Page 38 of Wild Tonic
There, in glorious Technicolour, was a close up of him and Anastasia kissing. Liam swiped the screen and a second image appeared, then a third. It was obvious what the two of them were doing, yet Nate had absolutely no recollection of the act. He had pushed her away. He was sure of it. He looked over at Leona, whose face was a picture of disgust.
“Yes, Clem has seen them. I believe Anastasia took great delight in sending them to her before she headed off this morning.” She shook her head, then turned away to focus on the cooking.
“Where’s Clem now?” Nate knew he needed to talk to her, to explain that nothing happened.
“She’s gone.” Liam shrugged. “I drove her to the station an hour ago.”
“Did she say where she was going? Has she gone home?”
“She told me not to tell you anything. Sorry, Nate.”
Liam left his phone on the table, before leaving the room. The sour taste in Nate’s mouth intensified as he reached for it, scrolling through the three pictures of him and Anastasia. No wonder Clem had left. To all intents and purposes, it looked as if he was about to nail Anastasia.
But then how come he couldn’t remember a thing about it?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Anastasia Green. Anastasia-fucking-Green. Again.
The name swirled around in Clem’s head as she sat on the train and tried to forget the image of Anastasia and Nate kissing. She wished she was strong enough to delete the pictures, but why do that when she could torture herself with them instead? She couldn’t understand it. Well, actually, she could.
Anastasia was a total bitch and would do anything to get one over on her.
It had happened at school.
It had happened with Liam.
It had happened again.
Maybe her mother and Dean had been right after all.
A tear slid down her cheek and she swiped it away. Leona had tried to persuade her to stay at Waterfront Lodge and talk it out with Nate, but she’d refused. She knew exactly what had gone on and didn’t need to prolong the agony any longer. Dean had been surprised when she called him earlier that morning saying she was heading for Marika’s country house. He quickly changed his plans and said he’d pick her up from the station.
Clem switched her phone off, not wanting to respond to anything from Nate, Leona, or, God forbid, Anastasia. Instead, she bought a bunch of glossy, thick fashion magazines and whiled away the journey idly flicking through them, looking for inspiration for new designs. She stumbled across one of the adverts from the Stelle D’Oro campaign; the one of her lounging on the bed in the exact same lingerie set she’d been wearing the other day when she and Nate had sneaked away from the festival. Anyone looking at her that morning, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, face devoid of any make-up and dressed in scruffy jeans and a shapeless plain t-shirt would not have recognised her as the same woman.
She stared at herself. She certainly didn’t feel like that woman.
The one in the picture was full of anticipation, her head full of suggestive thoughts as she awaited what was to come. There was no sign of being cheated on or everyone laughing at her. With a sigh, she closed the magazine and stared out of the window.
A little over two and a half hours later, the train pulled into the station.
Dean was waiting for her, shifting impatiently from foot to foot. “You’re late,” he huffed.
“Not my fault. When we left, the train was on time. I can’t be held responsible for the signalling works around Bristol.” She followed Dean to where he’d double parked his Range Rover and hoisted her overnight bag into the backseat. She noted the child’s car seat as she got in the front. “Is Barney with you?”
“He and Lauren are at the house with Mummy.” Dean climbed in and gunned the engine. “They’re looking forward to seeing you.”
Clem looked at the familiar scenery as it turned from town to country. An air of calm settled over her, as it always did when she came to this part of the country. It was a welcome relief after the tension she’d been battling since seeing those damn photographs first thing that morning.
“Auntie Clemmie!” A strawberry-blonde haired boy threw himself at Clem the moment she walked through the door.
“Hey there, Barney!” Clem bent down so she was at the little boy’s level and ruffled his hair. “How are you?”
“He’s much better now. Luckily we caught it in time and he was able to make a full recovery. He’s still got a bit of a cough and he tires very easily. Although that can be a blessing in disguise.” Lauren Cameron entered the hall, her poise and elegance immediately making Clem feel like an awkward teenager. “Good to see you, Clem, it’s been a while. Barney, it’ll be time for lunch soon, why don’t you go and wash your hands?”
Obediently, Barney disappeared. Clem straightened up and kissed her sister-in-law on both cheeks. “Good to see you too, Lauren.” She turned to Dean. “Where’s Mother?”
“Having a lie down before you arrived. I think she had a migraine coming on,” said Dean.
