The Secret Mother(16)

I try not to show how insanely pleased I am that he’s noticed my makeover.

‘I mean, honestly, Tess. You look so beautiful.’ He leans in to kiss me on the cheek. I kiss him back, savouring the moment, and we sit down facing one another.

‘I haven’t been here for ages,’ I say. ‘Do they still do those garlic mushrooms?’

‘Yeah. And those little spicy potatoes you like.’

‘Yum. Definitely going to have some of those.’ I don’t want to jinx it, but this is already feeling just like old times. The waiter returns with my lime and soda. ‘Actually, could I have a glass of dry white wine as well?’ I suddenly feel like celebrating.

‘Sure,’ the waiter replies, placing my soft drink in front of me.

Scott gives him our food order, already knowing what I want, and the waiter disappears, leaving us alone. Back home, I prepared exactly what I wanted to say. I wasn’t going to mention Harry or the police station, this evening was just going to be about the two of us. But now I’m here, I feel a little shy. I’m not sure how to broach the subject of us.

‘How’s work?’ Scott asks. ‘You coping okay?’

‘It’s good. Actually, my boss offered me a promotion.’

‘That’s brilliant, Tess.’ He smiles. ‘I have to say, I was nervous about meeting up with you tonight,’ he adds.

‘Nervous?’ My heart flip-flops. Has he been anticipating tonight as much as I have?

‘I wasn’t sure what frame of mind you’d be in,’ he explains. ‘But I can see you’ve really turned a corner since Sunday. It’s like you’re back to being the old Tess again. I’m so happy for you.’

My heart swells. The waiter has returned with my wine, and I take a long sip, revelling in the burn at the back of my throat, and the instant head rush.

‘Are you going to take the promotion?’ Scott asks.

‘Not sure yet.’ I pluck an olive from the terracotta bowl in the centre of the table and pop it in my mouth.

‘What does it involve? More money, I hope.’ He grins.

‘Ben wants me to manage Moretti’s while he concentrates on expanding the business. Plus, he’s asked me to consult on his new landscape designs.’

‘That’s incredible,’ Scott says, shaking his head. ‘Surely it’s a no-brainer? You’ve got to do it.’

‘You think so? It’s quite a responsibility. I’m nervous about saying yes in case I cock it up.’

‘You won’t cock it up, you could do that job in your sleep. And anyway, you won’t know until you try. Look, Tessa, you deserve something good after all you’ve been through.’

‘You too,’ I say. ‘You deserve good things too.’

‘Thank you.’ He gives me a smile. ‘Actually, that’s sort of why I asked you to come here tonight.’

I hold my breath, unable to temper my hopefulness. Trying not to grin at him like a love-struck idiot.

‘Ellie told me she spoke to you,’ he continues. ‘She said you rang last night while I was in the shower.’ He shakes his head. ‘I didn’t want you to find out about her like that. I’m sorry. I told her it wasn’t her place to speak to you. I wasn’t at all happy that she shocked you like that.’

So, the floozy’s name is Ellie. ‘Don’t worry about it,’ I say, eager for him to understand that I won’t hold a grudge. ‘It’s okay. I don’t care about what’s gone on in the past, whether you’ve been seeing someone else. We were separated. I was all over the place, not in any state to give our relationship the attention it deserved. We can move on from all that. You honestly don’t have to explain.’

‘You don’t know how good that makes me feel,’ Scott says, leaning back in his seat, his shoulders relaxing. ‘Tell you the truth, I’ve kind of been dreading this evening. Coming here and explaining to you about Ellie, how we feel about one another. I’m really pleased you understand. And I really hope we can be friends.’

‘Friends?’ I repeat, the word lying heavy on my tongue, the shock of realisation creeping through my body. ‘You mean you and me?’

‘Yes, of course.’ Scott confirms it with a puzzled smile. ‘It would be a real shame to go our separate ways after everything we’ve been through. And you’ll love Ellie, I promise you. Probably end up really good mates.’

His voice fades in and out as I try to process what he’s telling me. That Ellie isn’t a fling, she’s something more. I am to be relegated to Scott’s history. An ex. And he wants us to be all cosy and nice about it. He thinks I’m here to give him my blessing, to agree to be friends.

‘You and her?’ I whisper. ‘You’re actually together? And it’s serious?’ I give a disbelieving smile that could easily descend into a sneer.

Scott bites his lip and shifts in his seat. He signals to a passing waitress to get him another bottle of beer. ‘Yes. I thought you realised, I thought you were wishing me well.’

My mouth drops open and my chest clenches with a disappointment so crushing I can barely breathe.

‘I didn’t want to tell you before,’ he says, ‘because I didn’t want to hurt you. But when Ellie answered my phone last night… well, I felt I had to come and explain. And you’re looking so composed and together, I thought you were okay with it.’