Downsizing, p.19
Downsizing, page 19
He grinned. “That’s my dog!” Laughing, he scratched Spike’s ears, seeming to have put behind him whatever had troubled him when he rang the bell.
“Noah, the little wretch snores!”
Noah spluttered with laughter. He put the dog down, and Spike tore off in pursuit of a couple of pigeons at the end of the garden. Noah loaded his things in his car and returned to the garden by the side gate.
“Did Billy get you up early?”
Noah grimaced. “Six-thirty.”
“That’s not too bad, I suppose, considering.”
“No, I suppose not.” He still wasn’t looking at her. “Look, angel, I’d better get out of your hair. I’ve got a million things to do, but I’ll see you this afternoon at Charles’s.” He whistled to Spike, who pelted hell-for-leather up to him, wagging of course. “Thanks for having Spike, sweetheart, and I’m sorry if he disturbed your repose.”
Not half as much as thoughts of you did, she wanted to say. Instead she settled for picking up the dog and kissing his nose. “He was no trouble really.”
Noah’s arms encircled both her and the dog. With a protracted groan he dropped a kiss on her lips. “Max, do you have any idea—”
“Not interrupting anything, am I?” asked a voice behind them. Noah and Maxine sprang apart like the guilty lovers they’d never been.
“Greg! I wasn’t expecting you yet.”
“Obviously not.” He sauntered into the garden, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. Maxine recognized his devilish expression and inwardly groaned. “I rang the front door bell, but you were obviously…er, busy.”
“Greg Toomey, this is an old friend of mine, Noah Fenwick.”
Greg immediately stuck out a hand. “Pleased to meet you, Noah.”
It was clear to Maxine that Noah accepted his hand only with the greatest reluctance, all the while assessing Greg closely. His eyes, so soft only moments before when he’d kissed her, were now flat and filled with suspicion.
“Okay, Max, I’ve gotta run.” He took Spike from her. “Thanks again, and I’ll see you later.”
“Well,” Greg said in a voice loud enough to carry to Noah, still juggling the dog under one arm while he opened the gate, “I’m glad you didn’t bother to dress on my behalf, darling.”
“Greg!” She kicked his ankle hard, aware that Noah had stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to look at her. The anguish in his expression tore at her heartstrings, and she had to look away. “Behave yourself!” she hissed.
Greg chuckled. “After what I just saw, I rather think that’s my line.”
“Actually,” she told him, linking her arm through his and turning him in the direction of the house. “You didn’t see anything.” Greg raised a skeptical brow. “I merely looked after the dog for him overnight.”
“Only the dog?”
“Yes, only the dog. It’s a present for his son’s birthday.”
“I see. And that’s the mysterious party we’re going to this afternoon, is it?” She nodded. “Mind you,” he added, his eyes sparkling wickedly, “having seen The One in the flesh at last I can quite understand your obsession.”
“I’m cured of my obsession,” she lied. “Now come inside and I’ll make you some breakfast.”
* * * *
When Maxine arrived at the party with Greg, the first person she saw was Madeleine, looking as elegant as ever.
“Hello, Mrs. Turner,” she said. “It’s me, Maxine. How are you?”
“Maxine!” Madeleine looked her up and down, her expression openly astonished. “I never would have known you. You look marvelous.”
“And you haven’t changed a bit, Mrs. Turner.”
“Oh, how I wish that were true, but I’m just an old grandmother nowadays.”
“This is my friend, Greg Toomey.”
Charles materialized, and before she knew it Maxine was in the midst of a host of people she knew. She was stared at, cuddled, fussed over, and rudely cross-examined about her dramatic weight loss. She introduced Greg to all and sundry, wishing her stomach would stop fluttering with nerves. She was saved from having to dredge up something interesting to say to a father of one of the many children present by Josh, Billy, and Spike, who hurtled toward her en masse.
“Max, you came!”
She moved away from the circle of adults and bent to speak to them. “I told you I would.”
