The Perfect Husband (20 page)

“I know, Belle, but aren’t you glad you did?
Imagine what might have happened if you hadn’t? At least it means
Nigel has to stay away from you, even while you’re at work. Have
you told people on your floor about it yet?”

She shook her head. “No, but I’ll call in
the morning. I’m rostered back on the day after tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you’re ready? Perhaps you need
more time. If it’s about the money, I—”

“It’s not about the money,” she interrupted.
“Well, not really. Of course I need money, but it’s more about my
job. I love working at the hospital. It’s the only place where I
feel worthwhile, like I’m making a contribution. I’m not going to
let Nigel steal that away from me, like he’s stolen so many other
things.”

She drew in a breath and continued a little
more calmly. “I’m going to request my shifts be changed to mornings
so that I can collect the kids before closing time at their
center.” She grimaced. “On the evenings I worked, Nigel collected
them on his way home from the hospital. Obviously that’s not going
to keep happening.”

“I could, though. I could pick them up.”

Isobel shook her head at his offer. “You’ve
already done so much for us, Mason. I couldn’t ask you to stop by a
daycare center that is out of your way to collect my kids.”

Mason held her gaze. “You didn’t ask. I
offered.”

She stared back at him. His offer was
tempting because it would be so much more convenient than
requesting a permanent change in her shifts, but she meant it when
she said he’d done enough. He was a friend, a good friend, but she
needed to start standing on her own two feet. She needed to take
responsibility for her new circumstances and her children and make
plans for a life that didn’t include their father.

“I really appreciate it, Mason, I do, but—”
She held up her hand when he went to interrupt. “I need to take
control of my life, starting with Sophie and Ben. It’s only a small
step, but it
is
a step and each and every one of them count
toward helping me find my confidence.” She pleaded with him
silently, hoping he’d understand.

In the light that spilled out from the
dining room, she noticed his frown, but eventually he nodded and
then turned away to stare out across the harbor. After a while, he
spoke again.

“I’m not sure what your plans are, but
you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you like. All of you. I…
I like having you around.”

She looked at him and couldn’t help but
wonder about his life with Sue Ann. Before she could stop herself,
she opened her mouth and asked the question. “How long were you
married?”

His frown deepened. He sat back in his
chair, his expression wary. “Two years.”

“How come you didn’t have children? You work
with kids every day and you’re so good with them. You’re good with
mine, too. Didn’t you want any children of your own?”

He squeezed his eyes shut as if in an effort
to ward off painful memories. His shoulders slumped. “Having kids
and a family of my own was one of the main reasons I got married,
but as it turned out, Sue Ann was infertile. We tried for twelve
months before we got tested.”

He shrugged. “We were in our twenties. It
didn’t occur to us that one or both of us might have had problems.
When we discovered Sue Ann couldn’t have children, we were
devastated. She wanted to try IVF. I wasn’t keen. By then, our
relationship had begun to deteriorate and I wasn’t sure how much
longer I’d be around. I look back now and can’t help but think it
was a blessing we didn’t have kids.”

He sighed and leaned over his thighs, with
his elbows on his knees. His chin rested in his hands. “I’m not
proud of the fact I gave up on my marriage. I could have fought
harder to save it. But the truth is, I didn’t want to. I married
Sue Ann in the hope of forgetting a girl I’d been in love with
since high school. A girl I was certain I could never have.”

He lifted his head and stared at her. “It
wasn’t fair to Sue Ann and I lived to regret my decision to marry
her, but that’s how it was. How it still is.”

Her heart pounded double time, but it had
nothing to do with fear. The need in his eyes was obvious. She
remembered the way it had felt to be in his arms, safe and secure
against the warm strength of his chest. Though it still unsettled
her—being held close—with Mason it almost felt right.

He pushed back his chair and came toward her
and all of a sudden, panic flooded her veins. It was one thing to
make love with him when she’d been overwrought with emotion and had
sought oblivion in his arms. It was another to encourage him when
she was calm and collected—when she had no idea if she could ever
offer him a future.

