Page 23 of One Day and Forever
Babe, can you reply and tell me you don’t believe it?
Then another.
Fuck. Don’t do this Ollie.
And finally.
OLLIE, PLEASE TALK TO ME.
Capitals. Like that was going to make a difference.
He didn’t cave in to her demands. Instead, he watched the video again. It was pretty hard to see in what world it wasn’texactly what it looked like – his wife getting it on with another guy. What other explanation could there be? By the way Van’s hands were wandering, he was clearly still functioning, so she wasn’t administering mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. And no, Ollie wasn’t going to buy any kind of bullshit that they were rehearsing for a role. Which left the possible option that he’d been bitten on the lip by a snake and she was sucking out the venom. About as preposterous as it got on the JFK to LAX red eye.
No. There were no explanations other than the glaring reality that it was exactly what it looked like.
His phone began to ring. A WhatsApp call. And the screen was flashing with his wife’s name. That made perfect sense. Wi-Fi calls were not generally allowed on most flights, but Sienna would often go into the airplane loos to make them. Just another example of how she thought that rules didn’t apply to her. A bit like monogamy within marriage, apparently.
He checked his watch. Half past one. She would be landing around 3p.m. his time, and maybe then they could have a proper conversation. He wasn’t going to speak to her while she was huddled in an airline toilet or before he’d had a chance to think through what he’d just seen.
Ollie pressed decline.
He’d speak to her when he was ready and that wasn’t now.
12
ALICE
‘Och, that was such a lovely service, but the poor family was heartbroken,’ Val said, as they pulled out of the crematorium, the last of a long line of vehicles that had filed out of the car park behind the family limos. ‘And oh, that Celine Dion always hurts ma heart. I’ve told you before, make sure they play “Every Step You Take” at my funeral – I just want to remind all the lovely buggers that turn up that I’ll be keeping a wee eye on them.’
‘I thought you wanted Tom Jones “It’s Not Unusual”?’
‘Aye, right at the end. Just to get everyone moving after they’ve been sitting for so long. Don’t want any DVTs on my conscience. Anyway, I’m so sorry you had to find out that Morag had passed away. I know you were hoping that you two could rekindle your friendship.’
‘I was. In a strange way though, I’m still glad that I went. At least now I know. Although, selfishly, I was really sad when her family talked about how she came back to Glasgow every summer and New Year. I don’t understand why she wouldn’t get in touch.’ Alice felt her throat tighten with sorrow. It just didn’t make sense. They were such close friends then… nothing. She chided herself that there was no point crying about it nowand tried to steer her mind back to the positive. ‘Anyway, it was so lovely to meet Morag’s son and I couldn’t have refused his request to continue the conversation. Are you sure you don’t mind coming back to the hotel, just for an hour or so?’
Val didn’t skip a beat. ‘You had me at sandwiches. Of course I don’t mind. It seemed like the big fella was so keen to speak to you, bless him. He probably has loads of questions about his mum when she was a young lass.’
The snow and the fog that getting thicker by the minute, slowed the convoy of cars in front of them to a steady thirty miles an hour. Alice was grateful – Val had a heavy right foot and Alice was frequently whipped up to a state of sheer terror when they drove to ASDA for their shopping.
She shared a few anecdotes about Morag on the way, making Val laugh, then tear up when she heard the story of their goodbye at the airport.
‘That’s what she said?’ Val asked, eyes widening. ‘“Watch out for Larry, he’s not who you think he is”?’
‘Or words to that effect,’ Alice confirmed. ‘Mint?’ she asked, as she popped a Polo into her mouth, then leaned over and slipped one between Val’s cerise pink lips too.
‘Thanks. And you’ve no idea why she thought that?’
Alice shook her head. ‘None. Larry could be arrogant and cocky – what does it say about me that those weren’t red flags? Anyway, I suppose I just thought she’d taken a dislike to him because of that. Or maybe the opposite – as I said earlier, I wondered if she actually had an eye for him. Now the only explanation that makes sense is that she saw what I was so blind to – that he was a vile and cruel excuse for a human being who cared for no one but himself.’
They were the last car in the line to pull into the car park at the hotel. There were no spaces left so Val followed a couple of the other cars and bumped up onto a concrete verge, makingthe car shudder. ‘Jesus, that nearly took my teeth out,’ she groaned, before switching back to their conversation. ‘I guess that answers your question though.’
‘What does?’ Alice wasn’t following.
‘Well, if she’d taken a dislike to Larry, that’s probably why she didn’t get in touch again. You know what family grapevines are like – she must have heard you were still together, and didn’t want to cast any kind of shade on your relationship. Maybe she thought she was doing the right thing for you.’
Hand on the door, Alice paused. ‘Val Murray, are you trying to make me feel better about getting ditched by my friend?’
Val flipped down the window visor and dabbed on a bit more lippy. ‘I am. Is it working?’
