A Simple Mistake (16 page)

Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday this year and Emma from Grade One was getting married. It was her hens’ night and she’d convinced Lainey to come. Lainey decided to go to the dinner, but she wasn’t interested in going to the casino afterwards.

There were seven of them going from work, along with a group of Emma’s friends and family. The bride-to-be looked very cute with a veil attached to a plastic tiara. She attracted a lot of attention as they left the restaurant and headed for the casino.

Lainey was about to call it a night when she stopped still. ‘Hang on a minute, I think I’ll come.’

Carolyn did a double take. ‘Really? Into the casino? What’s brought this on?’

‘I thought I saw someone I knew going in there.’

Carolyn shrugged. ‘Right, well, I’m off to the bar for another drink then I’m going to play keno with the others. Are you sure you want to come?’

‘Yeah, I am.’ Lainey searched out the crowds, sure she’d seen Malcolm. And if he was here, then maybe Nick … She felt a rush of guilt.
Josh
.

Lainey sipped on a soft drink and continued to look for Malcolm. After only a few minutes, she found him.

She tapped Carolyn on the shoulder. ‘I’m going over to watch one of the games. Back in ten.’

Malcolm sat at a table, concentrating hard on the cards being dealt, a drink beside him. He appeared to be on his own and took no notice of the people observing the game. From where she stood, Lainey could see beads of sweat on his forehead and the tense line of his mouth.

Lainey had no idea of the rules but knew the more chips you won the better. Malcolm had quite a pile. Once or twice he lost but his expression didn’t change; he took out a handkerchief, mopped his face and had another drink. As soon as his glass was empty he signalled for another.

It appeared he was well-known. Several men made quiet comments to him and two of the other players called him by name. Once he’d regained his pile, he gathered in all his chips and stood to his feet. He lifted his head, looked straight at her, and gave a small salute.

Lainey was surprised he remembered who she was. Compelled to say hello, but having no idea what she’d say after that, she elbowed her way around. ‘Hi, Malcolm.’

‘Lainey! What’s a nice religious person like you doing in this den of iniquity?’ His words were slightly slurred.

She ignored that. ‘How are you?’

‘Very good. Won a bit tonight.’ He smiled at his bucket of winnings. ‘You must’ve been my lucky charm.’

‘I’m surprised you think so.’

‘Oh yes. You definitely are. You’ve always brought me luck.’ He swayed and then staggered, clearly the worse for wear.

‘I thought you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.’

‘Oh no, no, no. You had your uses. Heard of a scapegoat? Whoops.’ His chuckle was swiftly replaced by a frown.

A pang of something shot through her. What he’d said fitted with what she’d suspected. She might as well try to find out what she could. Chances were he was drunk enough not to remember their conversation later on.

‘Would you like to sit down and catch up a bit?’

‘No time for that. Gotta try and make some more money. You have no idea,’ he came closer and waggled a finger near her face, ‘you have no idea how hard it is to keep two families happy.’

‘It must be very hard.’ She forced herself not to flinch from the alcoholic fumes.

‘Teenage daughters are the worst,’ he said, ‘they say, ‘Daddy, you must love your other family more than me,’ when all they want is more clothes, more shoes, more stuff.’

Aghast, she watched as tears began to well.

‘You know what? They really don’t love me at all. They just want my money. That’s all I am to them. A dollar sign. And someone who knows some famous people. How sad is that? Don’t you think that’s sad, Lainey?’

Everything was becoming crystal clear. ‘Yes, Malcolm, I do. And it must be
very
hard paying for two houses and your children’s education, let alone all the extras.’

The tears vanished and he beamed. ‘That’s
right
! So you see why I need to make lots of money so I can keep them all happy. If they’re happy, then I can be happy, right?’

Oh yes, she got it now.

An unexpected surge of compassion and understanding for this man hit her like a ten foot wave. ‘I forgive you for those articles, Malcolm.’

Malcolm’s face froze, and then crumpled like a wet paper towel. ‘I never meant to cause you and Nick to break up, Lainey. He’s such a good boy and you’re such a good girl …’ To her horror his head came down on her shoulder and he began to weep.

