Page 36 of One Summer Weekend
‘Yes, please.’ I finished the last flakes of my croissant. ‘I’ve seen some of your watercolours already, I’d love to see more.’
She grinned. ‘Jack’s my best customer, bless him. And he’s no mean hand at painting himself, says he finds it therapeutic. Come along.’
It was cooler and quieter inside the summer house. On the walls, in between wide windows, hung several canvases.The rest were stacked around the room – except for one, on an easel in the middle. At first, it was the contents of the walls that absorbed me. Soft hues of green, brown and blue alternating with grey and black and white: the same scenes depicted at different seasons. Accomplished, restful – like the paintings I’d noticed at Leo Components.
I turned to the easel, and stopped dead. As a portraitamongst all the landscapes, it would have stood out anyway. But this wasn’t just any portrait. The face, with its wide, wicked smile, took me aback. While the features were now familiar, the sensations they aroused were definitely not.Not since California …
I lingered, looking my fill, only half aware of Midge beside me.
‘Would you like to have it?’ She added, with a rueful laugh,‘When it’s finished, of course. I’m still trying to get that expression in his eyes right.’
‘Looks perfect to me,’ I said, absently.
‘Not that you need a portrait when you have the real thing.’
‘No … and the map is not the territory.’
‘True.’ A pause. ‘But, as the years pass, I’ve found it’s important to remember what drew you to a person in the first place. Och, not whatthey looked like – a photo can do that. Something more elusive.That’swhat I’m trying to catch here.’
I swallowed. ‘I think you’ve succeeded.’
‘Thank you. Jack’s a difficult man to capture, in more ways than one.’
I moved away from the portrait to the safety of the landscapes, forced some nonchalance into my tone and said, ‘Karina doesn’t seem to have a problem getting him tocome running.’
‘Huh,Karina. Yes, for years she had him just where she wanted him. One of those relationships where you can’t understand why they’re together in the first place. Different values, different interests … Of course, they had one terrible thing in common – what happened to Jack’s father also happened to Karina’s.’
I jerked round. ‘Oh? I hadn’t realised.’
She sighed.‘That’s how it all started – isn’t a problem shared meant to be a problem halved? But Karina’s problems go much further than that, whereas Jack … Just take it from me, he’s a keeper – is that the right word these days? Anyway, with Karina he knew for a long time it wasn’t working, but he couldn’t bring himself to break it off – or at least not permanently – because they’d both been through so muchalready.’
‘And then?’ I prompted.
‘Then he came to his senses and finished it for good. At first she didn’t seem to mind, because she had Henrik fawning over her. But then she started hassling Jack. It got so bad that he phoned Bill to ask him what he should do – and guess what my dear husband of twenty-six years suggested?’ A throaty chuckle. ‘“Take out a different girl every night,and make sure Karina – and her crowd – can read all about it. She’ll soon cool off – she won’t like the competition and her friends will tell her you’re not worth it.” So that’s why Jack became Jack the Lad.’ A pause; then in an anxious voice, ‘You do know it was all a pretence, don’t you?’
Her words undermined my professionalism in one fell swoop. My local media research had revealed themap, not the territory – and I’d been all too ready to think the worst. I bit my lip and attempted to cover my confusion. ‘Why didn’t Jack ever bring Karina here?’
An amused glance. ‘You’ve seen her – can you imagine her tramping up hills? No, by the time we bought this place, Jack was in the process of splitting up with her and bringing her here would have sent entirely the wrong message.’She pulled a face. ‘But we’ve had the pleasure of her company at other times. Now that he’s got you, of course, everything’s changed.’
‘It’s just that … he says she wants him back, and she’s threatening to turn up here this weekend to talk things through.’
‘Might be a good idea if she did, Alicia. One look at you and Jack would tell her she’s got no hope.’ A beady look straight atme. ‘There is one thing that bothers me, though.’
I met her gaze carefully. ‘Yes?’
‘Why would he continue with his dating charade after he met you? Because I know he’s been out with other women in the last couple of months, that’s why he was never free at weekends to come and see us. I tackled him about it yesterday, on the way up Skiddaw, but I didn’t get a very satisfactory answer.’
That wasn’t much to go on; and she was obviously expecting me to elaborate. ‘It’s … complicated,’ I said, lamely, and turned away. ‘I’ve got my own baggage to deal with, and the thought of another relationship scares me stiff. I haven’t made it easy for Jack – in fact, I haven’t made it easy for myself.’ I let out a long, slow breath; it was a confession I hadn’t intended, but the wave ofrelease felt surprisingly welcome.
There was just one piece of reassurance still required. I went on, ‘Do you think he’s really over Karina? I mean, I’veseenthe effect she has on him.’
‘Believe me, Alicia, you’ve seen nothing more than his guilt – combined with her growing drink problem.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Good grief, is that the time? The men will be back soon, and I wantto make you a packed lunch for the journey. Would you like to give me a hand?’
I nodded, grateful for the offer of a distraction from my thoughts. Back in the kitchen, however, the practical tasks and light conversation failed to deliver. Oh, I’d found out all I needed to know about Karina – but what had I achieved? It had merely served to reveal my shortcomings, both professional and personal.
Because I’d jumped to conclusions without establishing the facts, in order to turn Jack Smith into a clone of Troy Randall Travers. Why? Two reasons. First, so that I could punish Jack for everything I’d allowed to fester for the last three years.
And second – to defy the same laws of attraction, and stop myself from being hurt all over again.
