She almost felt sorry for him. He’d no doubt spend the parent's dinner dance fighting off enthusiastic fans while his trophy wife gritted her teeth and bore it.
“Shall we?” Thea said, her hand hovering over the door handle, grateful it displayed the word ‘Push’on a silver plaque.
“Let’s,” he replied, a flash of something in his green eyes. “But I think it best we use a dooreachthis time, don’t you?”
There wasn’t a hint of mirth on his face, and as heat rushed to her cheeks, Thea nodded and made room for him. As if in a silent countdown together, theypushed open the double doors in unison, practically falling into the hall.
At least fifteen heads wheeled around to face them, and Thea plastered a civil grin on her face.
“Looks like somebody oiled the hinges. Three cheers for the janitor,” she said, glancing at the man for support. His eyes remained fixed straight ahead, and then they tightened a little.
Unsure of what he was looking at, Thea turned back to the room, the hairs on the back of her neck raising. Someone had set out a large circle of chairs, but only two remained empty.
Empty, kid-sized and positioned side by side. Far too close for Thea’s comfort.
2
FELIX
Felix stared hard ahead at the two tiny chairs sitting side by side. Their nearness would leave him, and the car park woman practically joined at the hip. One corner of his lips raised a little, though. She had great hips. Not to mention an amazing bottom. Pert and with a gentle wobble in the filthy, tight jeans she wore. It had been hard not to notice as he’d chased her up the corridor.
Felix side-eyed the woman. Her lips were pursed tightly together. Clearly, the lack of seating options hadn't impressed her either. “You first,” he grunted, conscious the entire room stared at them. Felix was used to public appearances. But not when he was coated in mud, trailing behind a woman who looked like someone had dragged her through a hedge backwards.
“Felix! Thea!” a large-breasted woman called from the other side of the hall. Her sing-song voice, high-beam smile and dark curls cut a contrast to the other bland faces in the room.
Felix’s stomach sank. Persephone Murray. Clavenham Public School’s answer to Samantha Jones fromSex and the City.Recently divorced, she’d been angling for a date withhim ever since he arrived in town. As a result, he attended his son’s weekly football matches in a state of permanent terror. Horrified he’d get stuck chatting to her over hot chocolate, pitch-side. Lucas called her Cruella De-Ville thanks to her red talon-like nails and the large faux-fur jacket she often wore. His son was all kinds of crazy, but he could be hilarious.
“Come sit with me, Felix,” she gushed. “Deirdre won’t mind moving, will you?” She gave the mousey-looking woman next to her a sharp nudge with her elbow. “I’m sorry about the chairs. The kids’ ones were all we had left.”
The hairs on the back of Felix’s neck bristled, and he tightened his eyes. Persephone was organising the dinner dance. Had she planned the seating this way? Planned it so the only reasonable option would be sitting next to her? No, that was too dark, even for Persephone. And she wouldn’t have known he’d arrive late. Besides, accepting her offer would mean condemning Deirdre to spend the next half hour sitting in a chair designed for munchkins.
Before Deirdre could react, Felix held up two hands. “No need, Persephone. There’s plenty of room for…” he looked towards the blonde woman who’d splashed him, searching her face. Surely, she’d read the fear in his eyes and would allow him to use her as a human shield. She owed him that much after the mess she’d made of his car, and he was more than happy to throw her under the bus to take the pressure off himself.
“Thea,” she stated, her arms crossed over her body.
“Yes. Thea. Thea and I are perfectly happy to sit together.”
Felix gestured towards the two miniature chairs. With her jaw set, Thea strode across the hall, sitting down with a resounding ‘whomp’. She was so tall it was like watching somebody base jump into the seat. With his footfalls echoing around the silent gym, Felix followed and sat down next to her. The sides of the chair gripped his hips like a vice. He shifted, andthe flimsy plastic back of the seat bent a little under his weight. If he wasn't careful, he'd end up on the floor.
Persephone gazed at him, mouth hanging open, as if she couldn’t believe his choice. “Please, continue, Persephone.” Felix sent her a tight smile and a silent prayer to St. Gemma Galgani, patron saint of back pain, to remind him to book an appointment with his chiropractor later.
Thea crossed her legs away from Felix, and he did the same, his knee almost hitting his chin in the process. With a sigh, he checked his watch. He had little time to spare today, and this meeting was an unwelcome obligation. But his lawyers had advised him to engage in community activities, particularly where his son was involved. After his messy divorce, he strived to leave Adrienne, his ex-wife, no ammunition against their custody arrangements.
He chewed on his bottom lip. The jitter in his gut wasn’t just about Adrienne, though. He was attending this meeting for his son. To make him feel like part of the school. Lucas was finding it hard to fit in after their move to Clavenham. At football matches, he was always on the bench. He never talked about friends and spent far too much time in his room reading comics. The third nanny in a row had just quit, and he’d had to re-home their long-suffering dog after one too many pranks at Lucas’s hands. The last one resulted in a deep cleaning of their rental house’s carpets after he dipped Max’s paws in green food colouring.
Felix looked stealthily at the woman next to him as Persephone droned on about ticket sales. She, too, looked as if she’d rather be anywhere else, with short, dirt-tipped nails drumming against her long legs. Had she just come straight from an archaeological dig? He wasn’t sure there were many historical sites in the area, but he couldn’t find any other explanation for her muddy jeans and grimy hands.
She’d pulled her blonde hair into a scrunchie on the top ofher head, and it looked as if she hadn’t brushed it in days. Felix’s wayward thoughts and eyes drifted back to her lean legs, though, causing a stirring in his trousers.
No. No getting side tracked. She’d ruined his day. He just needed to get through this meeting, then ask his assistant to organise emergency dry cleaning and forget the whole incident. Lucas could wash the car later for some pocket money.
“If we’re all ready?” Persephone cleared her throat and looked at Felix. She tucked her hair behind her ears and put on her reading glasses. “To our latecomers, I hope you don’t think us rude, but we started without you. Allocated a lot of the roles.”
Felix nodded his head. Fantastic. If they’d covered a lot of the planning, he could get away sooner. But wait. If they’d handed out most of the roles, he’d get a job no one else wanted. Knowing his luck, he’d be stuck sitting on the door, checking tickets. That would mean an evening of making small talk with people he had nothing in common with. Or those who just wanted to gawk at him.
“But don’t worry,” Persephone said, leaning forward, giving him, and the rest of the room, a flash of her deep cleavage.
Now hewasworried. The glint in her eye put the fear of God into him at the best of times.
