Mollie McQueen is NOT Getting Divorced Page 16

  Pausing to remove her shoes, she leaned against a bus stop and tied the straps around the handle of her bag. Not caring that she was barefoot, Mollie made her way to the crossing and headed in the direction of the park. The sun was starting to set in the sky, casting a beautiful glow over the leafy trees up ahead. Small stones stuck to Mollie’s feet, but she kept on walking regardless, only stopping when she arrived at a wooden bench on the far side of the deserted park.

  Mollie dropped her shoes to the floor and looked up at the sky. Shades of orange and red slowly began to take over what earlier was a blanket of blue, and Mollie felt herself start to become emotional once more. She felt as though she was living in a dream. A dream that she desperately wanted to wake up from. She wanted to go back to a time when her parents were perfect, and when she and Max were happy. She wanted to return to the days of cuddles on the sofa, kissing while making the dinner and spraying one another with the hosepipe. She no longer craved flying unicorns and rainbows painted by kittens. All Mollie wanted was to be happy. The kind of happy she had convinced herself was vanilla and mundane was now all that her heart desired.

  A single tear slipped down her cheek, and this time, she didn’t try to fight it. As she sat beneath the trees, Mollie allowed herself to cry until she had no tears left. Her dress was damp and her face was clammy, but she barely noticed. All she cared about was releasing the pain she felt inside her.

  Hearing footsteps approaching, Mollie quickly turned away and hid her face behind her hair.

  ‘Molls?’ A concerned voice asked. ‘Molls? Is that you?’

  Looking up, Mollie cursed beneath her breath when she saw Tim walking towards her.

  ‘Not now, Tim.’ She grumbled. ‘I just want to be on my own.’

  Completely ignoring her, Tim sat down on the opposite end of the bench and placed a plastic bag at his feet.

  ‘Are you meditating?’ He whispered. ‘They normally do yoga and meditation in the park on Labelle Lane. I’ve often thought about joining in, but I get my exercise in other ways, if you know what I’m saying!’

  Not having the energy to tell him to get lost, Mollie resorted to crying once more.

  ‘Molls?’ Tim said in alarm, his eyes widening. ‘What’s wrong?’

  Mollie’s sobs became louder, resulting in her gaining the attention of a lone dog walker on the other side of the bowling green.

  ‘My marriage is over.’ She sobbed, not caring that people were looking. ‘It’s finished.’

  Tim gulped as he stared at Mollie in silence, clearly well out of his depth.

  ‘Erm… I’m sorry to hear that, Molls. Do… do you want to talk about it?’

  Concentrating on picking apart her glossy manicure, Mollie hung her head. The last thing she wanted was to divulge details of her failed marriage to Tim, but her reasons for wanting to leave Max were now so well-rehearsed, they automatically tumbled out of her mouth.

  ‘He leaves wet towels on the bed, he spends too much time playing video games, and he judges me for eating meat.’ Mollie whimpered, feeling pathetic for ever giving these reasons the time of day.

  Tim stared back at her vacantly, as though waiting for her to get to the juicy stuff, but of course, there wasn’t any.

  ‘He sounds dreadful.’ Tim said slowly. ‘What a piece of…’

  ‘Do you really think so?’ Mollie asked, cutting him off mid-sentence. ‘Everyone else seems to think I’m crazy.’

  ‘No.’ Tim chuckled. ‘I was being sarcastic.’

  Mollie stopped crying and wiped her face on the hem of her dress, regretting confiding in the office idiot.

  ‘If those are the worst aspects of your marriage, Molls, you’re the envy of women everywhere.’ Tim said, draping an arm across the back of the bench.

  Mollie scoffed and shook her head. He didn’t get it. Of course he didn’t. He was a member of the male population, which meant he was naturally going to take Max’s side.

  ‘My uncle is a divorce lawyer and he tells me all sorts of horror stories. He’s had four wives to date, so he likes to think he’s quite the expert on the subject.’ Tim continued casually. ‘His advice to me was to get married young, so I can be divorced and happy in my thirties.’

  Mollie peered at Tim out of the corner of her eye and thought back to sitting in Kenny Freeman’s office when he gave her the same advice.

