Authors: Jennifer Joyce
‘Fine by me.’ Adam puts down his own box and wraps his arms around me. ‘I like having you to myself.’
I’d love nothing more than to make the most of this opportunity for some alone time with Adam – and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way, judging by the way he’s kissing me – but we have so much to do before the festival opens, especially as Katey-Louise is being true to form and shirking her responsibilities.
Between us, we somehow manage to set up before the festival opens. I’m expecting a tidal wave of activity but it’s more like a trickle, even with the minor celebrity chef stationed in our marquee. It’s the first time I’ve attended a food festival but Adam assures me it’s to be expected early on a Friday when most people are working. Trade picks up considerably around lunchtime and again around an hour before we’re due to close for the day. We give out quite a chunk of our recipe cards and receive mostly positive feedback about our new salted caramel shortbread. Adam takes lots of photos during the day, which he posts across our social media platforms and he updates our Twitter and Facebook feeds whenever he gets the chance. Katey-Louise – predictably – doesn’t show her face until the packing up has been completed.
‘Who fancies going to the pub?’ she asks as we climb into the van. She doesn’t try to explain her absence and Adam and I don’t press her because we’ve actually been grateful for the lack of moaning throughout the day.
I catch Adam’s eye as he starts the engine. ‘I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll have an early night back at the B&B.’
Katey-Louise shakes her head pityingly. ‘You are such an old woman. It’s Friday night!’ She looks past me at Adam. ‘What do you think? We could go to the pub or see what it’s like in town. It can’t be as lame as Woodgate.’
‘Count me out.’ Adam sets off along the gravel path which will eventually lead to the ornate gates and onto the road. ‘I need to write up today for the blog and send some reports back to Neville.’
Katey-Louise huffs and turns her back on us as much as she can while tethered down by her seatbelt. She glares at the trees lining the path while Adam secretly grins at me. There will be no blogging tonight. No reports sent. But rest assured, there will be an early night.
The curtains at the bed and breakfast are thin – practically gauze-like – so the sun streaming through them directly onto my pillow wakes us early. I’m deliciously squished up against Adam in the tiny single bed and although I fear I could plummet to the scratchy carpet at any second, I haven’t felt this happy in a long time. Adam and I slept together for the first time last night and although we’d had to rein it in due to the walls being as thin as the curtains (nobody wants to hear that through the wall, especially when Katey-Louise is in the next room), it had been amazing and I can’t wait for a repeat performance.
I want this all the time. Not just the sex (although it would be quite nice to partake regularly) but the closeness and intimacy. And, more importantly, the openness. Being with Adam last night was lovely because there were no lies, no looking behind my shoulder to see if anybody could see us. We were together, properly, for the first time in more ways than one. I’m tired of all the lies and I’m going to put a stop to them. As soon as I get home, I’m going to fess up to Ryan and Lauren. I’m going to come clean, end my fake relationship with Ryan and make a proper go of things with Adam. Maybe Adam can be my plus one at Francesca’s wedding, but even if I have to go alone, I wouldn’t care. I have nothing to prove to Ben. He’s happy and now I am too and I don’t need to demonstrate that in front of my ex because he no longer has any relevance in my life.
I’m truly over Ben and he can have as many babies as he likes because my future lies – hopefully – with Adam.
I hear a pleasing intake of breath as I feather my fingers along Adam’s bare thigh. Adam – somehow – manoeuvres himself in the bed so that he’s facing me. I strike what I hope is a sultry pose.
‘Morning.’ The corners of Adam’s eyes crinkle as he smiles. I’m momentarily alarmed at the prospect of my morning breath as his lips near mine, but if it’s a toss-up between dashing to the bathroom and kissing Adam, kissing Adam is always going to win.
It’s still quite early when we emerge from the sheets, but we need to shower and change before setting up our stall at the festival. Slipping on yesterday’s jeans and scooping up his t-shirt and trainers, Adam pads barefoot into the hallway to sneak into his own room while I nip into the bathroom to start the shower going. I hear the whoop even over the gushing water. Clad only in an off-white towel, I peep out of the door and around Adam’s frozen body on the threshold.
‘I knew it!’ Katey-Louise’s face is full of pure joy as she looks from Adam to me. She’s wearing the clothes she’d changed into last night, her strappy heels dangling from her fingers. Her hideously smudged makeup tells me she is on her way into her room rather than out of it. The nightlife in town can’t have been too disappointing then.
