Page 101 of Our Secrets and Lies

Suddenly the door of the restaurant burst open and a middle-aged woman, soaked from the rain, stormed in. ‘Where’s that bitch Jenny Murphy?’

Everyone froze. The other diners spun around. The woman stared around the room and then saw Jenny.

‘There you are, you slut. I tracked you down via your Facebook page. Not very clever at hiding now, are you? So, how long have you been shaggingmy husband?’

‘Mum, she just said –’ Sarah clamped her hand over Ollie’s gaping mouth.

‘Is this your family? Did you all know Jenny was sleeping with my husband? The father of my child? Did you know your friend, daughter, whatever she is to you, is a whore?’

‘OMG, this is unreal, total drama,’ Shannon whispered. She reached out to squeeze Kelly’s hand.

Lucy stood up. ‘Whatever your issues arewith my sister, there are children present.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry, are your kids upset? Because my son is going to be heartbroken when he gets back from university in England and finds out his dad no longer lives at home because I’ve thrown him out. He’s all yours now, you disgusting piece of work. When he comes back from his business trip, the locks will have changed. You are welcome to the cheatingbastard. You deserve each other. And don’t get too comfortable. You’re not his first affair. He’s had several and I stupidly believed that he’d changed. But once a cheating bastard, always a cheating bastard.’ With that, the wife picked up a glass of red wine, threw it over Jenny and stormed back out into the rain.

Billy leant over. ‘Would you like to tell me what the hell that was all about?’

‘This is way better thanGossip Girl,’ Shannon muttered.

‘I’m sorry, Dad.’ Jenny’s hand shook as she wiped red wine off her arm with a napkin. ‘It’s complicated.’

‘Is Jenny with that woman’s husband?’ Ollie’s eyes were out on sticks.

‘I think I’ll take Ollie home,’ Darren said. ‘Why don’t you come back to ours for a drink after … well, when you’re finished up here?’

Darren ushered Ollie outof the restaurant. They could hear him pleading as he left: ‘Ah, no, Dad, I want to see what happens next.’

‘I’m going too, Mum. I’ve got training tomorrow and I’m kind of tired.’ Dylan faked a yawn and followed Darren and Ollie out.

‘I’m going nowhere. I want to hear everything,’ Shannon said.

‘Are you all right?’ Kelly asked Jenny.

‘I’m fine. I deserved that. I’m sorry you had to witnessit, though.’

‘Are you mad? It was brilliant,’ Shannon said.

‘So it’s true.’ Billy shook his head. ‘You’ve been seeing another woman’s husband?’

Jenny sighed. ‘Yes, Dad, I have and I know it’s nothing to be proud of, but … well … I don’t have an excuse except that I really like him.’

‘Oh, Jenny, when will you ever stop messing about and meet a decent man? It’s time to grow up.’

‘I’m sorryfor ruining your party, Dad. But life isn’t always straightforward. We aren’t all lucky enough to meet the love of our lives at twenty-four. Some of us may never meet the one.’

‘Lucky, my arse. It’s called commitment. Your mother was the love of my life but we still had our ups and downs. We worked through them. That’s the problem with all you modern people, you want the fairy-tale romance. Well,it doesn’t exist. Real relationships take hard work and commitment, and they never start with being someone’s mistress. This fella’s a liar and a cheat. You deserve better.’

Lucy poured them all another drink. ‘Let’s forget about it for the moment. Back to you, Dad.’

Billy stood up. ‘It’s late. I think I’ll head home. I’ll take thegirls with me. You stay and try to talk some sense into yoursister.’

Jenny reached out to him. ‘I really am sorry, Dad. I never meant to cause a scene on your birthday.’

He put his arm around her. ‘Oh, Jenny, all I want is for you to be happy, love. But you have to start by making better choices.’

‘Can I stay in case she comes back and has another freak attack?’ Shannon asked. ‘It wassooooogreat.’

Sarah glared at her daughter. ‘Go with Billy now.Tell your dad I’ll be home in an hour.’

---