  ‘What’s your uncle’s name?’ She asked, having a feeling she already knew.

  ‘Ken.’ Tim said easily. ‘But we call him Ben. It’s a private joke.’

  Mollie managed a small laugh and rolled her eyes.

  ‘Has he stopped stuffing empty crisp packets down the back of the sofa?’

  ‘Sorry?’

  ‘Nothing.’ Mollie said quickly, keeping her gaze fixed on the trees in the distance. ‘It’s a private joke.’

  ‘I would give anything to have a marriage.’ Tim mused, seemingly to himself. ‘Hell, I’d give anything to even have a decent relationship.’

  Mollie stared straight ahead and resisted the urge to tell him he might need a personality transplant if he had any hope of either of those.

  ‘I’ve never been lucky enough to have someone love me.’ Sighing wistfully, Tim looked down at the ground dejectedly. ‘Between you and me, I’ve never even… you know.’

  Slowly turning to look at him, Mollie raised her eyebrows. The idea of someone as vocal about sex as Tim being a virgin seemed almost impossible.

  ‘You’re a…’

  ‘Yes, I am, Molls. Yes, I am.’

  Mollie folded her arms and nodded in response, wondering what the hell she was doing talking to Tim about his sex life on a Friday night.

  ‘Not for want of trying.’ He added quickly. ‘I guess, I am just too busy…’

  ‘Too busy doing what?’ Mollie scoffed, rolling her eyes. ‘Stapling invoices and fetching James Payne his coffee?’

  ‘It’s not work.’ Tim replied, not flinching at Mollie’s sniping remark. ‘It’s my life outside of the office that consumes most of my time.’

  Mollie rolled her eyes once more and reached for her shoes.

  ‘You know that I live with my mum, don’t you?’

  Nodding in response, Mollie slipped her sore feet back into her heels. Every employee at Payne and Carter knew Tim lived at home, and he was the butt of their jokes because of it.

  ‘What you probably don’t know is why I live at home.’ Tim said, giving Mollie a friendly smile. ‘My mum has a terminal illness. Cancer, to be precise.’

  Upon hearing the word cancer, Mollie froze in her seat.

  ‘I used to have my own place, not too far from you, but then my old man died and my mum received her diagnosis shortly after. At first, I tried to be there for her from afar, but it just didn’t work. She couldn’t cover her expenses. Despite trying my best to help, I was falling short with my own bills. Moving in with her was really my only option, but you know, it’s not all that bad. I sleep well at night knowing I’m doing the most I can. It might mean I have little time for a social life, but hey, you can’t have it all, can you?’

  Too shocked to speak, Mollie stared at Tim in a stunned silence. The guilt she felt for prejudging him was almost worse than the guilt she felt for ruining her relationship.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Tim.’ She replied sadly, placing a hand on his arm. ‘I had no idea.’

  ‘That’s okay.’ Smiling back at her, Tim shrugged his shoulders. ‘It’s not your fault.’

  Mollie nodded and looked down at the ground ashamedly.

  ‘What’s in the bag?’ She asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

  ‘Oh, it’s my mum’s medication.’ Opening the bag to reveal a whole bunch of packets and bottles, Tim redistributed the weight before placing it on the bench between them. ‘I have to collect it from the pharmacy once a fortnight.’

  Mollie’s heart panged once more, and she held her head in her hands. They say everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, bu
t lately, Mollie hadn’t given anyone else a second thought.

  A surge of sadness overwhelmed her as she tried and failed to fight back tears.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Tim.’ She whispered, her voice breaking as she pushed herself up unsteadily. ‘I have to go.’

  ‘No problem.’ Tim said calmly. ‘Will I see you at work on Monday?’

  Mollie managed a tiny nod in response and tucked her handbag under her arm.

  ‘Remember, Mollie…’ Tugging on her sleeve, Tim pointed at the beautiful sunset in the distance. ‘It’s just a bad day, not a bad life.’

  With tears streaming down her cheeks, Mollie smiled in response before walking away, without so much as looking back…

  Chapter 28

  Staring up at the ceiling, Mollie watched the moonlight bounce off her bedroom window and listened for any signs of Max returning home. The house was agonisingly quiet as she clutched her pillow and fought against the increasing heaviness in her stomach. She had no idea how long she had been there. It could have been ten minutes, it could have been five hours, but Mollie was as restless as when she arrived home hours earlier.

