Page 99 of Someone to Love Tracy Corbett

Susan looked startled. ‘Boxing?’

Connie nodded. ‘I can highly recommend it. Aside from the physical benefits, it’s a great stress reliever, especially if you attach a photo of your husband to the punchbag.’

Susan started laughing.

‘Trust me, it’s great therapy. You can yell and scream at the bastard all you want, and no one cares… Well, apart from the other boxers, but they’ve got used to me now and don’t take any notice. I urge you to try it.’

Susan smiled. ‘Maybe I will.’

Connie raised her glass. ‘In the meantime, here’s to dealing with complicated families, being stuck in the middle of arguments and not letting the bastards in our life get us down.’

Susan clinked glasses with her. ‘Hear, hear. Good luck for tomorrow.’

‘You, too. I have a feeling we’re going to need it.’

An hour later, Connie was arriving back at the hotel in a taxi, having decided that two glasses of wine were definitely enough. Sufficient to dull the pain of dealing with her family, but not so much as to cause an embarrassing repeat of last night.

Her plan to have a quick nap before the formal evening meal was interrupted by the sound of Kenneth’s voice behind her, as she climbed the stairs to her room.

‘Connie, darling, where have you been?’ He appeared on the landing, looking his usual smart self in a tailored suit. He had refused to partake in any of the fancy dress activities scheduled for the day. ‘I’ve been looking for you.’

She viewed him sceptically. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Everything’s fine.’ His attempt to be charming increased her level of suspicion. ‘I was hoping we could talk.’

‘What about?’

‘Well, us, silly.’ He rolled his eyes like she was the one being unreasonable. It was a tactic he’d used many times in court to win over a judge, but she wasn’t so easily duped. ‘I’ve missed you.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Have you been drinking?’

‘Just a couple of whiskies.’ He came closer, pinning her with a seductive gaze that had once reduced her to a quivering wreck.

‘Where’s Tiffany?’

‘Let’s not talk about Tiffany.’ He took her hands and drew her close. ‘Let’s talk about us. We were so good together.’

Was he for real? ‘We were, Kenneth. Until you left. Or have you forgotten that?’

‘That’s in the past. I want to focus on the future.’

It was odd, but instead of feeling elated by the prospect of them having a future together, she felt nothing other than distrust. Her solicitor’s words rang loudly in her head, reminding her that Kenneth would do anything to avoid a big payout. ‘Have you and Tiffany fallen out?’

He looked affronted. ‘Why would you think that?’

She tried to withdraw her hands from his clasp, but he wasn’t letting go. Besides, it was nice to feel his hands, warm and soft. But she’d been fooled before. ‘Kenneth, only recently you were banging on about how in love you were with Tiffany, and how she’d given you a second lease of life. What happened?’

‘Nothing happened.’

‘I don’t believe you.’ She tugged her hands, but he still wasn’t letting go.

‘Tiffany is a wonderful woman, but she’s not you.’

‘Damned right she’s not.’

He drew her closer, breathing in her scent. ‘You’re wearing the perfume I bought you. You smell divine.’ His warm breath against her neck caused a shiver to ripple up her spine. ‘What was it Paul Newman used to say? Why go out for hamburger, when you can have steak at home?’ He kissed her neck.

She tried to quell the effects of another involuntary shiver. ‘Except Paul Newman hadn’t eaten the entire contents of McDonald’s before saying that.’ She tried to ignore the heat growing in her belly. ‘You’ve been eating hamburger for months, Kenneth.’

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