Part 20 (2/2)

'So when did you last save the universe then?' said Adam.

'Thursday,' said Danny, and off he trotted to watch the rest of Crocodile Dundee.

Chapter 35.

Matthew stood at the window and tried to process the information his eyes were sending to his brain. Stevie with a man. Not just any man. A huge ginger man. And not just any huge, ginger man. Him. She had pulled his head down towards her with his tie. So it wasn't a casual call then. How b.l.o.o.d.y long had that been going on? Matthew asked himself. This was supposed to be their wedding day and she was snogging MacLean! His brain was busy speed-reading the events of the past few weeks for any enlightening information. The irony of his thought processes was lost on him.

So that's how Stevie got hold of Jo's Visa bill...That mysterious connection had been bugging a back part of his brain since it happened. He moved closer to the window. The scene being played out in front of him raised a h.e.l.l of a lot more questions than it answered.

He had been waiting to see something bizarre from MacLean and Stevie. Her ultra-cool reaction to being rejected hadn't been normal, but he didn't expect this! Was this why his leaving had seemed to cause such little interruption to her life then? Had they embarked on their affair first? Stevie and MacLean? NO! HOW? Is that why they were dancing together so clumsily at Pam and Will's weddingdouble-bluffing to throw him off the scent? There were so many question and exclamation marks bombarding him, he thought his brain might go into punctuation overload and pop out of his head like a jack-in-a-box. Then, just as he thought it might be a hallucination, there they were engaged in Part II by canoodling in the windowand not right next to the window, as if they were showing off to a would-be audience either, but back from it, lost in each other. It couldn't be! They weren't a match. She was whatfive foot twoand he was the b.l.o.o.d.y BFG! Well, a BVGa Big Violent Giant! Although they had looked pretty matched up, snogging like that. Too much so for comfort.

Matthew was shocked, puzzled, confused, bewildered. Matthew felt like he had just been punched in the stomach.

'Sorry, it'll just be fish and chips,' said Stevie. 'I haven't been shopping these past few days, I've been a bit...preoccupied.'

'It would be better if you went for the fish and chips,' said Adam. 'It looks then as if I'm already established in the house.'

'Okay,' said Stevie, seeing the sense in that. 'Danny, get your shoes on, pet.'

'Aw, Mummy, can't I stay here with Well Life Man?'

'No, of course not,' said Stevie.

'Pleee-ease!'

'He's okay,' said Adam, not immediately seeing the problem. 'We can talk about hero stuff.'

'Cool!'

'I don't want my son used as a tactic, Mr...Adam,' said Stevie quietly near his ear. Well, three foot beneath it, which was as close as she could get without stilts.

'He won't be. If the wee guy disnae want to go, I'll look after him till ye get back. I don't mind at all.'

'Absolutely no way. No chance. Impossible.'

Stevie shook her head again and in such a way that it switched on a three-million watt light bulb in Adam's head.

'You think I might hurt him, is that it?'

'Well, I don't know you all that well, do I, to leave my child in your capable or incapable hands?'

'Surely you wouldn't think that your child isn't safe with me?' MacLean looked genuinely taken aback, as if she really had hit him where it hurt.

No, she didn't think that at all, really. Ignoring the fact that he looked like a primitive heavyweight boxer-c.u.m-maniac-savage, in her heart of hearts Stevie didn't think Adam MacLean would hurt her child. Even if he could duff up a duplicitous adult b.i.t.c.h in the comfort of their own home.

'Please, Mummy!'

'Here, take this,' said Adam, stretching a ten-pound note out to her.

'Don't be silly,' said Stevie, pus.h.i.+ng it back. 'I owe you one for helping me out earlier anyway.'

Adam ignored her and stuffed it in her handbag whilst she was preoccupied with calming down her son.

'Please, Mummmeee!' whined Danny.

'No, you come with me.'

'Ae out of the house, on her own. That meant she had left Danny and MacLean alone together. She would do that? After all she knew about him? Then again, it hadn't stopped her snogging him, had it? Or worse. My G.o.d, he was a true charmer, that much was true, and Stevie must be very vulnerable at the moment, especially today, the perfect time for such a manipulator to take full advantage of her. Matt felt a huge pull to go over there and check everything was all right. He really would never forgive himself if MacLean hurt Stevie too. Or Danny.

'What are you looking at, babe?' called Jo from the sofa, where she was painting her toenails.

'Er...nothing, darling.'

It crossed his mind to tell Jo her ex had just been snogging his ex, but he couldn't gauge what her reaction would be. Recently her selfless, caring consideration for Stevie's welfare had segued into jealous sulks every time her name came up. So Matthew kept to the safe path, b.u.t.toned his lip and came away from the window. He didn't want to spoil this lovely weekend they were having, although a letter from the bank to inform him that his loan payment had bounced had rather done that already. Could he please rectify the situation immediately? Oh, and he had been charged fifty quid for the letter.

There was a queue at the chip shop as a fresh batch of fish had only just gone in. The shop-owner made a joke about it, and though Stevie smiled politely, she didn't find it in the least bit amusing. Her nerves were as tight as harp-strings.

I shouldn't have left him with MacLean, she thought after foot-tapping in the queue for what felt like an eternity. She was on the verge of exiting empty-handed when the chip man eventually said, 'Right now, love, what can I get you?'

She ran back with the warm parcel in her hands, her head playing the most awful tricks on her. Danny and MacLean alone together! What sort of mother was she? To make it worse, she could hear sounds of distress that grew louder the nearer she got to the cottage. They weren't in her over-active imagination eitherher boy really was screaming.

Stevie sprinted to the door and threw it open to find Danny squealing and MacLean attacking him. She threw down the parcel on the nearby dining table and launched herself at MacLean, climbing fearlessly on his back and trying to get a grip on his cropped hair. Failing, she started clobbering him with her handbag instead.

'Get off my son, you animal!' she screeched.

'Ow!' said Adam, the one word recognizable amongst the guttural exclamations of pain.

'Mummy, what are you doing!' said Danny, watching her in a most unharmed way.

Stevie stopped mid-batter. 'Are you okay, love?'

'Yes, Adam was showing me some Well Life Man Superhero moves.'

Stevie slid down off Adam's back. 'Sorry,' she said meekly, 'I thought...'

'S'okay,' said Adam, rubbing his head and wincing. 'It's just a bit of jujitsu. It means ”the gentle art”. Maybe you should come tae a few cla.s.ses. That's a heavy wee bag ye've got there.'

<script>