The One That Got Away (8 page)

He’d wanted to make the point that he was still angry, although sleeping on the sofa bed all night had kind of done that already.
No one in their right mind would opt for it unless they had to, it’s got a hump in the middle that makes it feel like you’re
sleeping on the back of a camel.

Then when I’d appeared downstairs twenty minutes later, dressed for work myself, his wallet, keys and phone were already on
the side and he was rinsing his cereal bowl.

‘Do you want a lift to the station?’ I’d offered, trying to be helpful.

‘No thank you.’ He’d whisked his suit jacket off the back of one of the kitchen stools, pulled it on, picked up his bits and
pieces and then strode out towards the sitting room. I’d followed him.

‘You know I’m going away today and I won’t be home tonight?’ I had reminded him tentatively.

‘Yup.’ He began to rummage in the cupboard under the stairs for his overcoat.

I took a deep breath. ‘Dan, about last night …’

‘I haven’t got time to talk to you about it now,’ he said shortly, his back to me. ‘I’m late, I’m tired and my back is screwed.
I barely slept a wink last night.’

He wasn’t going to make it easy for me. I sighed.

‘What?’ He re-emerged, looked at me confrontationally, pulled his coat on, then walked over to the front door. ‘I really
haven’t
got time. Thanks, though, for saying sorry.’ He yanked it open. ‘Oh that’s right, you didn’t, did you?’ And then he’d banged
out.

I change gear again defensively. I mean OK, I made a mistake, I get that. I really shouldn’t have said what I did but equally
this isn’t just about him, and what he wants. What about me? There are two of us in this relationship; surely we have to make
this next step
together
, or not at all. And as for everyone else sticking their oar in
– I’ve not even had chance to stop and think about how
I
feel about this. It’s like having someone else slam a foot down on the accelerator; everything has sped up completely out
of our control.

Still – it’s not helpful thinking like that, getting uptight again. On the positive side – and there is always an upside –
I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve properly argued; which is pretty good going for four years I think, never
mind when you chuck a house move and organising a wedding into the pot. We will sort this, I know we will—

—Which is when I hear my phone start to ring in my bag. Pulling it out, I glance at the screen briefly – it’s him. My heart
softens. ‘Hi!’ I say quickly, ‘Hang on – just let me hook the phone up to the hands-free.’ I fiddle around for a moment. ‘Sorry
about that—’ I begin, but before I can explain I was going to call him earlier he cuts across me tersely.

‘What time is the food shop arriving tonight, please? I forgot to ask you.’ There is no discernable hint of apology in his
voice for slamming out earlier. If anything he sounds crosser than before.

Oh no. I forgot to order the food.

There’s a long silence.

‘You did do it, didn’t you?’ he says suspiciously. ‘Remember I asked you on Monday? …’

‘I can’t do everything!’ I exclaim. ‘I’d just had a migraine!’

‘So there’s nothing to eat, again.
And
you’ve got the car? I said I could do it!’

‘Dan – It’s just a food shop! I’m trying to drive!’

‘Fine.’ He snaps. ‘I don’t want to talk to you if you’re going to be like this anyway.’ And then
he hangs up
.

I gasp and stare at the phone furiously, the only sound is the windscreen wipers bashing from side to side. Oh, he didn’t
just do that. The ONE THING he knows is guaranteed to send me into a fury in under three seconds. He has obviously thought
better of it because the phone begins to ring again almost immediately.

I answer straight away. ‘Don’t you ever hang up on me again!’

‘Um, okkkaaaay. I know it’s been a while, and although that
does
sound like us’ – there’s a laugh – ‘tell me you haven’t really been holding on to that all this time?’

I nearly swerve off the road as I realise who the voice belongs to.

‘Molls? Are you still there? It’s me, Leo.’

I can’t think what to say. His voice sounds exactly the same. Slightly clipped and amused.

‘I thought I’d give you a ring instead of us messaging back and forth,’ he speaks easily, as if it hasn’t been years since
we last spoke. ‘It occurred to me that you probably hadn’t changed your number.’

‘I’m surprised you still remember it,’ I say truthfully, although it sounds like I’m fishing.

He laughs. ‘Oh I know it off by heart.’ He repeats it fluidly. ‘See?’

There’s a pause. I’m not sure what to say to that either.

‘So, who hung up on you?’ he says. ‘Or shouldn’t I ask?’

‘Probably best not.’

‘Want to talk about it?’ he says simply.

