Seven Days: The Complete Story (52 page)

I almost feel content with how things are
now. It may be that Joel and I will never be together again, that
we’ll move on, our past becoming nothing but a memory of a time we
loved. And if that happens, I’ll cross that bridge. I’m ready to
now. Being here, just Nicky and I, has given me time to ponder and
grieve. Time to plan. It was what I needed and I’m grateful to Joel
for allowing me that space.

Since the night I moved into
Gull’s
Nest
, everything seems
to have fallen into place. My life has an order I dreamed of, and
surprises I once dreaded now fill me with excitement. Every day
with Nicky is new. Every day is a beautiful surprise as he
navigates this big new world.

The first thing I did after moving was
advertise my little house for holiday rental. I now welcome
visitors to The Bay on a weekly basis. They come to share the
seaside experience of my cottage, to hear the waves crashing
against the shore and take the short walk to the beach. I clean the
house after they leave and tend to the garden. I bake them bread
and scones — yes me!

What originally began as a way to make some
pocket money and keep myself busy seems to be turning into a whole
new career. The locals noticed the things I did to improve the
garden around Nicholas’ house and one job led to another. Now, I
look after three gardens on a regular basis and am helping two
couples to redesign their old overgrown gardens. I can work around
Nicky’s nap times and take him with me on the job. He adores
sitting up in his pram watching what’s going on. But he adores
being spoiled more. My clients love him to bits.

Last month I began learning to sail, though
I totally suck at it and thought I’d be banned from the sailing
club for capsizing my sabot and sending my tutor into the drink.
I’m enjoying it and hopefully, with some help, I’ll be able to
motor out of the headland to send Nicholas’ ashes to their final
resting place when the time comes. I think he’d let me off hoisting
the sail if he knew I’d been trying to master sailing as hard as I
can.

I glance at my watch and down tools. Tonight
is Emily’s hen’s do and I’m travelling back to the city. I’ve
booked a hotel room and hired a sitter though I’m not sure how
that’ll go. I’m not sure I can be away from Nicky for more than
half an hour. I’ve never done it and the idea that something might
go wrong scares the crap out of me. But like everything else, all I
can do is give it a go. And if I fail, I’ll try again another
day.

*****

“Thank freaking God you’re here.” Emily
grumbles into my ear, then gives a furtive look to the future
sister-in-laws, hoping they didn’t hear her. They’re rather old and
spinster looking, not your typical bridesmaid material. I don’t
think they could hear a bull in a china shop.

“
If I have to listen to one more reason why
I shouldn’t get plastered on my own hen’s night and dance with a
stripper I’m going to slit my wrists,” she continues. “They
are
sooo
B.O.R.I.N.G.”

I laugh and hug her back. “It’s nice to see
you, too. I can’t believe you’re getting married next week. This is
so majorly awesome.”

Emily leads me to a spot next to where she’s
sitting. “Move it, Rachel,” she says to her sister. “Sadie’s
sitting next to me.”

“But I just sat down.”

“And now you can just get up.” She takes
Rachel’s handbag and puts it in an empty place opposite us. “You
can still talk to us from there, now scoot.”

Donning a pouty face, Rachel picks up her
blue cocktail, complete with penis-shaped straw and moves around
the table.

“So,” Emily says, once we’re seated and I
have a drink in my hand. “How’s my adorable Nicky? Is he growing
big? I can’t wait to squeeze his chubby little cheeks again
tomorrow.”

I slip out my phone and show her the photos
I snapped earlier today in the garden. I usually text them to her
but I was so busy I completely forgot.

“He gets cuter every day. I could just eat
him up.” She gushes, flipping through the photos. “What can he do
now?”

“He started smiling, it’s all gums and he
tries to roll over. I think he wants to escape me.”

“You can’t blame him. You are quite
boring.”

“I am not!”

“It was a joke, honey bubble. You know I
love you. And what news of our other resident hunk?”

“I spoke to him last week. He’s not enjoying
handling the whole company. He says he never knows what’s going on
from one day to the next. I suggested perhaps he should think of
taking on an architect to fill Nicholas’ role. He can’t do
everything and he openly admits that.”

