He hesitates for a fraction of a second. ‘Him?’
‘Yes, he’s a friend from school.’
‘I look forward to meeting him.’
‘If I’m not needed to fetch the cream, I’d better get going,’ I say. ‘Mum’s already in quite a state.’
One corner of his mouth tilts upwards. ‘I expect mine could give her a run for her money. We’re swarming with hairdressers, makeup artists, the works. It’s like being in a spa. No wonder Dad’s gone out.’
‘Mine’s gone out too,’ I say. ‘Do you think they’re together?’
‘I know they are. They were heading to the Red Lion for a pre-wedding get together.’
I giggle in spite of myself. ‘Like a stag night?’
‘No, they had one of those last week. Mum and Liz didn’t want them to, but Dad said that if he had to go through all the palaver of getting married again, he was jolly well going to have the fun parts too.’
‘I bet that went down well,’ I say.
‘He nearly had to sleep on the sofa that night. I don’t think the evening was too bad. They just went out for dinner and a few drinks. It’s a good thing really. Dad told me that his first stag night was in London, and it all got a bit out of hand. He woke up the next morning in Birmingham, handcuffed to a lamppost. It’s probably one of those experiences that’s enjoyable the first time, but you don’t want to repeat it.’
‘I thought your motto was try anything once,’ I say without thinking.
He looks pleased. ‘You remember. And yours is to do everything properly.’
‘Not anymore. People change. I’ve changed.’
He studies me carefully. You don’t seem any different to me.’
‘Well, that was all a long time ago,’ I say.
He looks even more amused. ‘You don’t show your extreme age.’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘I used to,’ he says gently. ‘At least, I thought so.’
The blood rushes to my face as I stare at him, unable to speak. If I didn’t know how he was capable of behaving, I would almost have thought he was sincere. My heart twists. If only things had worked out the way I’d hoped. I thought I’d found the perfect man. Not really the perfect one, of course. Everyone has faults. But the perfect man for me – the person whose strengths compliment my weaknesses and vice versa.
But that wasn’t the real Alex, I remind myself. The real Alex would never have behaved as this one did. If he’d cared for me as he pretended to, he could never have hurt me like that.
‘I guess you thought wrong,’ I say in a choked voice. ‘I have to get going.’
I don’t wait for him to speak but leave the shop and jump into my car. I pull away without looking over my shoulder.
I feel a bit calmer by the time I reach home. It was a shock to see him there. But I survived it, and now I can face the vow renewal with more confidence. I know that the Alex I’ve kept in my mind, against my better judgement, isn’t the real Alex. So, the sooner I put that part of my life behind me, the better.
I find Mum in her bedroom, backcombing her hair.
‘Did you get the cream?’ she asks.
‘There was no need,’ I say in as casual a tone as I can manage. ‘There must have been some mix up in communication between you and Elaine. When I got to the shop, Alex was already there.’
Mum swings around in her chair, one side of her hair sticking out at an absurd angle. ‘Alex Fielding?’
‘Do you know any others?’
She frowns. ‘As a matter of fact, there’s an Alex at the gardening club.’