She put on her best customer service smile before stepping out to greet them. Caught by surprise, both she, and her smile, froze. The last person Annabel expected to see standing there was Dan; and despite plotting his physical downfall all week, she found herself lost for words, let alone ready foraction.
He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept properly in days. But Annabel felt in no mood to sympathise, a lack of sleep was something she also knew all too well and recently, it was thankstohim.
‘You’ve got some nerve,’ shefinallysaid.
‘I wanted to explain,’ he replied. ‘And toapologise.’
Annabel scoffed. Folding her arms, she automatically pushed her hip out to one side. ‘For what?’ she asked. ‘For agreeing to something you shouldn’t have agreed to in the first place? Or for humiliating me afterthefact?’
‘That was never my intention,’saidDan.
His words sounded feeble. However, his expression told a different story. He actually had the decency to look like hemeantit.
‘I mean you could’ve told me you’d changed your mind,’ said Annabel. ‘I would have understood. But to just not turn up like that, how could you be socruel?’
‘You’re right, I should’ve called you. I’m sorry.’ He turned toleave.
Annabel couldn’t believe it. How dare he turn his back on her, she deserved more than that. The man might not be begging her forgiveness, but an explanation wouldn’t have gone amiss. And besides, just because he’d decided to be a man of few words, thanks to the way he’d treated her, she still had plentytosay.
‘What?That’sit?’
He stopped in his tracks. ‘Like I said, I wanted toapologise.’
After seeing the man appear so defeated, Annabel suddenly found herself torn. Yes, a part of her wanted to stuff him, to let him walk out the door never to be seen again. Under the circumstances that would be the sensible thing to do. However, unlike the Dan she’d talked to on previous occasions, this Dan had no spark. He had no oomph. There was clearly something more going on here. Standing there looking at him, she just had to decide if she really wanted toknowwhat.
Annabel felt herself relax and decided against her better judgement. ‘Look, why don’t we start again? Over acuppa?’
Her question clearly needed someconsideration.
‘I was making one anyway,’shesaid.
He still didn’t answer, but neither did he attempt toleave.
Annabel tried to hide her frustration, reminding herself that opening up didn’t come easy for some. ‘Here,’ she said, dragging a stool from behind the counter so he could sit down, she refused to take no for ananswer.
Despite his continued hesitation, she left him hovering while she went out back to re-boil the kettle and was surprised to find he hadn’t moved an inch when she returned with two steaming mugs. ‘You can sit down, you know,’ she said, pointing to the pre-allocatedseat.
Annabel watched him do as he was told; she wondered if inviting Dan to stay had been the right thing to do after all. Rather than engaging with her, he seemed to be on automatic pilot. Another feeling she knew alltoowell.
‘Talking about it might help,’shesaid.
He responded with a smile, but it lookedempty.
‘Doesn’t change anything, though, does it?’ hereplied.
Annabel handed him his drink and while wrapping both her hands around her own cup, she let the room descend into silence. If Dan was anything like her, he would speak when he wasready.
‘So what happened?’ he suddenly asked. ‘To your husband,Imean?’
‘But howdidyou…?’
As he nodded to the gold band that hung on a chain around her neck, Annabel immediately put a hand up to her chest, surprised to find her wedding ring on show. Quickly tucking it away, she made sure it stayed put where it belonged – resting against her heart. Unable to understand what Tom had to do with anything, Dan’s question threw her a little; she wasn’t used to talking about him with people he’d never known. ‘He died,’ she said, wondering where all this wasgoing.
‘Jeez.’
Annabel supposed there wasn’t much else he could say. ‘Tell me about it,’ shereplied.
‘How?’askedDan.