It’s then that I give myself a mental shake and realise what a bizarre conversation we are already having. Only Leo … the
normal social rules don’t tend to bother him.

‘Not really, thank you,’ I say lightly.

‘Fair enough,’ he says, still cheerful. ‘I was only asking to be polite, I don’t actually care. Is now a good time, by the
way? You sound like you’re on your way to somewhere?’

‘I’m driving to a sales conference in Windsor.’

‘That sounds fun …’

‘No it doesn’t,’ I can’t help but allow a smile.

‘Oh I don’t know,’ he says easily. ‘It’s hard to think what more
anyone
could possibly want from life than a conference in Windsor. So are you still working for – um –’

‘MediComma,’ I finish for him. ‘’Fraid so.’

‘Nothing wrong with that,’ he says. ‘A good job these days is something to be proud of. But why Windsor, may I ask?’

‘No idea, I expect they just got a good deal on the hotel.’ I speed up to overtake the car in front, distractedly looking
in my mirrors. ‘Is that still your area of expertise?’

‘What, lounging around in hotels?’ he replies archly. ‘Thanks very much.’

‘No!’ I correct him quickly. ‘Corporate events.’

‘Oh right. Yeah, it is. Which luxury travel lodge have they dumped you in then?’

I tell him and he gives a sharp intake of breath. ‘That’s bad luck.’

‘Really?’ I say in dismay as I pull back into the middle lane. ‘Is it a hole?’

‘No, I’m kidding – it’s fine. It’s got a—’

‘Can you hang on a moment, Leo?’ I cut across him, noticing that the traffic is slowing down very fast in front of me and
I need to concentrate for a moment.

‘OK, sorry about that,’ I say as we come to a complete stop and I drop down into first. But there’s silence. ‘Leo? Hello?
Are you still there? Leo?’

‘Just waiting until you’re ready,’ he says smoothly.

I wrinkle my nose at the phone. I’d completely forgotten about that, his hating people interrupting him.

But then maybe he’s actually being polite, because he cheerily starts up again: ‘So tell me. What’s your news? How about the
lovely Bec and Joss, they OK?’

The car in front pulls away sharply, creating a large gap, even though the traffic is still moving slowly – someone is clearly
in a hurry. I begin to drift after them as the phone reception goes a bit dodgy. When I glance over at the handset I notice
the hands-free wire is wiggling loose.

‘Although Joss’d hate to be called that, especially by me,’ Leo says dryly. ‘Which is completely fair, of course.’

I push the wire back in. ‘Well, in her defence, she—’ I look back up. ‘SHIT!’

The BMW in front has stopped completely, yet I am still moving towards it. I hit the brakes but the ground is so wet that
I simply slide. The BM’s boot looms too large for me to do anything to prevent the surprisingly
loud thud that results seconds later. My head jolts back on to the headrest. ‘Oh fuck!’ I gasp, fumbling for my hazard lights.

‘Molly?’ Leo says sharply. ‘What’s happened? Are you—’

The BMW’s hazards flash on and I see the driver’s door open …

‘I’ve just hit a car,’ I say in shock and then hang up as a very angry looking young woman starts to walk towards me.

She shouts some pretty choice things, and a few more once we are on the hard shoulder – other cars slow down to pass us, gleefully
taking in the entertainment – and is far nastier than she needs to be. I know that the law will be on her side anyway, and
am trying to explain that I’m the one with the crumpled bumper and smashed indicator, but she isn’t having any of it. I end
up shouting back at her, at which she gives me a disdainful look and says patronisingly, ‘OK you’re, like, clearly really
hormonal
right now. Just take my details and sort it out.’

I don’t even have the chance to think of a devastating put-down as she flicks her hair at me and turns around on the spot
before climbing back into her completely unscathed car and roaring off.

I get back into mine and just sit there for a minute in disbelief, which is when the phone rings again with a number I don’t
recognise. I pick up automatically. ‘Molly Greene speaking – how can I help you?’ My voice doesn’t sound quite right even
to me.

‘Molly? It’s me. What the hell just happened? Are you OK?’ I can hear confusion and concern in Leo’s voice.

‘I’m fine,’ I breathe. ‘Just a stupid small bump.’ But I wobble at the end.

‘You don’t sound OK,’ he says doubtfully.

I don’t know if it’s just hitting the car, my row with Dan and the weirdness of talking to him, or shock, or frustration at
the stupid girl shouting at me – but whatever it is, I burst into tears.

‘Molly?’ Leo is incredulous. ‘Are you
crying
?’

