The Birds and the Bees(47)

‘What invite?'

‘For Will and Pam's barbecue.'

‘No.'

‘Well, it's on its way. You know what I'm going to say, don't ye?'

It wasn't hard to work out.

‘What? You and me to go together?'

‘Absolutely.'

‘Colour co-ordinated?'

‘As long as it's blue. No yellow or pink.'

‘When is it though? It all depends if I can get a babysitter.'

‘Saturday. Apparently, the weather at the weekend is going to be  gorgeous and the good news is that you don't need to find a babysitter  because the kids are invited too. Pam's organized a Bouncy Castle and a  magician and thousands of e-numbers-worth of sweets and pop. Will asked  me if I minded him inviting Matthew and Jo and I said not at all. In  fact, I positively encouraged him to do so.'

‘I don't know if I dare.'

‘Oh, you dare,' said Adam with a sort of jolly threat. ‘And what's more,  we'll take centre-stage on this one, lady. Just you wait and see.'



Jo had never really forgiven Matthew for carrying no cash with him at  Will's wedding. She had got sick of dipping into her purse to pay for  all the drinks at the reception that night, but she swallowed it because  she thought it was a one-off genuine mistake on his part. But tonight  was unforgivable! First she had to bear the embarrassment when his card  was declined, then she had to stand by as he looked hopelessly through a  wallet he knew was empty, as if he was Paul Daniels and would suddenly  shout, ‘And that's magic!' and flourish up two fifty-pound notes. They  were starting to attract attention for all the wrong reasons, and so she  whipped out her Amex to reclaim some dignity, only to have to bear the  in dignity when that too was declined. Luckily, she had her chequebook  and in anger and embarrassment, she had written out the wrong amount and  had to do another. She would never go in that restaurant again, at  least not with Matthew. How dare he treat her like that? Funny how he  always had money on him when he went shopping for those poncey male  moisturizers and face packs. Adam would not have been seen dead with a  mudpack on. And he had paid her Amex bill every month. Foolishly, she  had not considered that he might have cancelled his direct debit and  that she would have to stump up for it from now on. She had taken his  generosity for granted for so long. Not even the prospect of Matthew's  half a million to come could salve the humiliation of this evening.

‘Please, sweetie, I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid. Please, let me make it up  to you,' Matthew pleaded in bed and started to smudge his mouth down  her body, but she pushed him away and presented him with her back.

‘Matthew, just go to sleep,' she said. Sex might have had a big place in  Jo MacLean's life, but next to money, its importance was negligible.





Chapter 37




‘Have you got your invite?' said Catherine, with a just-dropped-the-kids-at-school Tuesday-morning phone call.

‘It's just arrived now in the post.'

‘And?'

‘Yes, before you ask, I'm going with Adam MacLean.'

‘Fandabidozy!'

‘Is Matthew going?'

‘They've been invited. Apparently, Will asked Adam first if he minded  and he said no, and Pam asked me to ask you if it was okay.'

‘Yes, it's fine.'

‘I said that. In fact, I insisted she invite them because I just know  that you two have a plan up your sleeves, don't you?' laughed Catherine.

‘I wouldn't say it was a plan exactly. We just want them to see us together.'

‘About time too,' giggled Catherine. ‘Anyway, what are you going to wear?'

‘I'm going shopping for something new.'

‘When?'

‘Towards the end of the week, probably.'

‘Can I come?'

‘Absolutely.'



They met for their shopping trip on Thursday, mainly because Stevie  needed to get in a couple of days' hard writing on the story of Damme  and Evie. Even with his (battle) scar, the big Scot was turning out to  be an incredibly powerful character – against her will, it had to be said.  He was evolving all on his own. Obviously, as a Midnight Moon hero, he  had to be wonderful, but Damme MacQueen definitely had the McX factor.  Evie presumed his roughness was not consigned to his exterior, and he  thought her beauty was only skin deep – it was sexual Semtex. They were  far too good for Crystal's conveyor-belt fiction and Stevie wished she  had saved him for the long romantic novel she so wanted to write. She  was having a great deal of fun writing the lovers' verbal battle scenes,  each one of them misjudging the other totally.                       
       