Lainey tried to push him back up; they were drawing a lot of attention. ‘No, it wasn’t like that! I’d already broken up with him anyway. You were right that night at the premiere. It wasn’t going to work.’

‘Are you alright ma’am?’

Two security guards had come to her rescue, propping Malcolm up between them.

She had never felt such relief. ‘Thank you. Yes, I’m okay. I know him. He’s upset, that’s all. Could you hang on for just a minute?’

‘Be quick, ma’am. We need to remove him from the premises.’

Lainey almost laughed. They sounded like something out of a C-grade movie.

Malcolm’s tears had stopped once more. ‘Sometimes you have to do terrible things to survive,’ he said, his tone bleak.

She felt sorry for him. Everyone needed to be loved. ‘I know. It really is okay.’ She put her mouth close to his ear. ‘I’ll be praying for you. God loves you, Malcolm, more than you know.’

Her last glimpse of him was of his startled face as he was led away.

‘Are you alright?’ Carolyn’s anxious voice brought her back to earth. ‘Was that who you were looking for?’

‘Yeah, it was.’ Lainey was reeling from the encounter.

‘What happened?’

She rubbed a hand across her forehead as they made their way back to the others. ‘I’m sorry, but I really shouldn’t talk about it.’

‘I bet it’s some in-house goss about The Mavericks and I’ll read it in a magazine next month.’

‘I don’t think so. I doubt he’ll even remember the conversation. He’d had a bit.’ Lainey smiled. ‘Oh dear. So has Emma.’

She was in an intense tête-à-tête with some guy up at the bar. Lainey watched her come away, a fresh drink in her hand, punching the air with the other in a victory salute.

Carolyn patted her arm. ‘Probably a good time for you to leave. That’s the first of ten dares we’ve given her and we don’t want to offend your sensibilities, Miss Churchie.’

Lainey laughed. She said her farewells and headed outside to catch a cab, then decided to phone Josh instead, hoping he wouldn’t mind picking her up. She really felt like talking to him about what had just happened.

‘Thanks for coming,’ she said, as she climbed into his car.

‘No problem. What changed your mind?’

She told him about the day she and Nick broke up; not the finer details but about Mia and the magazine article and how she’d felt all along that Malcolm had had something to do with it. It was a relief to be able to tell Josh what had just happened in the casino and know that he would understand.

He looked at her with respect. ‘What you just did is pretty amazing.’

‘It just seemed to happen all by itself.’

‘Yeah, but to go out on a limb and tell him you forgive him when you weren’t a hundred percent sure of your facts, that took some courage. I’ll bet he was surprised.’

‘It made him cry. I feel so sorry for him, Josh.’

He took her hand and squeezed it. ‘You never know when God will use you to reach someone. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Being a vessel for however He wants to use us.’

Later, while in the shower, Lainey cried. She couldn’t help it. She cried for Malcolm, for the sadness and the emptiness in his life and she cried tears of guilt about Josh. She wished she felt something stronger than sisterly affection for him but she didn’t. It might as well have been Sarah’s hand she’d been holding all the way home.

He’d made her promise to tell him if things weren’t working out for her and she would; just as soon as she’d figured out when.

* * *

She was trying to figure it out more the next weekend.

Emma’s wedding was at a hotel in the city centre. Red and white balloons and flowers were everywhere and it looked spectacular. Regardless, Lainey didn’t feel in the mood to celebrate. She did her best not to be on edge and was very grateful Josh wasn’t as sensitive to her feelings as Nick had been. She would’ve been a dead duck.

Carolyn nudged her as they waited for Emma to arrive. ‘Doesn’t Josh look handsome in a suit?’

‘Yeah, I guess.’ He did look good all dressed up but it was wasted on her. All she was thinking about was the effort Nick had gone to this time two years ago.

‘I think it’s great you two are finally together,’ Carolyn went on in her ear. ‘It’s sweet. And I’m so glad you’re over that Nick Cusack.’

Lainey managed a tight smile and was saved from further questions by the arrival of the bride. She nearly groaned aloud when
The Journey
began. She wished she had her joggers in her handbag so she could run all the way home.

