LONDON
“Come
on General,” said Anna, “it’s time for bed.” She pulled the covers up to her
son’s chin, his arms tucked underneath it, and brushed his fringe to the side.
“I
don’t wanna go to sleep.”
“Well
you have to. Come on, that’s a good boy.” She lent close and kissed his
forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Can
Daddy tuck me in too?”
“We’ll
see.” She switched off the light and left him to doze off.
Greg
was in the kitchen when she found him setting two cups of coffee on a tray next
to a plate of biscuits. “Got some wake-up juice for you here to keep your
energy up while you’re working,” he said. “Unless…” He touched the neck of a
bottle of white wine on the worktop. “… you fancy a night of relaxation.”
Anna
pecked his cheek. “How about half a bottle of wine and some tender love making
then I work after you’ve gone to bed?”
“Sounds
good to me.” Greg put the coffee aside and reached for a pair of glasses from
the cupboard.
The
two of them settled into the lounge. Anna turned the lights down and lit the
flame-effect fire while Greg poured. Slumped on the sofa, knees tucked under
her, leaning against him, she realised how edgy she’d been. With the first sip
of wine the tension came up in a sigh that locked her muscles then relaxed
them. This felt good; it was what she needed.
“You
all right?” asked Greg.
“Yeah,
I guess so; just tired. I’ve been going through Sam’s things from work, trying
to get some ideas on what his movements might be; where he could have planned
to go. I feel like I’m under a lot of pressure. For all I know he’s already
left the country.”
Greg
drank his wine silently.
“Are
you okay?” asked Anna.
“I’m
just thinking.”
“What
about?”
Greg
shifted, uncomfortable. Anna straightened up, taking the weight of her body off
him so he could move freely. “Do you still have… feelings for him?”
“Sam?”
“Yes.”
Anna
laughed, then when she saw Greg’s expression she laughed even harder, covering
her mouth with the back of her fingers. “I’m sorry.” She tried to stop but she
couldn’t. “No. Not at all.”
Greg
was obviously off balance. “Are you sure?”
The
laughter subsided to be replaced with something a lot darker. “Of course. I
hate the man.”
“Okay.”
Greg
drank some more of his wine but there was an atmosphere between them. He was
holding back from speaking.
“What’s
the matter darling?” asked Anna.
“You’ve
never spoken much about him and I’ve never asked. I didn’t want to pry. It
seemed like a part of your life you didn’t want to talk about. But…”
Anna
put her hand on his knee. “What is it?”
“Nothing.
Just that… You married him and… you don’t seem to want to marry me.”
Anna
stared at him blankly; then she started to laugh again. She threw her head back
and bellowed it out, then she doubled forward, reaching to steady herself on
Greg’s arm. He just looked at her, puzzled and slightly put out.
“Course
I haven’t said I’ll marry you, you idiot,” said Anna. “You have to ask me
first!” She continued to laugh.
Greg’s
puzzled expression became a tentative smile. “Oh; right. Sorry.”
“You
can be so dumb.” Anna squeezed his cheeks in her hands. “But that’s why I love
you. The reason I don’t talk about what happened between me and Sam isn’t
because I still care about him. I hate that bastard!”
Greg
poured a second glass of wine. “Why? What did he do?”
Anna
stopped laughing, her expression turning serious. “You really want to know?”
Greg
shrugged. “Yeah. I do. If this guy’s as nasty as you say he is, I don’t
understand how he managed to hide it from everyone for so long. And why would
you marry him in the first place?”
“All
right,” said Anna, standing up and walking over to the fireplace with her newly
filled wineglass. “I’ll tell you everything.”
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