“Dad got me a dog.” Billy’s face shone with happiness.
“I know. Isn’t he smart?” Maxine, recognized by Spike, was subjected to yet another thorough face-wash. “What’s his name?”
“Spike,” said the boys together.
“Because of his spiky hair,” Josh explained.
“Well, I don’t suppose my present will be quiet as welcome as Spike, but here it is anyway. Happy birthday, Billy.”
“Thanks!” Billy ripped enthusiastically at wrapping paper while Spike ran round him in circles, tossing the discarded paper in the air with his nose. “Cor, this is the game I really wanted! Thanks. And a book, too! Harry Potter.”
“I know your dad likes to read to you.” She smiled at both boys. “I don’t know about you, but I love Harry Potter’s adventures.”
“So do we,” Josh said.
“That’s good. And I’ve got something for you too, Josh.”
“Oh, but it’s not my birthday.”
“Does it have to be a birthday to get a gift?”
Josh shook his head and eagerly ripped his present open. “Oh, Max, new swimming goggles. These are tons better than the ones I lost. Thanks!” He tossed the packaging aside and placed the goggles on the top of his head, aviator-style.
“You spoil them,” said a voice at her side.
Maxine didn’t need to look round to know who that voice belonged to anymore than she doubted the ownership of the hand that had snaked its way round her waist from behind.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he whispered, kissing her cheek and moving his arm from her waist to drape it casually round her shoulders.
“Noah,” Madeleine said acerbically. “Maxine doesn’t have a drink.”
“She does now.” Rachel materialized at her side with a tray of brimming champagne glasses.
“Hi, Rachel, how’s it going?”
“Hectically,” she responded cheerfully, “I’d better get back to the kitchen before the little monsters nab all the goodies. I’ll catch you later.”
Cassie approached them, clad in a pink floral two-piece skirt set, better suited to a wedding reception than a children’s party. She was over-made-up again, and her voice was slightly slurred.
“Hello, Maxine.” She slid her arm through Noah’s free one. “Who’s your friend?”
Maxine introduced Greg, wondering what Noah thought about his wife’s overt display of possessiveness. His face gave nothing away, but his eyes hadn’t wavered from Maxine’s face. The expression of naked desire in them caused her heart to flip painfully in her chest, reinforcing her conclusion that it would be disastrous if she remained in Colebrook.
“How well do you know Max, Greg?” Cassie asked.
“Oh, intimately,” he said with one of his irrepressible grins.
“We were at college together,” Maxine explained.
“And now you work in the city together as well?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, both being lawyers I suppose you have plenty to talk about in your down time,” Cassie said, her words now definitely slurred. Noah frowned at her.
“Oh no, we have much better things to do in our spare time,” Greg said, winking at Cassie. Maxine kicked his ankle. “Ouch, what was that for?”
“Amy’s crying,” Rachel said as she drifted past with a plate of sandwiches.
“I’ll go,” Noah said, casting his wife a reproving look when she acted as though Rachel hadn’t spoken.
“Isn’t he thoughtful,” Cassie said to no one in particular. “Oh look, there’s Graham. Graham, over here.” She stood on her toes to attract his attention and almost toppled over. Greg caught her arm and steadied her. “Graham, look who’s back,” she said, flapping her arms in Maxine’s general direction, slopping her drink over her hand.
“She’s pissed,” Greg whispered in Maxine’s ear. “And your Noah knows it. I’ll bet the farm there’s a healthy slug of vodka in what she keeps telling everyone is only water.”
Maxine was saved from voicing her surprise when Graham took her hand.
“Hello, Maxine,” he said, kissing her cheek. “Welcome home.”
Madeleine had drifted away from their group, and Charles was occupied with new arrivals. What seemed like a thousand unruly children ran riot through the large garden, apparently unimpressed by the magician’s increasingly frantic efforts to entertain them.