  After she left Tim in the park, Mollie walked the three miles home on her own. She convinced herself she wanted to be alone, but what she really meant was, she wanted to be with Max. With every second that passed, she felt her heart break a little more. All Mollie could do was wait, but she didn’t even know what it was she was waiting for. She just had an incessant need to see him climb into the camp bed beside her before she would allow herself to close her eyes.

  When she finally heard a key being slipped into the lock, Mollie felt paralysed with fear. The sound of footsteps on the stairs was quickly followed by the familiar noises of the toilet flushing and water firing into the sink. Not moving a muscle, Mollie remained perfectly still as the bedroom door squeaked open. Without saying a word, Max kicked off his shoes and steadied himself on the wall as he fumbled with his belt.

  ‘Max?’

  ‘For f…’ Letting out a shocked gasp, Max turned around and held a hand over his heart. ‘Why are you sitting in the dark?’

  ‘I was asleep.’ Mollie lied, pushing herself into a sitting position.

  Max looked at Mollie’s dirty feet and crumpled dress before frowning dubiously.

  ‘So, how was it?’ She whispered, forcing a cough to disguise her wavering voice. ‘Did you have a good time?’

  ‘I did.’ Pausing with his hand on his belt, Max looked at Mollie uncertainly. ‘Do you want me to tell you about it, or would that be weird?’

  Managing a slight nod, Mollie lowered her head as Max took a step towards her.

  ‘Well, I have to hand it to you.’ He said guardedly. ‘She was pretty perfect. You picked well.’

  The word perfect hit Mollie like a bullet, but as usual, she refused to let it show. Any evidence of their tender moment before he left had vanished, and in its place was an air of unease. They were both visibly uncomfortable, carefully choosing their words as though they were meeting one another for the very first time.

  ‘I did worry that you might have chosen someone awful.’ Max continued, attempting a smile. ‘On the journey to the restaurant, I formulated a plan to escape in case you had set me up with my worst nightmare.’

  ‘There was a right-wing carnivore who caught my eye.’ Mollie admitted. ‘I did consider it.’

  ‘But you didn’t.’ He replied, laughing gently as he took a seat opposite Mollie on the bed. ‘And it shows that despite all of this, you genuinely care about my happiness.’

  Refusing to look him in the eye, Mollie concentrated on pulling a thread on her dress.

  ‘Ana was so much fun.’ Max continued. ‘My face is literally hurting from laughing so much…’

  As Max told Mollie all about his evening, she frantically fought back tears. Hearing him speak about another woman so passionately cut her deeply, just adding to her overwhelming levels of despair.

  ‘She’s carefree, giggly, fun-loving. She reminded me of you when we first met.’ Max said quietly. ‘It was like being transported back in time. I was sitting opposite this gorgeous woman and all I could think about was our first date.’

  The mere mention of their first date caused Mollie’s heart to pang harder than it had done all evening. Mainly because she had spent the last few hours thinking about it too, but also because it was a painful reminder of just how in love they once were.

  ‘So, where did you go?’ Wanting to get away from the subject of their first date, Mollie tried to steer the conversation back to his evening with Anastasia.

  Despite how much it hurt her to hear him talk about it, Mollie wanted to know absolutely everything.

  ‘We went to a restaurant I’ve never been to before.’ Shaking off his blazer, Max ran a hand through his hair. ‘It was one of those fancy places with six sets of cutlery. You would have loved it. I loved it, surprisingly.’

  ‘Did she love it?’ Mollie asked, refusing to say Anastasia’s name out loud.

  ‘Oh, Ana thought it was incredible.’ Max replied. ‘She had a great time. If that was a real first date, it couldn’t have gone any better. Ten out of ten for effort, Mollie. You did me proud.’

  ‘Was it better than our first date?’ Mollie asked timidly, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

  ‘Of course not.’ Reaching out, he placed a hand on Mollie’s knee and sighed. ‘How could it possibly be better?’