It was a cocktail reception, so there was no designated seating. Lainey got tired of making small talk and stood next to Josh, letting him do the socialising. She felt guilty for giving the impression they were happy together when she knew she was about to break it off.

‘Are you okay?’ asked Josh.

She must have sighed louder than she’d intended. ‘Sure.’
Direct lie. Sorry, God.

He indicated an empty two-seater lounge. ‘Why don’t you go and sit down over there? Can I get you something? Tea? Coffee?’

‘Coffee would be wonderful. Thank you.’ She was miserable. And her misery increased a hundred fold as the music dropped right back, and out flowed the first notes of
Groovy Kind of Love.

Lainey’s head jerked up and she scoured the room for the nearest exit. Over to her left and down the back were the ladies’ toilets. On her right, and much closer, was the entrance to the gardens. The choice was easy. She fled.

Leaning on the terrace railing, Lainey willed herself not to cry. She’d stay out here until the song was over and then she’d be alright.

‘Bet you wish you’d chosen the ladies’ toilets after all.’

She froze. She’d know that voice anywhere.

Nick checked his tie in the mirror, found it crooked and yanked it off to do it again. Dinner number nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine. A worthy cause, but there were so many of them and he was tired of being nice, being polite and being used to promote worthy causes.

He’d just got back from filming an adventure in South America and had a two week respite before starting another in New Zealand. After that he would be preparing for a tour of Europe then The Mavericks were having a whole year off. Apart from himself and Simon, the others had young families and needed a break. He planned to keep very busy. He needed to be busy.

Phil picked him up first then they drove to James’s place.

Mia came out with little Ruby in her arms. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, Uncle Nick.’ Mia made Ruby wave her chubby little hand.

He blew her a kiss and slumped back. Stupid February 14. This time two years ago he’d gone all out for Lainey and now where was she? Going out with some guy called Josh, according to Adam. Early days yet, but Lara said they were very well-matched. Well, good luck to them. No, scratch that. He hoped Josh came down with a virus that induced compulsive nail-biting and left him with permanent bad breath.

He had no right to think that way. He’d dated loads of women in the last nineteen months. There was never a problem finding someone to go with him to a party or a function, be seen with at a charity event or movie premiere. His problem was finding someone he wanted to see a second time. Lainey had spoiled him for that.

Nick was well aware of how the media portrayed him – a man who enjoyed a constant good time, a playboy. It was an image that didn’t sit well with him but it made no difference. People judged you before they knew you anyway.

The thing was, he wasn’t a playboy at all. He hadn’t slept with any of them. Sure, he’d kissed them, but that was it. He hadn’t even been tempted, not that they hadn’t tried. And why hadn’t he succumbed? Because of a pair of blue eyes that saw straight through to the depth of his soul.

He’d found out about Josh by accident when he’d overheard his mother on the phone to Lainey one night as he’d walked through her kitchen. He’d pretended not to have heard but brought it up with Adam and was given the bare bones. So much for Lainey loving him more than anyone else on the planet.

The charity dinner was predictable and boring. He and James performed their songs and instead of walking back to their table, Nick kept going. He needed to get out of the grand ballroom for awhile.

The red wines had helped. He’d upped his alcoholic intake and could blame that on Lainey. When he had a warm buzz happening he didn’t think about her as often or her questions concerning his spiritual well-being.

He glanced over the balcony and saw a party going on. It looked like a wedding, even though it was a Friday night.

Valentine’s Day. Of course.

A girl caught his eye, even though she had her back to him. Her height, the way she held herself, all reminded him of Lainey. And as she turned to the man beside her, his heart performed an uncomfortable flip.

It
was
her.

He presumed the man was Josh. When he put his hand on Lainey’s back and she let him leave it there, Nick wanted to go down and smash his teeth in.

Fundraiser forgotten, he went further down the stairs. There was an excellent spot beside a flourishing potted palm where he could watch without being seen.

Lainey moved out of his line of vision and he had to leave the protection of his plant. Right after she sat down, the music changed and the intro to
Groovy Kind of Love
began. He held his breath and waited to see what she would do.

Her head snapped up and darted from side to side. Nick smiled – he knew how she worked. She hurried out into the gardens through a set of doors and he followed, using another exit. As he came around the corner, Lainey was only a few metres away, leaning on the terrace railing. He sauntered closer, hands in pockets.