           



       

Was that what she and Adam were doing? she had thought more than once  recently. She had seen the scar on Jo's leg, witnessed her tears and  fears but really, it was all circumstantial evidence, as they said on A  Touch of Frost. Stevie had made herself a firm promise that she would  butt out of the Honeywell/MacLean alliance at the first sign of  violence, but there had been not even a hint of it so far. Could Jo have  been telling lies? Did women have the same capacity for deception that  men had? Was there really that much smoke without fire? Not that it  mattered really, since Stevie's involvement with Adam was merely a means  to an end, as was his involvement with her. She couldn't give a damn  what happened to either him or Jo after she and Matthew got back  together. Really.

Catherine picked out a very floaty summer blue dress from the rack. ‘Try this on.'

‘Wow, that's perfect,' Stevie said. Just the colour Adam had said he was  going in too – although she would be dressing for Matthew, not Adam, a  nudging thought reminded her.

‘Go try.'

Stevie go-ed and tried. Then she came out of the changing rooms and gave her friend a modest twirl.

‘That's the one,' said Catherine.

‘Do you think?'

‘Deffo.'

‘Well, that's totally spoilt the morning then,' said Stevie.

‘Nothing says you can't buy the first dress you see,' said Catherine.  ‘Anyway, now we'll have more time to accessorize and scoff buns.'

‘Well done, that woman,' said Stevie, and went off to pay lots of money.  She had so much spare this month. Even with the big wodge of rent money  out of her account, life was infinitely cheaper living without Matthew  than with him.



Salvation came for Matthew in the form of a letter from Goldfish, which  arrived on the same day as his formal invite to Pam and Will's barbecue.  They had upped his Visa limit by two grand, so he immediately took out a  cash advance and paid the mortgage arrears off before the interest  crippled him any further. It was no big deal, he told himself. Some  people lived all their lives robbing Peter to pay Paul, although he  wasn't sure how much longer he could do that because Peter hadn't  anything left to rob and Paul was going to send some big mates round  with knuckledusters on soon. He called the bank and made an appointment  to see his account manager, in the hope of getting a consolidating loan.  Then he planned, once and for all, how he was going to tell Jo the  truth: that he wasn't just in that house as a stopgap until his ‘family'  investments matured and allowed him to buy a nice pile in the country.  That he couldn't afford a fancy dancing wedding and the meals out every  night would have to stop because he was poor, poor, poor. She would not  be happy, but the scene at the restaurant had brought things to a bit of  a head. He hadn't expected Jo to react quite as badly as she did, and  it made him aware that he needed to tell her everything, now, whilst  things were the worst financially that they could possibly be. She loved  him, she would understand. Of that, at least, he was totally convinced.



Jo still wasn't talking to him. They hadn't had sex since the weekend  and nothing he did, or tried to do, had warmed up the frosty air between  them. He saw her enter the office after her lunch-break, waved over and  smiled, but she sailed past him, carrying a posh-looking carrier bag,  and his expression dropped to that of a kicked puppy. He sighed and got  out his Visa, then made a call to 118 118 to find out the number of an  Interflora, then rang ‘Floral Fixation' and ordered an extravagant  bouquet to be sent to a Ms J. MacLean in Design. He did not notice that  Colin Seed was well in earshot behind him.



Meeting up deliberately early so they could have a quick natter at the  school gates, Stevie filled Catherine in on all the details since their  last meet. She had, of course, rung to tell her that Matthew had seen  them together, but trying to have a long intense conversation with  children on both sides continually interrupting meant only the gossip  skeleton was delivered, in preparation for the flesh to be put on now.

‘You look better than you did,' said Catherine, adding cheekily, ‘In  fact, you looked bloody terrible at Josh Parker's party. Adam must have  rejuvenating lips.'