Page 49 of The Affair
She had barely considered her job, her mind so consumed with Jared that she seldom had any other thought in her head. ‘I’m still feeling a bit below par, if I’m honest.’ She gave him a reassuring smile. ‘How would you feel about getting away? Fit in a week before Christmas, somewhere nice and warm. We could swim and lie about, read …’
Now it was Devan’s turn to look surprised. ‘It’s a great idea. Where could we go?’
Connie didn’t mind, as long as it was as far away from Jared as possible.Maybe he’ll have vanished by the time I get back, she thought, like a child with a hand over her eyes – if she can’t see you, you can’t see her. In fact, she hadn’t caught even a glimpse of him since that night.
Devan was on his laptop, searching winter breaks, almost before she’d left the room, although she knew it would change nothing.
Now Neil embraced her, then stepped back, a wide grin on his face. ‘Very Scott-of-the-Antarctic, darling …and I’m sure you had a gun to your head when you putthoseon.’ His nose wrinkled as he noticed her boots.
In fact, her feet were stewing in them. The car had been hot and she felt her toes throbbing now. She longed to wrench the ridiculous things off.
Neil gave Devan a hug, too, and led them through the elegant 1930s art-deco house – flat roof, parquet floors, curved windows and a gorgeous timber staircase – to the wide terrace behind. About twenty-five people were there, many faces she recognized in the glow from the lanterns lining the low stucco wall and the huge bonfire that burned merrily at the bottom of the steps leading down to the garden.
Brooks, in a sleek, padded navy jacket and tartan scarf knotted European-style round his neck, was standing at a king-size barbecue, wielding tongs and holding forth to a group of friends clutching beers. On one end of the barbecue there was a capacious preserving pan and ladle, steaming with Neil’s mulled wine. At the other, sausages and spicy lamb chops sizzled near skewers of prawn and vegetables, and crisping chicken wings. The pungent smell of roasting meat made Connie’s mouth water.
Neil handed her a glass of his infamous concoction. The wine felt pleasantly warm between her palms. Despite the heat from the bonfire, the barbecue and the press of people, the air was cruel, icy on her cheeks.
Devan gave her a nudge. ‘Not too bad so far!’ And he was right. The wine was going straight to her head, she was beginning to relax …
It was a while later when Neil grabbed her arm. Piled plate in hand, she turned. ‘Connie, I’m dying for you to meet Jed,’ he said, indicating the man by his side. ‘We bonded at the Raven’s book launch.’ She swallowed hard, coughed as if she might choke, her plate wobbling dangerously in her hand. The eyes that were staring directly into hers sparkled in the candlelight. ‘He’s a kitchen designer and he’s just moved into your village.’ His last words were almost lost in the heavy pulsing of blood in her ears.
Dizzily, she managed a weak ‘Hello,’ shrugging at Jared’s outstretched hand, as she indicated her own, clamped firmly round her plate and fork.
‘Hi, Connie,’ ‘Jed’ replied, smiling that intimate smile of his.
Her stomach lurched. Devan was beside her, but with his back to them, talking to a man she didn’t know.
‘We had such a laugh,’ Neil was saying. ‘Jed had the exact same experience as me with our esteemed employer, didn’t you, Jed?’
Jared nodded. ‘Nightmare. She was all over me like a rash at first. Then I did something she didn’t approve of – God knows what, I never found out – and she turned on me, made my life hell for about six months.’
Connie had a glassy smile nailed to her face. Neil was speaking again, but she had no idea what he was saying. Sounds of the party faded. The only thing in her field of vision, in her entire consciousness, was the man in front of her. As if they were all alone on the freezing terrace.
Then Devan, his other conversation over, wheeledround. Connie almost gasped. But, astonishingly, her husband was grinning, holding out his hand to shake Jared’s warmly.
‘Hey, great to see you again.’ He turned to her. ‘This is the guy I told you about, Connie. Remember? Me and Bill met him in the pub.’ He turned back to Jared again. ‘So, have you moved in yet?’
‘Been there a few weeks now.’
‘How’s it going? Not too quiet for you?’
‘It’s perfect,’ Jared said, glancing at Connie. ‘I’ve had things to sort out back at my other place but I’ve pretty much done that now. Just a few more boxes to go.’
‘Listen, got to circulate,’ Neil said, putting one arm round Jared, the other round Connie. ‘But let’s all get together and have a bitch-fest about La Raven, eh? We could do Angie’s for a coffee … I’m around till the end of November now.’ He grinned at Devan. ‘You can come too, of course. But you might be shocked.’
‘Shocked’ was how Connie was feeling right now. Her head was spinning as she imagined the impossible scenario of her, Neil, Jared, and maybe Devan too, sitting cosily round one of the wobbly metal tables at Angie’s, sipping Gajah Mountain blend and reminiscing about Fiona.How come Jared worked for her?It seemed an extraordinary coincidence.
The others were laughing as their host made off towards Brooks and had an earnest conversation in his husband’s ear. Connie watched her friend. Anything but look at Jared, who was now asking Devan if he was interested in craft beer.
‘I’ve got a brewer mate who’s experimenting with a stout blend. I’m going over there tomorrow, if you fancy coming along for a tasting.’
Devan, who loathed stout, was nodding eagerly. ‘That’d be great.’
Connie stared at her husband in horror.
‘It’s serious stuff. Tastes like singed soil, really gross,’ Jared was saying. ‘You can’t drink much and stay upright.’
They chatted on, like the best of friends, the two of them side by side, glasses in hand, faces lit by the bonfire as they watched the extravagant display of fireworks. Connie edged away until she was standing on her own. She was both stunned and furious.What the hell were you doing at the launch?she asked Jared silently.And how dare you pretend to pal up with my husband?
