Page 70 of The Price of Love
Ithadto be Nadine’s desk. No one else, outside of Barbie’s fan club, would have had such an arrangement of pink, fluffy items of dubious provenance. There was even a pinkpony, for heaven’s sake. And a little troll. Had this woman no shame? The picture had been taken on a cheap camera, with the resulting grainy effect, and it didn’t look as though he’d even known she was taking it. Nevertheless, there he was, wearing the blue shirt I liked so much and those lovely chinos that hugged his bottom so tightly. ‘Luke.’
‘You know him?’ Vivienne shoved the picture back. Obviously a surge of loyalty to Nadine was wading its way to her surface. ‘Then, could youpleaseask him to sort things out with Nadine?’
‘I’m not sure how I’d go about that,’ I muttered to myself. ‘So, Nadine’s been having a bad time with him since I turned up here?’
‘Oh, a little before that, I think it started. A couple of weeks or so. She was quite quiet about it at first, but then one day I found her in the kitchen in tears, and she told me that her boyfriend was seeing another woman. Apparently he’d told her this other woman was going to invest some money in the same business that Nadine had invested in. He’s a designer, clothes or some such, and he was sweet-talking around this other woman, taking her out, wining and dining her until she handed over the money. But poor Nadine was convinced there was more to it than that, and you can’t reason with someone when they’re in that state, can you?’
A few more pieces of the puzzle slotted together. Nadine would have recognised my name from the letters and emails she’d been asked to send. She must have mentioned to Luke that someone she knew stood to get a lot of money, maybe even shown him a copy of the letters and emails, things he’d then told her not to send. Therefore, things I’d not known about untilafterLuke had picked me up in the bar. And Nadine would have been able to describe me to Luke, adding the details about what I’d been like at uni.He hadn’t remembered me at all.
He’d cooked this whole thing up. Nadine knew Katie, would have known that we all went drinking in the Grape and Sprout on a Friday night. He’d only have to hang around for a few hours before bumping into me. Having groomed himself into looking almost exactly as he had ten years ago. My skin flushed an unsightly puce. She must have known I’d had an insane crush onhim. After all most of the English department did. She’d had to stay working here until she could confirm to Luke that I’d found out about the inheritance, knowing all the time that she’d have to meet me face-to-face. Why had she done it? Well, that was a stupid question, Luke could have persuaded the Pope to fall in love with him. Oh God, poor,poorNadine. The cow.
‘Oh, look, here’s John come to take you down to the test site.’ Mrs Parry was obviously relieved to be shot of me, although not as relieved as I was to be leaving. The final piece of the puzzle had fallen into place. It really had all been about the money. Luke hadn’taccidentallymet me, hadn’t recognised the woman he’d fancied at university — had, instead, scripted, staged and starred in the whole elaborate production.
It made me want to go out and get syphilis, just so I could give it to him.
Watching Ganda’s road surface being tested made watching paint dry look like a fun way to spend an afternoon. Various cars drove up and down a polytunnel, in various lighting conditions, braking, turning and generally doing what cars do. Eventually, the lights were lowered down to night-time level and John the tester sidled up to me.
‘Everything’s fine at every stage, except this one.’ He pulled his cap firmly around his ears as though worried I might be about to slap his head. ‘Tell us what you think about this.’
In almost absolute darkness, a yellow Mini started its engine. Sprinklers began to spit water, damping the road as the car accelerated along the track, its lights strobing on the glittering surface.
‘Oh my God,’ I said. ‘It’s likeStrictlyCome Dancing.’
Each individual sequin-spot of light gleamed but, magnified and prismed by the water droplets, the lights bled and merged. We are talkingseriousspecial effects here. A fine, shimmering haze hung over the road surface wherever the lights shone. Icould feel my vision flickering around the edges as my eyes tried to refocus, giving rise to a small, but insistent, headache.
‘It’s even worse behind, in the tail lights,’ John intoned gloomily. ‘One of the testers said it was like reversing over Liberace.’
‘What happens if they switch their fog lights on?’
The Mini driver complied. I should have been warned by the way John shielded his eyes and turned his head away.
‘Oh. I see,’ I said, when my vision eventually settled down. ‘Oh dear.’
‘So, I don’t think we’re going to be recommending commercial production. Sorry.’
‘No, it’s fine. I mean, I can see why you can’t use it.’ I’d still got glowing shapes burned on my retinas. ‘Would it have any kind of application at all?’
‘We might be able to do something with it — toned down a bit, obviously, as regards markings at the edge of pavements, but we’re still thinking about that.’
My image of my future life, which had been shrinking lately, squeezing Luke out, shrank a little further and Cal’s white house fell off the edge. I mentally packed away the big straw hat and the floaty frock. ‘So you won’t be wanting to buy the design then?’
‘Depends. If we can use it for something, you might get a few grand. For the use of the patent. But, as it stands, nope, sorry.’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘What, nothingat all?’ Jazz coughed into his pint with shock. ‘Not a penny?’
‘She’s already had fifty grand,’ Katie pointed out. ‘So it’s not a bad return, really.’
‘Of which she gave over half to that wanker, Luke Fry. Why don’t you sue, Will? Take him to the cleaners.’
I refilled my wine glass. ‘Because, people.’ I took a drink. Once again I was enjoying being the centre of attention. ‘There would be no case to answer. I’ve been through it with Bree. Everything I gave him, I did of my own free will. He never coerced me or bullied me.’
‘He did tie you to the bed though,’ Jazz said, with his head down to avoid Katie clopping him around the ear.
‘As Isaid’ — I carefully ignored him — ‘of my own free will. And I bet all the other women he conned would say that he never directlyaskedfor money. They were so terrified of losing him that they’d hand over whatever he told them he needed.’
‘But if they could afford it, then it’s their lookout. Ow! Fuck, Kate, that hurt.’