Hastily, she stood and headed toward the
sliding door. Mason stopped. She saw the hurt and confusion in his
eyes.

“Belle…”

“I’m sorry, Mason. I think I might go
inside. I… I’m tired and I need to check on the kids. Thank you for
dinner. I’ll…see you in the morning.”

She made a hasty retreat, hating herself for
her cowardice, but right there and then she was beyond giving him
anything more.

* * *

Nigel strode out of the elevator and headed
for the Human Resources Department. It had been three days since
his wife had left and he’d well and truly had enough. He’d taken
time off from the hospital and that had been a good decision. He’d
spent the first couple of days in a haze of anger fueled by
alcohol. The house had taken the brunt of his rage. There wasn’t a
single room that hadn’t sustained substantial damage. He didn’t
care. What was a house when he’d lost his wife, his most prized
possession? Even his Porsche didn’t stack up.

But slowly, he’d come to his senses and his
brain had kicked back into gear, pulling him out of the haze of his
anger. He’d sobered up and as the alcohol left his bloodstream, a
different icy cold rage took its place. With a clearer head, his
thoughts had sharpened and all of a sudden, he knew what he could
do. It was so simple, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it
sooner. He just hoped the bitch hadn’t gotten there before him.

He found the door with the Human Resources
nameplate on it. He knocked once and entered. A young girl of about
twenty sat behind a counter. She greeted him with a friendly
smile.

“Good morning, you’re here bright and early.
I only just sat down. What can I do for you?”

Nigel dug deep and found the charm he was
renowned for. “Hello, I’m Doctor Donnelly. I was hoping you could
help me.”

If she recognized his name, she didn’t show
it. He wasn’t particularly surprised. The hospital employed more
than a thousand staff. She couldn’t know all of them. With a bit of
luck, it also meant Isobel hadn’t yet contacted them.

“What is it that you need, Doctor?”

Nigel glanced at the name tag on the collar
of her dress and smiled sweetly. “You see, Sally, the other day I
ran into an old friend from high school. He’s just started here at
the hospital. I didn’t have long to chat, but I promised I’d call
him and get together when we both had more time. He gave me his
number, but I lost it.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Sally replied, looking
genuinely disappointed.

“I’d really appreciate it if you could give
me his address.”

She frowned. “I thought you were after his
phone number?”

“Yes, well, I remembered tomorrow’s his
birthday. I want to go by his place and surprise him.” He leaned
toward her and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “You
see, he lost both of his parents to cancer when he was only a small
child. He didn’t have any birthday celebrations after that. I think
he was eight when it happened. Very sad.”

“Oh, no! How awful! That poor boy!”

“Yes, now you can see why it’s so important
to me. I’ve even ordered a cake.” He smiled again and gave her a
wink.

She bit her lip. “I’m not supposed to give
out private information, even to other staff.”

“But he and I are old friends. Besides,
who’s going to know? I’m not going to tell anyone. Are you?”

She still looked unconvinced. “Maybe I could
just give you his cell number. After all, he’s already given you
that.” Her expression turned hopeful.

He forced back his impatience and threw her
another smile. “That would be great, Sally and I’d really
appreciate it, but see, apart from the cake, I’ve also bought him a
birthday gift. It’s a top of the range mountain bike. We used to
love riding together when we were boys. I want to leave it in his
driveway. Can you imagine his surprise when he comes out in the
morning and finds it?”

Sally’s eyes went wide with astonishment and
a wide grin creased her lips. “Wow, I wish someone would buy me a
cool gift like that! You must be really good friends.”

Nigel smiled and nodded, knowing the
information he sought was now as good as his. “Oh, but we are. The
best.”

Dear Diary,

People say you remember your first kiss,
your first crush, the first time you make love. While I have had
all those firsts, I add another to that list of memories. I can
also remember the first time he hit me and that experience will be
forever imprinted in my mind.

