Knowing Me Knowing You (23 page)

‘
Obviously that’s how Matthew felt about me. I just wish he’d concluded that before we exchanged rings and had a baby,
’
Kate said with a sigh.

‘
More salad?
’
Joel offered.

‘
Oh no thanks, I’m saving myself for pudding. Is that
chargrilled
too?
Because if it is I can’t wait to see what they come out with.
’

‘
I’d better warn you,
’
Kate said later, when they were preparing to start their game at the bowling alley,
‘
we had an outing at school once and out of my whole year, I won.
’

‘
I feel threatened and, if I was competitive, I would care
-
but I’m not and I don’t,
’
Joel replied, picking up a ball.

‘
I don’t believe you aren’t competitive, I saw you at
Knowing Me Knowing You
,
you
were desperate for us to do well.
’

‘
I was making sure everyone believed we were a couple, I wasn’t concentrating on anything else.
’

‘
Yeah sure.
OK, here goes,
’
Kate spoke and she approached her lane.

She lined up her ball, looked down the alley and with one forceful flick of her wrist she threw it.

It smashed against the pins and knocked eight of them down. Kate screeched excitedly and jumped up and down like a child, throwing her arms in the air as she celebrated.

‘
See! Still got the touch,
’
she spoke, blowing on her fingers and picking up another ball.

‘
You won’t get the other two down, too spread out,
’
Joel told her.

‘
Watch and learn,
’
Kate replied, approaching the line.

She took a deep breath, looked up and prepared to throw the ball. She swung her arm back and was about to deliver a shot down the alley when her attention was distracted by action on another lane. She had to look twice. It couldn’t be. The person she was looking at turned around and seemed to look straight at her. Kate dropped the ball on the wooden floor, narrowly missing her foot.

Two lanes across from where Kate stood were Matthew and the woman who had punched her. She was definitely Amanda, the new girlfriend. He was wearing the navy jeans she had bought him last Christmas and her favourite shirt of his, blue with a thin stripe. Seeing him made her heart lurch.

The ball made a loud crash and everyone in the centre looked in her direction.

‘
Kate,
’
Joel called to her.

Kate stood, unmoving, unable to keep her eyes off the couple. Because of the noise of the ball smashing on the floor both of them were now looking over at her.

‘
Do you want to go?
’
Joel asked, recognising who it was.

‘
He never took me bowling,
’
Kate spoke quietly, still staring at them.

‘
Come on, let’s go and get a drink,
’
Joel suggested.

Kate didn’t reply and stood her ground as Matthew and Amanda left their game and started to approach them.

‘
So this is how you’re going to spend my money is it? Nights out bowling with your new boyfriend?
’
Matthew asked, standing in front of Kate.

‘
I don’t think that’s necessary,
’
Joel spoke, moving closer to Kate protectively.

‘
Oh you don’t do you?
’
Matthew retaliated.

‘
No,
’
Joel replied, standing his ground.

‘
I’d take some advice from me if I was you. Ditch her now while you have the chance because if you’re not careful she’ll be knocked up and after you for maintenance before your six month anniversary,
’
Matthew snarled.

Kate didn’t say anything. She couldn’t bring herself to; it was like there was a bowling ball stuck in her throat. All she could do was look at Matthew, narrowing his eyes and looking at her with hatred. She wondered whether he had ever been the person she thought he’d been.

‘
Stop hounding Matt, ringing up and begging for money, it’s pathetic,
’
the red
-
haired woman joined in, glaring at Kate.

‘
I won’t be paying the CSA more than I can afford. I never wanted a kid and I don’t want one now,
’
Matthew spat, moving his face closer to Kate’s.

Kate looked up at him, her eyes stinging with tears at the cruelty in his tone and manner. She was back to being a doormat again, taking the comments, soaking them up and not having the guts to fight back.

The very next thing she knew, there was a yell, a loud crash and Matthew was on the floor of the bowling alley, Joel’s knee in the back of his neck.

‘
Get off him! You’re hurting him!
’
Amanda shrieked, pulling fruitlessly at Joel’s sleeve.

‘
I suggest you go back to your own lane and stop harassing Kate before I talk her into pressing assault charges against you for the other night,
’
Joel spoke, looking up at Amanda.

‘
Let him go.
P
lease, you’re hurting him
!
’
Amanda said as Matthew yelped, his face pressed into the ground.

‘
Joel, let him go,
’
Kate spoke, clearing her throat and hurriedly wiping the tears away from her eyes.

