Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery
Page 39
‘Okay,’ said Huckle, the second they got home. He looked riled. This was almost unheard of. He was the most unflappable of men, always. But now he stalked into the kitchen and put his hands heavily on the old scrubbed wooden table. Neil was nowhere to be seen. ‘What the hell was that?’
‘What do you mean?’ said Polly nervously.
‘You and Kerensa. Swapping glances. Looking all nervous. It’s patently obvious something’s up. What the hell is it?’
‘Um,’ said Polly. ‘I think she was just anxious about Rhonda and Merv… And you know, the baby coming. It’s due in a month.’
Huckle shook his head. ‘She can handle Rhonda and Merv. I’ve seen her do it before. That woman doesn’t scare easily. No. It’s something else.’ He looked at her. ‘And look at you! You’re bright pink.’
Polly cursed her fair skin, which always showed when she was blushing, and the fact that Huckle knew her so well. He was staring at her now, those bright blue eyes not lazy and kind but hard-edged.
‘What the hell is going on?’
‘Nothing!’
‘She’s hardly been around, and you’ve been all tight-lipped about everything. What is it, Polly?’
He made them both a cup of tea. Polly didn’t say anything. Her brain was working frantically. She couldn’t… but on the other hand, this was Huckle. Her other half. Her love. She had to… she couldn’t keep secrets from him. No lies. No dishonesty. That wasn’t what they were about, was never what they had been about. When she was with Chris, he had lied about how the firm was doing fine, how everything was great, how she shouldn’t worry. And the next thing that happened, they went bust and lost everything.
She couldn’t bear to look at Huckle’s wonderful, open, puzzled face. He was so straight. He told her the truth – always. He’d told the truth about how cut up he’d been about his ex-fiancée, that he needed a good year to get over her – and Polly had let him go, had let him do everything he needed to do, until he was ready. They’d always been upfront with each other.
But this. This cut right through the heart of their friendships, of the world they had built together, of the happiness they shared.
Or maybe he’d understand. He was reasonable, right? Maybe he’d see it was just a silly mistake, just a misunderstanding. Or maybe she could wait…
He was staring at her, and she realised she’d been quiet for far too long. The game was up.
‘Polly?’ he said, and the light tone in his deep voice was gone, and there was no mistaking the deadly seriousness of what he was saying. ‘You have to tell me.’
Polly closed her eyes. Thought about it. Wished herself anywhere else than where she was. Thought about what she owed her best friend. And thought about truth, which she certainly owed her fiancé. Thought about her own life.
And then she told him the truth about Kerensa.
Chapter Twenty-Four
She had never seen him like this before. Of course they’d had rows; they were human. The previous year, when he’d been working away in the States, had been incredibly difficult for both of them.
But before when they’d argued it had been about a thing – the right way to plumb a bathroom, or what was the point of going all the way to the cinema (thirty miles) if Polly was going to sleep through the entire movie every single time?
They had been differences of opinion. This wasn’t like that. Not at all. Huckle’s normally placidly handsome face looked bizarrely almost amusing as it ran the gamut of emotions – shock, astonishment, fury and then, finally, deep hurt. He didn’t say anything for a while. Then he started to say something and didn’t quite manage to get it out. He stuttered, and stopped. He turned away. Then he turned back again, and Polly felt her heart sink right to the floor.
‘How… how long?’ he managed to husk out eventually. ‘How long have you known?’
Polly swallowed hard.
‘Since… well, a few weeks,’ she said quietly.
‘A few weeks?’ Huckle blinked. He looked like he was going to cry. ‘You knew about this and you didn’t think to mention it to me? Ever? Not once?’
Polly shook her head.
‘It wasn’t… it wasn’t really my business to tell.’
‘But Polly,’ said Huckle. ‘Polly, I’m… I’m meant to be… I’m meant to be your other half. Your… your soulmate if you like.’
Polly couldn’t bear him looking at her the way he was looking at her now: as if something he loved about her, or something he had thought about her, was somehow suddenly gone; as if she was not the person he thought she was. As if something precious and perfect they had had together had vanished. Tears sprang to her eyes.
‘I mean… we’re meant to tell each other stuff.’
‘But Kerensa swore me to secrecy!’
‘Yes, to the rest of the world, not to me!’
‘I couldn’t,’ said Polly. ‘What if you’d told Reuben?’
‘Well I think he has a right to know, don’t you? That he’s going to be raising a baby that’s got nothing to do with him. You don’t think that’s his business either?’
‘But we don’t know. Nobody knows. And we won’t know until the baby’s born.’
Huckle shook his head.
‘Reuben’s my best friend, Polly! My best friend!’
‘And Kerensa’s mine,’ said Polly gently.
‘No. This is… No. It’s immoral. It’s unethical. I can’t take part in this, Polly. I can’t… I can’t have anything to do with it.’
‘Huckle, you know what Reuben’s like! You know how awful he can be, how tricky! He drove her to distraction, he was never at home, kept treating her like a servant…’
‘Does that make it okay?’
‘No,’ said Polly. ‘No, it doesn’t. I think she went out to let off some steam and things got slightly out of hand. These things happen.’
Huckle nodded slowly.
‘Do they? I mean… is that the kind of thing you might do?’
