into place as she heard what he was saying.

“Oh no!” She slumped over the counter with sudden understanding. “Caroline thought that Adam didn’t want her, that he was seeing this other woman.” She paused, weighing up whether to say anything else, and then she decided she had to ask another question. “Daniel, do you know if Caroline spoke to Adam about anything at all, later I mean, after he’d left hospital?” She sighed as she saw the frustrated look on Daniels face and carried on. “Does he even know that she’s pregnant, that she’s going to have his baby?” The shock on Daniel’s face told her the answer to that question. Cathy carried on, her voice quieter. “We all thought he’d told her to get lost. She sold her flat and left town because she couldn’t stand to be near him and not be with him. She loves him Daniel, she loves him and she’s having his baby and the great fool doesn’t even know it!”

Daniel didn’t know where to start.

“Adam is in pieces over her, Cathy. When he came home from Dubai and saw her with her new man he completely lost it, and since she left him at the hospital, well, I’ll be completely honest with you… I have been having serious doubts about his mental health. I don’t think he’s spoken to anyone about her since she left him lying in that hospital bed. I just know that he’s a broken man.” Daniel finished as her phone rang again. She ignored it again, looking at Daniel curiously.

“
What new man? Caroline doesn’t have a new man. Adam must have been mistaken. She hadn’t seen anyone for months before Adam came onto the scene.

We were too busy with setting up the business. She certainly hasn’t been with anyone since him. The only man she ever sees is her brother David. He was having some family problems of his own and
he came over and stayed with her for a few days earlier on in the year. I know she sees him quite a lot.” Cathy stopped as the phone kept on ringing. “Sorry, I’ve got to get this.” Cathy’s eyes were wide as she spoke. “David keeps calling. He only rings me if he needs to get hold of Caroline but I thought they were going house hunting together today. She has to find somewhere for her and the baby. It must be something pretty important if he keeps ringing. Perhaps there’s a problem with their dad.” She picked up the call.

Daniel had turned back towards the building site. He had to go and see Adam now. This news might make all the difference to his friend. He was just about to leave when he heard Cathy’s strangled gasp, and a crashing as she dropped the phone onto the floor. He turned back to what the problem was.

Cathy’s face was ashen as she gasped for air.

“For God’s s
ake go and find Adam.” She shouted at last. “David’s with Caroline. She’s gone into hospital. There’s something wrong and they’ve got to get the baby out now.” She looked straight at Daniel. “It’s way too early, she’s only seven months pregnant. Daniel, can you persuade Adam to go and see her? She needs him, not her brother.”

Daniel didn’t see the blood draining from her face as she spoke. He was already sprinting up the road to the site cabin.

Chapter T
wenty-three

Adam sat back in his chair and gripped the armrests with white-knuckle
d
h
ands. He stared out miserably through the window. The site looked so different now, almost complete. It wouldn’t be long before they were out and the finishers were in, but he wasn’t interested at all anymore. He didn’t even know what day it was and he didn’t care. He couldn’t wait to get this job out of the way and then he could leave. He didn’t know where he would go or what he would do, none of the other projects on his books interested him. There was no point to anything anymore, he couldn’t see further ahead than the next few hours.

He still couldn’t believe she’d walked out on him. One minute she was there at his bedside holding his hand with tears in her eyes
and the next she was walking away from him, leaving with the man he’d seen her hugging in the street.

He’d thought that perhaps his rescuing her would have made a difference, but it
obviously hadn’t. He kept telling himself that it wouldn’t have made any difference to him who it was that was drowning, that he still would have jumped into that water. But in truth, he couldn’t be sure. All he could see in his mind was that mass of swirling dark hair in the current. Would he have known that it wasn’t seaweed if he hadn’t been so familiar with it?

The pain in his chest was worse than ever before. Punctured lungs and broken ribs were nothing to this agony. He thought of her every single waking moment and most of his sleeping ones too. He didn’t know if he could live without her for much longer. He didn’t think he wanted to try.

The months of physiotherapy had passed in a painful blur, but they had been a breeze compared to the stabbing that was constantly present in his chest now. He’d had enough. If it meant that the pain would go away, he’d rip his own heart out with his bare hands.

He hadn’t told anyone else these dark thoughts.

Every morning he fixed on his public face. He smiled when appropriate, he responded when spoken to, he went to the gym and played squash with Dan, but it was all just an act. He was dying inside every minute of every day and he couldn’t tell anyone.

He
swivelled his chair round as he heard scrambling feet at the steps of the cabin and fixed his smile back on his face as Daniel hurtled through the door, gasping from running hard.

He ran straight up to Adam and grabbed his arms lugging him out of the chair.

