Page 49 of The Last Saturday In July
‘You too, David,’ Jess said and they hugged.
Jess willed Kate to look her way, but she and Simon were talking together quietly. As Zoe and Finn said their goodbyes and slipped away, Jess gave David an awkward smile. Sometimes she wished Simon didn’t behave like such a protective older brother around Kate.
Finally, Kate shot her an apologetic look. ‘Sorry, Jess.’
Jess wondered exactly why she was apologising. For delaying them? Or for asking Simon instead of her to take Luke to the cinema. She was being petty, she knew. Simon had rescued Kate at the birthday party, and Luke was probably at the stage where he needed good male role models. She waved away her apology, as Simon said goodnight to Kate and David, and turned to her.
‘Are you ready?’
‘Sure.’
Jess tried not to feel annoyed as she and Simon took the last train home from town. She made a couple of attempts to talk about the evening, but Simon’s strange mood had returned. Agitated, she folded her arms and turned to stare out the window, as Dublin’s brightly lit cityscape flashed by. They walked the short distance from the train station to their flat in silence, where Simon drank a full glass of water, and muttered something about feeling tired.
After he went into the bedroom, Jess leaned against the counter, surveying Simon’s streamlined kitchen, all steel and pale grey. How was it always so tidy? She felt a momentary pang of longing for her parents’ dated wooden kitchen with its mismatched plates and dishes, well-thumbed cookery books and a biro-marked wall that had served as a growth chart for her and Zoe. Finally, she turned off the lights and went into the bedroom, hoping Simon wouldn’t sulk all night.
Simon was tucking the laces into his shoes before putting them on a slide-away rack in the wardrobe.
Jess leaned against the doorframe. ‘Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?’
He pushed his fringe out of his eyes. ‘Nothing.’ He sighed. ‘Well, obviously I found it a bit strange seeing Kate and David ...’
‘Together?’ Jess prompted.
‘Hardly, they just met.’ Simo frowned. ‘I just hope they didn’t think we were trying to push them together.’
‘That would be awful.’ Jess came in and plopped down on the bed beside him.
Simon pulled off his socks and dropped them into the laundry basket. ‘Why are you trying to play matchmaker?’
Why was he being so ridiculous? ‘Because they’re both single adults who hit it off, so unless David’s a serial killer …’
‘Don’t be dramatic.’
Jess felt herself tense. Maybe she should just drop it. But it didn’t make any sense. Simon should be thrilled that Kate and David had got on so well.
‘So, what’s the issue?’ she asked.
Simon took off his glasses and placed them in their case. ‘Look, Jess, I know you think I’m overprotective. And maybe I am, but Kate has to think about Luke. And I’ve known David a long time. He’s not the kind of guy who wants a ready-made family.’
Maybe now wasn’t the moment to mention that David had asked Kate out. But it was a bit weird that Simon wouldn’t want two people he cared about to get together.
‘How do you know that’s still the case? People change. And not every relationship has to end in happy ever after. Why does it matter if they date?’
Simon’s jaw tightened. ‘Kate is my friend too. I know I haven’t known her as long as you have, but I care about her and Luke. Don’t get me wrong, David is a good guy, and he was the best friend I ever had at school. But you have trust me when I say he isn’t a good fit for Kate.’
They seemed to be going in circles. Suppressing a sigh, Jess wriggled out of her jeans before stripping off her T-shirt and letting it fall on the floor.
‘Will you either fold those or put them in the laundry?’ Simon took off his shirt.
Jess thought quickly. The last time they’d made love had been weeks before the hen weekend. But now she thought about it, even before that they’d been having a lot less sex. She stood, turning to face him, and unsnapped her bra.
Simon’s voice was tight. ‘I’m sorry, Jess, don’t take this the wrong way but I’m just not in the mood.’
Jess hooked her thumbs into the top of her knickers. ‘Give me a chance, I’ll put you in the mood.’
Simon stood, forcing her to take a backward step. ‘I’m tired, and we have my boss and our American client coming for dinner tomorrow night. Let’s just get some sleep.’ He offered a conciliatory smile and a quick kiss before walking past her into the en-suite bathroom, letting the door close behind him.
Jess sank back onto the bed, her face burning. Yanking open the drawer beside her, she pulled on a clean T-shirt. She couldn’t put her finger on what had happened tonight.
