United State of Love (10 page)

Anna was fighting back the tears now. She had always felt guilty about the car accident even though she knew it wasn't her fault. The car had slid on wet mud at a sharp bend in the road. Sliding across the tarmac. Careering through the fence. Rolling over and over down the embankment. The hedgerow at the bottom of the slope catching the broken and battered BMW. It had been an accident. A dreadful accident with awful consequences, but an accident nonetheless. The tears were stinging her eyes and she blinked hard to keep them from falling. ‘You can't blame me for everything, Mark. You can't punish me forever.’

‘I’m not punishing you, Anna.’ Mark exhaled deeply. ‘Anna, please, I’m sorry. I don’t want to argue, I don’t want to upset you. And I don’t want to divorce you. In fact, I refuse to divorce you. I love you.’ Mark rested his hand lightly on her back. ‘There’s something else.’

‘I don’t want to hear it.’ She shrugged his hand away and rushed from the kitchen, seeking solace in her bedroom.

Anna sat silently on the edge of her bed, trying to catch her breath, concentrating on regaining her composure. On hearing the front door close, she went to the window, tipping the blinds so she could see out. She saw Mark pause as he closed the garden gate and then look up at her. Did he know she would be watching? He gave a half smile before walking down the road, heavy-footed and head bowed. It wasn’t until he was out of sight that Anna’s resolve finally gave way and she sank to the floor, letting the tears fall.

The tears weren’t just from the pain of the past that had been brought back to the surface – the pain of her broken marriage, her lost child and lost chance of more children – she cried for the frustration and anger Mark had invoked within her, and for the hurt she seemed to be inflicting on him now. All the times she had wanted to hurt him, to make him suffer, to crush his love as he had done to hers, and now that the tables seemed to be turned she didn’t feel any satisfaction whatsoever. Just sadness.

Tex checked his watch again. It was nearly eleven and Anna would be arriving at the premises any minute now.

Despite his best attempts over the weekend to dismiss any thoughts of Anna from his mind, he had found it a futile exercise. It had annoyed him more than he cared to admit when her husband had turned up on Friday night. The way Mark had put his arm around Anna’s shoulder with such familiarity, and the fact that Anna didn’t move away, had irked him further. It was a surprising feeling that sat uncomfortably with him. He knew he hadn’t been very magnanimous towards her when he’d left the pub, barely saying a word, and now he felt regretful.

Then to top it all, he had arrived at the restaurant this morning to find that the main door and windows had been damaged. Several of the small leaded windowpanes had been smashed and the front door had been daubed in green paint with the words ‘Yank Out’. Had it been senseless vandalism he might have not been so concerned, but the fact that ‘Yank’ referred directly to him was unsettling.

The sound of knocking at the door and his name being called out sliced through his ruminating. She was here.

Walking out into the main hall of the old church, Tex drew breath at the sight of Anna, and realised he was involuntarily casting a barely disguised appreciative eye over her. She was wearing a white t-shirt that clung in all the right places, with a crewneck, pale pink cardigan and a tailored black skirt which finished just on her knee. Her slender legs, encased in skin-toned glossy nylon, looked gorgeous and her high black heels gave her an extra couple of inches in height.

‘Hey, there. How ya’ doin’?’ said Tex, regaining his equanimity and going over to her, kissed her on each cheek. He felt the tension in her shoulders.

‘I’m fine,’ Anna replied.

She sounded very businesslike today, Tex thought, and felt like kicking himself. Having got her to relax and open up a bit last time she was here, now, after his behaviour on Friday evening, the barrier was back in place.

‘What happened to the front of the building?’ asked Anna.

‘Vandals.’

‘That’s terrible. Why would anyone do that? Have you managed to sort someone out to clean it off? I can organise it, if you need me to.’

For now, Tex decided to bide his time before apologising about Friday. ‘Thank you, but I’ve arranged it already.’

‘Is it just this place that’s been attacked?’

‘It would seem so.’

‘So they’ve singled you out. Who do you think would do that?’

Tex shrugged. ‘Local competition. Local people. Who knows?’

‘Well, I don’t think any of the locals would do it, not after the party, and if you think it was the tea rooms, then you are seriously out of touch.’

She seemed riled by his suggestion that the tea rooms, as competition, might be involved, so he let it go. Perhaps now was a good time to mention her brother. She had given him one of Nathan’s business cards the other day over lunch when Tex had said he really ought to check out the local gym.

