Double Fault Read online

  “I happen to enjoy it,” she snapped, hastily closing a cupboard door on several tubes of brightly colored sweets and two lollipops. “And although it’s none of your business, my education was very decidedly against girls having careers. Ambition was a dirty word at the school my father chose for me. It was a school noted for producing society hostesses with a good line in small talk and a limited repertoire of cordon bleu recipes, not somewhere that turned out doctors and lawyers.”

  “Come on, it can’t have been that bad,” he shook his head disbelievingly. “I don’t remember you suffering from any glaring educational inadequacies. In fact I was always amazed by how many books you read while I was practicing.”

  “Well it was that or die of boredom,” she surprised herself by smiling. “I guess I do owe something to the tennis circuit after all. It gave me a chance to educate myself.”

  “Am I supposed to be glad you don’t hold it in total contempt?” Pierce’s voice sharpened as he stood up. “Was that the only good thing about it Kerry? Was it only me who was happy during the months we were together because, if so, you’re wasting your talents? You should be an actress.”

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t happy, only that I was bored sometimes,” she flushed as she wove further lies into her story. “You were always so busy; there were so many demands on your time; so I guess it wasn’t surprising I got fed up occasionally. After all there were limits to the number of saunas I could take, or the number of hours I could lie in the sun.”

  “…and the amount of money you could spend,” his lips tightened as he referred to the mammoth shopping sprees she’d indulged in, treating herself at her father’s expense until even Pierce had shouted at her. It was one of the few things they’d argued about; Kerry protesting it was only money while he retorted that it was obvious she’d always had it if she could spend it so irresponsibly.

  Well things were certainly different now. She doubted she would ever be able to spend freely again, not even if Melanie’s Kitchen fulfilled its ambition and became a financial success. She had learned a bitter lesson during the past three years, a lesson she was unlikely to forget although she wasn’t about to admit it to Pierce.

  “Oh that,” she dismissed his remark with a shrug as she turned away and filled the kettle. “The money was there to spend wasn’t it?”

  “Until your father threw you out,” he crossed the kitchen in three strides and stood in front of her, a troubled expression on his face. “Was it my fault Kerry? Was travelling with me the lifestyle he objected to? Would he have been happier about it if I’d bought you an engagement ring, made a commitment?”

  “Probably,” she busied herself with mugs and milk so she didn’t have to look at him. “But it never came into it did it? Neither of us wanted any sort of commitment. I was too young and you were married to your career. Besides, in this day and age who cares about such things?”

  “Apparently your father does,” his hands on her shoulders made her jump and then wince as his fingers bit into her flesh.

  “Put those mugs down dammit and look at me. If I was the reason you fell out with your father then I want to know about it. Stop putting up this ridiculous barrier and tell me what really happened.”

  She was saved by the telephone. It was Mel.

  “Kerry, was everything okay today?”

  “Fine,” the lie rolled off her tongue with practiced ease. “How are you feeling now?”

  “Back in the land of the living. Thanks for standing in for me.”

  “You’re welcome. Do I need to cover for you tomorrow too?”

  “Yes please. According to food hygiene regulations I have to be clear for at least forty-eight hours before I can start handling food again.”

  “In that case I’ll do Wednesday as well,” Trying to ignore the fact that Pierce was still standing too close to her, Kerry reached for her pad. “Give me the details and…oh no…my car is out of action. It broke down this afternoon.”

  “Don’t worry. You can have the van. You can pick it up when Dad collects you. That’s the other reason I phoned. He’s on his way over to you. He feels so badly about letting you down at lunchtime that he’s taking you home for tea.”

  “He doesn’t have to do that,” Kerry protested, panic building as she wondered how she was going to get Pierce out of the house before Mel’s Dad arrived and started talking about the children.

  “Not my fight I’m afraid,” she could tell Mel was grinning. “He just popped in here to see if I’d survived the day. As he was leaving he asked me to let you know he was on his way to give you time to gather up the twin’s pajamas and whatever else they need for bedtime. Mum wants to send them home ready for bed. You know how she’s always looking for an excuse to get them into the bath!”

  Kerry sighed. This was a regular ritual and one she usually enjoyed because it gave her a break from the continual demands her children put on her, as well as providing Mel’s mother with half-an-hour of pleasure as she soaped and powdered them. Tonight though, it was the last thing she wanted. For a start she wasn’t sure if she could get rid of Pierce quickly enough and also she needed some thinking time, alone.

  Now he’d found her again it was obvious he wasn’t going to go away until he’d got to the bottom of her story, so she needed to decide what to do. She knew she should tell him about the children before things got out of hand but the thought frightened her far more than she would have thought possible. How would he react when he realized how much she had deceived him? That she had done it for all the right reasons didn’t seem to matter now he was standing in front of her with a black frown on his face.

  “Are you okay Kerry? Are you sure you can cope until Wednesday?” Mel’s worried voice broke the silence.

  “Of course I can. I was just finding a blank page on my pad,” Kerry reached for a pencil and hoped Pierce hadn’t noticed she had a totally clean sheet of paper in front of her.