It doesn’t matter that more beatings came
afterwards, it’s the first one that leaves the lasting impression
because with that single act of violence the seeds of fear are sown
and with each hit afterwards, that fear grows until it spreads and
spreads and spreads…

The fear took hold of me, choking the very
life out of me, squeezing me like a vice until I uttered that final
gasp of breath…

I still have nightmares about that night. I
re-live his fury in microscopic detail each and every time. And
those nightmares remind me that I have walked through the valley of
the shadow of death… And yet, I still live.

I pray to God that he will restore my soul
and some day bring me to greener pastures because, despite
everything, I have to believe that You are watching and somehow
protecting me…

* * *

Isobel listened to the sounds of her
children playing in the other room and smiled. She loved how
comfortable they were in Mason’s home. She’d been worried that
they’d miss their large backyard and their regular visits to the
park, but so far the confines of Mason’s apartment hadn’t concerned
them.

Picking up her phone, she made the second
call of the morning to the director of Benn and Sophie’s daycare
center. Ten minutes later, she ended the call and let out a sigh of
relief. The woman had been more than understanding when Isobel
explained the change in their circumstances and as difficult as it
had been to speak about, it had lifted a weight off Isobel’s
mind.

It was unfortunate she couldn’t remove the
children altogether and place them somewhere else, somewhere Nigel
didn’t know about, but openings in daycare centers in and around
the city were hard to come by. Besides, her children were
comfortable there.

It was a familiar environment where both of
them had plenty of friends. So much of their world had been turned
upside down. For their sakes, it was important that she retain a
little stability. She’d make sure the center had a copy of the AVO
so that if Nigel happened by, they’d know what to do. She hoped it
wouldn’t come to that, but it was best to be prepared. The only
other call she had to make was to HR.

Earlier, she’d spoken to her boss. Georgie
had urged her to notify Human Resources of the AVO. Isobel had been
relieved Georgie had been sympathetic to her situation and was
willing to switch her two evenings and one night shift over to
mornings. From now on, she’d only be rostered on the day shifts, a
time when Mason would often be in the hospital, too. The thought
brought her comfort.

Doing morning shifts meant that she’d have
to drop Ben and Sophie off at the center before seven, which wasn’t
ideal, but for the moment, it was all she could manage. She
certainly didn’t expect Mason to care for them before he left for
work. Besides, there would occasionally be times when he was on
night shift and he wouldn’t arrive home before it was time for her
to leave—and of course, staying with him was only short term.

Despite his generous offer to stay as long
as they liked, his apartment was set up as a plush bachelor pad,
filled with expensive furniture and carpet as white as fresh laid
snow. She shuddered. White carpet! She only hoped the kids didn’t
spill anything on it. She was pretty sure Mason wouldn’t mind. So
far, he seemed casual and laid-back in the extreme. But, even
so…

She couldn’t help but think of Nigel and how
he’d react to stains on the carpet or dirt on the floor. Once, he’d
forced her to mop the same strip of linoleum until her fingers were
chafed and raw. It was never good enough, never clean enough and he
insisted she had to do it better. That went on for hours.

At the thought of her husband, she was once
again flooded with fear. He’d been livid outside their house.
If
not for the police officer…

Despite the AVO restricting Nigel’s access
to her and their kids, she still didn’t believe he’d get over her
departure and simply move on. It wasn’t in his makeup. She needed
to be on her guard for when he tried a second time to convince her
she’d made a mistake. And she had no doubt there would be a second
time.

She wandered out onto the balcony, hoping
the beautiful summer morning unfolding outside her window would
lift her spirits. Warm sunlight danced on the water below, turning
the harbor into a sparkly wet playground. Soon it would be
Christmas. For the first time in years, she looked forward to
it.

Her spirits rose at the thought that she
wouldn’t be spending another holiday with her husband. For years,
Christmas with Nigel had been anything but joyous. The criticism,
ridicule and constant demands that she do better seemed to increase
exponentially as the holiday season approached. The kids were
showered with presents from him, but there was never anything under
the tree for her.