Her One Mistake(3)

Harriet nodded. “Yes, thank you,” she said, making no move to leave.

“Please stop thanking me.” I smiled. “I’m your best friend, it’s what I’m here for.” Besides, I wanted to watch Alice, and Harriet had been there for me more than enough times over the last two years. “You know you can trust me,” I added.

But maybe we were a little more on edge than usual since a boy had been taken from the park last October. He was nine—the same age as Jack had been at the time—and it had happened only on the other side of Dorset. Close enough for us to feel the threat, and still no one had any idea why he’d been taken or what had happened to him.

I reached out and took hold of my friend’s arm. “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll take good care of her.” Eventually Harriet stepped off my doorstep and I took Alice’s hand and brought her into the hallway.

“You’ve got my number if you need me,” Harriet said.

“I’ll call if there’s a problem. But there won’t be,” I added.

“Brian’s fishing. He has his phone with him but he rarely answers it.”

“Okay, well, I’ll get hold of you if need be,” I said. I didn’t have Brian’s number anyway. I wanted Harriet to hurry up and go. I was conscious I was still in my pajamas and could see Ray from the house opposite staring as he mowed his front lawn in painfully slow stripes. “Harriet, you’ll be late,” I said, deciding I needed to be firm with her now or I’d find her dithering on my doorstep for the rest of the day.

? ? ?

WHEN HARRIET EVENTUALLY left, I closed the door and took a deep breath. There was a time when I would have called out to Tom that Ray was watching me and we would laugh about it. It was at the oddest times it struck me that I had no one to share those moments with since we’d separated.

“Ray caught me wearing my pajamas,” I said, grinning at Jack as he emerged from the playroom.

My son stared at me. “Can you get me a juice?”

I sighed. “No, Jack. You’re ten. You can get your own juice, and can you say hello to Alice, please?”

Jack looked at Alice as if he had never seen her before. “Hello, Alice,” he said before disappearing into the kitchen.

“Well, that’s as good as it gets, I’m afraid.” I smiled at Alice, who had already taken Molly’s hand and was being led up the stairs. “Everyone, I’m going to have a shower and then we’ll get ready for the fair,” I called out, but my words were met with silence.

When I reached the bedroom, my cell was ringing and Tom’s number flashed up on the screen. “We agreed seven p.m.,” I said as I answered.

“What?” he called out over the noise of traffic.

I sighed and muttered under my breath for him to put the damn car roof up. “I said seven p.m.” I spoke louder. “I assume you’d forgotten what time you were coming to sit with the kids tonight?” Even though I’d only told him yesterday.

“Actually, I just wanted to check if you definitely still need me?”

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. “Yes, Tom, I’m still planning to go out.” I didn’t ask him often. I didn’t go out enough to have to. In the two years since we’d separated I had gradually realized I didn’t need to show him I was still having fun, and most of the time I wasn’t anyway. Now I was comfortable enough in my single life to only go out when I wanted to. Though if I were being honest, I didn’t really fancy drinks with the neighbors tonight, but I wasn’t going to give Tom the satisfaction of letting me down at the last minute.

“It’s just something’s come up with work. I don’t have to go, but it would look better if I did.”

I rubbed a hand over my eyes and silently screamed. I knew what my night would be like: awkward conversation over too much wine with neighbors who I had little in common with. Yet I should go. Not only had I promised them, but I’d let them down the last time they’d had a party and probably the time before that.

“You told me you were free,” I said flatly.

“I know, and I’ll still come over if you really need me. It’s just that—”

“Oh, Tom,” I sighed.

“I’m not backing out if you still want me. I was just checking you definitely want to go, that’s all. You never usually want to.”

“Yes, I want to go,” I snapped, hating that he still knew me so well. I wouldn’t get this hassle if I used a babysitter, but I knew the kids loved having him over.

“Okay, okay, I’ll be there,” he said. “Seven o’clock.”

“Thank you. And come on your own,” I said before I could help myself. I knew he would never bring his new girlfriend. He hadn’t even introduced her to the children yet.

“Charlotte,” he said. “You know you don’t have to say that.”

“I’m just making sure,” I said sharply, before putting the phone down and feeling irritatingly guilty because, despite the way he still annoyed me, I couldn’t fault Tom’s parenting. And we muddled through surprisingly well.

As I turned on the shower, I tried not to think about why I was rattled by his latest relationship news. It wasn’t as if I wanted him back. Fifteen years of marriage hadn’t ended on a whim, we had gradually grown too far apart. Maybe I just didn’t like change, I thought, stepping into the shower. Maybe I had gotten too comfortable with the easy flow of my life.