‘S he was delightful.’
‘She’s a grade-A bitch.’
Olivia leaned back against the headrest. They were in Noah’s car, having left hers in the car park to collect later, and on their way to get food. Noah was trying to win her over with flowers and dinner and, although she had softened her stance and appreciated how he had stuck up for her with Fern, she was biding her time as she awaited his explanation about Daniella, before deciding whether she would let him into her bed later.
‘So are you going to tell me what she did to you?’
Olivia closed her eyes, not up for this conversation right now. She had made her peace with what had happened, no longer felt embarrassed by it, though when she thought back to that day, it was so easy to remember the burning humiliation and how at the time she had wanted to curl up and die. She would never forgive Fern for what she had done all those years ago.
‘I don’t want to talk about it right now. Can we just go have some dinner and forget about it for a while?’ She found a smile for him.
‘Sure.’ Taking one hand off the wheel, he covered hers in her lap, gave it a squeeze.
Seeing Fern again had been a shock. The woman hadn’t changed and Olivia doubted she ever would. Part of her had always thought, hoped, that the spiteful girl she had gone to school with might have matured into a compassionate woman, but some people didn’t change. Fern always put herself first.
It was understandable that Fern St Clair might be targeted by someone looking for revenge, but what the hell had Olivia done wrong? She certainly couldn’t think of anything which would connect her to Fern.
Although she wanted nothing to do with the woman, Noah had taken Fern’s number. While that had made Olivia bristle a little, deep down she knew he had only done it because he wanted to find out who was tormenting her. Sometimes Noah couldn’t help going into cop mode, even though he denied it whenever she accused him of it.
She wondered where he was taking her, tired eyes watching the blurring fields pass by as they headed out of the city and into the country. After about fifteen minutes he pulled off the road into the large car park of a cosy pub.
‘They have restaurants in the city, you know?’ Olivia pointed out wryly as she stepped out of the car into the cold night. She marvelled at how silent it was in the countryside, the clear sky littered with stars.
‘I know, but this place has good reviews, and it will be quieter. We can talk.’
About us or about what had happened with Fern? Olivia wondered.
Still she took his hand and let him lead her inside, the homely interior with comforting smells, low lighting, soft music and giant Christmas tree instantly soothing her.
Noah ordered himself a pint and Olivia a large glass of wine while they waited at the bar for their table. ‘I can’t drink all that. We have to get my car remember.’
‘Well, I was thinking you could leave your car for tonight. I’ll give you a lift into work tomorrow.’
Her eyebrows lifted. ‘That’s a little presumptuous. I haven’t invited you to stay over.’
‘You will.’ He gave her a wolfish grin when she opened her mouth to protest. ‘Besides, Molly’s away, isn’t she? I’m sure you don’t want to be there alone.’
He was right about that, she grudgingly conceded, though she didn’t admit it out loud, instead remaining non-committed. ‘We’ll see.’
The atmosphere in the restaurant was informal and relaxed, and not wanting to ruin the moment, Olivia tried to keep conversation light until they had eaten. As the waitress cleared their plates, she studied Noah across the table.
With Toby cheating on her, then the incident with Dominic, she had lost her confidence. Too scared to date again she had resigned herself to a life of being single, convinced no other man would accept her for who she was. When Noah had blitzed into her life, he had knocked straight through all the barriers she had put up. She hadn’t set out to find him. He had just appeared one day with Jamie and hadn’t left her alone from that day on. And yes, okay, at first it had just been as friends, but then things had progressed, and the whole time, all Olivia could think was how damn lucky she was, because he was kind and confident and interested in her, and he made her laugh, plus of course, he was bloody gorgeous. It seemed crazy that he wanted her, but he did, and so she didn’t question it, just went along with it, convincing herself that good things sometimes really did happen.
This morning had been a reality check, making her question everything.
Had she really been swept up in a web of lies or was there a more innocent explanation for why he had deceived her?
What did she know about him? She hadn’t questioned the truth of what he had told her. American dad – he had the weird accent going on, mostly British, but pronouncing some words with a lazy American lilt; British mother and one brother and one sister, though Olivia hadn’t met any of them – it was far too early in their relationship. And she hadn’t questioned why she had yet to meet any of his friends. He was mates with her brother, so she had taken everything she knew about him at face value.
She knew that he had grown up as an army brat, his dad moving the family all over the place, and that they hadn’t settled in the UK until he was in his teens. All of his family were based in Devon and that was where he had lived until he moved to London and joined the Met. A relationship had brought him to Norfolk five years ago, which had involved a transfer with the police, but then he had left to set up his own surveillance business. The relationship had also fallen apart and he had been single for nearly two years, never married. Again this was all what he had told her, so she had presumed it was true.
There were things she did know for certain. He liked rugby, Mexican food and live music, he drank his coffee black, and he was fairly anti when it came to social media, not even having a Facebook account. Oh, and of course her mother adored him. But seriously, that was it.
Had she been swept up too quickly, blinded by his charm? Had she overlooked any warning signs?
‘You’ve gone quiet. Should I be worried?’
The corner of her mouth twitched nervously. Was she really that obvious? ‘You said you picked here because we could talk.’
‘Which we have been.’
‘Yes, though not about the elephant in the room. You owe me an explanation, Noah. You deceived me.’ When he frowned, she quickly added, ‘I’m not mad about it anymore, I don’t want to fight, but I do need to understand why.’
The frown softened slightly, as he toyed with his glass, and for a moment Olivia wondered if he was going to ignore her, but then he looked up and met her eyes.
