As the music played and her thoughts settled, the tension in her shoulders started to ease. A massage would be heaven, she thought, and two full nights of proper sleep without a small child worming his way into the bed, keeping her awake with his wriggling. Despite all her reservations – and with Matt’s suspicions put firmly to the back of her mind – she allowed herself to imagine that she could actually enjoy her weekend.
When she arrived, James was waiting for her in the reception area, sitting on one of the leather sofas next to the water feature, reading a book. He tucked it under his arm as he stood to give her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. Her heart flipped as his lips brushed her skin, and she wondered again about his agenda. Nervously she followed him into the lift, a sudden heat flushing through her. What if we’re sharing a room? She closed her eyes for a moment, tried to compose herself.
‘Feeling tired?’ James asked.
She blinked, watched the doors of the lift swish open. ‘It’s been a tricky week,’ she said, flinching at the touch of his hand on the small of her back as he guided her along the corridor. He stopped outside a door, reached into his pocket and pulled out a key card, which he inserted into the lock. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her and she chewed her lip, wondered if she should say something. Turn round and go home.
‘This is your room,’ he said as he opened the door, indicating that she should go in first. ‘I’m across the hall if you need me.’ Her body sagged and she had to make a conscious effort to keep her relief hidden, make it seem like she’d assumed all along they’d be having separate rooms.
She glanced around the spacious bedroom, beautifully decorated in cream and gold and bronze, with a comfy seat by the large window. She put her bag down and walked over to study the view of landscaped gardens scattered with seating areas, trees and flower borders creating private nooks for relaxation. It looked wonderful and she was itching to get out there, stretch her legs and have a wander in the fresh air.
‘Do you fancy a stroll?’ he asked as he came to stand next to her, seeming to read her mind. ‘Then we can have dinner. I’ve booked us in for eight, so we’ve got an hour or so to settle in.’
She turned and smiled at him. ‘Oh yes, I’d love to explore the gardens. They look beautiful, don’t they?’ It would give her a chance to assert herself a little, she decided, make sure he knew she’d be able to pay back the money very shortly and then their deal could come to an end.
‘We can pick a spot to sit outside tomorrow. The forecast is good, so we might as well enjoy it.’ He sounded so happy, so evidently looking forward to their weekend, she was reluctant to spoil the mood. Relax, she told herself. There’s plenty of time to talk. Her hand rested on her chest, her heart still beating far too fast. She needed to calm down first.
James was in a chatty mood, and she found herself laughing at his dry observations as they wandered round the paths, testing out each seating area until they’d chosen one they would try to claim the following day. They were just heading back inside to get changed for dinner when her phone pinged. A message from Matt. Her heart stuttered and she stopped to read it.
How are your hen girls? Send pics.
She chewed her lip, sent back a quick message.
Not arrived yet. Will send pics later.
James raised an eyebrow. ‘Problem?’
‘Um… just Matt checking I got here okay.’ She sighed and rubbed at an ache in her neck where the muscles pulled tight. ‘He wants pictures of the girls I’m supposed to be here with.’
James gave a slow shake of the head. ‘Got you on a tight leash, hasn’t he?’
Sara studied her feet, drew a pattern with her toe in the gravel. ‘We had a terrible row when I said I was coming away, and he accused me of having an affair. Said he has eyes everywhere and if he finds out I’m seeing someone else, that’s it. End of our marriage and he’ll throw me out.’ Just repeating Matt’s threat made her break out in a cold sweat.
She watched James’s feet as he moved his weight from one to the other, hands in his pockets. ‘Well, we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t find out then, won’t we?’ She nodded, but didn’t dare look up, as then he’d see that tears weren’t far away.
Silently she carried on towards the entrance, James following, her phone still clasped in her hand. A new thought crept into her head. He’ll know where I am. Her phone would have told him her location, if he’d cared to look. Thank goodness we’re actually in a spa hotel, she thought. That was a good idea of James’s, to keep her lie close to the truth, but then he must have had practice with Fiona, given that she was a married woman. Has he been here with her? It seemed quite likely, and she wondered if she was just one of a succession of women; if James was the type who wouldn’t commit, or who got a kick out of being with other men’s wives.
She shook the thought away. We’re not having an affair, she told herself, more forcefully than should have been necessary. Work colleagues, that’s what we are. Her body tensed. What if Matt comes here to check up on me? The idea brought her out in another cold sweat. It was no good, she had to be straight with James about how she felt.
She turned to him as they waited for the lift to arrive. ‘I really don’t like this, you know. I hate all the lies.’
He didn’t answer for a moment, his eyes meeting hers. ‘It’s not too much of a lie when you think about it. The problem is your husband not liking you having friends of the opposite sex. I could be gay for all he knows.’ He gave a snort. ‘What would he think about it then?’
‘It’s not that,’ Sara protested, while the little voice in her head told her that it just might be.
James guided her into the lift. ‘I’m sure there are plenty of women here who would be happy to have their picture taken with you if you asked nicely.’
She frowned. ‘But I won’t know them.’
He gave her a quick smile. ‘And neither will Matt.’
Sara chewed her lip. He had a point. Unless Matt decided to look on Facebook and found out that none of the faces in the picture matched that of Louise Moss. Sweat prickled her skin, a headache pounding at the base of her skull.
James gave her a sideways glance. ‘It might be an idea if you got rid of your phone, you know. Maybe stash it in your car. People can put all sorts of spyware on phones these days. Listen in to your conversations.’
Sara gulped, horrified at the idea. Matt was certainly capable of doing something like that. She looked at the phone still clasped in her hand, her heart racing as if she had hold of an unexploded bomb. She wondered if it was already too late. If Matt had heard their discussion about faking a photo.
‘I can’t leave it in the car,’ she whispered, holding the phone behind her back, pressed against her clothing in the hope that it might muffle any sound. ‘What if there’s a problem with the girls, or Ezra? I need to be reachable.’
He thought for a moment. ‘Well… just text the phone number here to anyone who needs to know. Then they can contact reception.’ He shrugged. ‘Say it’s a no-phones weekend.’
Sara was impressed and appalled at his ability to construct believable lies without a second thought. A shiver of unease ran through her.