The Long Weekend (23 page)

It also made Geri spectacularly morose – not just for herself, but also for Grace and for love. TJ had ignited her romance gene and now she’d have to package it up and put it in the loft. Who knew when she’d be bothered enough to go up there again?

As for Grace, she thought she had a fantastic, thoughtful wife. Looks can be deceiving.

***

Stu was too tall for the bed and his feet hung over the edges. He was used to that. His therapist was called Ringe, a young woman in her 20s from Scotland. Was Ringe a common Scottish name? Stuart supposed it might be. The woman had short, dark hair, a slim waist and a determined smile which made him think he was in for a rough ride – wimps need not apply. Luckily, though, Stu loved massage and the harder the better.

He also preferred female masseurs – he enjoyed the difference of feeling a woman’s hands on him for a change. Smaller, more intricate, yet still firm. Conversely, he knew Darren would be crying into his bed if his masseur turned out to be a woman – Darren was a man’s man.

***

Tash slipped off her robe as her therapist made herself scarce – she didn’t need to, Tash wasn’t shy. She found it daring to be naked in such a public place – naked all except for the paper knickers that Juliet had given her to put on. These places may be posh, but paper knickers? So very 70s.

Juliet stepped back in – she was wearing too much foundation and Tash tried not to stare. Juliet’s manicured nails ran down her checklist as she quizzed Tash. Yes, no, yes, hard as humanly possible without breaking any of my bones please. Juliet laughed.

Tash placed her head into the hole on the massage bed, shifted her body and waited for calm to take over. So this weekend hadn’t quite gone according to plan just yet, but Tash was hopeful it could get back on track soon. She just had to wait for Laura to come out of her funk.

The problem was that everyone wanted a piece of Tash and, sometimes, just sometimes, she wanted all the pieces for herself.

She heard mixing and the music got slightly louder, then there was oil on her skin, hands, movement. Tash opened her eyes to stare at the beige floor, sighing when Juliet’s feet became visible and she began work on her shoulders. Tash felt the tension of the weekend being scrunched in her capable hands, sharp points and harsh angles being softened, tamed.

Tash thought she might like to marry Juliet. Especially if Laura turned her down, which was more than likely right at this moment. How was Laura doing with her bruised face squashed into this hole? Her masseur would have to get creative.

***

Next door, Stevie was trying to relax but her mind kept stumbling back to the changing rooms’ showdown. Poor Geri. She couldn’t believe TJ had turned out to be Tom, married to Grace. Also, she couldn’t help equating the situation to her life. But she was over that now, right? Stevie had moved forward. Hadn’t she?

But could Stevie ever really? Was that how Vic had behaved at her office party, erasing Stevie from her life for one night, focusing solely on the other woman? It made her sick to think about it still. She didn’t want to either, not today, not when they’d nearly sorted so much out. Not when she wanted to make it work. She twisted her wedding ring. It was cold on her finger.

Stevie hated to think of Vic’s hands on someone else,
inside
someone else.

Then there were hands on Stevie, kneading her lower back, moving onto her bum. Stevie told herself not to be so stupid, to forget about the past, to think about the future.

It wasn’t that easy, though.

Party For One

Kat stumbled down the stairs, pills in hand, grabbing the bannister again. Wooziness was taking over. Did she feel better than when she’d woken up that morning? Yes, but that wasn’t difficult.

She arrived back in the kitchen and grabbed another bottle of wine along with some Minstrels – Easter was a celebration of booze and chocolate, after all.

Kat bumped the fridge door closed with her bum, hearing the bottles in the door clinking as it shut. She shuffled across the kitchen and retook her sea-view seat in the lounge. She drained the remains of the first bottle of wine in one swift move and then took another healthy slug of vodka. Kat was beyond wincing now, just opening her mouth to let some air in.

She looked at her watch: 2.30pm. They were probably all getting massaged now, not giving any thought to her, purely to their own needs and desires. Selfish idiots. Kat unscrewed the cap of the second bottle and poured the wine into her glass, purring with satisfaction at the reassuring glug, glug, glug.