‘No!’ said Polly, scandalised. ‘Never in a million years!’
‘But you think it’s okay?’
‘NO!’ shouted Polly. ‘How can you think that?’
‘What do you mean?’ said Polly nervously.
‘You and Kerensa. Swapping glances. Looking all nervous. It’s patently obvious something’s up. What the hell is it?’
‘Um,’ said Polly. ‘I think she was just anxious about Rhonda and Merv… And you know, the baby coming. It’s due in a month.’
Huckle shook his head. ‘She can handle Rhonda and Merv. I’ve seen her do it before. That woman doesn’t scare easily. No. It’s something else.’ He looked at her. ‘And look at you! You’re bright pink.’
Polly cursed her fair skin, which always showed when she was blushing, and the fact that Huckle knew her so well. He was staring at her now, those bright blue eyes not lazy and kind but hard-edged.
‘What the hell is going on?’
‘Nothing!’
‘She’s hardly been around, and you’ve been all tight-lipped about everything. What is it, Polly?’
He made them both a cup of tea. Polly didn’t say anything. Her brain was working frantically. She couldn’t… but on the other hand, this was Huckle. Her other half. Her love. She had to… she couldn’t keep secrets from him. No lies. No dishonesty. That wasn’t what they were about, was never what they had been about. When she was with Chris, he had lied about how the firm was doing fine, how everything was great, how she shouldn’t worry. And the next thing that happened, they went bust and lost everything.
She couldn’t bear to look at Huckle’s wonderful, open, puzzled face. He was so straight. He told her the truth – always. He’d told the truth about how cut up he’d been about his ex-fiancée, that he needed a good year to get over her – and Polly had let him go, had let him do everything he needed to do, until he was ready. They’d always been upfront with each other.
But this. This cut right through the heart of their friendships, of the world they had built together, of the happiness they shared.
Or maybe he’d understand. He was reasonable, right? Maybe he’d see it was just a silly mistake, just a misunderstanding. Or maybe she could wait…
He was staring at her, and she realised she’d been quiet for far too long. The game was up.
‘Polly?’ he said, and the light tone in his deep voice was gone, and there was no mistaking the deadly seriousness of what he was saying. ‘You have to tell me.’
Polly closed her eyes. Thought about it. Wished herself anywhere else than where she was. Thought about what she owed her best friend. And thought about truth, which she certainly owed her fiancé. Thought about her own life.
And then she told him the truth about Kerensa.
Chapter Twenty-Four
She had never seen him like this before. Of course they’d had rows; they were human. The previous year, when he’d been working away in the States, had been incredibly difficult for both of them.
But before when they’d argued it had been about a thing – the right way to plumb a bathroom, or what was the point of going all the way to the cinema (thirty miles) if Polly was going to sleep through the entire movie every single time?
They had been differences of opinion. This wasn’t like that. Not at all. Huckle’s normally placidly handsome face looked bizarrely almost amusing as it ran the gamut of emotions – shock, astonishment, fury and then, finally, deep hurt. He didn’t say anything for a while. Then he started to say something and didn’t quite manage to get it out. He stuttered, and stopped. He turned away. Then he turned back again, and Polly felt her heart sink right to the floor.
‘How… how long?’ he managed to husk out eventually. ‘How long have you known?’
Polly swallowed hard.
‘Since… well, a few weeks,’ she said quietly.
‘A few weeks?’ Huckle blinked. He looked like he was going to cry. ‘You knew about this and you didn’t think to mention it to me? Ever? Not once?’
Polly shook her head.
‘It wasn’t… it wasn’t really my business to tell.’
‘But Polly,’ said Huckle. ‘Polly, I’m… I’m meant to be… I’m meant to be your other half. Your… your soulmate if you like.’
Polly couldn’t bear him looking at her the way he was looking at her now: as if something he loved about her, or something he had thought about her, was somehow suddenly gone; as if she was not the person he thought she was. As if something precious and perfect they had had together had vanished. Tears sprang to her eyes.
‘I mean… we’re meant to tell each other stuff.’
‘But Kerensa swore me to secrecy!’
‘Yes, to the rest of the world, not to me!’
‘I couldn’t,’ said Polly. ‘What if you’d told Reuben?’
‘Well I think he has a right to know, don’t you? That he’s going to be raising a baby that’s got nothing to do with him. You don’t think that’s his business either?’
‘But we don’t know. Nobody knows. And we won’t know until the baby’s born.’
Huckle shook his head.
‘Reuben’s my best friend, Polly! My best friend!’
‘And Kerensa’s mine,’ said Polly gently.
‘No. This is… No. It’s immoral. It’s unethical. I can’t take part in this, Polly. I can’t… I can’t have anything to do with it.’
‘Huckle, you know what Reuben’s like! You know how awful he can be, how tricky! He drove her to distraction, he was never at home, kept treating her like a servant…’
‘Does that make it okay?’
‘No,’ said Polly. ‘No, it doesn’t. I think she went out to let off some steam and things got slightly out of hand. These things happen.’
Huckle nodded slowly.
‘Do they? I mean… is that the kind of thing you might do?’
‘No!’ said Polly, scandalised. ‘Never in a million years!’
‘But you think it’s okay?’
‘NO!’ shouted Polly. ‘How can you think that?’
