Fun In The Sun, repgreece [best value ebook reader .txt] 📗

world find all the other nice people and be happy together?"

The doorbell sounded again and Sal suddenly looked panicked, covering her face with her hands and trying frantically to pull herself together enough to greet Adam and Nick. What was wrong with her tonight? She needed to get a grip.

"Here." Sal felt one of her arms being tugged down, and something pushed into her hand. "Sit down and drink some more wine; I'll get the door," Fay said.

Sal moved to the sofa again, pausing to take a quick glance in the long mirror on the lounge wall before she took a seat. She had appeared vaguely normal, apart from perhaps a bit of a sullen expression on her face. She sat, took a sip of her wine and forced a big, if not a little fake, smile. It wasn't going to work. She sighed as the smile fell away, and sipped her wine once more. Then the apartment was filled with the bustling sound of her visitors.

Sal turned to see Nick rushing through the door. She smiled a little weakly at him, slightly bewildered by his apparent urgency.
Upon reaching Sal, he crouched down in front of her so that he was on her level, taking her hands in his. "What is it Sal? Why are you upset?" he asked, his eyes searching her face disconcertingly.
Oh God, she wasn't prepared for either him knowing that she'd been upset, or his close scrutiny of her.

"Oh, I err... it's..." She could feel the tears still threatening the back of her eyes but she fought to stop his concern from letting them form.

To her relief, Nick interrupted and sent her a lifeline.

"Was it what happened in the police station?"

"Yes," she said, exhaling with relief.

"I should have made sure you were okay before I left you. I'm really Sorry Sal. It's just that Jen seemed a bit angry with me...it was all my fault...but now I feel like a real scum bag because you were here alone and upset."

How can Jen give him a hard time about anything considering how she is using him? And why should he feel like a scum bag? He hasn't done anything wrong.

Sal didn't even realize that she was crying until Nick rose his hand, cupped her face and wiped away a tear with his thumb.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. But he wasn't just referring to leaving her that evening, it was what had happened after he'd left her. His heart was sorry for more than she knew.

"It's not your fault," she cried. "You had to go. I knew that...it's okay," she wept, contradicting her own words.

"Oh Sal," he said, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her. "It's not okay. You mustn't be alone and upset. Next time you must phone me right away and I'll come round."

"I can't expect you to do that," she replied, her body shuddering, her breathing unsteady, as she fought again to curb the outburst of emotion. "What about Jen?"

"I don't care about that!" he shouted out, more abruptly than he had meant to. She moved backwards slightly to search his face with surprise. He sighed and softened his tone. "You can phone me at any time, do you hear me? Any time," he repeated.

She gave a watery smile. "Thanks."

Fay had been standing at the doorway, watching their interaction with fascination. She turned, looking for confirmation from Adam that she was seeing, what she thought she was seeing, but Adam wasn't behind her. Where on earth was he anyway? How could he be missing this?
Chapter 42

"Where is Adam?" Sal asked suddenly, as if reading Fay's mind.

Fay turned back to see two pairs of inquisitive eyes staring at her.

"I've no idea," she said, opening the lounge door further and disappearing through it, calling out, "Adam? Have you been kidnapped or something?"

"Just sorting out a few little beverages my little honey bun," he shouted back.

Nick and Sal chuckled, releasing the tension, and Sal wiped away her tears yet again, striding over to the door with the intention of helping Adam out in the kitchen. She met Adam and Fay carrying glasses of wine however, before she got any further.

"Fay and I have wine here," Sal laughed.

"I tried to tell him that," Fay replied.

"Oh," Adam said, holding up the two glasses in his hand and glancing at the ones in Fay's. "Well, we aren't short of wine at least," he grinned.

Sal wondered if perhaps Adam was a little tipsy. She giggled to herself. Adam was funny when he was tipsy.

"What are you giggling at, cheeky?" Adam said to Sal.

"Oh nothing," she replied. "Here, let's put all the wine down on the table and we can do a lucky dip."

They all laughed, observing the table with not so much as a space between the objects on it: wine glasses and bottles, cheesy puffs, chocolate, candies and magazines.

"Well, now that I've sorted out everyone else's problems," Adam said, taking his wine and collapsing in the large blue arm chair in the corner, kicking off his shoes and putting his feet up on the arm of the sofa. "I'd like to let you all know that, firstly, on my way to work today, I found a big stripy cat sitting on the roof of my car, which refused to budge. So, being in a hurry, I nudged it off, after which it scratched me right along my arm. Look," he said, pulling up his sleeve.

"Has anyone got a magnifying glass so we can actually see that tinsy mark on Adam's arm?" Fay joked.

"And secondly," he went on, pulling his sleeve back down, "When I went to the bakery to get my favorite sandwich for lunch, I paid for it, but Penny kept me chatting for so long that I forgot to take my sandwich with me, and I didn't realize until I got back to the office."

