Page 92 of The Side Road
At first,Mia didn’t know what to think. She told herself Oliver was offering this woman – his friend – shelter from the storm that was life. Pregnant women needed to be cared for, especially when they were single and pregnant. She admired his conviction. Out of all the people Cindy knew, she came to Oliver for help. She chose him and that said something about the good-natured, kind-hearted person Oliver was. It was right that he should help her.
There were also a few unanswered questions. What was Cindy like? Did she ride a bike? Was that why Oliver liked her? She probably rode a serious motorbike. Nothing like the scooter Mia had in the city or Leo’s old BMW. Cindy would have a cool leather jacket and a wardrobe filled with undergarments for layering. She would know not to wear tight knickers when she was riding her very fast ten-cylinder, ten-thousand-horsepower Ninja. Cindy was a brunette. A smoking hot, motorbike-riding brunette with glossy dark hair and deep, penetrating eyes. She was one of those womenwho was prettier without make-up. She always wore jeans because she had an exceptional arse.
Mia didn’t voice any of these assumptions. She reminded herself that she trusted Oliver. But then again, when it came to lust, was anyone truly trustworthy? Passion blinded people. Humans were programmed for copulation, and this was especially true of young, virile, attractive men and smoking hot brunettes with great arses. She did trust Oliver. Cindy, however, was another matter.
After a few days of not seeing Oliver, an internal ache grew within Mia. The pain came from a place behind her heart. Deep inside her chest cavity, it grew. At night, it gnawed at her; the feeling that something wasn’t right. That she couldn’t trust her judgement. She was a bad chooser. It was an absurd coupling; she was too old for Oliver. She was settling for the first tall, attractive man who rode into this small country town.
The following morning, a reality check followed. Oliver hadn’t flirted with other women. He hadn’t told her she was overly sensitive. When she challenged him, he didn’t tell her she was imagining things. He wasn’t moody or difficult. He could take criticism. He didn’t constantly say he would change, promise to do better, and then return to the same bad habits. Oliver knew what the word love meant. He expressed it every day in his care for her and his love for Tash.
She reminded herself that the situation with Cindy was not some grand catastrophe. No one had died, and her life remained intact. Cindy’s arrival may have momentarily thrown her relationship with Oliver off track, but this was just a pothole in the road. She knew how to get through potholes.
However, with each passing day, her mood worsened. Every sunrise seemed to deepen the shadows of doubt in her mind. What started as a flicker of disillusionment soon burned brightly. On Sunday, she should have been tending to her life admin. Instead, she spent her time trapped in a repetitive cycle of negative thoughts. Worst-case scenarios played out inside her head, chiselling away at the foundation of self-belief. Would anyone else put up with this situation – her man living with his pregnant friend, who he had once slept with? Was this a type of gaslighting? It didn’t feel like Oliver was controlling her, but perhaps he was trying to sabotage their relationship.
At midday, she realised how unreasonable her thoughts were. She collected her list and her dog; getting out of the house might clear her muddled brain. After climbing onto the BMW, she headed down the hill toward town and the local FoodWorks.
The most convenient parking space was outside the Produce and Rural Supply Store, but the life-sized model of the horse and cart on the footpath upset Snood. Unable to distinguish the fake horse from a living creature, he reacted aggressively, barking and growling. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, Mia continued down the road and pulled over outside The Globe Hotel. On the opposite side of the road, she spied the Citroën. Cindy, happily ensconced in the passenger seat, was scrolling through her phone. Oliver was nowhere to be seen. Leaving Snood in the sidecar, Mia climbed off the bike and stepped closer to the car.
Cindy, a gorgeous, dark-eyed woman, had her hair tucked behind her ears. Moonstones and amethysts decorated her fingers. Leather bracelets and charms circled her wrists. She wore a snug-fitting black T-shirt. Her breasts were the size of melons.
Mia got straight back on the bike and drove home. Inside her house, she lay down on the bed.
An hour later, Holly returned from her shift at Hook & Knot. She stood in the bedroom doorway and said, ‘I’ve booked myself into that wellness retreat, but it looks like you might need it more than me.’
‘The one in the vineyard?’ Mia asked. ‘With the day spa and Bikram yoga.’
‘Yes. Seven days of pampering. I’ve asked Miles to meet me there for dinner. Neutral territory.’
Mia smiled.
‘Right now, I need a coffee.’
‘I think we’re out.’ Mia bit her thumb. ‘I haven’t shopped.’
‘It’s Sunday. What have you been doing?’
‘Stressing out! Obsessing about Cindy. That’s what I’ve been doing!’ Mia climbed off the bed.
‘Has something happened?’
‘Nothing has happened, but I can’t stop thinking about them together. In fact, they suit each other. They’re both tall, dark and attractive.’ Mia crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Cindy has stunning eyebrows – like big, fat caterpillars. And olive skin. With skin like that, she barely needs sunscreen, or maybe just factor fifteen. As you know, I’m a factor fifty.’
‘It’s not a competition,’ Holly said.
Mia stared at her friend.
‘Okay, it is a competition. But here’s the truth about sunscreen. A factor of fifteen blocks out ninety-five percent of the sun’s radiation. Factor fifty blocks out ninety-eight percent. In the end, there’s hardly any difference.’
‘That’s an interesting fact, but it’s not especially helpful.’
‘So you’ve met her?’ Holly asked.
‘I saw her at the shops. She was in his car.’
‘Stalking?’
‘Yes. Alarm bells are ringing inside my head. What am I supposed to do? Ignore them? Pretend she doesn’t exist? The whole situation makes me anxious. It takes me back to Alfie. I’m having the same messed-up, confusing feelings. Every fibre of my being is saying, run away. Protect yourself.’ She paused. ‘I don’t like the person I am right now. Also, Bikram yoga might not be good for the baby.’
‘I agree with you – about the yoga. But do you think Oliver is lying to you? Because I will?—’