  * * *

  The doorbell rang as she was scribbling down the last few details but although she hung up abruptly, barely giving Mel time to say goodbye, she was too late. Pierce had already taken the few steps necessary to cross her cramped hallway and open the door, and when she hurried through from the kitchen he was staring in total disbelief at the burly figure of Mel’s father, George, who was sporting a very grubby twin on either arm.

  Chapter Three

  Lauren took one look at Pierce and burst into tears. She held her arms out to Kerry, her tiny body wracked by sobs of fright.

  “Now, now! Mummy will think you haven’t enjoyed yourself if you cry like that. Tell her what we did this afternoon,” George tried to console her as he handed her over.

  But Lauren wasn’t listening as she clung to Kerry and buried her face in her neck. “No like,” she sobbed. “Go ’way!”

  Ben, however, was made of sterner stuff. “We bin Mel’s,” he told Pierce.

  “You didn’t go in though did you,” George put in hastily. “You waved from the car so you wouldn’t catch her old tummy bug, didn’t you?” He was becoming more and more ruffled by Pierce’s silent stare, and consequently more and more hearty.

  “Wiv choclit,” Ben agreed, swiveling his eyes round to give his mother a beatific smile.

  “So I see,” Kerry used a shaky hand to wipe away the smear of chocolate that ringed his mouth. “Was it good?”

  But Ben had already dismissed his long finished chocolate bar and was trying to wriggle out of George’s grasp. Always a child of the moment, he was more interested in Pierce.

  “Me Ben,” he announced, and launched himself into his father’s arms.

  * * *

  Kerry threw several small items of clothing into a bag and returned to the kitchen in less than five minutes, hoping Ben hadn’t managed to deposit too many chocolaty fingerprints on Pierce’s pale sweater and slacks in the meantime. Her heart was thudding like a sledgehammer when she pushed open the door. She was terrified she had already left Pierce alone with Geo
rge for too long. Terrified he would have already learned the answer to the question she had seen in his eyes as he carried Ben into the kitchen.

  To her amazement all was quiet as Ben examined the intricacies of Pierce’s watch. Even Lauren, safe in the familiar protection of George’s arms, was wide-eyed with interest as Pierce pressed a high-pitched alarm.

  Kerry’s heart contracted. This was what it should have been like; Pierce, the children and herself; a real family. She stood silently in the doorway watching them, surprised by Pierce’s patience as he obligingly pressed the alarm again, and then again, to squeals of excited laughter. He was smiling and his voice was softer than usual as he talked to the children, directing his remarks mainly to Ben but occasionally including Lauren so she was gradually losing her initial fright. For once silent, George watched approvingly as if he knew his own jocular behavior would be overshadowed by this interesting stranger who didn’t seem at all put out by the smears of chocolate on his otherwise pristine clothes.

  When George looked up and saw her standing in the doorway, he grinned. “Loyalty counts for nothing in the face of modern technology,” he said. “I can’t compete with a…what did you say it was Pierce?”

  “An android smart watch. It works like a mini computer.”

  She tried to smile as she recalled how Pierce had always had to have the latest piece of equipment but when she looked at him the expression on his face ripped her apart. His eyes, which had been soft and blue as he talked to the children, hardened into slivers of grey as he stood up, balancing Ben easily on one arm.

  “We’ll finish our discussion tomorrow.” His curt tone probably sounded businesslike to George but Kerry heard the threat in it and her hands started shaking again as she took Ben from him. He was telling her he knew Ben and Lauren were his and that their next discussion would be long and very painful. He was also telling her she had better have some good answers ready for the questions she could see in his eyes.

  Her response was too bright as she moved towards the door. “Tomorrow will be fine but you’ll have to excuse us right now because there’s a meal waiting for us.”

  George stood up with a smile. “And knowing my wife there’s bound to be a treat involved too which might spoil if we’re late.”

  He held out his hand to Pierce. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you. I wish I knew why you seem so familiar though. It’ll keep me awake tonight trying to figure it out. Are you sure we haven’t met before?”

  “Positive. I just look like someone you know,” Pierce didn’t go into the Pierce Simon, famous tennis player routine that Kerry had seen so often in the past. Instead he picked up her bag and followed them through to the front door. The periwinkle blue eyes he shared with the twins, right down to the thick rim of lashes and straight black brows, were on Kerry as he spoke.

  * * *

  “What a pleasant young man,” George glanced across at Kerry as he turned on the ignition and started the car. “He said you are friends from way back and that you met up again today by chance.”

  She nodded wearily. She supposed she should feel glad Pierce hadn’t elaborated. Instead she just felt numb. She could still see the tail lights of his car as he accelerated away from them, and as she watched them dwindle into the distance she remembered his parting shot with an inward shiver. He’d waited until she had strapped Ben and Lauren into the car seats George had fitted into his car and closed the door. Then he had seized her arm. She’d flinched as his fingers bit into the soft flesh.

  “Be here at eight o’clock tomorrow evening.”