‘I’m so sorry—’ I feel completely stupid. ‘Leo, I should go.’ I hang up quickly.

What a truly rubbish – and deeply surreal – morning this is turning out to be. I stare at the phone. He’s going to think I’ve
gone completely mad. I message him out of the blue and then hang up on him when he calls me. I shudder with embarrassment
and then, so I don’t have to dwell on it, hit one of the numbers I have on speed dial. A male voice answers with a terse ‘Hello?’

‘Hi, it’s me.’ I take a deep breath, this really is one of my worst Wednesdays
ever
. ‘I’ve just had a bit of an accident …’

‘Molly needs a top-up after the day she’s had.’ Pearce pours more wine into my glass. ‘The important thing is, you weren’t
hurt.’

‘Can you tell Dan that?’ I ask. ‘He gave me a proper telling off for not concentrating at the wheel.’

Pearce shrugs. ‘Probably just worried about you, that’s all. Cheers everyone.’

We all raise our glasses.

‘Just to check,’ Kirk, our newest and very junior recruit asks cautiously, legs spread rather too wide as he smoothes his
Topman suit trousers down. ‘We are now officially off-duty, aren’t we? Whatever we get up to won’t affect anything back at
the office, so to speak?’

Pearce gives him a mischievous grin as he sits back in his chair. ‘Nope. You can carry on getting ratted and behave badly
Kirk, everyone else is going to. Sandra’s already seen two people sneaking off upstairs who ought not to be.’

A small knowing smile passes about my colleague’s beautiful glossy lips as she picks up her glass. ‘This is your first conference
then I take it, Kirk?’ she turns away from Pearce and innocently sips her drink. ‘The rules are, what goes on tour stays on
tour, get it?’

We all watch Kirk falter under her Medusa-like gaze. ‘Yeah,’ he mumbles, loosening his tie and picking up his pint, obviously
thinking how much he’d like to get it from her. ‘Of course.’

Sandra laughs meanly and bats her long lashes at him, totally aware of the effect she’s having. It’s like watching a pike
circle under the water as a duckling paddles hopelessly above. I’m about to step in and rescue him when my phone buzzes with
a message: Dan.

we won’t have to pay anything re car will we? Company insurance will pick it up? It
better – I don’t exactly have money to throw away right now.

I sigh. So that’s why I got my lecture. I text back.

If any costs I will pay, but sure work will sort. Leave with me.

Deciding to tease Kirk a little more, Sandra turns her whole body towards him for maximum impact. ‘So, is this your first
time then, playing—’ she re-crosses her legs clearly imagining herself as Sharon Stone ‘—away from home?’ All three men shift
in their seat. Kirk nods. He’s got hair like a greased baby hedgehog.

‘Fun,’ she murmurs in a sultry tone, but then turns away from him, to his evident disappointment. ‘What’s your room like Andy?
Comfy?’

Andy takes too large a sip of his whisky. ‘Very, thanks,’ he says, and then ruins his cool by having to cough violently. ‘You’re
welcome to come and have a bounce on the bed if you like.’

Pearce snorts with amusement into his drink. It’s worse than watching dogs on heat.

‘So you’re married, are you?’ Kirk nods at me, seeming to remember I’m still in the room.

‘I think so.’ I glance gloomily at my silent phone.

‘Right,’ Kirk says, dismissively. ‘So it’s down to the four of
us
to burn the house up tonight then?’ He turns to the others, alcohol having lowered his inhibitions.

‘Burn the house up?’ Pearce laughs, glancing round the hotel ballroom. ‘If you say so pal. Reckon you’re going to like being
a rep then, do you? Sure you’ve really got what it takes to be one of the team?’

He begins to give Kirk a pisstake interview as Andy gets some more drinks in. I sip my vodka, carefully chosen because I’ve
had enough wine, and my guts twist sharply in response to another slug of alcohol; none of us have had very much to eat all
day.

‘So, next question Kirk.’ Pearce is on a roll, amused eyes dancing. ‘The boss rings and you know he’s going to bollock you
for not reaching your monthly target. Worse still, you cancelled your last meeting because you couldn’t be arsed to drive
all the way to Chatham and are in fact already at home having a cuppa, feet up in front of Countdown.

‘Do you a) ignore the call and let it go to voicemail, leg it out to the car, get in, start the engine and call him back straight
away telling him you’re in a dodgy signal area between meetings, or b) pick up and say you’re at home doing your paperwork
because the GP cancelled on
you
.’