‘OMG. That is the epitome of romantic. This boy’s a keeper,’ said Danny as he snipped confidently. ‘You know, there was an amazing article in one of the mags only the other day about treehouses and one of them was like this microcosm of luxury. I bet that’s where he’s taking you. Lucky bitch.’
Carly giggled.
‘You should look it up on the internet,’ he said with a wave of his scissors. Carly wrinkled her nose. ‘Dear God, have you still not joined the twenty-first century. Carly darling, you need to catch up with the human race. Here,’ he handed her his phone – the latest from Apple.
‘It’s okay, thanks. It’s just not my thing.’ She gave the phone back.
‘You sound like one of those people that said a hundred years ago “planes will never take off!”’
Carly wasn’t sure if the pun was intended but it made her laugh anyway. She was feeling good about things. She was over the whole non-proposal upset and it was only a couple of weeks to the weekend away and she was now convinced that the idea of a proposal in a treehouse was so much more romantic than the Whispering Gallery.
While Carly was paying at the reception desk, Danny hunted for the magazine. ‘I can’t find it, darling, but I will if I have to turn this place into Primark. I will leave no surface unturned. I’ll drop it round to the flat when I uncover it.’
‘Are you sure? That’s really kind, thanks.’
‘Ooh, looks like someone is getting another surprise.’ Danny pointed to the door. As it opened a large bouquet of yellow and white roses came in and a smidge of dark hair was barely visible above them. Carly’s stomach did a little flip although at the same time her brain was telling her that the roses’ deliverer wasn’t tall enough to be Fergus. The roses came towards her, obscuring her view of the holder as Danny vigorously nodded his approval at her side. As she took the flowers she saw who was holding them.
‘Nick?’
She immediately pushed away the flowers. ‘I don’t know where she is.’
‘These are not for Elizabeth. They’re for you to say I’m sorry for being a jerk the other night. It’s all getting on top of me. I love her, Carly. I need her back.’ He handed her the flowers.
Carly shooed Nick out of the salon and away from the open mouths of clients and stylists alike. ‘Here,’ she thrust the flowers back at him crushing them slightly. ‘I don’t want your flowers.’ She turned and started to walk purposefully away. Unfortunately, it was in the opposite direction of the flat and at some point she was either going to have to turn round and look like the numpty she felt or walk miles out of her way.
Nick caught up with her. ‘Can I walk with you?’
Carly stopped. ‘How did you know I’d be here? Are you stalking me? Because there are laws against that.’
Nick looked contrite. ‘I came here earlier in the week to see if Elizabeth had booked herself in.’ He cast his eyes downward at the same time as Carly’s jumped up. This was proper resourceful stalker territory. ‘And I saw your name on the screen. I figured there weren’t two of you in the area. I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped a line.’ He looked sorry. He looked lovely. Carly had always liked Nick; he was funny and easy on the eye – everybody liked Nick. On some level she felt he had hurt her too by doing what he had done to Beth.
‘You overstepped the line when you hit my friend.’ Carly’s jaw tightened.
‘Can we talk somewhere? Can I get you a coffee? Can I at least explain? Please.’ His eyes looked full of remorse and, against her better judgement, Carly said yes.
Carly sipped her black chai tea and eyed Nick wearily. It was difficult to reconcile what she had heard from Beth with the calm and worried-looking man who sat opposite her. Nick was looking his usual immaculate self. Black hair in a neat but trendy short style. He was wearing a fitted white shirt, his suit jacket neatly placed on the back of his chair. He didn’t look the type to hit anyone but there was rarely a typical look for someone that dished out domestic violence. That was the problem, you just didn’t know. Carly glanced around at the other hotchpotch of London life catching a few minutes respite from the busy world outside. They all looked pretty ordinary but who was to know what any of them were capable of when under pressure.
‘How have you and Fergus been?’
‘We’re fine, Nick.’ Carly felt she had to ask the responding question. ‘And how about you?’
‘Awful. Devastated. I think I was in shock at first when she left. Now I’m just sick with worry.’ Carly didn’t speak but she hoped her expression conveyed her lack of sympathy. ‘I love her, Carly. I can’t believe this has happened and I need to get her back.’
‘I don’t think that’s going to happen, Nick.’
Nick briefly put his head in his hands. ‘I keep going over and over it.’ He looked up slowly and held Carly’s gaze. ‘Leo was being so testing …’
‘He’s six, that’s kind of his job,’ pointed out Carly.
‘Yes, I know, but he was pushing all the boundaries and with Elizabeth not there he seemed to think he could do what he liked. All I did was tell him off and he went crazy.’ Nick emphasized his point with his palms spread wide. ‘I had to restrain him or he would have hurt himself. That was all I was doing. I swear to you.’
Carly sipped her tea as Nick awaited her response. ‘Beth saw you hurting Leo.’
‘No, no, she didn’t. She thought she did but I was grappling with him and trying to catch hold of his hands so he would stop lashing out.’
Carly was quiet while she mulled over Nick’s new version of events. ‘Even if she did misunderstand what she saw, I’m not saying that she did but if she did, then how do you explain you hitting Beth?’ Carly stared at him unblinking, watching his face, studying his response, trying very hard like all the TV detectives she’d ever watched to spot a sign that he was lying.
Nick blew the air out of his cheeks and shook his head, then stared at his hands for a bit as if they held the answer. Finally he looked up and made eye contact. ‘I don’t know.’
Carly’s eyes widened. ‘You don’t know how you hit her?’
‘No. I’ve no idea how it happened but the important thing is that it wasn’t intentional.’
Carly snorted and wished she hadn’t as it irritated her throat and now she was coughing uncontrollably.
‘You okay?’ He looked concerned.
‘Fine, carry on,’ she croaked.
‘One minute it was just me and Leo and he was screaming and, God, can that kid scream.’ He gave a half-laugh. Carly sipped her tea carefully which soothed her throat as she waited for him to explain further. ‘I think Elizabeth came up behind me as I stood up and somehow she got knocked into the wall. But, honestly, I don’t know exactly how it happened.’ He shook his head. ‘Carly, what do I do?’
Carly didn’t like this. Nick’s version of events did sound plausible but then so had Beth’s, and Beth had the bruises to prove her account. However much she hated herself for it, Carly couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Nick. It all seemed so out of character. She studied his face – was that a tear in his eye?
Carly wasn’t sure what to say. She would always be steadfastly loyal to Beth but was there even the smallest possibility that Beth had misread the situation?
‘I don’t know what you should do, Nick. But I guess if you really love her you try to put things right.’