Sal and Nick laughed. "Doh. Can't believe you didn't realize," Nick teased.

"And thirdly," he continued, "I stubbed my big toe just now as I came through the door." He wiggled his toe. "Awch!"

They all burst out laughing.

"Enough," Fay said, throwing a cushion at him. "We all feel terribly sorry for you. Do you feel better now that you've had some attention?" she laughed.

He made a pretence of sulking. "I need someone to take tender loving care of my war wounds," he hinted to Fay.

Nick sighed. "Okay, I'll do it," he said, jumping up and reaching for Adam's foot. They all fell about laughing again, apart from Adam who swiftly removed his feet from the sofa.

"No, that's okay Nick; you can stay where you are."

Nick grinned mischievously but sat back down in between Fay and Sal.

Despite missing out on a bit of TLC from Fay, Adam looked quite contented, relaxed in the blue arm chair, sipping his glass of wine.

"Mmm. It's so nice just to kick back for a while," he said, "especially knowing that we can lie in tomorrow; no transfers till late eh," he winked at Fay.

Fay laughed softly. "Don't get too relaxed there though Adam, and you could do with maybe slowing down on that wine," she replied, as ever the practical one in their relationship.

"I tell you what I could do with," he replied, glancing at Sal. "A sandwich. I'm ravenous; never got my sandwich for lunch remember. Is it okay if I raid your fridge Sal?" he asked. "Pleeease," he added. "My best ever little airport supervisor."

"Go on then," she smiled. "Since you asked so nicely."

Adam jumped suddenly out of his chair, and Nick's head swung to watch his progress towards Sal's fridge.

"Oh, and there's some homemade pie left in there too if you want some," Sal called out.

Nick's eyes widened. "Pie. Wait... that pie is mine!" he said, jumping up in a panic and racing after Adam, who had by this time already got the fridge door open and his hand on the Tupperware tub of pie.

Nick grabbed for the tub, but Adam nudged him away with one arm and moved to stand in front of the fridge, guarding it. "Out of the way. This pie is for me, Sal said so."

Sal was observing their banter with delight.

"No way," Nick replied adamantly, "hand it over, or I'll make you."

"Just try it," Adam said, holding the tub against him and backing away from Nick.

"Right, this is war," Nick shouted, "Pie war!" he said, before jumping on Adam and attempting to wrestle the tub out of his grip.

Sal began to cheer at the spectacle of her boss and her friend jumping all over each other like small school boys. Fay however, calmly approached the two, unbeknownst to them, and took the tub right out of Adam's hand in the midst of his distraction with Nick. She proceeded to open the tub, take out the remaining piece of pie and cut into two equal pieces. Eventually the men realized that the object they were battling for had been take off them, and they looked around at Fay in bewilderment.

"Here," she said to them, handing first Nick, and then Adam, a plate of pie, "Half each."

Both frowned as they looked down at their portions.

Adam spoke up first. "Okay Nick, it's either that portion of pie," he said, staring at the plate in Nick's hand, "or your job. Which is more important to you?"

"I'll take the pie," Nick replied without hesitation. This made Adam laugh, and Nick too.

"Come on now boys, go and sit down and eat it nicely," Fay said.

Sal giggled. She had the best friends in the world...and the craziest!

Adam huffed and retreated back to his arm chair to enjoy his pie. Nick sat on the sofa opposite him and eyed Adam's plate in between his own mouthfuls.

"She gave me more than you because she loves me more," Adam whispered to Nick.

"No I didn't; they were exactly equal, fair and share," Fay cut in.

Nick grinned triumphantly. "Fair and share," he mouthed to Adam.

In the following few minutes, Adam and Nick finished their food off, making exaggerated displays of enjoyment, as if suggesting that their particular piece of pie was better tasting than the other's. Finally, their empty plates were placed on the crowded coffee table and Adam sat back in his chair, wine glass in hand, with contentment.

"That was fantastic; you're a fine cook Sal," Adam said.

"Thanks," Sal smiled, pleased with the compliment that she was receiving from Adam.

"The only thing now that would really finish everything off would be a nice cigar," Adam chuckled.

Sal became still for a moment, staring at Adam. "Well, funny you should say that..."

"You haven't," Adam replied with disbelief. "Have you?"

Sal grinned and disappeared out of the lounge, returning minutes later with a small packet of cigars in one hand, and a lighter and ashtray in another. She handed Adam the ashtray and lighter, and opened the cellophane on the packet, before handing a cigar to Adam.

He looked down at the cigar in his hand with astonishment. "Oh what the hell; Sal, will you marry me?" he laughed. Sal and Nick laughed with him.

"But you don't smoke. Why on earth do you have those?" Fay asked.

Sal smiled but hesitated before answering, as if a little unsure whether to explain. "Err...well, I guess I was being a little too organized...or too