‘I knew you two fancied each other.’ Katey-Louise can’t keep the grin from her face and I have to say, she’s taking the news rather well. Much better than I’d anticipated. I’d assumed she’d have thrown a tantrum when she realised her charms hadn’t worked on Adam and gone all-out loop-the-loop crazy when she found out that he was interested in me instead.
But I should have known she had something up her sleeve. Something to poison what Adam and I have. How silly of me to think she would lie down and accept defeat.
‘How long has this been going on then?’ Katey-Louise waves a hand between me and Adam.
‘Not long.’ I wrap my towel around my body tighter. I don’t want to reveal the exact timescale of our relationship. It’s none of Katey-Louise’s business, plus I’m starting to feel nervous. There’s a glint in Katey-Louise’s eye. She’s enjoying this discovery far more than she should.
Katey-Louise reaches for her door handle but pauses just before her hand makes contact. She gives a slight shake of her head before she turns back to me. ‘It’s Ryan I feel sorry for.’ She bites her lip to prevent a satisfied grin from taking over her whole face as she spots my eyes widen. She turns to Adam, the grin completely eradicated and replaced with an angelic, fluttery-eyed look we all know is fake. ‘You did know Delilah has a boyfriend. Didn’t you?’
Explanations
Text Message:
Delilah:
Can you explain to me why my underwear drawer is almost empty?
Justin:
I could… but you won’t like it
Delilah:
Get my stuff back off your creepy friends!
Adam turns to me as though in slow motion. I watch as his thatch of dark hair slides across and his beautiful face comes into view. Except his beautiful face is marred by the frown pulling his eyebrows low down and creating a groove across his face. He doesn’t look mad. He looks confused with hurt hovering at the edges, waiting to take over. Which is far worse.
‘Do you have a boyfriend?’
I like how Adam asks me the question. He doesn’t simply take Katey-Louise’s word for it. But it’s a pity I don’t have a good enough answer for him.
‘Not really.’ I step back fully into the room. ‘It’s complicated. Come inside and I’ll explain everything.’ I need to get away from Katey-Louise. She’s enjoying this far too much for my liking and I don’t want to humiliate myself further by revealing my silly wedding date plan in front of her.
‘This will explain everything.’ Katey-Louise has taken her phone out of her bag and she thrusts it at Adam. He takes the phone and peers down at the screen. I see the change immediately. The confusion washes away and hurt jumps into its place with both feet.
‘See. Told you.’ Katey-Louise gives a smug flick of her messy ponytail. I lean forward, keeping a grasp on my towel. And there it is. The evidence of my ‘relationship’ splattered all across Facebook. The matching gym gear, the nauseating Lady and The Tramp spaghetti pose and the smoothie maker to celebrate my moving in with Ryan.
Fuuuuuudge.
‘It isn’t what it looks like.’ I make a grab for the phone but Adam snatches it away. He taps on the screen and gives a bitter bark of a laugh.
‘Isn’t that what you’re supposed to say to your boyfriend? The poor bloke is missing you and you’re here cheating on him with me.’ Adam flicks the screen towards me and I see a photo of Ryan doing the cheesy hands-shaped-like-a-heart gesture with the caption ‘Missing you, babe xxx’.
‘I’m not cheating because Ryan and I aren’t together.’ I’m aware that my voice is all squeaky, but I’m desperate to make Adam see what’s really happening.
‘He seems to think so.’ Adam indicates Ryan’s soppy photo. ‘Do you live with him?’
‘Yes but –’
I don’t get the chance to explain as Adam dumps the phone in Katey-Louise’s hands and stalks away, throwing his crumpled t-shirt over his head and tugging it down over his chest as he thunders down the narrow staircase. I can’t run after him; I’m wearing nothing but a damn towel.
‘You cow,’ I spit at Katey-Louise. I can’t believe she has done this to me. The spiteful bitch!
‘I’m not the one who’s cheating on their poor, devoted boyfriend.’ Katey-Louise slips her phone into her handbag and skips into her room.
‘Neither am I,’ I say, but Adam, the person I’m desperate to convey this to, has already gone.
I have little choice but to return to my room. Adam will be back. He has to return as we all need to go to Durban Castle for the food festival and set up for the day. He may think about abandoning me, but he can’t leave Katey-Louise behind. In Adam’s eyes, she’s done nothing wrong, plus she’s the boss’s daughter.
