Page 36 of Chocolate Cake for Breakfast
Abruptly, she gets up. ‘I need to be better. I should checkon George.’
While she’s gone, I think about our last meeting and thesuperficial chat we had as we skirted around the real issues for both of us.
Sam seems really worried about her. But Primrose seemsdetermined to pretend she’s fine. Perhaps if they sat down and really talkedabout their feelings as new parents, things might be better. And then maybe Primrosewould stop thinking Sam’s going off her and having an affair.
I spend time with her, tidying a little and making up somebottles for George – it’s clear she’s been finding it difficult to breastfeedand feels guilty about abandoning it – and we start making a cottage pie fordinner.
It’s well over an hour later that her phone pings with amessage from Sam, saying he’s on his way home from Guildford.
‘Oh, well, he shouldn’t be long now,’ I say, giving theminced beef a stir. ‘You should tell him how you’re feeling. He can’t help ifhe doesn’t know.’
A shadow crosses her face. ‘But I’m okay, Martha. Honestly.And thank you... for everything.’
She does seem a little perkier and ‘with it’ when I leave,and I run down the stairs thinking that probably every new mum struggles alittle. It’s such a huge life-change. Again, I think of Mum with a little pangof sadness. But she was an extreme case. Things will settle down for Primrose,I’m certain, and she’ll start trusting Sam again...
I cross the road and head for the car. And just as I’mgetting in, I look across at the car parked next to me. There’s a young womanin the driver’s seat, deep in serious conversation with her passenger.
With a shock, I realise it’s Sam. He’s so absorbed in theirconversation, he hasn’t even noticed me. My mind is whirling. I thought he wassupposed to be seeing a client in Guildford? But by the looks of things, hehasn’t even left Sunnybrook.
Pretending I’m looking at my phone, I keep casting glancesacross, and my heart actually misses a beat when they lean into each other andembrace. There seems to be a sort of desperation to that hug. It’s as if theydon’t want to let each other go, but eventually, they draw apart and Sam getsout of the car. I turn the other way so he can’t see my face, and when I sneakanother look, he’s running across the road. Clearly in a hurry to get home, he continuesrunning, disappearing from view along the side street.
The young woman slumps back in her seat for a long moment,staring straight ahead. Then she sits up, turns the key and drives off.
I’m left with an uneasy feeling inside.
That was no client meeting.
Could it be that Primrose’s suspicions about Sam are correct?And he’s having an affair?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The next day at work, I’m a bit distracted. I keepthinking about Primrose and seeing Sam in an intimate clinch with that young woman.
Should I tell Primrose what I saw?
What if it was completely innocent?
But did itlookinnocent? Not really. And it’sobvious he lied to her when he said he was meeting a client in Guildford.
‘You all right, Queen?’ asks Katrina. ‘You’ve cleaned thatbasin five times. You’ll be wearing away the enamel soon.’
I stop what I’m doing and sigh. ‘If you think someone’shaving a fling and they’re in a relationship with a girl you happen to know andlike, should you tell her your suspicions?’
Katrina sucks in air through her teeth. ‘Dodgy that one. Doyou know he’s definitely getting his undercrackers off for somebody else?’
‘Well, no... but it didn’t look good.’
‘Speaking of affairs, you’d be amazed how many people holeup in hotels to do their extra-martial funny business.’ She shakes her headwearily. ‘Not that it’s at all funny. Affairs, I mean.’
‘Wow, so have you ever disturbed anyone? You know, in theprocess ofdoingit?’
She grins. ‘No, but I did walk in on something bizarre once.’
‘Go on?’
‘Well, they’d obviously forgotten to put the Do Not Disturbsign on the door, and I waltzed in, keen to get started, and there was this manin a full clown outfit on the bed – red wig and big lipstick mouth andeverything – with a woman of about seventy wearing one of those ballet dancertutu things and nothing else. They both looked really guilty. I just said,“Oops, sorry, wrong room”, and walked out.’
‘Weird.’