She shook some Minstrels into her palm, ate three and lined the rest up on the arm of the sofa neatly. This was the life, at least that’s what they told her. Kat swirled more wine inside her mouth before swallowing, tasting the pleasing mix of it with the chocolate. She always thought it was red wine that went with chocolate, but it turned out white wine did the job just as well.

The Discovery

Darren insisted on Geri coming back in their car so he could extract the gossip, and Stevie encouraged that wholeheartedly. Geri wasn’t nearly as keen as everyone else but she didn’t have much say as she was shovelled into the back seat, Stu and Darren sandwiching her neatly with eager faces.

For her own sake, Geri was just glad to be in the car and out of the spa. She’d been a bag of frayed nerves as everyone was getting ready to leave in the changing rooms, even though she knew TJ had probably scarpered soon after they ran into each other, just as eager to escape the scene as she was.

Had Geri detected something in Grace’s expression at the end, some recognition the meeting might not be so innocent? How many times had Grace thought that and how many times had she been right to? It was probably best not to contemplate.

“So – what happened?” Tash asked while she twisted in her seat. Not for the first time this weekend, Geri found herself the subject of interrogation in Laura’s Renault. There was no point fighting it, though, and she gave in easily, explaining what happened in the changing rooms between her and TJ.

For once this weekend, her friends were stunned into silence.

“Married?!” Tash shook her head. “Well, I didn’t see that one coming. And it’s her family house? That’s just too weird.”

“I know,” Geri replied. “Imagine that being your ancestral home and doing
that
.” A shiver ran down Geri’s body. “If I’d known, I would
not
have gone there.”

“I guess that’s why Stevie wanted you to discuss it in this car and not theirs. Bit too close to home.” Stu lowered his passenger window and drank in some fresh countryside air. He put his hand to the back of his neck and winced as it came into contact with some oil – he’d wanted to have a shower at the spa but was hurried out, his friends telling him they had to get back for Kat. Stu was sure she could have lasted another 15 minutes.

“Well, she’s not going to be able to avoid some discussion later,” Darren said. “This is
big news
, after all.” He twisted round to look out the back window at the car behind and saw Stevie and Vic in what looked like relative harmony. All quiet, for now. He turned back to face front.

“It’s just so fucking depressing,” Geri continued, one hand on the back of Laura’s driving seat. “I mean… back in the day we couldn’t get married and that was bad. Now we can get married but we’re also cheating and having affairs. Makes you wonder if it’s worth it: does marriage really work for anyone?”

“True,” Tash said. “But some people also live happily ever after. And some people make a mistake and try to get over it, like Vic and Stevie. It’s the same for everyone and there will always be people like TJ, straight or gay.” Tash patted Geri’s hand, adding kindly, “It’s not all doom and gloom.”

“It is if the woman you just shagged this morning turns up three hours later with her wife,” Geri said.

The whole car winced.

“Was she ugly at least?” Laura asked from the driver’s seat without turning her head.

Geri shook her head. “Nope – friendly, tanned, good-looking and she had an impossibly flat stomach.”

“Fucking bitch,” Laura replied.

***

Laura pulled into the drive around five seconds ahead of Vic, swinging her Renault round nearest to the garage, giving Stevie enough room for her Fiesta. Kat’s Beetle sat in the same place they’d left it earlier. Abby may have vanished but Kat was going nowhere today.

Doors slammed, feet crunched, then the seven of them were jostling around the porch, eager to get in the house and waiting for Stevie who had the keys. They were reinvigorated now and tonight was their last hurrah before returning to their real lives. They were determined to spend it wisely: food, drink, friends, good company. The entrance hall was as they left it, too, coats and shoes obediently stationed, the house silent.

“I can’t hear anything – maybe she’s still asleep?” Stevie hung up her jacket on one of the white pegs. She slipped off her shoes and frowned. “I’m sure I left my slippers there,” she said to nobody in particular.

“Old age, darling,” Vic said, hanging up her jacket. “They’re probably still in the bedroom.” She gave Stevie a kiss on the cheek and headed to the kitchen.

“I’ll go see how Kat is.” Stu kicked off his trainers so that one hit the skirting board and left a mark.

Darren tutted loudly.

Tash and Laura followed Stu upstairs to their room, closing the door softly behind them.