‘Okay. I wasn’t sure how you would react if you knew I had a female partner.’
Seriously? ‘What? You thought I would be jealous?’
‘You acted that way this morning.’
‘Because you hadn’t been honest with me, not because Dan is a woman.’ Olivia threw her hands up, exasperated. ‘Don’t throw this back on me. In fact, dial back to before this morning. Have I ever acted jealous or possessive? Why would you assume that I am the jealous type?’
‘Look, it’s been an issue before with women. Dan and I, we have to work closely, and she’s a pretty girl.’
‘She is, but you should have trusted me.’
‘I know, you’re right, I should have done. I’m sorry. At first I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know if things were going to get serious between us, then as they did, I guess the timing never felt right. I’d mentioned her a couple of times and you had assumed she was a guy. After that it was difficult to correct you.’
Was it really as simple as that? Olivia studied his face for any trace of a lie. His clear green eyes held her gaze, not backing down, and she found it difficult to doubt him.
‘So do you forgive me?’
‘Are you keeping any other secrets from me?’
He didn’t hesitate. ‘No.’
‘Okay, but I want to get to know Daniella. You’re an enigma, Noah. I have never met any of the people in your life.’
He grinned crookedly. ‘You’ve met your brother.’
‘Well, yes, but apart from Jamie.’
‘Okay, I will talk to Dan. Sort something out.’ He glanced up at the waitress who had returned with dessert menus then looked at Olivia. ‘Do you want anything?’
‘I’m fine.’ Olivia smiled at the waitress. ‘Dinner was lovely, thank you, but I’m full.’
‘Just the bill please,’ Noah added. As the waitress left, he reached across the table, took hold of Olivia’s hands. ‘So we’re good, yeah?’
A half-smile played on his lips, dimples threatening.
Damn it, those dimples got her every time.
‘We’re getting there.’
‘Good, so while we are doing serious, are we going to talk about what happened tonight with the grade-A bitch? I could tell you really hate her, so I know she must have done something pretty bad.’
Olivia’s face fell. She didn’t want to talk about Fern. Had been trying her best to forget her. ‘Do we have to ruin the evening?’
‘She’s been receiving notes too, Liv. I know you don’t like her, but if whoever is tormenting you, is going after her too, we need to question why. You said she was friendly with Gary Lamb?’
‘Well more so with Howard Peck. He was Gary’s best mate at school. But yes, they were all friendly enough.’
‘Gary was set on fire and you were involved in an accident where you were badly burned. I think there’s a connection. Can you talk me through your accident and how it happened?’
Although his tone was gentle, tension bristled in her shoulders. This had been a nice evening and now they had talked through Daniella, she didn’t want to dredge up the past. ‘Do we have to do that tonight? Can’t we just go back to mine and have hot sex?’
The green eyes heated briefly, his lips curving. ‘Don’t worry. We’re going to do that too.’ He turned her hands over, running his thumbs over the soft skin of her wrists, and little flickers of lust flamed in her belly. ‘But first, tell me what happened. It could be important.’
Olivia pouted a little, relieved when the waitress returned with the card reader. As Noah settled the bill she reached for her coat and slipped it on. At his raised brow, she managed a smile. ‘Look, let’s get back to mine, okay? Luna’s not been fed and she’s going to be hungry. We can talk there.’
She was quiet on the ride home. The two glasses of wine had numbed the edges of her tension, but remembering the night of the accident brought back sharp and painful memories.
As Noah pulled off the road and into the dark driveway of her house, which seemed empty and unwelcoming, she was grateful to have him with her. In the summer it was the perfect home and she loved the south-facing secluded garden, how it was set apart from the other properties in the street, giving plenty of privacy. In the warmer months it was a haven to relax in, have barbecues and entertain friends, but at this time of year, and especially if she was alone, she was aware of every shadow and every creak the house made.
It was an old building and they had been lucky to get it for a good price. The place had needed a fair bit of work, and the ugly décor had put a lot of people off. Cosmetically, they had changed what they could as quickly as possible, fitting a new kitchen and bathroom, replacing carpets and decorating throughout, but there were still plenty of jobs that needed doing, ones that had gone on hold after the break-up. Olivia had managed to buy Toby out of the house, but it had left her on a tight budget. For now, the additional work would have to wait.
As she unlocked the door and stepped inside, reaching for the hallway light, Luna appeared, snaking around her legs and meowing in protest of her empty dish. While Olivia fed her and found a vase for her flowers, Noah opened a bottle of wine. When she went to join him in the living room, the curtains were drawn, the table lamp on, and the place was feeling a lot more homely.
Taking the glass he offered, she sat down on the sofa beside him, drawing her legs up under her and took a long sip. It didn’t escape her attention that she had been drinking more in the last two weeks than she had done in months, and she blamed it on the stress of recent events, mindful she would have to cut back. For tonight though, if Noah wanted to talk about her accident, she needed the wine.
She took another sip, enjoying the pleasant buzz, and set the glass down, shifted her position slightly so she was facing him. Best get this over with, then she could make him fulfil the second part of his promise.
‘We were on a school trip when it happened.’
‘Okay.’
‘It was almost Christmas, round about now actually. There was a place near the coast, a converted farm, and our school organised a trip. It was a pre-Christmas thing, five days away.’
Her mind went back as she remembered the place, how beautifully it had been decorated with glittering lights and festive cheer. And how, naively, she had believed it was going to be the perfect lead-up to Christmas.
How wrong she was.