‘I… erm… spoke to your brother this morning.’

Anna looked at him in surprise. ‘My brother? What for?’

‘To ask him if he could give me a couple of mornings each week to keep me in shape. A bit of jogging, gentle exercise.’

‘Oh, right. What did he say?’

‘He’s coming over tomorrow.’ He smiled at her. Was she pleased? Had he done enough yet to win her over? ‘Would you like a coffee?’

Anna shrugged. ‘Don’t you want to get on with finding somewhere to live? After all, you are having to pay Jamie for my time here.’

‘I could tell you what I’m looking for over a coffee. Let’s go to the coffee shop by the river,’ suggested Tex, keeping his sigh of frustration in. She wasn’t making it easy for him, that was sure. Maybe she’d feel more relaxed on neutral ground. He rested his hand on her back to shepherd her towards the door and noted that she increased her pace just enough so that he couldn’t maintain contact.

Ten minutes later they were seated in the Riverside Coffee Pot positioned by the River Arun, looking out towards the three-arched bridge that spanned the water.

‘So, what are your requirements?’ asked Anna, retrieving a notebook and pen from her bag. She didn’t look up as she spoke. ‘Number of bedrooms? Location? How much do you want to pay? How long do you want the tenancy for?’

Tex decided to play it straight for now, keep things on a business keel until the time was right.

‘Two bedrooms. Needs to be here in Arundel. Can be a house or an apartment. Parking is a must, as is internet connection.’ He paused, waiting for her to write these points down. ‘I am flexible on the rent and I want the tenancy for at least six months.’

‘We could begin by looking online, or we could go to the estate agents this morning,’ said Anna, taking a sip of her tea, still avoiding eye contact. ‘It might be easier to go direct actually, as not all estate agents keep their webpages up to date, especially where rentals are concerned. Stride & Hunter Lettings would be a good one to start with as they are quite up-market, with some very exclusive properties to let.’

Tex watched her gaze flit to the window and then back to her notebook, pen poised. ‘Okay, I will take your advice.’

Stride & Hunter’s offices were only across the road. Tex let Anna lead the way. An elderly gentleman looked up from behind his desk as the couple came in, giving the briefest of smiles before greeting them.

‘Good morning, sir, madam. How can I help?’ he asked starchily.

‘We are looking for a two-bedroom property to rent in the town,’ said Anna.

‘Please sit down. My name’s Arthur Hemmings,’ began the estate agent, gesturing to the two seats in front of his desk. ‘If I can just take your names?’ He picked up his fountain pen and opened to a blank page in his notebook.

‘Garcia,’ replied Tex, then spelt it out.

‘Mr and Mrs Garcia,’ said the estate agent as he wrote.

‘We’re not a couple,’ corrected Anna. ‘Mr Garcia is my client.’

‘Client?’ Arthur Hemmings peered over his glasses at Anna and then at Tex, raising his eyebrows slightly. Anna looked as if she was about to say something but Arthur Hemmings spoke again. ‘Right, first things first. Are you living permanently in the UK, Mr Garcia? It’s just some of our landlords aren’t too keen on foreign nationals. We require two UK references.’

‘Mr Garcia has been here for over five years,’ replied Anna, not allowing Tex time to answer. ‘References won’t be a problem either.’

‘Professional references.’ More peering over the top of his glasses.

‘As I said, that won’t be a problem,’ replied Anna firmly.

‘Good. What about benefits? Do you work? Full-time? Most of my clients prefer professionals, no one on benefits, I’m afraid.’

‘Self-employed actually,’ replied Anna again. Tex noticed there was an edge to her voice.

‘Arr, self-employed. That can be a bit tricky. Again, most of my landlords prefer tenants to be in paid employment. Makes it easier all round.’

‘I’m sure the company’s accountant can provide you with the necessary supporting paperwork,’ Anna said.

Tex sat back and folded his arms as he observed the dual with interest. Anna was definitely riled, probably fuelled somewhat by her bad mood with him, but she was certainly holding her ground.

‘Yes, I appreciate what you are saying.’ Arthur Hemmings put down his pen. ‘It’s just with the economic climate being the way it is, landlords want more reassurance, they need to be certain that the rent will be met. Being self-employed these days isn’t particularly secure.’

