‘The thing is,’ Aaron said over the phone a fortnight later, ‘it’s Jasper’s birthday and he’s making a weekend of it. Racing at Ascot on Saturday, big party in the evening, then a picnic in the park with competitive games on Sunday afternoon.’
Didi’s heart had sunk at the mention of Jasper. It carried on plummeting as the details of the birthday celebrations were laid out. Jasper was one of Aaron’s bosses; he was loud and boorish and drank like a fish.
‘I don’t understand why he’s invited me along. I’ve only met him three times.’ And that had been plenty.
‘His wife told him he needed to invite couples this time. I think it’s her way of making sure they don’t end up in a strip club again, like last year. Oh come on, it’ll be fun.’
It wouldn’t be. Jasper would leer at her boobs and make unfunny jokes about sex. ‘He’s an ape,’ Didi sighed.
‘I know, but he’s my boss. And there’ll be other women there to talk to.’
‘Is Tanya going?’ Tanya was the girlfriend of another of his colleagues.
‘She can’t make it.’
Typical. Tanya was the only one Didi actually liked.
After a couple of seconds, Aaron said, ‘You don’t want to come down, do you?’
She felt mean, but it was true. It was one thing spending the weekend with Aaron, but his male co-workers were brash, overconfident and difficult to like, and their wives and girlfriends tended to spend most of the time discussing fillers and Botox, whilst scrolling through Instagram bitching about anyone who hadn’t succumbed to either.
‘Would you mind if I gave it a miss? It’s just that we’re rushed off our feet here. We’ve never been so busy, and I hate swanning off leaving everyone to cope without me.’ This was true. They were almost halfway through August and it was the height of the holiday season; Elliscombe was bursting at the seams with tourists, and both the hotel and its restaurant were fully booked for weeks ahead.
‘You work too hard,’ Aaron chided. ‘Everyone needs a break. But OK, I know you wouldn’t enjoy having to put up with Jasper all weekend. I’ll tell him you can’t get away, shall I?’
The relief was huge. ‘Thanks. You’ll have more fun with your friends anyway, not having to worry about me being bored out of my mind.’
‘I’ll miss you, but I know what you mean. How are things going with Layla and her chap?’
‘All good, as far as I know. Haven’t met him yet, but she’s happy. Why?’
‘I just remember her saying the other week how she always goes over to his place and he never wants to spend any time at hers,’ Aaron said lightly. ‘Sounds kind of, I don’t know . . . familiar?’
‘Oh no, that’s not fair.’ Didi laughed. ‘You like getting away from London and spending time up here. And if it wasn’t Jasper’s birthday, I’d definitely be coming to see you. If you tell him you can’t go to the racing and the party and the picnic in the park, I’ll jump on a train and spend the weekend with you.’ As she said it, she wondered if he’d consider doing that.
‘And wouldn’t that be great? But I can’t. This is Jasper we’re talking about. He’s the boss and he doesn’t take no for an answer.’
‘We’ll see each other next weekend. And if you really want, I’ll come down to you,’ Didi promised, because it was only fair.
‘I may hold you to that. Right, I have to go now. Love you.’
‘Love you too.’
‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ said Aaron.
‘If I don’t call you first.’ This was a well-worn routine, the way their phone conversations always ended.
‘Bye, beautiful.’
‘Bye.’ Didi ended the call and exhaled slowly. Mission accomplished. Jasper’s dreaded birthday celebrations had been avoided, she was staying here in Elliscombe, and better still, she was free to enjoy the sunny weekend stretching ahead.
What a relief.
Chapter 23
On Friday evening, instead of catching the train to London, Didi ended up working until midnight because one of the waitresses was stuck in Menorca thanks to a cancelled flight home. On Saturday, she stayed around the hotel to help with a silver wedding anniversary celebration. OK, it was work, but it was still fifty times more enjoyable than having to spend hours in the company of Jasper and his cohorts.
By five, though, she was hot, tired and ready for a change of scenery. After a quick shower, she changed into a khaki vest top and black shorts. As she dragged a brush through her hair, she glanced out of the window and saw Shay leaving the hotel via the gate at the far end of the terrace. He was carrying a Nike bag, which meant he must be heading over to the sports centre on the outskirts of Elliscombe.
OK, she wasn’t going to go there then. What if he thought she was following him like a stalker? She checked her reflection in the dressing table mirror. Make-up or no make-up? No, not this evening. A memory from the distant past was swirling up and now that it had occurred to her, she knew what she wanted to do.
Yes, yes. Perfect.
Hestacombe was a twelve-mile drive away, through verdant Cotswold countryside. As Didi approached the village, situated in the dip of a bowl surrounded on all sides by big hills, she caught tantalising glimpses of Hestacombe Lake glittering in the sunlight between the trees.
But as she reached the car park just up from the crescent of beach bordering the lake, her stomach gave a lurch of recognition at the sight of a car she definitely hadn’t expected to see here.
Shit, shit.
But at the same time, if she was being completely honest . . . Oh . . .
The blue Audi was empty. Didi’s head swivelled in the direction of the lake, but she saw only a couple of families with children splashing around in the shallows. If she reversed out of here sharpish and continued back up the narrow winding lane, she could get away without being seen and he’d never even know she’d been here. That would be the sensible course of action.
The next second, Shay’s head broke the surface of the water twenty metres away and she saw him register her presence. Oh God, what was she supposed to do now?
Finally, after a long moment, a smile lit up his tanned face and Didi experienced a rush of relief. Of course she wasn’t going to drive away; here it was again, their shared past drawing them together. She switched off the ignition and stepped out of the car, moving closer to the water’s edge.
‘Well.’ Shay’s blonde hair was slicked back from his face. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’
She raised a hand, palm out. ‘OK, before you start thinking it, I didn’t follow you. I’ve been working all day, I wanted to relax and cool off.’ She shook her head. ‘I had no idea this was going to happen.’
‘I believe you.’ He grinned. ‘Still a coincidence, though.’
‘I saw you leaving, carrying a sports bag. I thought you were heading over to the sports centre.’ Was this completely true? Had she subliminally wondered if he might have shared her idea to come to the lake? She genuinely had no clue.
‘Hey, we both had a good idea at the same time. Are you getting in?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t.’