“I can’t imagine Joel letting anyone else
into Nicholas’ office.”

“Me either. And even if he does the new guy
would have nowhere to sit. Nicholas bequeathed his chair to his
secretary.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. It was some inside joke or something.
Even Joel laughed at the time, and that’s saying something.”

“Any thoughts of getting back together? You
know he misses you like crazy.”

“I don’t know. I’m liking my own company at
the moment. It’s not that I don’t love Joel but I need to be alone
to process everything. It may be that we never get back
together.”

“I know this sound hypocritical after what
happened with us but I think that would be a dreadful shame. Joel
loves you and you love him.”

“Ever the romantic. Sometimes love isn’t
enough.”

By this time, we’ve finished eating our
appetisers and after a couple of drinks, I’m dying for a wee so I
excuse myself and head through the restaurant in search of the loo.
I’m rounding the corner of a large concrete pole, my eyes scanning
the walls for a sign to lead me in the right direction. But this
does not happen.

Instead, I come face to face with Joel.

Having dinner.

With a girl.

Missing me like crazy, is he? This is not
going to end well.

Suddenly, I can’t move. My about-to-overflow
bladder forgets its urgency, which is lucky because my feet have
been nailed to the floor with metal spikes. My mouth is dry, my
heart begins to pound. What is Joel doing here? And why does he
look so incredibly hot when he’s only meant to look that way for
me? How can he be here with another girl? He’s my Joel, not
hers.

Okay, sure, I’ve fobbed him off the last few
months but he knows why. I assumed that meant he’d wait. Now I find
he’s wining, dining and probably fucking that girl the way I like
to be fucked.

Oh, this is
so
not on.

I watch as the girl, a gorgeous brunette —
with the type of rounded perky boobs Joel adores— leans across to
brush her hand over his forearm. Her ringed finger glints in the
candlelight.

Step away from the man, I think. Step away
now or I might not be responsible for what I do. There are an awful
lot of knives on tables in my near vicinity and I’m always keen to
hone a new skill these days. I bore my eyes into the girl willing
her to die. Unfortunately she doesn’t. She only smiles wider and
sexier and shows off more of her cleavage, leaving Joel’s tongue
practically trailing on the tablecloth. This is so not fair. How
can I compete with that?

I decide to text him. I have no idea why. It
seems, clearly, I left my brain in Nicky’s baby backpack.

Beep
. Joel’s phone buzzes.

playing at???>
I’ve
typed. I’m so consumed with jealousy I want to be sick. I’ve never
behaved like this before.

Okay, so there was that one time at Joel’s
birthday but we won’t go there. We need to focus on now.

Joel glances around the room. I think he
senses my nearness. He says something to the girl and bends his
head to type.

ability to sense betrayal from a hundred kilometres>
It honestly amazes me how my
sarcastic side comes to the fore when I’m cross.
here. And get her foot off your dick. The entire restaurant can see
your hard on>

Joel shuffles in his seat. Or should I say
squirms. His eyes dart about the room but he hasn’t found me yet.
So I decide to help him along. I head for the front door, sashaying
straight past him as seductively as I can, simply to annoy him. I
have no idea what I’m going to say when I see him face to face. I’m
so angry with him the words are frozen on my tongue.

Pity really. I’d love to give him a
mouthful.

I wait for him on the street. It’s a busy
Friday night and the restaurant strip is packed with people. They
jostle us as we face off. Taxis on the kerb honk loudly dulling our
voices.

I can hear him clearly though. Every single
word.

Joel looks peeved. “What was that
about?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Why are you
here with that girl and why was she fondling your dick under the
table?”

He pauses, frowning. He appears seriously
confused by what I’ve said. Or maybe he doesn’t want to admit that
I’ve caught him in the act. Joel, the playboy, has returned. Well
and truly. “Perhaps you should think about what happened the last
time we were together, Sadie.”

He’s angry with me now. He never calls me
Sadie unless he’s angry or upset.

“What do you mean?”

