He looked embarrassed as he took his wallet and keys from the bench.
Christa looked at Marc and she saw his eyes searching her face.
‘If you need me to pick you up, call me,’ she told Petey, and she felt Marc’s knee press against hers.
Petey chuckled as he closed the door and Marc kissed her again, this time more insistent. Christa thought she had forgotten what desire felt like, but now she couldn’t stop grabbing his clothes, his hair, his face, his arms, his back.
Finally she pulled away. ‘We cannot do this here,’ she said.
‘Come back to Pudding Hall,’ he said, his voice husky, his eyes sparkling.
She shook her head. ‘I can’t go back while he is there,’ she said and she stood up and went to the sink and poured a glass of water.
Turning to Marc she looked at him where he was sitting at the table of Petey’s humble home.
He seemed entirely out of place in his fancy puffa jacket and expensive haircut.
‘Simon might seem silly and ineffectual to you but to me he was abusive. He made me doubt myself over and over instead of building me up. He was truly a horrible husband and even though I don’t like Avian, I worry he is a part of her life, because then he will be a part of the boys’ life.’
Marc nodded. ‘I have thought about that with the boys. But I can’t tell Avian who to date – just as she can’t tell me.’
They were silent for a moment.
‘I will sort it out,’ he said and he stood up. ‘I promise.’
‘Sort it out for the boys not for me,’ she said and Marc leaned in and left a lingering kiss on her lips.
‘What if I did both? Would you come back then?’
Christa laughed in spite of herself. ‘If you can do that then you’d be performing a Christmas miracle.’
‘Then get ready to be awed,’ said Marc and he left Christa in the kitchen, surrounded by boxes of fudge and the taste of him on her lips.
33
Marc sat through a dinner of takeaway pizza, watching Avian and Simon bicker and complain while they ate a kale salad and sunflower seeds. Simon kept eyeing the pizza and Avian kept hitting him on the arm.
‘Looking at it won’t make it come to you,’ she said and he laughed.
‘It did with you,’ he said and Simon wanted to punch him again but he felt Adam’s hand on his shoulder as he poured him a glass of wine.
Adam had managed to convince Simon to not press charges, saying it would be bad for his image with the show coming out soon, considering Avian was the producer. Avian and Simon had reluctantly agreed and Marc had given them each five thousand pounds as a sweetener.
‘I saw Christa today,’ Marc announced, watching Simon’s reaction.
Simon didn’t seem interested at all and Avian rolled her eyes.
‘God, she was a drag wasn’t she? She had such a huge crush on you, Marc. She was like a sad teenage cow, her gaze always following you around, wide eyed and moon- faced.’
Simon seemed to bristle a little at the news he wasn’t the centre of Christa’s longing.
‘She was doing that to me also,’ he said.
‘No she wasn’t,’ said Avian, adjusting her hair. ‘It was only at Marc.’
‘I saw her look at me a few times also,’ said Simon and Paul coughed into his wine.
‘Anyway, she was really sad about the soufflé. Said she couldn’t understand how hers could be so flat since she had done everything right. She said the room temperature was perfect for the eggs, which helps them to get a good peak. Said yours were in the refrigerator.’
