Page 50 of Thick as Thieves
I step away from her saying, “Do I? I feel fucking fantastic”
She pulls me away to the very back of the tent, so we can’t be seen.
“Look Marcus, I’m sorry to tell you this, but we’ve been friends for a lot of years, and I know that I’m seeing Jude, but I am loyal to you first.” She looks like she can hardly contain herself. “Well, it’s been talked about in the family, ‘the Greystones’ that is…”—she pauses for effect—“that Xander is seeing Evie. And to be honest, I’ve spoken to someone else who has sort of confirmed it. You need to get rid of them both. They are playing you, Marcus. They’ve been at it for years.” She waits gleefully for the massive fallout.
“Years? As in how long? Because as far as I know, we only met Evie again a year this past December. No one could find her before that, thanks to your boyfriend and his crazy brothers. They made sure of that.” I prick her bubble, but she doesn’t even notice.
“Well, since you got back together. That’s why Xander was so upset the two times I was there when Evie threw us all out. Both times he was more upset than he should have been. And when you were in LA, he was all over her in a nightclub in London. And at your wedding in Vegas. Apparently, he got into her bed, and she never moved him out.”
She’s cataloguing Xander’s crimes against me, and also Evie’s. It’s taking all my energy to stop my eyeballs rolling around in my head.
“Well thanks for the heads up,” I comment cheerily. She hasn’t got the message yet.
“That’s not all, Marcus. Even recently in South America, a girl told a friend of mine—she did social media for a band—that Xander was always hugging and kissing Evie, and not as a friend.” Her eyes are wide and she exaggerates the word ‘friend’.
“Well, whoever they are, they're certainly taking notice. I’ll look into it,” I tell her. “I can’t have that now, can I?” I shake my head in mock consternation.
I see Gabe coming back over, laughing. He’s clocked Isobel. “You joining in, Isobel?” he asks her. “I think Jude’s getting antsy.”
Gabe is pissing himself. I look at Issy who’s looking at me as if I’m her next tasty meal. ‘No fucking way,’ I think.
She shakes her head. “No, Gabe,” she tells him.
“Catch you later then.” He blows us both a kiss, sauntering back to the stage with a serious swagger.
“Stay away from him, Issy. He’s a maniac.” I grin at her. “Unless you fancy a bit of madness.”
“I don’t. I’m with Jude,” she deadpans. How boring she is.
“Is he alright? He seems annoyed with me?” I’m trying to deflect her from staring at me hungrily.
“I think it’s all the things he’s hearing about Evie and Xander. It’s upsetting him. He’s tried to get her to come to London, but she won’t come. He knows I want to sort out things with her too.”
“Why are you bothering, Isobel? You’re here, and you could go to the farm, nothing would be said. Evie won’t bother you, if you don’t bother her." I think I may be wasting my breath.
“I know, but Jude wants us to be friends, so I’ll try.”
What a load of bullshit. The woman is delusional.
“I wouldn’t bother, you’ll never be friends. But she will be civil with you. She never went against you with those other women in the summer. So I’d say leave it at that.” She nods and smiles at me, as if she’s actually listened. I give her a kiss on the cheek. “Go have fun, Issy. That’s a birthday order,” I say, pushing her towards the booth where Jude is sat, a blonde girl giggling at him from her perch on his right.
I turn away, thinking of my wife, and start to stride away towards the entrance. I just get through it at the Loch side, when I hear someone call my name. I turn to see Isobel running to catch up. Tears in her eyes, she throws herself at me.
“What’s up now, Issy?” I hold onto her, looking down into her face and wiping away her tears. “What’s happened?” My calm voice belies my true thoughts. This woman really needs to get a grip.
“J-Jude,” she stutters out. “He—” Then she collapses onto my chest, clutching at me. “He wants, he kissed, he said…” she’s trying to tell me through the tears. “I don’t understand this lifestyle. I want one man, that’s it. It’s not a lot to ask for,” she says, anger bubbling up, her face becoming hard.
“Around here, that’s not the norm. You’ve been around us a lot, Isobel. We’ve been the same since university, even when I was married to Caroline.” I try to rationalise for her.
“Yes, so why aren’t you now then? Are you saying you’re not just with one woman?” She looks up at me, hope shining in her eyes.
Too late, I see the tactics. Fuck. She pulls me to her and kisses me.Fuck.I don’t kiss her back, I just stand there like a piece of wood. She reaches for my cock, probably thinking it will be hard, but not a thing. If anything she’s making me feel ill.
I gently push her down. “Isobel, what are you doing? You know that’s not happening.”
She ignores me and goes for it again.
“What the fuck!”