“You had sex with me, then you left in the
middle of the night. You told me you loved me but you refuse to
come home. I haven’t been with another woman in over a year. I
loved you and you threw that in my face. What do you expect me to
do? I’m not a fucking monk. There’s only so long I can wank into my
own hand.”

“You disgust me.”

“Why? Because I refuse to sit around and
wait for you forever?”

“I didn’t realise there was a time limit on
grieving.”

Joel rolls his eyes. He literally rolls his
eyes. The freaking cheek of him.

“You need to move on from that and make a
decision,” he says. “I can’t wait anymore. Life has to go on.”

He takes a step toward me. Our bodies touch
and as if by instinct my mind begins to cloud over the way it
always does when he’s around. My fingers are tingling being so
close to his. I can almost see the electricity sparking between us.
“Is this an ultimatum?”

His head bends to mine. His face is so near
I lose my breath. “I guess it is.”

“Do I have to decide right this second?”

“Unless you want me to go back in to the
restaurant and finish my dinner.”

No, no, NOOOO!

“You can’t go back to her! It’s not right.
You’re meant to be with me.”

“Are you jealous, Ariel?” He quirks a
brow.

“You fucking know I am. Geez I hate you, I
hate that you can make me feel this way.”

“I guess you’ll hate me more when I tell you
this was a set up then—”

Huh?

“— Emily and I set this up to force you to
make a decision. I’m tired of waiting around while you pick a few
weeds out of the garden. We figured seeing me with someone else was
the only way to force you into action.”

“I’m not going to let you go again,” he
continues. “If I have to, it’ll be because we both agree it’s never
going to work. But I need to know now. Tonight. No more fucking me
around. It’s decision time.”

A taxi pulls up beside me. Joel glances at
it, then leans across and opens the back door. “Get in.”

“
I can’t. It’s Emily’s hen’s night. She’ll
kill me.” The words leave my mouth before I realise I’m considering
doing what he’s asking. I don’t even
know
what he’s asking.

“She won’t mind. You get in the taxi. I’ll
tell her and Kayliah we’re leaving.”

That girl’s name is Kayliah? Poor thing.

“What will you say?”

“That this is the last chance you and I
have. If we’re meant to be together we have to make a decision
tonight. So get in the fucking car, Ariel. Now.”

I like it when he calls me Ariel. It makes
me quiver.

*****

I’m so excited by the time we get to the
hotel I have difficulty getting the money out of my purse to pay
the sitter. I can’t believe I’m being so slutty, that I’m letting
Joel talk me into this. Again. But seeing him with that girl was
the catalyst. It made me realise I have to act if I want to
preserve what we have. I make quick small talk with the sitter,
thanking her for her help and making up a story about how I’m
feeling ill. Nicky is sleeping peacefully in his port-a-cot. I hope
he continues to sleep. Tonight is one night I don’t want to be
interrupted.

There's a quiet rap on the door a couple of
minutes after the sitter leaves. I open it and stand watching as
Joel strides through the doorway. His t-shirt is clinging to his
chest and torso. It’s untucked where I attempted to undress him in
the taxi. It’s showing a hint of tanned skin above the waist of his
jeans. My heart pumps so loudly at the sight I’m positive he should
be able to hear it. He’ll certainly feel it when he takes me in his
arms.

“Are we doing the right thing?” I
whisper.

“We’re about to find out.” He shoves me
against the wall, pressing his body to mine. He tilts my chin so
our lips meet.

Leaning into me, Joel’s hands explore my
body. They slide over my breasts and down my hips. They tickle the
skin of my bottom and pinch at my nipples. His fingers raise my
skirt to caress my thighs. His knee parts my legs and then he lifts
me so that my legs are locked around his hips. His hands pull aside
my knickers. His fingers delve, sliding through the wetness between
my legs, they thrust inside me and stoke the fire that’s already
there. I am burning up for him. The flicker has become a forest
fire inside me and I arch, wanting every part of him forever in me.
He kisses my breasts, then he slides his hands around my back to my
bottom and guides himself into me. The feeling is intense. This is
where I want to be. For the rest of my life.