‘Bet you wish you’d chosen the ladies’ toilets after all.’

She went very still.

‘Hello, Nick. How are you?’ Lainey straightened up and folded her arms, doing her best to look in control.

‘Good, thanks. Something wrong with the song?’

‘Don’t, Nick.’

‘Where’s loverboy? Does he know about that song, or have you got one of your own now? A nice church one, perhaps. Maybe a hymn?’ He was surprised at how angry he was but it felt good. It was a real emotion for once, not just a cover up. He was sick of cover ups.

‘Cut it out. Leave me alone.’ Lainey’s tone was very cold.

‘If I could cut it out, I would. You’ve obviously been able to; you’ve moved on nicely. Good for you, Lainey.’

‘You can’t tell me you haven’t moved on, Nick. Every time I turn around there’s a picture of you with another stunning girl. Doing it tough, aren’t you?’ Her eyes glittered and her voice was ice. She was as mad at him as he was at her.

‘So how does it feel when he kisses you, Lainey? Good? Average? Ordinary?’ He grabbed her arm and she tried to shake him off. ‘Or does it feel like this?’

She was strong but he was stronger. He forced her face up by her chin and kissed her hard. She fought him at first, but only for a few seconds, and then wound her arms around his neck and kissed him with as much passion as he was kissing her. Nick couldn’t believe the floodtide of emotion that engulfed him. They just
had
to be together. It was sheer cruelty to be apart.

It was a rude shock when she shoved him in the chest. She stood there, breathing hard through parted lips, tears spilling, cheeks flushed with—

Anger, he found out a split second later. ‘How
dare
you!’ She went to slap him.

It would’ve been a cracker but he managed to grab her wrist, just before she made contact with his face. She tried it with her other hand but he grabbed that too and they stood there, glaring at each other, chests heaving.

‘Hey!’ Another angry voice joined them, making them both jump.

Josh had a cup of coffee in each hand. ‘What do you think you’re doing with my girlfriend?’

Nick let Lainey’s wrists drop. ‘If she was truly your girlfriend, then she wouldn’t have kissed me the way she just did.’

They were just brave words. Even though there was a huge physical attraction between the two of them, he knew she hadn’t changed her mind one bit. The hurt was so sharp his bones ached.

I hope you’re happy, God.
You really have won.

He turned and walked back the way he’d come. Adrenalin pushed him faster up the stairs, into the ballroom and back to his table.

James frowned. ‘Where’ve
you
been?’

His breathing still ragged, Nick signalled for the waiter so he could order another drink. Something a lot stronger this time. ‘Don’t even ask.’

* * *

Lainey didn’t know where to look let alone what to say. More than anything she wanted to dive into the nearest shrub and wait for Josh to disappear. But he was standing there waiting.

She smoothed back her hair, wiped under her eyes, then took one of the cups from him with shaking hands, downing its contents in one go. Only then did she look at him. He was still watching, still waiting. He’d make a fine school principal, she thought. Prolong the silence, make the victim squirm.

‘How long were you there for?’

‘Long enough.’

‘I’m sorry, Josh. I don’t know what else to say.’ She could hear the tremor in her voice.

‘You can explain it to me on the way home. I presume you
have
an explanation.’

‘Sort of,’ she said, and followed him back inside.

They made their apologies, saying she wasn’t feeling very well. Lainey figured she must look as bad as she felt when everyone sympathised and said they hoped she got better soon.

She wasn’t sure where to start but Josh helped her as they sped out of the underground car park.

‘You don’t kiss me like that.’

‘No, I don’t.’ Lainey’s insides liquefied. It had been a fantastic kiss. ‘You probably won’t believe me but I’d planned on talking to you tomorrow.’

‘How convenient.’

She sighed. ‘Josh, it’s not your fault. It’s all mine and I feel terrible you had to find out this way. I’m so sorry I’ve hurt you and I wish I’d told you earlier it wasn’t working for me. I really was going to tell you tomorrow.’

He grunted his acceptance of her apology. He drove in silence for a bit, looked at her once or twice then asked the question that was bothering him. ‘Lainey, what do you see in him? Apart from the glitz and the glamour. He wasn’t exactly nice to you tonight.’

