Love or Money? (23 page)

Zara looked down proudly at her baby son. He was perfect. Perfect and healthy, with a loud set of lungs and a small button nose – exactly like Daisy’s. Even though she was exhausted she couldn’t help but want to stay awake, just to keep on staring at him. It was hard to believe that so much had happened within twenty-four hours.

“You did well babe”
Steve said looking at Zara and stroking baby Thomas’ face tenderly.

Zara smiled, too tired to respond. She was thankful the labour hadn’t gone on for too long and the birth itself had be
en relatively easy in comparison to her previous experiences.

“
I’ve told Glenda and she’s on the way already with Fee and the kids. I can’t wait to see their faces.” Steve stood up and patted down his unruly hair. Zara noted he looked as tired as she felt. “I’m going to grab a coffee, do you want one?”

“No thanks. I’m ok.”
 

Steve left the room and Zara took the chance to close her eyes for a moment, trying to process all that had happened. The previous evening felt like a blur, even though it was only hours ago.
 

She couldn’t recall much of the conversation with Steve, all she
really remembered was her feelings. The shock of learning that he’d been unemployed for almost three months. The shock of the huge debts that had accumulated without her knowledge; but mainly the hurt and dismay that he hadn’t told her sooner. 

She had been alienated from the situation; left to fester in paranoia that he was cheating on her, whilst the entire time he’d been struggling with his own worthlessness and inadequacy. Yet he’d looked so jubilant and hopeful when he’d told her about his new position, she hadn’t the heart to dash his happiness and let him know her true feelings of disillusion and thoughtlessness. She felt it selfish and inappropriate to begin to try and make him understand that he hadn’t considered her feelings in the matter. He’d left her in the dark, in a lonely place where her mind had drawn her in to a tormented game of being rejected and abandoned.
 

She vaguely remembered him explaining his reasons for not wanting to worry her and she understood those reasons. The pregnancy, the stress, the debt…. But he was her husband.
Her life partner. The one who was supposed to share everything with her. It was hearing about Fee that had really tipped the scales for her; to know that Felicity had confronted Steve on her behalf and had kept it from her. 

It had been the only way she could deal with the situation; it seemed rational at the time to direct her anger at Fee. To unleash
all of the frustration and pent-up emotion on the one person who had always been her support; but it was only after her harsh words that she realised she’d taken it out on the wrong person. Steve was the one she had been bitter at. Not Fee. Her best friend had only had her best intentions at the forefront of her mind. 

Besides, how could she blame Fee for interfering when she herself had recently done the exact same thing. She pushed the thou
ght away, her stomach churning… 

Thomas let out a small cry and she reached her arm into his bassinet, placing her hand on his tummy. Although she didn’t want to consider it too heavily, she was mindful that the stress of Steve’s revelation and her argu
ment with Fee had most likely triggered the early labour. She gave silent thanks that Thomas was ok. She wouldn’t have been able to live with herself if her actions had caused him any consequences.

The door opened and Steve came into the room carrying a coffee in one hand and Daisy in the other. Glenda, Fee, Lexi and Abbey followed excitedly behind him.

“Oh Mummy - it’s a baby!” Daisy said, letting out a squeal of delight.

Zara laughed, feeling overwhel
med at the look on her daughters’ faces as Steve carefully picked up their baby brother to show them. Glenda and Fee stood back, watching with warm smiles. It was only as Zara turned her head to face Felicity directly that they caught one another’s eyes.

Felicity rushed forward to k
iss her friend on the forehead. “I’m so sorry about last night.” She wiped a tear from her eye, as Zara did the same simultaneously. She grinned, looking across at Thomas. “He’s so perfect. Look at him – he’s got your eyes. And cute little chubby legs.”

Glenda noticed the lingering smiles that seemed to pass between her daughter and Zara and wondered what Fee’s comment
referred to. Whatever had happened was clearly forgotten about as Zara took the baby from Lexi’s firm hold and passed him gently to Felicity.

