Chapter 65
It was November 24 and early enough that the promenade was still sparkling with frost when Annie took her walk that morning. The air smelled crisp, and the sea looked sluggish with cold. She felt buoyant as she walked. Today she and Gemma were going to decorate the café for Christmas, and Annie couldn’t wait to get started.
Max was waiting on the porch when she got back. The spring in her step suffered a puncture.
“You didn’t answer my calls,” Annie said, walking straight past him to the front of the café.
“My phone wasn’t working.”
“Bullshit.”
“I’ve unlocked the accounts.”
Annie felt a sudden rush of relief. The hundred and fifty pounds it had cost her to have her solicitor send Max a letter was worth every penny.
“About bloody time,” she said. He would be expecting a thank-you, but she wasn’t going to give him one.
Her relief was leapfrogged by worry that Max might have emptied the accounts.
“I take it you haven’t removed all the funds?” she asked.
“Of course I haven’t! What do you take me for?”
“Do you actually want an answer to that question?”
Max was following her like an obedient Labrador, stopping beside her as she opened each of the shutters on the windows.
“We need to talk about Christmas.”
“What about Christmas?”
The door to the café was sticky, and she had to wiggle the key and push hard against the wood at the same time to get it open.
“I want us to have one last family Christmas together,” said Max. “You, me, and the boys.”
“Max, I can’t even think about what I’ll be doing for Christmas right now.” The door gave and Annie stumbled inside, Max on her heels.
“Well, you should, it’ll be here before you know it. Oh, this is nice!” he said, distracted by the café. “I’ve not been inside before. It’s a bit kitsch for my tastes, but . . .”
“I really don’t care for your tastes anymore, Max,” said Annie absently, as she began pulling the chairs down from the tables.
“Give me one last Christmas, Annie. Please! You’ve lost your faith in me, and I completely understand why. But I haven’t given up on you. There’s not another woman like you.”
“What about Ellie?”
“I told you, that’s over. She’s history; you’re my future.”
“For fuck’s sake, Max, where do you get these lines? Have you got shares in a fortune cookie factory?”
“I can’t stop thinking about that Sunday, you and me . . .”
“Try.”
“We were so hot. It was like we were kids again; remember when we couldn’t keep our hands off each other?”
“If you recall, Max, that Sunday ended with me asking for a divorce and half of all our assets.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“Well?”
“Just say you’ll think about Christmas,” said Max.
“I’ll think about Christmas if you agree to get a solicitor.”
Max smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Annie repressed a shudder.
“Have a good day,” he said.
He headed out for his car, leaving Annie feeling like she needed another shower. Still, at least she could get to her money now. Getting him to agree to her financial terms was going to be a whole other battle. And she was still waiting for John’s verdict on her offer.
Gemma’s car passed Max’s as she pulled into the space he had just left.
“Was that Max?” she asked, climbing out.
“Yes, it was.”
“He’s not like I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“Oh, you know, cloven hoofs and horns,” said Gemma.
Annie laughed. “The devil has many disguises! He wants us to spend Christmas together.”
Gemma pulled a face. “How do you feel about that?”
“Bah humbug!” said Annie.
Chapter 66
The positivity pebbles were an instant success with everyone, from small children to octogenarians. John arrived at the café to find three rows of painted pebbles drying in neat lines along the shelves. Two boys and a girl in blue blazers and ties had just that moment settled down with more of the stones and paint, and two hot chocolates with cream and marshmallows between them.
Annie’s heart leaped when she caught sight of John, and she had to restrain the urge to jump up and down and clap her hands together with glee. There was something about the way in which John filled a room that made her feel far younger than her forty-four years; it was like he gave off a kind of electricity and she wanted to plug herself into it. Today’s excitement was doubly palpitation-inducing because they were to discuss her offer.