Page 66 of The Price of Love
He met my eye now, steadily, but with a guarded expression as though he was hiding behind himself. ‘Look, I’m sorry, Willow. I never meant to compromise anything. Our doing what we did, it wasn’t . . . it just happened. If you never want to mention it again, then say so, and as far as everyone else is concerned then nothing went on between us. Ever.’
‘Why the hell should I want to deny it?’ To cover the heart-pounding confusion, I got up and began stacking plates into the dishwasher.
‘Because, you and I, come on, Will, you know it would never work out.’
‘Why not?’ I kept my back to him. There was a feeling in my throat as though my adrenal glands were trying to climb over my larynx, fizzing and burning and filling me with light-headedness.
‘Because you’re . . . you can be with anyone you want. Why the fuck would you shackle yourself to a limping tech-head?’
Noises off. Grace had begun an extended wailing session in the next room, upstairs a thumping beat indicated that Ash was playing music, and the pipes were gurgling as Flint, in his nest under the eaves, began one of his four hour baths. After Cal’s remark, these sounds fell into the quiet like stones into a pond.
I turned around to face him, the handle of the dishwasher prodding me forward. ‘I don’t know how you felt about — what we did, but I don’t think there was any kind of “compromising” going on, and why the hell would I not want to mention it to anyone? In fact, I’ve already told Katie, so you might want to wear some kind of protective gear when you meet her next, she got a bit over-excited about the whole thing.’
Cal jerked. I heard his chair grind against the floor. ‘Why would you do that? Tell people?’
The noise level had increased, the pipes banging now. ‘Because’ — I raised my voice slightly — ‘I think I’m in love with you.’
Of course, the second I started to speak, all the sounds died away. The pipes clonked into silence, even Grace stuttered to a standstill and I yelled the end of the sentence into complete quiet. An embarrassed pause followed, then Grace started up again. I suspect Bree might have scared her on purpose.
‘Oh.’
‘Is that all you can say? “Oh”?’
‘I’m thinking. You haven’t, possibly, been beaten with a stupid stick today? Or, maybe, eaten some hallucinogenic sandwiches?’
‘No, Cal. I’m well aware of what I’m saying.’ My heart did a quick waltz around my chest at the way he was looking at me. That carefully managed expression he’d been wearing had been replaced with one that looked more like amazement.
‘To use Ash’s vernacular, no shit.’ He tried to get to his feet, but tangled his bad leg around the chair as he stood, sending himself lurching against the table. ‘Willow, are you sure you’re not just rebounding? I’m the last person to want to investigate your reasons for this really quite astounding statement, but I want you to be sure.’
‘Oh, I’m sure,’ I said, into the grave-deep eyes. ‘But do you know the really crazy thing?’
‘What, apart from the fact that this joint burned my fingers?’
‘This isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about. I mean, I did, but I knew that would all come in time, we’ve got years to sort out how we feel about each other, after all. No, the messages asking you to call me, I’ve thought of a way to get even with Luke.’
‘Again, with theno shit.’ Cal shook the smouldering roach from his hand. ‘Hell, I’m becoming dangerously predictable here.’
‘The day you become predictable is the day I hand over my badge as Sheriff Strange of Weirdsville, Arizona. Population: you and me.’
‘Look, shall we go over to my place and talk? I’ve brought his laptop back for you, but, like I said, all the files are copied onto my computer at the farm.’
‘I think we might need some of them.’ I led the way to the front door. ‘And maybe the help of your boys.’
‘You really have got plans, haven’t you?’
‘You’d better believe it.’
On the way over to Cal’s flat, I outlined Plan Revenge. Cal whistled once or twice, nodding slowly most of the time, apart from when he was pulling out to overtake woodlice and tree sloths, which were the only things in the known universe to be moving slower than us. When I’d finished, we’d arrived.
‘Whew, some plan. Can you carry it off?’
‘If everyone helps out. If it all comes together. I know it’s going to take some organising, but I think we owe it to everyone he’s ever shafted.’
‘Going to take guts, Willow. Can you pretend like that?’
I stood very still.Could I?Could I really do it? Then I thought about all the wedding magazines under my bed, about the plans I’d had, about the life I’d envisaged. ‘Oh, yes. I can do it.’
‘Good.’