I shower in record time and throw on a pair of jeans and a Brinkley’s t-shirt before camping down in reception. Katey-Louise is still in her room as I heard her singing (terribly) as I passed on my way down. The Brinkley’s van is still parked outside the B&B so that reassures me of Adam’s return.
‘Did you sleep well?’ The middle-aged proprietor has stationed herself behind the small desk area and is riffling through some papers.
‘Yes. Thank you.’ I look briefly at the owner and manage a sort-of smile before I turn my attention back to the van.
‘Breakfast is still being served if you’re hungry.’ She checks her watch. ‘But there’s only twenty minutes left so you’ll have to be quick.’
‘It’s ok. I’m not hungry.’ It’s almost nine o’clock and the festival is due to open at ten. We still need to set everything up and Saturday is supposed to be the busiest day so we’ll miss a lot of trade and publicity if we don’t get a move on.
‘Are you going to see any of the sights today?’
The B&B owner seems nice enough but I wish she’d leave me alone. ‘We’ll be working at the food festival most of the day.’
‘Oh! You’re here for the festival! I might see you there this afternoon then. I’m hoping to get my cook book signed by Vernon Smith. Have you met him?’
‘I saw him yesterday but I didn’t get the chance to say hello or anything.’ Mainly because I only had eyes for Adam and no celebrity chef – not even the cutie-pie Vernon Smith – could have taken my attention away.
‘I think he’s lovely. And so handsome!’ The owner giggles girlishly. ‘I made the steak pie from his book last week. My hubby isn’t usually one for pastry but he wolfed the lot down. It was heavenly, I tell you.’
I’m relieved when the phone rings and the owner’s attention is taken away. I resume my intense surveillance of the van and jump to my feet when I spot Adam. Fearing he may hop into the van and drive off without us, I race towards the door and fling it open.
‘Adam! Wait!’
But Adam isn’t planning on making a daylight flit. At least not yet. He stalks past me and heads for the stairs.
‘I need to get changed. Be ready to go in five minutes,’ he mumbles over his shoulder. I plant myself next to the van to wait, nibbling at my fingernails so that by the time Adam returns with Katey-Louise in tow, my nails are nothing but jagged stumps. Katey-Louise floats towards the van with a serene look on her face. I’ve never seen her so eager to get to work.
‘Shall I get in the middle?’ Katey-Louise shoots Adam a sympathetic look and he shrugs his shoulders. She climbs in and gives me a smug grin as I follow behind her.
‘We’ve got a lot to do before the festival opens, so no wandering off today, Katey-Louise.’ Adam slams his door shut and settles himself in the driver’s seat.
‘I won’t. I promise.’
Oh no, of course Katey-Louise isn’t going anywhere today. She’s lit the firework and now she’s going to stand back and watch the display. Of all the days when her skiving would come in handy so that I could talk to Adam, she chooses today to be a responsible employee. I want only bad things for Katey-Louise. Bad things.
Adam starts the engine and the van trundles its way to Durban Castle’s grounds where we unload our equipment in record time. True to her word, Katey-Louise sticks around, although she doesn’t lift a finger to help. By the time we’ve set up our stall (with just seconds to spare before the festival opens), I’ve compiled an extensive list of the bad things I want to befall Katey-Louise. I didn’t know I had it in me to conjure such evil thoughts.
‘Can we talk?’ I ask Adam when Katey-Louise decides to plonk herself at one of the tables we’ve set out in front of our stall for the customers to enjoy their tea and biscuits. After her busy morning of doing nothing at all, she deserves a break, apparently.
‘I don’t think now’s the time, do you?’ Adam nods towards the opening of the marquee. It’s only just ticked over to ten o’clock and already the marquee is beginning to fill up. It looks like yesterday was nothing but a warm-up act and we’re in for a busy day.
‘But I need to explain.’
‘I don’t think there’s anything to explain.’ Adam straightens a display of tinned biscuits even though they’re sat perfectly. ‘You’ve lied to me. Repeatedly. You’ve cheated on your boyfriend and made me look like a complete mug. No wonder you didn’t want me to meet your friends! I’m nothing but your dirty bit on the side.’
‘That isn’t true,’ I say but Adam has stalked away to deal with a customer. The thunderous look he’s been wearing since Katey-Louise dropped her bombshell slides away and he’s the fun and charming Adam again, chatting and smiling away as though he doesn’t have a care in the world. If only I could brush off the morning as easily.