“You’ve got to get to the hospital now! I mean right now, come on let’s go.” Daniel was breathlessly tugging at his arms, shoving him away from his desk.

Adam tried to shake his friend off while moving quickly towards the door. Daniel wouldn’t be acting like this if it wasn’t a real emergency.

“Has one of the men had an accident? I didn’t hear anything. Nobody came for me.” Adam was already out of the door with Daniel now just a pace ahead. Even if he didn’t care about the build, he couldn’t stand the thought of one of his men being hurt. It happened occasionally but this build had been without incident until now.

Daniel gaped at him.

“It’s not one of your workers. It’s Caroline. She’s in hospital. She’s having your baby right now Adam and it’s way too early. She’s having emergency surgery. You have to be there for her.” Daniel dragged his friend up as Adam staggered and his legs gave way under him. “Come on man! Get up!” He shouted. “You don’t have time to collapse, this is too serious!”

Adam struggled against Daniel
’s grip as he gathered his senses.

“What do you mean she’s having my baby? I
f she’s pregnant then it’s far more likely to be that other bloke’s. I only slept with her once and she was with him soon enough after me.” He couldn’t help saying it even though his heart began to pound in futile but desperate hope.

Daniel shook his head firmly.

“You idiot. I told you to go and sort it out but you never listen. She hasn’t been with another bloke since you Adam. You made a mistake. That man at the hospital, and before when you saw them together outside her flat, he is her brother, David.” Daniel was about to stop and explain everything Cathy had told him, but Adam had suddenly started sprinting for the Mercedes.

Adam ignored every traffic light and every speed camera as he drove at a furious rate. He didn’t care if he lost his license. He just had to get to her. Daniel gripped the dashboard as they screeched to a stop just outside the emergency entrance of the hospital. Adam leapt out of the car leaving the door wide open.

“Park it for me!” He yelled to Daniel and dashed through the swing doors. He looked round frantically and then saw his supposed rival, Caroline’s brother, staring furiously at him. He strode towards him and was about to speak when David’s fist came up fast and hit him hard on the jaw. He staggered back in surprise and stared as David leapt about wildly while cradling his hand.

“That’s for Caroline, you bastard.” David hissed through gritted teeth when he had stopped jumping around.

“Where is she?” Adam growled as he kept his temper and rubbed his jaw as he tried to ignore the slight stinging.

David peered at Adam’s jaw
, trying to see if he’d made any mark, and then glared back up into his stormy eyes.

“They’re operating right now. I have no idea what’s going on, but you’ll be taking the blame if anything goes wrong.” David looked down at his hand and flexed the knuckles painfully. “Damn that hurts.” He muttered, and then carried on. “Look, I know she didn’t tell you about the baby, but it didn’t help that you were with the blond bird when she saw you in hospital. Caroline took it pretty badly. Don’t go and break her heart again.”

At that moment, a nurse came out of a side corridor looking disapprovingly at the pair of them. She glanced at David’s cradled hand for a moment but then frowned up at both of them.

“Are either of you two the fathe
r, or next of kin to Miss Masters?” She looked from one to the other.

“Yes,” They both said together.

The nurse rolled her eyes in exasperation and Adam stepped forwards to clarify the situation.

“I’m the baby’s father.” Adam looked down at her trying to read her expression. “Is everything going to be okay?”

“I wouldn’t say that they’re completely in the clear yet, but yes, at the moment they’re both fine. Come with me. You can see them for a while.”

Both Adam and David followed her through
swing doors. Their footsteps echoed as they walked in silence along the corridor and then they stopped outside a smaller door.

The nurse stepped back and waited.

“Go on in then, but be quiet and don’t you dare fight again.” She smiled as she glanced at David’s hand again. “We’ll be seeing you in x-ray a bit later I take it.” She turned and walked off into another room.

David looked up at Adam
’s tightly drawn face. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and his cheeks looked hollow. He peered at the man’s granite chin and couldn’t see any mark where he’d hit him.

“Didn’t I hurt your jaw at all?” He was curious.

Adam narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“What? What are you talking about?” He asked distractedly, and David held his hand up helpfully. He raised his eyebrows in realization and shook his head. “What, that little tap? No. If you want to know what a proper punch feels like, I can always show you.” He offered, bunching his fist. David took a quick step backwards but Adam shook his head and gave a grim smile as he turned back towards the door. “Do you think she’ll want to see me?” He asked David as he stood there, too nervous to enter.

David shoved him hard in his back using his good hand.
He grunted good-naturedly.

“Get in there, you great idiot. She loves you, so go and see if you can salvage something out of this bloody mess. Cat
hy called me back before you arrived here. She explained all the misunderstanding. Now go and explain it to Caroline. Give me a shout when you’re done. Just let me know she’s okay and then I’ll go and get this sorted. It’s definitely broken.” He leaned against the doorframe holding his wrist tenderly as he waited.