Joel got up and stood next to Kate as Matthew dragged himself up off the floor and glared at them both.

‘
You’re a maniac! And
you
, I don’t know what I ever saw in you. You’re nothing but
a money
grabbing
…
’
Matthew yelled, pointing his finger.

‘
Do you want to go back on the floor?
’
Joel questioned, taking a step towards Matthew.

‘
Matt, let’s just go,
’
Amanda spoke, taking hold of her boyfriend’s hand and pulling him away.

‘
He’s a psycho
!
W
hat did he do to me? Did you see?
’
Matthew muttered as Amanda coaxed him from the scene.

‘
Just forget them babe, she’s nothing to you
remember
? Just some girl who forced you to marry her and then got pregnant to try and keep you,
’
Amanda told him.

Kate watched them leave, arms linked together, heads close. The tears were stinging her eyes now.

‘
Are you OK?
’
Joel asked Kate.

‘
You didn’t have to do that. In fact why
did
you do that? It’s nothing to do with you,
’
Kate spoke, trying to regain some of her composure.

‘
What he said about
Bethan
, that was uncalled for and
…
’
Joel began.

‘
But it isn’t your battle, it’s mine. Anyway, he’s said all he can say now, nothing else can hurt me,
’
Kate answered.

‘
It didn’t look that way to me,
’
Joel responded.

‘
He doesn’t mean anything to me. You saw him; you heard what he said, how could he mean anything to me
any
more
?
’
Kate asked.

‘
We don’t choose the people we have feelings for, it just happens,
’
Joel told her.

‘
I don’t have feelings for him, I don’t,
’
Kate replied determinedly.

She knew she was less than convincing and she didn’t really know why.

‘
Shall we go? Do something else?
’
Joel suggested.

‘
No, I don’t want to go
.
W
hy should I go just because he’s here?
’

‘
If you’re sure,
’
Joel replied.

‘
Yes, I mean I’ve still got these two skittles to get down,
’
Kate reminded, indicating the alley.

‘
You have,
’
Joel agreed.

‘
You shouldn’t have done what you did to Matthew, roughing him up like that,
’
Kate spoke sternly.

‘
No,
’
Joel answered.

‘
But can you teach it to me? Was it an Army trick?
’
Kate
enquired
, picking up a ball.

‘
If I told you where I learnt it I would have to kill you,
’
Joel said with a smile.

‘
Well, here we are,
’
Joel announced later as he pulled up outside Kate’s home.

‘
Yes, here we are. Thanks for the meal and everything
.
A
re you sure you don’t want me to pay?
’

‘
I’m sure. It was my idea and you did win at bowling, call it the prize.
’

‘
I did win didn’t I?
Haven’t lost it on the bowling alley.
’

‘
Glad to hear it,
’
Joel answered with a grin.

‘
Oh God, I didn’t realise quite how that sounded!
’
Kate shrieked, putting her hands to her mouth and laughing.

‘
I wouldn’t go round saying it to everyone, just in case they get the wrong idea.
’

‘
Look, do you want to come in? I could make coffee, well instant coffee anyway; I don’t have one of those fancy machines or anything but it
’
s nice stuff, nothing from
Aldi
I promise,
’
Kate suggested.

‘
That’s OK, I’d better go, I’ve got a client first thing,
’
Joel told her.

‘
Escorting in the daylight? Is that allowed?
’

‘
It’s not escorting, it’s the gym.
’

‘
Oh, OK.
W
ell,
I guess I’ll see you next week
for the dinner at Hermione’s,
’
Kate reminded as she opened the door to get out.

‘
Do you want to share a cab there? I could come here; it sounds like the type of evening where alcohol needs to be consumed.
’

‘
Yes, it will definitely be that sort of evening.
’

‘
Well, I’ll call you, we’ll fix a time.
’

‘
OK,
’
Kate agreed, getting out of the car.

‘
See you,
’
Joel ended.

‘
Bye.
’

She watched Joel drive away up the street and let out a sigh as she turned towards the front door. Joel was beginning to get to know her too well already. After all Matthew had put her through why did she still have feelings for him?

The memo was on her desk when she arrived at work the following Wednesday.

Kate

I wondered if you had considered the possibility of taking the exam to convert from legal executive to solicitor. As a firm we will be looking to change our management structure over the next five years and this qualification may be of benefit to you when the plans are implemented.

Let me know your thoughts.