A constantly changing parade of adults presented themselves to Maxine, many claiming to have known her before she left Colebrook. She became separated from Greg and found herself being introduced by Graham to the senior partner of a computer company with offices in the industrial estate she’d taken notice of on her way into town. The man, obviously primed by Graham in advance, proceeded to discuss his legal requirements with her in minute detail. He made it apparent that he’d quite like to discuss his personal ones with her, too. She did her best to listen to the man and appear interested, aware that she owed it to Graham to tell him soon that she’d decided against settling back here.
Maxine, eventually managing to escape, wandered into the house in search of a bathroom. She came across Noah feeding his baby daughter goo out of a jar. He hadn’t noticed her yet, so she leaned against the door jamb and watched him.
“You’re a natural at that,” she said softly.
His intimate smile caused Maxine to die a little more inside. “I’ve had a fair bit of practice over the years.”
“Here, let me.” Maxine held out her arms and took the baby from him. She drifted off to sleep as Maxine gently rocked her. “She’s a doll.”
“Yeah, isn’t she just?” But Noah was no longer looking at his daughter. “Max, I—”
“There you are, Dad!” Josh burst into the room like a mini tornado. “Come on, and you, too, Max. We’re going to have swimming races now.”
“Must I?” Maxine asked, hopeful of a last minute reprieve.
“Yes, you promised!” Josh was jumping impatiently from foot to foot.
Maxine ruffled his hair with the hand that wasn’t holding the baby. “So I did. Just give me a minute then.” She laid the sleeping baby back in her cot. “Where can I change?”
“I’ll show you.” Josh took her hand and led her to a guest room. “We’re going to have two teams. Dad’s going to be on Billy’s team, so will you be on mine?”
“If you like.”
Maxine was surprised when she emerged from the house to find that the pool was full of kids and only a smattering of their parents. The hum of a dozen conversations gradually subsided as people noticed her making her way from the house in her emerald bikini. She was aware of their eyes upon her, and of Cassie’s in particular shooting daggers. The last time some of these people saw her in swimming gear had been on that notorious holiday in the South of France. She remembered how they’d made her feel on that occasion, straightened her shoulders, and tilted her chin upward, damned if she’d be intimidated by them again.
All the same she was grateful when Greg appeared at her side, wearing an outrageously tight pair of Speedos. He took her hand, and they dove in perfect tandem into the deep end. Surfacing, Maxine pushed her hair away from her face and swam toward Josh, who was waving frantically at her. But it wasn’t Josh’s hand that she felt on her thigh. She turned her head, met Noah’s hungry gaze, and this time made no attempt to tear her eyes away from his.
“It’s a bloody good job this water’s so cold, Max,” he said, grimacing.
* * * *
Cassie watched the games in the pool with a feeling of increasing despair. Any lingering delusions about Maxine’s weight loss not being as dramatic as it seemed were dashed when she appeared in that miniscule bikini. Just about every male face was riveted, following her every move, causing Cassie to wonder how long it had been since the male population of Colebrook had last observed her with such lustful expressions.
But it wasn’t Maxine’s endlessly slim legs without a trace of cellulite, or her nicely proportioned figure that plunged Cassie into an introspective, self-pitying frame of mind. It was the diamond-studded bangle on her wrist that glittered brighter than the sun every time she raised her arm to hit the ball.
Was it Cassie’s imagination or was Maxine deliberately sticking to the side of the pool closest to Cassie’s chair and making a point of raising her wrist in her direction whenever she possibly could?
Cassie shook her head, clinging stubbornly to the conviction that Noah couldn’t possibly have bought the bangle for Maxine. She hadn’t been wearing it when she called on her two days ago, but that didn’t mean anything. She fortified herself with a healthy slug of her vodka-enhanced drink and decided that Greg must have given her the bangle when he arrived today as a birthday present.