“
Hello baby Thomas. I’m your auntie.” Felicity said in a baby voice, pleased that he’d been given a traditional and classic name. Glenda smiled at the sight of her daughter holding the tiny baby. Strangely enough, it suited her.

Fee felt fresh hope cradling the adorable Thomas in her arms as Zara watched with a sleepy grin. All was back to normal. Her best friend was no longer angry at her. That alone gave her a fuzzy, delighted feeling.

“Here Mum, you have a hold.” She passed the baby to Glenda and caught Steve’s eye as Zara busied herself with the girls. He was smiling at her. She winked in return.

It
had taken a long time to realise but finally she could see him for the man he really was. A great father and a great husband. It didn’t matter that he didn’t always get it right. Nobody did.

He looked so proud and content as he smiled from his son, to his wife to his daughters. She only hoped that one day she could be as fortunate in meeting
someone so family orientated.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Glenda looked around Bill’s kitchen and admired her handiwork. He was always on at her to stop fussing over his home with excessive cleaning but she couldn’t help herself. On the rare occasions when she found herself staying at his for the night – for they usually ended up in her flat instead – she liked to leave his place looking spick and span. Today was no exception. She was certain he’d appreciate her efforts once he arrived home from work.

She picked up her coat and handbag from the hallway a
nd walked towards the front door. As she opened it, the postman was standing on the landing sorting through a pile of envelopes.

“
Morning, Tony.” Glenda smiled at him and shut the door behind her, locking it with the spare key Bill had had cut for her. She thought ever so highly of Tony, it was rare to see such a young lad doing a postal round. She suspected his father had pushed him into it; he was quite a force to be reckoned with was Robert Jones.

“
Morning, Mrs Harroway. Oh I have something here for the gent in number eighteen.” He nodded at Bill’s flat, rifling through the red Royal Mail bag on his shoulder and pulling out a small box. “It needs signing for.” He held a pen in her direction.

“
Ah, ok. Bill isn’t in, so I suppose I’d better sign for it.” She squiggled on the delivery note and took the box from his hands.

“
There’s a couple of letters here as well. Sorry about this one – seems to have been opened.” He passed Glenda two white envelopes, the top handwritten one ripped along its entire edge. “That’s what the red sticker is for. The mail service’s idea of an apology.” He chuckled. “Whoever sent that had better hope there wasn’t money inside. That’s usually why they get ‘accidentally’ ripped open in the sorting room.” He winked.

“Oh dear. Let’s hope not.”
Glenda looked at the envelope curiously, noting the lined handwritten paper just visible from inside. “Thanks, Tony. I had best pop these back inside before I go home.”

She turned
around, putting Bill’s key back in the lock and opening the door.

“
Bye, Mrs Harroway.” Tony was already walking off down the landing.

Glenda closed the door behind her; still eyeing the mystery letter. She flipped it over, noticing a return address on the back. How odd. The return address was Bill’s name with a
Cambridgeshire address. Why would Bill be sending handwritten letters to himself? And why did he have an unfamiliar Cambridgeshire address? It certainly wasn’t the same area as the rental property they’d signed up for a week previously. 

Glenda puzzled, staring down at the messy handwriting. Strangely it didn’t seem familiar to her. Didn’t Bill loop his g’s and y’s? She turned the envelope sideways, running her finger under the torn edge. There was more than enough room to carefully remove the inner letter without anyone ever suspecting.

She quickly placed the letters down on the hallway bureau, annoyed at herself. She wasn’t one to snoop through another’s belongings. What was she thinking?

She reminded herself that curiosity had recently got Felicity into hot water with Zara and Steve’s relationship. Her daughter had been more than regretful at the incident, explaining that it could have cost them the friendship, had the baby n
ot come early and been an ice-breaker. 

“
Let that be a lesson” she said quietly to herself, fishing in her pocket once again for the door key.

