Stevie gasped. She remembered the day well. Why else would Jo have been at the gym, if not to talk to Adam?
Be careful of little Danny's heart … as you know only too well, dear friend, step-families are doomed to fail. Jo told her how Adam's ‘type' would always be tall, beautiful, thin, dark-haired women, and how Stevie needed to find someone to love her for the wonderful curvy sunshiney woman that she was. You deserve so much more than any of us. You were the best friend I ever had and I shall always think of you with a smile. I so much regret that you will never be able to do the same for me. Be happy, darling Stevie. Kindest regards and love – Jo x.
Stevie ripped the letter up, but the words left a poison deep in her heart and there was no one on hand to suck it out for her.
Chapter 56
Catherine snuggled up to Eddie's big body under the thin cotton sheet. There was a light breeze ruffling the curtain, blowing cool and gentle onto their skin. They only needed a cheesecake and it would have been heaven.
‘Can't believe after all these years you're still that good in bed,' said Catherine.
‘Is that a compliment or not?' laughed Eddie, slapping her on the backside.
Catherine sighed. If she could, she would have split her bliss and given half to Stevie. She was functioning day to day but Catherine wasn't fooled. Her friend was an automaton, an empty shell bravely guarding the remnants of a heart that was smashed to pieces.
As if reading her thoughts, Eddie asked her, ‘How's Stevie getting on?'
‘You know Stevie,' said Catherine. ‘She's stuck a smile on for the outside world and says she's fine, but I can tell she's not good. Not good at all.'
‘I reckon Matt will try and get back with her.'
‘Probably,' said Catherine. She didn't voice it, but that's what she was afraid of. Stevie and Adam MacLean might have been the world's unlikeliest couple but there was something sparking between them that she doubted they even knew was there. She didn't want Matt to slip weakly back into her best friend's life. She wanted that big, strong Gaelic man to confess his undying love and live happily ever after with Stevie and Danny in that beautiful cottage.
‘I wish there was something I could do,' she said absently.
‘You keep out of it,' said Eddie with as stern a voice as he could muster.
‘I'm not the keeping-out-of-it type.'
‘Force yourself,' said Eddie.
‘I wish Stevie could find what we've got,' said Catherine with a heavy sigh. ‘Well, maybe not all seven kids.'
‘Talking of kids, I saw Rip Van Winkle today,' said Eddie. ‘I said "By heck, James, it's Saturday afternoon, what are you doing up?" And by the way, we've only got six.'
‘Aye, well, remember the night of Pam's wedding, when you got all frisky dancing your big meaty legs off to that Birds and Bees dance and then came home and gave me what-for … '
‘Yes, I most certainly do,' said Eddie with a big beam. ‘I wasn't bad, was I, if I say so myself.'
‘Well, you left a bit of you in here.'
Eddie sat up in bed. ‘You're never!'
‘I flaming am!'
He threw his arms around his wife and squashed her to bits.
‘Bloody fantastic,' he said with a grin that stretched so far across his face, his lips nearly joined around the back of his head. He took her hand and kissed the back of it tenderly. ‘Mrs Flanagan, I love you. You're chuffing magic.'
‘Well, if magic has got anything to do with it, let's send some of it on,' said Catherine, and laid her own kiss on top of Eddie's, then blew it in the direction of Stevie's house. Surely not even Eddie could rebuke her for interfering in Stevie's life on that plain.
Chapter 57
A week had passed when the loud knock landed on Stevie's door and her heart started racing as she rushed to open it. It dropped like a stone though to find Matthew standing there; nevertheless, she formed a small, welcoming smile, which was roughly a quarter the size of his own.
‘I've got some great news!' he said, angling for an invite.
And Stevie being Stevie, she said, ‘Come in.'
‘Is er … ?'
‘No,' said Stevie, anticipating what he was going to ask. ‘Adam doesn't live here any more.'
Matthew's smile suddenly got a bit wider.
‘Coffee?' said Stevie, because it would have been rude not to.
‘Yes, please,' he said, because it would give him an excuse to stay a little longer. ‘Lovely cottage,' he commented, looking around. Not only lovely but also shining and polished and clean, and there was that indefinable something in it that turned a house into a home. His house didn't have it any more. It hadn't had it since Stevie left.
‘Yes, it is lovely,' she said quietly. She would be sorry to say goodbye to it too, so sorry. So many times she had picked up the phone to ring Adam on the pretext of asking him when she needed to get out of the cottage, only to put it down again in case Jo picked it up. He would be a fool to have gone back to her, but Jo MacLean was like a flame to men and she attracted the sorts of hearts that could not stop themselves burning their fragile moth-wings many times against her. Adam must have taken her back; why else would he have left and not been in touch?
‘Sorry I've not been across before, but it's been a mad week,' said Matthew.
‘Oh yes?' said Stevie, barely realizing how many days had passed. She had locked herself away in her office when Danny wasn't around, occupying all thought-space with Damme and Evie, because she did not want to think of her own empty life.
‘I've been offered my old job back!' said Matthew.
‘Good, I'm pleased,' said Stevie.
‘But … ' He left a dramatic pause. ‘I'm not taking it.'
‘Why ever not?'
‘Because I've decided I'm going to have a fresh start. I'm selling the house and clearing some of my debts with the equity, and then I'm moving to London. I've got interviews lined up and I've found a flat, sharing with some other people. It's cheap and cheerful but it will do nicely until I get back on my feet. I've made too many mistakes here and I want to get away. And by way of an unofficial apology, Doyles are giving me three months' paid leave and they've wangled me a tax-free bonus. I hear it was old Seedy who came through for me in the end, can you believe?'
‘Yes, I can believe it,' said Stevie. He had looked a decent man. One who must be hurting terribly at the moment too.
‘He's going to live in New York apparently.'
‘Good. A fresh start for him too. And … Jo?' asked Stevie, although she still had difficulty saying the name.
‘Got flattened by a stray meteorite, died an agonizing slow death.'
Okay, so she imagined that.
‘No one knows. She didn't turn in for work the day after you went into the office and hasn't been back since.'
Adam hadn't been seen either. He hadn't been working at the gym. They were obviously together. Maybe they had gone off on holiday – after all, isn't that what couples did to escape the trail of devastated hearts they left behind – run off to the sun? Not that it mattered really, for the words of Jo's letter had stung her hard and deep. Even with no Jo MacLean on the scene, Adam's heart wasn't going to be fulfilled by a short, lumpy woman and someone else's kid.
‘Apparently Colin looked rough for a couple of days after your meeting,' said Matthew. ‘Someone said he was caught crying in his off-' A five-ton penny dropped. ‘Hey, you don't think Jo and Colin … do you?'
‘I'm almost sure of it, Matthew.' Stevie had been instrumental in that avenue of escape being closed to Jo, which would almost definitely have driven her back to Adam as a safe haven. She shooed that thought away and turned her attentions back to Matthew. ‘So how come you know what happened at work?'
‘Well, people started ringing me again – once the truth filtered out that I wasn't a psycho-woman batterer. I think they felt a bit guilty about believing the stories and tried to over-compensate. Anyway, I got some presents and good luck cards in the post and I'm meeting my department for a night out before I move.'
‘I'm glad for you, Matthew, I really am. I hope you enjoy London.'
‘Unless you … er … ' Matthew stumbled. Stevie looked up into his eyes. They were soft, brown, warm and open, and he was looking nervously at her like the first time he had dared to ask her out.
‘Unless of course you didn't want me to g-go and … ' he stuttered on.