  Nothing else. Not a smile or even a scowl. Just that implacable stare, the one she’d seen him give opponent after opponent as he faced them across the net. The one that meant he intended to win come what may. And now it was her turn to face him. He wanted his questions answered and he wasn’t going to be satisfied until they were, and although she was terrified by the thought of what he might say and do, she knew she had no choice. She owed him an explanation.

  “He certainly has a way with children,” George interrupted her dark thoughts by nodding towards the back seats where the twins were sitting quietly, their thumbs plugged into their mouths as the days activities finally caught up with them. “Unusual in a fellow like that, his interest in children. He looks more the playboy type, all wild hair and jewelry if you know what I mean.”

  “Oh I do. I know exactly what you mean,” Kerry gave a bitter laugh as he pulled up in Mel’s driveway so she could collect the van. “And you’re not wrong George. He is the playboy type except when it suits him to pretend to be something else.”

  “Past romance hmm?” He gave her a knowing look and then patted her hand as she nodded reluctantly. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Mary or she’ll have you married off in no time. She’s always on about the twins needing a father.”

  “Since when do I have the time to go looking?” She managed a lop-sided grin. As he returned her smile George’s air of puzzlement subsided. She was just tired, not upset. As usual he’d been imagining things. He’d put two and two together and made five when he’d first seen her with that young man but there was obviously nothing in it. Dismissing Pierce from his mind he asked her the question he’d been mulling over in his mind for the past hour or so.

  “Would it help if the children stayed with us for the next couple of days while you stand in for Mel? You look all in as it is, so trying to cope with her work as well as your own is downright ridiculous. You need some help. Let Mary and me take Ben and Lauren off your hands for a day or two and give ourselves some pleasure into the bargain.”

  She shook her head doubtfully. “I don’t know. They haven’t ever been away from me overnight before, and besides, you already do far too much for me.”

  “Nonsense! You know how much we enjoy spending time with them. And we’d bring them home straight away if they started to miss you.” He’d been searching through his pockets as he spoke and he finally located the spare set of van keys he always carried. He handed them over to her.

  “Helping out with Ben and Lauren makes us feel useful you know. And they’re such a delight at this age. You make the most of those two for as long as you can my dear. Take it from me, children grow up far too quickly.”

  His words pricked Kerry’s conscience as she climbed into the van and started it up. He was right. She knew Ben and Lauren were fast leaving babyhood behind and she already regretted she wasn’t able to devote more time to them, but her love for her children was at constant war with her need for money. With a heavy sigh she eased out of Mel’s driveway and followed George’s car down the road. There was really no solution to her predicament except to keep on working and to let George and Mary supply additional stability and love as proxy grandparents.

  Fleetingly she recalled Pierce’s parents. She’d only met them once, at Wimbledon, but she had immediately been aware of the strong bond of affection between them and Pierce; a warmth that had included her because she was with him. She felt an uncomfortable twinge of shame as, for the first time, she thought about his plump gray-haired mother and tall, taciturn father, and realized how much they would have loved to spend time with Ben and Lauren.

  Abruptly she blinked back the tears that suddenly welled up into her eyes and forced herself to concentrate on the road. It was ridiculous to pine for what might have been when there had never been any question of building a future with Pierce. He had never hidden the fact that his career came first. Never pretended the future held anything more than constant travel as he pursued his dreams. He’d laughed at those players who had wives and children, telling Kerry it was madness, that the tennis circuit was the wrong place for families. She had agreed with him, the same as she had agreed they were both far too young to settle down. Then she had found out she was pregnant and had to grow up fast.

  Her decision to leave him before he could accuse her of trapping him or being a burden or, worst of all, offering to pay for an abortion, had been made while she was still
coming to terms with her pregnancy. Later she had sometimes wished she’d behaved differently but by then it was too late, and by then she had also learned that regret was a useless and destructive emotion. She needed to remember it now and put what had happened in the past behind her. She had to fight for what her life had become.

  She also knew it would be far better for the twins if they spent a few days with George and Mary while she attempted to explain her actions to Pierce.

  * * *

  The evening was uneventful. Mary and Kerry bathed the children and then George took charge of the bedtime story in Mel’s old bedroom. It took slightly longer than usual to settle them but that was only because they were excited by the novelty of sleeping in a new bed. As far as Kerry could tell, they weren’t worried about her leaving them at all. She smiled as she kissed them goodnight.

  “Be good for Mary and George won’t you?”

  “Me good girl,” Lauren said, and then she turned around and wriggled right down to the bottom of the bed so that Kerry couldn’t see her.

  “An’ me!” Ben followed her until only his feet were visible.

  Kerry laughed as she tickled his toes. “Is that why you’re upside down? Is that where all the good children live?”

  Smothered giggles issued from the tangle of bedclothes as Kerry’s fingers found a sensitive spot on Ben’s foot. Searching among the wriggling lumps and bumps under the covers she started to tickle Lauren too. Finally, with their faces red from their exertions and their hair ruffled, the children resurfaced and flung themselves at her. After several more kisses Kerry settled them onto their pillows and tucked them in. Then she tidied the toys they had scattered around the room and picked up their dirty clothes. By the time she had finished they were asleep.