  Realising she was on the brink of tears once more, Mollie carefully brushed his hand away. The atmosphere quickly became thick with tension as Mollie wrapped her arms around her body protectively.

  ‘How did we end up here, Mollie?’ Max asked, letting out a groan that made Mollie’s bones ache. ‘I feel like I just blinked and we went from picnics in the park to marriage counselling. We’re dating other people and I don’t even know what the hell happened. Where did it all go wrong?’

  Knowing that if she dared to speak she would start sobbing hysterically, Mollie responded with a simple shrug of the shoulders. She wanted to turn back the clock and erase the past couple of weeks from her memory. She wanted to step back in time to the moment when she first felt their spark was fading and make the effort to keep it shining brightly. She wanted to wave a magic wand over this conversation and hear Max say he hated his evening with Anastasia and that she wasn’t a patch on her. She wanted…

  ‘Do you want a drink?’ Max asked, stopping her train of thought.

  ‘Yes.’ Mollie answered quickly. ‘A drink is exactly what I need right now.’

  Holding out his hand, Max helped Mollie off the bed and led the way into the kitchen. The tiles were cold beneath her bare feet as she traced his steps and waited patiently by the sink. Without bothering to turn on the light, Max opened the fridge and studied the contents before grabbing a carton of milk from the shelf.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ He asked, noticing Mollie’s face fall.

  ‘I thought you meant a proper drink.’ She admitted, frowning at the carton of milk in his hand.

  ‘Oh…’ Turning back to the fridge, Max tapped his fingers on the counter. ‘I’m afraid we’re all out of Sauvignon.’

  ‘It’s fine.’ Mollie replied quickly, not wanting to make a fuss.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Leaving the fridge door open, Max joined Mollie at the sink. ‘I’ve already had a lot to drink tonight. Ana forced me to sample the entire liqueur menu.’

  Hearing Max refer to Anastasia as Ana once again caused Mollie to silently whimper as she slid down to the floor.

  ‘Didn’t you have a drink on your date?’ Max asked, copying Mollie and sitting on the tiles.

  Shaking her head in response, Mollie pulled her dress over her knees.

  ‘You didn’t go to a restaurant?’ Max pressed, swigging straight from the milk carton.

  Immediately scowling, Mollie shook her head again.

  ‘Do you have to drink from the carton?’ She grumbled. ‘It wouldn’t kill you to get a damn glass.�
�

  Choosing to ignore her, Max raised the carton to his lips once more and deliberately left himself with a milk moustache.

  ‘You’re not funny, Max.’ Mollie retorted, turning to look away.

  ‘You used to find this funny. In fact, you used to drink from the carton yourself, if I remember correctly.’ Opening the cupboard behind him, Max reached past the cereal boxes and retrieved a bottle of brandy. ‘Still want that drink?’

  Sliding the bottle across the tiles, Max sat back and watched as Mollie pulled the brandy towards her.

  ‘I need a glass.’

  ‘No, you don’t.’ Max replied, keeping his eyes fixed on hers. ‘Live a little.’

  Pausing with her hand on the cap, Mollie stared into Max’s eyes as her head ached with pent-up emotion. Carefully opening the bottle, she allowed the cap to roll towards him before taking a huge gulp.

  ‘That’s my girl.’ Max said happily. ‘So, are you going to tell me about your date? You haven’t said a word about it.’

  Raising the brandy to her mouth for a second time, Mollie allowed the liquid fire to crash into her stomach before speaking.

  ‘There’s nothing to tell.’

  ‘There’s everything to tell.’ Max persisted. ‘What was Jonathon like? Where did you go? What did you do? Did you enjoy his company? Did I make a good choice for you?’

  ‘Honestly, Max. There’s really nothing to tell.’ She protested meekly. ‘Just drop it, please.’

  ‘Oh, come on. Tell me! What did you think of Jonathon Bennett?’

  Staring at the brandy bottle, Mollie exhaled loudly.

  ‘I can’t tell you what I thought of Jonathon Bennett because I didn’t go.’ She admitted, drinking from the bottle once more and wincing when it burned the back of her throat.

  ‘You didn’t go?’ Max asked in confusion. ‘Why?’

  Feeling tears prick at the corner of her eyes, Mollie quickly wiped them away.