She stopped just
as she reached the front door, a thought occurring to her. Surely if she was giving up her life in London to move to Cambridge and begin a new life with Bill, she had the right to know anything that might affect her? The letter was quite obviously something to do with the move.

Before she could change her mind, she found herself back at the burea
u, gently pulling open the envelope tear and retrieving the small lined piece of paper inside. 

Unfolding it slowly, she gasped. Nothing could have prepared her for what she read next.

Sylvia patted another smudge of foundation against the middle aged man’s cheek trying not of focus on the nausea fighting it way upwards. She tried to concentrate on the news presenter’s chatter.

“We all really felt for him at first. But then once the public apology had been made by the paper – it was clear you hadn’t been having a sordid affair like they’d originally suggested.” 

Sylvia wished he’d stop speaking so she could work a bit faster at prepping. The man didn’t seem to notice her lack of response.

“It’s one thing to be reading out these things on the TV, but certainly another to find yourself as the main topic. We all think you’ve coped with it amazingly, given the circumstances. Both you and Phillip. It’s a shame these rumours get out of hand.”

She smiled gratefully. It had been over ten days since the scandal had hit and although the newspaper had chosen to run an apology and corrective story after Dan had made a public announcement, she couldn’t have imagined the amount of support they’d both received. Phillip especially seemed to be benefitting in unexpected ways. His profile had increased even more as a result and the off
ers of endorsements and work were flooding in. Although there were still the odd few that weren’t as receptive towards her, on the whole she hadn’t suffered in the way she’d expected.

She still couldn’t believe Dan had chosen to step forward. It had been a shock to find out that Stacey had been the one to sell the story to the newspaper. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of it sooner but once Dan had told her, it was more than obvious. She’d since learned through him that Stacey had been aware of his cheating with various women for quite some time.
 

She still couldn’t get her head around the idea of the small, dizzy girly girl she’d met at the hospital, doing something so vengeful and nasty. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her though. She too had been duped into believing him and Stacey weren’t a couple when they’d ended up in bed together. It seemed Dan had made a habit of making Stacey disappear when it benefitted him.

 But despite his lie and choosing to keep quiet about the new life he’d started in Thailand, she was grateful that he had had the courage and decency to correct the story, setting straight that she and Phillip had been separated at the time of their one-off tryst. It had seemed to do the trick. The papers had finally stopped running stories and life had resumed a sense of normality.

She finished applying a generous coat of bronzing and setting powder to her client’s face and dusted her hands onto her pinafore.
 

“
There we are. All finished.”

He ad
mired himself in the large lamp-lit mirror in front of him. “Wonderful. Thank-you.” He stood up and before he could chat further, a member of the production team appeared requesting his presence in studio four and steering him out of the dressing room.

Sylvia yawned tiredly. She had one more client to attend
to before she could make her way home. Her stomach flipped with excitement thinking about the night ahead. Phillip had messaged her to ask if he could drop by later and collect something he’d left at hers. She hoped it was an excuse to see her. She missed him. 

Collecting her make
-up brushes from the dresser, she wondered how long it would take until he’d begin to open up to her again. She’d always appreciated her single days; doing as she liked, when she liked. But now at three months pregnant and with a new attitude to life, she was beginning to realise that the support and love of someone you felt secure and safe with was by far the biggest blessing. She just had to find a way to make Phillip realise that too.

Zara sat on the sofa feeding Thomas whilst Daisy played nearby. She had a long list of things she needed to organise – namely the girls’ presents and putting up the Christmas tree. She couldn’t imagine how she’d find the time in the next two weeks, not to mention with Steve working extra hours.

He’d seemed to really have taken to his new role since they’d given him the permanent contract. He’d been coming home for over a week now happily relaying stories and office gossip.
It was hard to believe her self-taught builder husband even knew how to use a computer, let alone a database. It was also amusing to see him leaving the house looking so smart and businesslike. She’d taken a little while to get used to it.