‘You know nothing about my client’s business, his finances or his creditworthiness; you are making assumptions. And on that basis, I don’t think I can recommend your services to my client.’ Anna stood and tapped Tex’s arm. ‘Come on, Tex, let’s go. We’re wasting our time here.’

Tex followed Anna out of the office and then watched with great amusement as she stuck her head back round the door.

‘And just for the record, my client is a professional and highly successful chef with his own Michelin-star restaurant, and is about to open another one in the town. Your loss, I do believe.’ Letting the door slam behind her, Anna marched off around the corner.

Tex jogged to catch up. He regarded her for a moment.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said, looking sheepish. ‘He just really annoyed me.’

‘Hey, that’s cool. Thank you for defending me. I don’t think anyone other than my mother has spoken up for me like that.’

‘I’m sure you are capable of looking after yourself but he was being so pompous.’ Anna let out a sigh. ‘I hated the way he just jumped to conclusions.’

Tex stopped smiling and spoke softly. ‘Like I did the other night?’

‘Yes. No. Maybe…’ Anna looked down at her feet. ‘What conclusion did you jump to?’

‘That your marriage wasn’t quite as over as you said.’ Tex moved Anna over to the side of the pavement to allow some sightseers to pass by. ‘Was that the wrong conclusion?’ He hoped it was.

‘From my perspective, yes.’ Anna’s breathing was heavier.

Tex could see her chest rise and fall quickly as she took shorter, quicker breaths. He moved closer, resting his shoulder against the wall next to hers, their faces only inches apart.

‘Then I am sorry,’ said Tex gently. He dipped his head to look up under her eyelashes. When she bit her bottom lip, he felt a deep desire settle in his bones. He had to fight every urge not to lean in and kiss her.

She glanced up at him. ‘There’s something else.’

‘I’m listening.’ Jeez, what else could there be?

‘He’s staying at my house. On the sofa.’

‘On the sofa,’ Tex repeated. Okay, this wasn’t ideal but then again, it could be worse. Exhaling long and hard, he leaned back against the wall, looking skyward and briefly closing his eyes. Why did he get the feeling he was getting involved in something that he would probably regret? Then pushing himself upright, he took hold of Anna’s hand. ‘Let’s go.’

He strode off up the hill towards another estate agents’, keeping a firm hold on Anna’s hand so she had no choice but to follow. That in itself was something to be marvelled at, he thought, considering her choice of footwear today.

At the next agency, Anna had rather more success and managed to secure two viewings for that afternoon. One was a Grade II listed house at the top of Arundel, near to the cathedral, and the other an apartment overlooking the River Arun.

‘I really like the look of this one,’ said Anna, holding up the apartment details as they walked back down the hill. ‘It’s also closer to your restaurant than the other one, nicer views, and you have an allocated parking space. With the house you need a parking permit, I don’t think you get an allocated space, just permission to park on the road.’

‘It would be nice having views of the river rather than the street,’ said Tex. ‘Are you hungry? Shall we have some lunch in one of the pubs?’ He was pleased that Anna seemed far more relaxed since her outburst earlier and their clearing of the air about her marital status.

‘Let’s just quickly nip over to Johnson’s Estate Agents,’ said Anna, pointing to the bay window opposite them. ‘They are quite a big chain and have branches in Bognor and Chichester. They might have something we haven’t seen before.’

‘Okay, but then lunch,’ agreed Tex, again taking her hand as they crossed the road. He noted with satisfaction that this time, Anna actually held his hand rather than just leaving it limply in his, as she had done earlier.

‘I think it’s mostly houses for sale. I can’t see any for rent,’ commented Anna, as they edged gradually along the shopfront, studying the photos and brief descriptions. Then, she suddenly gripped his arm tightly with her free hand. ‘Oh my God!’

‘What?’ chuckled Tex, expecting her to say she’d found a perfect home for him. However, when he looked down at her, the ashen look on her face told him something different. ‘Anna? What’s wrong?’

The power of speech seemed to have deserted her. Letting go of his arm, Anna pressed her finger against the glass, pointing at a property hanging at the edge of the bay window, the words ‘For Sale’ in striking red across the corner of the photo. Finally, with a tremulous voice she managed to eke out a coherent sentence.

‘There must be some mistake. That’s… that’s
my
house.’