Cassie took another hefty swig of her drink and was surprised to discover her glass was empty again. She also discovered that she was alone. People usually gravitated toward her, and she couldn’t remember ever going in search of company at a party before. She watched Josh as he and Maxine celebrated putting a shot past Noah. He was laughing, but it appeared to Cassie as though there was no one in the pool for Noah, other than Maxine. His eyes seldom left her. Even Cassie’s sons appeared besotted with her, looking to her for praise every time they managed to get the volley ball over the net. Not once did they look in the direction of their own mother to brag about their achievements.
“Who’d have thought that our ugly duckling would turn out like this?”
Cassie turned toward Rob Simmonds, forcing herself to dredge up a smile. He’d aged well since that holiday in the South of France and had married a well-connected woman who adored him, willingly acting as his doormat and never asking awkward questions about his activities. Their two children were partly responsible for the mayhem in the swimming pool.
Rob had taken over his father’s accounting business in Colebrook. Though he was outwardly a bastion of the local community, Cassie knew he shagged anything that moved, and he currently appeared to have Maxine firmly in his sights. Cassie ought to be relieved. Rob was even more attractive to women than her husband was, and if he got his claws into Maxine then Noah wouldn’t get a look in. Perversely, his falling for her rather obvious charms as well only made her angrier still.
“You couldn’t stand the sight of her when we all went on holiday together,” she reminded him casually. “In fact you were downright mean to her.”
“I was, wasn’t I?” He chewed his lower lip and continued to observe Maxine. “But only because you suggested it. Anyway, I probably owe her an apology.”
“You’ll be wasting your time. Her boyfriend’s with her.”
Rob’s eyes drifted toward Greg. “Him?” Rob laughed. “He’s no competition.”
“You’re very sure of yourself. I find him rather attractive myself.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, sweetheart, but I think I’m more his type than you are.”
Cassie frowned. Her head ached and she had trouble keeping up with this conversation. “What do you mean?”
“He’s gay, love.”
“Don’t be silly! He’s Max’s boyfriend. They practically live together.”
“Is that what she told you?”
Cassie tried to remember what Maxine had actually said about Greg, but her head was too befuddled to think straight.
“I don’t believe he’s gay,” she said.
Rob flopped down on the grass next to her seat. “My gaydar never lets me down. Besides, there was a time when you believed every word I said.”
Cassie blushed, recalling the torrid affair they’d had during and after that infamous holiday. “Yes, well, we were younger then.”
“Yeah, and I neglected Maxine. I’ll have to make it up to her.”
“You’ll have to join the queue. She seems to have turned into a right little slag.”
“Takes one to know one, darling,” Rob said, sounding amused.
“Yes well, you haven’t got much time to make an impression upon her. She’s only staying in Colebrook for a couple of weeks.”
“No she isn’t.” Rob furrowed his brow. “Surely you know?”
A feeling of dread spread through her body. “Know what?” she asked slowly.
“I thought you’d have been the first person Graham would have told. He’s invited the lovely Maxine to buy into his partnership, and I gather she’s come back to consider it. Might see if she wants to represent me,” he said musingly. “That’ll give me an excuse to wine and dine her.”
“No!”
Cassie felt the color drain from her face. This was one betrayal too far. Graham was supposed to be unquestionably loyal to her. She’d even gone to bed with him because she felt she owed him a reward after his years of devotion. But it was clear now that he’d used her, just like everyone else took advantage of her trusting nature. Cassie trembled with rage, her hands shaking from more than just the effects of the vodka. The whole world was against her, and there was no one left for her to turn to. No one who cared if she lived or died.
The game in the swimming pool came to an end, and Billy launched himself into Maxine’s arms, giggling as she swung him round and tickled his tummy. Noah watched them, looking as though he’d like to change places with his son.
“I’m sorry, Cass,” Rob said gently. “I really did assume you knew. It’s supposed to be a secret, but I imagined your father or Graham would have said something to you.”
“My father?” she asked, her voice distant and hollow. “He’s in on this too?”
“I gather he was the one who suggested Maxine to Graham.” He extracted the glass from between her shaking fingers. “I’ll get you a refill, shall I? You look like you could use it.”