Adam shouldered the door and held his breath as he stepped into the small room. Caroline appeared to be sleeping in the bed. She looked small and pale. Her long dark hair was pulled back from her face, with just a few damp tendrils sticking to her cheeks and forehead.

Adam could see marks where the perspiration had run down her face. He breathed out suddenly and then stopped as he saw a small clear basket beside her.

The baby was l
ying on its back, tiny and pink-faced. It had a shock of dark hair on its head. He walked hesitantly around the bed to get a closer look just as the baby snuffled and turned its head towards him.

Adam
gasped aloud as he saw a tiny, wrinkled, mirror image of himself lying in the basket. His whole body shook as the enormity of his child’s existence sank in. His heart pounded in his chest as his legs gave way and he fell to his knees at the bedside. He put his forehead on the sheets, too overcome to do anything else. He steadied his breathing, taking in great gulps of air, and then looked up again as he felt a warm hand on the back of his head.

Caroline was looking right back at him. Her eyes curious, disbelieving.

“Adam? Is that you? What are you doing here? How did you know?” Her voice was hoarse, tired-sounding

He cleared his throat.

“Daniel was buying cakes. He has a terrible sweet tooth you know. Cathy told him about the baby. About how something had gone wrong. He came and told me.” He stammered, still overcome. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant Caroline? Do I mean that little to you? Or is it that you hate me so much?” His voice was filled with pure agony.

Her eyes filled with tears.

“Oh Adam.” She sobbed at his words, her heart leaping in her chest, too relieved to see him to lie. “You mean everything to me. How could I ever hate you?” She looked at him sorrowfully and then towards their baby. “I was in so much pain. And not just today. It was bad enough when you left me. This time I thought I’d lost him too.” She was whispering as she watched her baby. “He looks just like you doesn’t he? I wonder if he’s going to grow as big as you too.” She smiled a watery smile at Adam and closed her eyes again as she gulped back her tears.

Adam couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

“Caroline, are you okay? You’re not in pain now are you? Shall I find someone?” He touched her cheek tenderly with his warm hand and he heard her sigh deeply.

“No. I’m fine, just tired that’s all. It was all a bit of a shock. Is David still here?” She yawned.

Adam nodded.

“Yes, He’s outside, do you want me to bring him in?”

She shook her head.

“No, just go and let him know everything’s fine. Ask him to come and see me tomorrow.” She caught Adam
’s arm as he got up to go. “Adam, I couldn’t talk to you before. I was so stupid, I didn’t know how to tell you, but I need to talk to you now. We can’t leave things as they are. Please don’t leave me on my own.” Her eyes begged him to stay and his heart surged wildly within him.

He took her hand off his arm and lifted it gently. He skimmed the back of it with
his lips, his words a vow as he whispered.

“I’ll never leave you again. Ever.” He turned to the door, but his eyes held hers for a long moment and he didn’t let go of her hand immediately.

“Adam, be careful out there.” Caroline smiled wanly as she had a sudden thought. She turned her hand inside his and squeezed it, hope cascading through her veins even while she worried about her brother. “I think David wants to thump you. I told him it was a pretty bad idea, but he’s been down the gym working out and he’s a very determined guy when roused. Go easy on him. Please.”

Adam let out a low laugh.

“Huh! He’s already done it. Felt like he was swatting a fly. He needs to go and get a refund from that gym.” He joked as he rubbed his chin. “He thinks he broke his own hand.” Adam smiled at her as he walked to the door.

He came back a few minutes later. A doctor was with him. He came over to Carolin
e and held her wrist while he took her temperature.

“How are we feeling? More comfortable? The stitches are going to be sore for a while but you’ll get over it all soon enough with plenty of rest.” He turned to look at the tiny baby.

“I’m just tired, I think.” She answered. “Is he going to be okay?” She asked the doctor as she stared at her son.

The Doctor nodded.

“Yes, I’m as sure as I can be. Looks like he’s as strong as an ox, but that’s hardly surprising now I’ve seen the little lads dad.” The doctor raised his eyebrows as he looked a long way up at Adam. “He’s a little underweight, but not much for a two month premature baby and he’s breathing on his own well enough. Everything seems to be well-developed. We think he just used up everything and needed to get out.” The doctor smiled as he reached inside the clear plastic box and touched the baby. The tiny thing screwed up his wrinkled face and made a sound like a cat mewing. “Not many premature babies can even do that. So far, it’s all good news but we’ll keep him here until we’re absolutely sure he’s fit and well.” He stood up straight and turned to Adam. “Do you want to hold him?”