However, she’d decided she had to let go of the feelings of betrayal that she’d felt in the first instance of hearing about their lifestyle changes. She’d come to see just how much Steve’s confidence had been rocked by the events of the last few months and she was relieved that he’d found a career change to start rebuilding it again. Overall he seemed more like the Steve she knew and loved, than the man she’d recently come to mistrust. Their relationship had certainly been tested to the limit over the years but the latest development had proved that they only needed to be more honest and open to overcome things.
 

She felt guilty at the thought of open communication - she was growing increasingly worried about her relationship with Fee. Although things appeared to be normal on the surface, Zara couldn’t help but be concerned that her own recent and secre
tive actions were about to have a devastating effect. She bitterly regretted getting involved.

Thomas let out a high-
pitched wail as the bottle teat slipped from his mouth. She gently maneuvered it back into place, smiling at him greedily suckling away. 

What made it all the more troubling was that Felicity seemed to be in a good emotional place at the moment. She wouldn’t have minded if she had at least received an update on her actions, but she’d hea
rd nothing in over eleven days… 

She couldn’t relax properly – what would happen if things backfired? Would Fee ever forgive her for interfering?
 

She couldn’t be certain. She sighed wearily, wondering why on earth she’d convinced hersel
f it was the right thing to do.

The doorbell rang just as Felicity was pulling on her jeans. 

“For goodness sake”
she huffed, trying desperately to tug the tight and unforgiving material up past her legs and thighs. “You’ll have to wait.”

She stretched her leg out in front of her, trying to get comfortable in the skin hugging bottoms. As much as she loved skinny jeans, they were so impractical.
 

The doorbell rang a second time. She grabbed the red jumper she’d placed on the bed and shoved it over her head, feeling irritated as the static made her hair electrified and stick to her face.

She hurried down the stairs towards the door and opened it, bracing herself from the cold outside. 

“
Hi, Fee.”

Felicity stared in utter disbelief at the tanned and tired looking Owen on her doorstep. She took a moment to find her voice, suddenly feeling extremely hot and flushed.

“Owen? What are you doing here? When…? How…?” she couldn’t find the right words to satisfy her confused thoughts. 

Owen grinned and s
he noticed his unusually yellow-green eyes looked more hazel in the dim, dismal December daylight.

“
I hear you had a sofa going spare with my name on it.” 

“
Huh?” she replied, her eyes drawn to the large suitcase by his feet. 

He stamped his feet and rubbed h
is hands with a smile. “Well, are you going to invite me in or will I be spending the night sleeping in your yard?”

Felicity automatically moved aside, opening up the doorway as Owen pushed his luggage into the hall. She
noted his hair was less scraggy - it looked styled and neat. He removed his heavy woolen coat and her heart skipped a beat as she admired his blue cashmere sweater over a thick cotton shirt. He looked very smart and - dare she think it - like he’d made an effort. Was it for her?

“
Are you going to say something or continue staring at me like I’m a ghost?” Owen asked, a hint of a smile on his lips. She noticed his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Irritation raged inside her. Who the hell did he think he was – standing smugly in her hall, unannounced and expecting her to be grateful. Had he no idea of the turmoil and confusion he’d caused her over the last few weeks? The constant thoughts, the incessant what if’s. And now here he was. True to form and acting as if they’d spoken only yesterday.

“Well, I suppose I could start by saying what an asshole you are” she snapped, churlishly. Owen’s smile faded and his eyes narrowed.

“
Or I could start by asking you why you think it’s acceptable to appear out of the blue after a month without contact?” she looked challengingly at him, daring him to defy her.

“
Or how about I begin with telling you that you’re mistaken if you think I’m going to throw myself at you and thank you for travelling half way around the world to visit me.” She stood back from him, arms folded across her chest awkwardly.

O
wen looked amused and raised an eyebrow. “Are you done yet?”

He took a step toward
s her and gently placed his hands either side of her waist. She didn’t resist, instead taking a deep breath and trying to maintain her angry poise toward him.