‘Sorry?’

‘Did Nick tell you he loved you or was glad to see you? From what I saw, he just forced himself on you and you gave in.’

‘No, he didn’t say anything but—’

‘
So he came along and marked his territory like any other male animal. And you fell for it.’ Josh threw her a scathing glance. ‘The guy’s an arrogant jerk. He doesn’t care about you, Lainey. Open your eyes.’

‘You’ve got it all wrong, Josh.’ Lainey didn’t feel sorry for him anymore. She was furious. ‘You have no idea.’

‘Really? I’ve been around long enough to know a few things. I’ll bet you slept with him back in your high school days and like a typical girl, you’ve confused that with love and think that one day, he’ll come to his senses and come back to you. Well, he’s not going to. He’s a big star now and can have whoever he wants with a snap of his fingers and from what I can tell, he does. He wants everything his own way and doesn’t want anyone else to have you either. That’s your baggage right there.’

It was the small portion of truth in Josh’s tirade that kept Lainey’s mouth shut for the first few moments after he’d finished.

Then she began. ‘You must be very proud of the way you’ve worked that out. Except of course, you’ve got a lot of it wrong. At least you’ve found out how silly and empty-headed I am and I’ve certainly seen a side of you I don’t like. Makes it easy for us to call it quits, doesn’t it?’

‘You bet.’ Josh looked like he was keeping a lid on his temper with as much difficulty as she was. When they rolled up at her flat, he virtually tipped her out of the car and drove off.

Lying in bed that night, wide awake, Lainey went over and over things in her head. True, Nick hadn’t said anything about how he felt. For all she knew, Josh could be right, but her gut told her he wasn’t. Regardless, Nick had been rude and arrogant, and the more she thought about it the madder she got.

At least she’d learned it was pointless trying to date anyone unless there was some sort of spark in the first place. She put her fingers over her mouth, remembering. That was more than a spark; it was the whole forest fire. And no one could compete with that.

* * *

Gossip flew around thick and fast on Monday. Lainey didn’t confirm or deny anything, just said that she and Josh weren’t suited after all.

What really incensed her was that Nick had waltzed into her life for two minutes, tipped it upside down and waltzed out. She had many conversations with him in her head, telling him what she thought of him. Twice, she had the phone in her hand to dial his number but changed her mind, knowing she wouldn’t know what to say if he answered instead of the machine.

So, when three weeks before Easter Adam rang to let her know there was a job available at his school next term if she wanted to apply for it, she jumped at the chance. What did she have to lose?

Adam’s phone call had come on Monday night; Friday evening found Lainey stepping off a plane at Coolangatta into the arms of an ecstatic Lara. She spent the weekend with them and caught up with everyone, including Hannah. While she loved her church in Sydney, she knew she could fit in here all over again.

On Monday morning, Lainey spent an hour with Brian Green, the principal. The more they talked, the more she thought she was in the right place. She was honest with him and told him one of the reasons for coming back to the Gold Coast was personal and he in turn let her know that he knew of her connection with the Cusacks. He had a lot of respect for Hannah but didn’t know Nick at all.

Lainey received the phone call the following Wednesday to say she had the job. In less than two weeks, she had to sort and pack her things, say goodbye to her class and her church, be a bridesmaid at her sister’s wedding and drive to Queensland. Rather than feel overwhelmed, she was excited. She could do it. She had no doubt God was with her.

Unexpectedly, it was Josh who helped her load up her car with her farewell gifts that final afternoon at school. Lainey was grateful for the opportunity to say goodbye to him on her own and to apologise for the last few weeks and it seemed he wanted to do the same. It was a loose end all tied up.

The next thirty-six hours were frantic and emotional. She finalised her packing, said tearful goodbyes to her class, colleagues and friends, then drove to Kurrajong to witness Princess Sarah become plain Mrs Gibson.

There were more tears as she said goodbye to her mother on the Tuesday after the wedding. Even Roger hugged her for longer than usual. Overall though, Lainey was filled with anticipation. She was embarking on an adventure, on a whole new stage of her life and she couldn’t wait to get started.