Stu rapped his knuckles on the door lightly at first. No response. He knocked louder. “Kat?” No answer. He rapped again before trying the door handle, but walked in to see an empty bed. Stu left the room and picked up his pace as he descended the stairs, heading straight for the kitchen where he could hear chatter.

“Kat’s not in her room,” he said.

Geri, Stevie, Vic and Darren looked up from where they were standing in the kitchen.

“What?” Geri had her finger suspended under a stream of cold water from the tap. When she was satisfied with its temperature she filled the glass she was holding in her other hand and took a gulp.

“Kat – she’s not in her room,” Stu repeated.

“Then where the fuck is she?”

Geri’s stomach lurched and she was already walking past Stu, through the doorway and into the lounge. There was something in Kat’s eyes this morning, a desperation, but Geri had thought she’d just sleep it off. As soon as she walked in Geri saw some feet resting on the footstool encased in Stevie’s slippers. She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“Kat – you gave us a fright,” Geri began, smiling as she walked round the sofa. But then her face dropped when she actually
saw
Kat.

Eyes closed, skin papery, colour ghoulish. Her face was unnaturally slumped – it shouldn’t be that way. Geri was already screaming for everyone before she took in the empty wine bottles, the vodka bottle, the pills.

Geri knelt over Kat and cradled her face, saying her name over and over again and stroking her cheek. She sensed an audience behind her and turned.

“She’s still breathing but we need to get her to a hospital – she’s out cold. Fuck. Fuck!” The alarm in Geri’s voice was mirrored in everyone else’s faces.

Darren was first to react. “We need to find out where the nearest hospital is. I’ll get my iPad.” He twisted one way, then the other, eyes wild. “Where the fuck’s my iPad?” he asked Stu.

They both raced out the door to find it, leaving Stevie and Vic to gawp, helpless.

Stevie moved the wine bottles – three in all – and the vodka.

“Should we try and put her in the recovery position or something?” Stevie asked.

Geri nodded. “Good idea – can you…” Geri held up one of Kat’s limp arms.

Vic and Stevie helped shift her around the sofa so she was on her side and curled appropriately. Vic gently wedged a cushion under Kat’s head and when they were sure she wasn’t going to fall, they all stood back, hands on hips.

“What if she’d choked while we were out…” Stevie shook her head and put a hand to her mouth.

“Don’t, babe…” Vic put an arm around her.

“She didn’t, that’s the main thing,” Geri said. “And now if she does we’re going to be here. I just hope the boys get some reception soon – her breathing’s shallow and she’s put a fuckload of booze down her.”

Geri squatted in front of Kat and smoothed back her brown hair. “What were you thinking, Kat?” she whispered. “What were you thinking?”

Her friend at least felt warm, if clammy. However, up close she smelt putrid, the remnants of recent drink and drug debris lodged in her system and seeping out of her skin and airways.

Geri shook her head – she should have stayed this morning, helped her shower, offered a friendly ear. Instead they’d all left her and now she was nearly dead. A tear slid down Geri’s cheek and she wiped it away quickly before standing up. The effects of the massage had worn off now, knots reassembling and guilt seeping into every muscular nook and cranny.

“She told me yesterday a bit,” Geri told the other two, not looking at them. “She told me about losing her job, about being depressed. I should have known she might have been on the edge but I thought she’d just be too zonked today. It’s my fault…”

“It’s nobody’s fault…” Stevie replied.

She was cut off as Darren reappeared clutching his iPad, looking wired.

“Nearest hospital is in Torbay which is about 20 minutes away,” he said. “We’ve got the postcode, so let’s put it in the sat nav and get going. Who’s driving?”

Vic immediately volunteered and Darren walked over, followed by Stu to ferry Kat to the car.

“Careful,” Geri said.

Darren ignored her.

The men lifted Kat gently, cradling her head and supporting her body. Neither Stu nor Darren would admit it, but they both took a lot more care and effort with this lift than they had with drunk Kat the previous night. They shipped her out of the lounge, over the hallway, through the main door and into Vic’s car without a single word or bump. With almost funereal silence, Stu and Darren laid Kat across the back seat, tucking her feet in, her head cushioned in Geri’s lap.