The Reunion

said.
    ‘No.’
    ‘Jen.’
    ‘You’re not. You’re not in love with me.’ He was in love with her. She knew it, he was telling the truth. A shadow passed over his face, not just exasperation but real anger. He started to say something to her but then he stopped, shook his head.
    ‘This is bullshit,’ he said, his voice low and gentle. ‘You know it. We both know that was more than just a mistake.’
    ‘I don’t love you. I don’t. I won’t.’ The lie slid off her tongue, bitter, acrid. Dan put his thumb at the base of her throat and looked into her eyes; he leaned forward and put his mouth on hers.
    ‘Yes, Jen. You will.’ He turned and walked away from her, leaving her standing there, in the alcove, leaning against the wall, her eyes closed, heart banging against her ribs.
    ‘Jen?’ Conor had appeared in front of her. The world went silent. She thought her heart might break her ribs, burst through her chest. She stared at him, unmoving, her blood ice water. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came. ‘Are you OK, Jen?’
    She gathered herself, wiped the tears from her eyes, forcing her face into a smile.
    ‘I’m fine, I’m fine. You were right. Gin and tonics at midday without any breakfast. Bad idea. Plus I think I might be getting hay fever. My eyes are bothering me.’ She was babbling a little, she could feel that her face was red.
    Conor gave a little nod, took a step towards her and reached out his hand, his eyes never leaving hers. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘You OK to go back out?’
    ‘Yes, of course.’
    He led her back outside, gripping her hand so hard it hurt.
    In the car park after lunch, Lilah and Andrew were having an argument.
    ‘Jesus Christ, Lilah,’ Andrew was saying, ‘you couldn’t hold out until this afternoon? We agreed… You said…’
    ‘Oh my God, Andrew. I’m fine! Just give me the keys. Give me the bloody keys!’
    ‘No, no. Look at you, you can’t…’
    ‘For fuck’s sake, you are driving me up the bloody wall!’ Lilah walked away from Andrew, stomping towards Dan’s car.
    ‘Conor!’ she called out. ‘Switch cars with me, will you? If I have to sit next to
him
for five more minutes I’m going to bloody strangle him.’
    Conor hesitated. He looked at Jen. For just a moment, Jen thought about volunteering to go in Andrew’s car instead, but she was afraid – she was afraid of leaving Conor and Dan in the car together, she was afraid of what might be said. She shrugged. Conor took a step towards her, he smiled and reached over to touch her face. ‘I’ll go with Andrew,’ he said. ‘Keep the peace.’
    ‘OK.’
    He didn’t go right away; he just stood there, smiling at her, then he slipped his arms around her waist. ‘My beautiful girl,’ he said, giving her a kiss, pressing his face against hers. ‘Do you have any idea how much I love you?’ Her cheeks were wet, but she wasn’t crying. Conor kissed her again, and again, one more time, then he walked away.

Part Three

Chapter Forty-three

    July 2013
    DAN COULD FEEL his eyelids starting to droop. The gentle drone of bees in the lavender was making him soporific. That and the heat. He was working in the barn, the sliding doors wide open to let in the faintest of breezes, the warm air carrying with it the scent of the herbs outside. He’d bought pots of lavender and rosemary to place in the courtyard – the bees loved them, as did the cat, which had appeared from nowhere three weeks ago. It lay, jet black and sleek, beneath the lavender blossom, occasionally stretching out a paw to bat at an insect, or raising its head to sniff the flowers. The cat was wild, wouldn’t let Dan anywhere near it, but it happily ate the leftovers he put out. Dan found its presence soothing, he’d never had a pet. He was thinking about getting a dog, but, he wondered, would that mean the end of the cat?
    He took a swig of lukewarm coffee and considered making some more, but it really was too hot for coffee, it must be well over thirty degrees and not quite ten thirty in the morning. Maybe Lilah was right, maybe he would need to build a pool. There was a perfect spot for one, just in front of the oak trees to the south of the house, a flattish piece of land which got the sun all afternoon. Not this year, he thought, although if not this year, it wouldn’t be much good for Lilah, would it? He shook his head, rolled his shoulders back a couple of times, went back to his script.
    It was going well. It was, he