mean she has to fret and feel guilty about what happened.
Just as well, she thinks, that she has composed herself and gathered her thoughts, because, as she parks the car in the open-sided barn opposite the cottage, she notices his front door is open and – damn it, no getting away from it – he is standing in the doorway.
‘Hi,’ he says, brightly. As if nothing has happened. ‘Here, let me give you a hand.’
Before she can respond he has taken the shopping bags from her and is carrying them towards the house. Even this, helpful as it is, makes her cross. She managed to carry everything perfectly well before he got here.
Still, it means she has a hand free to open the door, and it’s starting to rain so it’s just as well. She shuts the boot of the car and follows him. Having barked at Aiden and inspected him, Basil moves past him to greet her, tail wagging. He turnsaround again as soon as he feels the rain. Fair-weather dog , she thinks.
‘Haven’t seen you for a while,’ she says.
He is unpacking the shopping on to the kitchen table, as if he’s trying to help but doesn’t want to go as far as trying to guess where everything goes.
‘I’ve been working,’ he says, folding up the shopping bags as he empties them. ‘Busy couple of days.’
‘Tea?’ she asks, half-hoping he’ll say no.
‘Great,’ he says. ‘Want me to do it?’
‘Go on, then.’
She carries on putting things away as he fills the kettle and puts it on to boil, finds mugs. ‘I saw Sophie earlier,’ she says.
‘Yes,’ he says, ‘she said she was on her way to meet you.’
He’s not going to try and wriggle out of it, then. That’s something.
‘She said she saw you, in London. A few years ago. Meeting Jim.’
‘Yes.’
She does not reply. The shopping has been put away. For want of something to do, she gets the biscuit tin down from the cupboard and puts it on the table. The kettle boils and she takes over the tea-making, pouring water into mugs and stirring. He hasn’t taken his eyes off her.
‘Jim was helping me out,’ he says. ‘Financially, I mean.’
Sarah puts the two mugs down on the table. Aiden pulls out a chair and sits down. For a moment she stays with her back to the sink, and then she gives in and sits down.
‘Why didn’t he tell me?’ she asks.
‘Maybe he thought you wouldn’t approve.’
At this Sarah pulls a face. ‘Why the hell wouldn’t I approve?’
‘It wasn’t illegal, or anything like that. I don’t know why he didn’t want to tell you.’
‘How much money are we talking about?’
‘Ten thousand pounds.’ He hesitates, then adds, ‘It’s all paid back, years ago.’
‘A successful venture, then,’ Sarah says, raising her mug in a salute. Ten thousand pounds . The thought of it makes her feel sick.
‘It is.’
‘It’s still going?’
‘I’m still using the profits from that enterprise to fund new ones.’
She wants to ask what the enterprise was, but in that moment she hears a muffled buzzing sound and Aiden pulls a phone out of his back pocket.
He looks at the number. ‘I need to take this,’ he says. ‘Do you mind?’
‘Of course not,’ she says.
He gets up from the table and goes to the front door, lets himself out and shuts it behind him before he answers. In the silence of the kitchen she can just about hear him, outside, talking. Nothing of what he’s saying, just the tone of it, and then a laugh. Her head is fizzing with it. The money, oh, the money. Did he really pay it back? Was that why he hesitated? In any case, it certainly isn’t there now. Jim must have invested it in other things, or spent it.
It’s only a few minutes later that he comes back inside. ‘Sorry about that.’
In a small, quiet voice, she says, ‘Jim trusted you.’
‘He did.’
‘I just wonder why he didn’t trust me.’
He doesn’t reply for a moment. He finishes his drink instead, as if pondering his next move.
‘Don’t be too hard on him, Sarah. I
Just as well, she thinks, that she has composed herself and gathered her thoughts, because, as she parks the car in the open-sided barn opposite the cottage, she notices his front door is open and – damn it, no getting away from it – he is standing in the doorway.
‘Hi,’ he says, brightly. As if nothing has happened. ‘Here, let me give you a hand.’
Before she can respond he has taken the shopping bags from her and is carrying them towards the house. Even this, helpful as it is, makes her cross. She managed to carry everything perfectly well before he got here.
Still, it means she has a hand free to open the door, and it’s starting to rain so it’s just as well. She shuts the boot of the car and follows him. Having barked at Aiden and inspected him, Basil moves past him to greet her, tail wagging. He turnsaround again as soon as he feels the rain. Fair-weather dog , she thinks.
‘Haven’t seen you for a while,’ she says.
He is unpacking the shopping on to the kitchen table, as if he’s trying to help but doesn’t want to go as far as trying to guess where everything goes.
‘I’ve been working,’ he says, folding up the shopping bags as he empties them. ‘Busy couple of days.’
‘Tea?’ she asks, half-hoping he’ll say no.
‘Great,’ he says. ‘Want me to do it?’
‘Go on, then.’
She carries on putting things away as he fills the kettle and puts it on to boil, finds mugs. ‘I saw Sophie earlier,’ she says.
‘Yes,’ he says, ‘she said she was on her way to meet you.’
He’s not going to try and wriggle out of it, then. That’s something.
‘She said she saw you, in London. A few years ago. Meeting Jim.’
‘Yes.’
She does not reply. The shopping has been put away. For want of something to do, she gets the biscuit tin down from the cupboard and puts it on the table. The kettle boils and she takes over the tea-making, pouring water into mugs and stirring. He hasn’t taken his eyes off her.
‘Jim was helping me out,’ he says. ‘Financially, I mean.’
Sarah puts the two mugs down on the table. Aiden pulls out a chair and sits down. For a moment she stays with her back to the sink, and then she gives in and sits down.
‘Why didn’t he tell me?’ she asks.
‘Maybe he thought you wouldn’t approve.’
At this Sarah pulls a face. ‘Why the hell wouldn’t I approve?’
‘It wasn’t illegal, or anything like that. I don’t know why he didn’t want to tell you.’
‘How much money are we talking about?’
‘Ten thousand pounds.’ He hesitates, then adds, ‘It’s all paid back, years ago.’
‘A successful venture, then,’ Sarah says, raising her mug in a salute. Ten thousand pounds . The thought of it makes her feel sick.
‘It is.’
‘It’s still going?’
‘I’m still using the profits from that enterprise to fund new ones.’
She wants to ask what the enterprise was, but in that moment she hears a muffled buzzing sound and Aiden pulls a phone out of his back pocket.
He looks at the number. ‘I need to take this,’ he says. ‘Do you mind?’
‘Of course not,’ she says.
He gets up from the table and goes to the front door, lets himself out and shuts it behind him before he answers. In the silence of the kitchen she can just about hear him, outside, talking. Nothing of what he’s saying, just the tone of it, and then a laugh. Her head is fizzing with it. The money, oh, the money. Did he really pay it back? Was that why he hesitated? In any case, it certainly isn’t there now. Jim must have invested it in other things, or spent it.
It’s only a few minutes later that he comes back inside. ‘Sorry about that.’
In a small, quiet voice, she says, ‘Jim trusted you.’
‘He did.’
‘I just wonder why he didn’t trust me.’
He doesn’t reply for a moment. He finishes his drink instead, as if pondering his next move.
‘Don’t be too hard on him, Sarah. I
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