Don't Go Breaking My Heart: Break Up to Make Up / Always the Best Man

‘Tempting—but no.’

Adele punched him on the right arm.

‘I’ve been climbing in this area a few times, remember? I think we’re not far from Kendal. If I’m right, there should be a junction in a mile or so. We can take the road into the town then get on the A6. After about ten miles, it runs almost parallel to the motorway. We could leapfrog over the jam and join the motorway again at the next junction.’

‘That sounds frighteningly like a good plan.’

He did a little bow—well, as much as his seat belt would allow him.

Adele flicked the sat nav with her finger. ‘See? It’s saying nothing. Your little gizmo couldn’t come up with an idea like that.’

‘Nope. She’s a lot like you.’

‘Don’t call it she. And do not start comparing me with that thing. I hate it.’

He laughed. ‘Well, I see a certain similarity. She’s programmed to get to Invergarrig by the quickest route and she’s going to stick doggedly to the plan, no matter what. She won’t be of any use to us if we wing it.’

‘Are you saying I’m a machine? That I can’t…’ she paused, as if it was difficult for her to even say the words ‘…wing it?’

‘Calm down. I’m just saying I don’t need two bossy women in my life at the moment.’

As Adele breathed in, the atmosphere in the car thickened.

‘Well, I’ve told you I’m seeing my solicitor as soon as we get back. I can’t clear off any quicker than that! If you didn’t want me around, you shouldn’t have asked me to come with you.’

He leaned forward and pressed a button on the side of the satellite-navigation unit. His voice was gentle when he spoke. ‘No, you daft woman. I didn’t mean you; I meant her. She’s got a fixed idea of where she’s going and how she’s going to get there and she’s just going to make a fuss if we deviate. It’s time to turn it off and follow our instincts.’

‘Oh.’

Nick risked a look at her when she was concentrating on the road ahead. Her shoulders had dropped an inch and the faint remnant of a self-satisfied smirk lingered round her lips.

‘You, I can deal with,’ he said, reaching across and rubbing her forearm as it rested on the gear stick. ‘Her—going bing, bing, bing and please do a U-turn— not so much.’

They smiled at each other and it was as if all the tension had melted away. For once they were united against a common enemy, even if it was an electrical harridan.

Perhaps there was hope. Perhaps it could be him and Adele against the world again, instead of the pair of them clawing away at each other. And, for a moment, Adele seemed to echo his thoughts.

She smiled a sweet smile at him and his stomach did a triple flip. Then she opened her mouth and the flimsy hopes he’d balanced one upon another tumbled.

‘See, Nick? As friends we work. Now we’ve made a decision about our future we don’t have to push and pull any more. If we can keep this up for the rest of the weekend we’ll be home and dry. It’ll be better for your family too. Once they know the truth, they’ll see we can maintain a civil relationship and the news of our separation will be easier for them.’

The voice in his head had a hard edge of sarcasm. How thoughtful of you.

There she went again. Making sure everyone else was OK—especially Adele. God forbid anyone should ever think she was less than perfect. All this treacly stuff about being better for his family was tosh. Adele just didn’t want to be the bad guy in this scenario and she was pleased as punch she could walk out on their marriage without a pang of guilt.

And all the time she was bolstering her own defences, she was twisting the knife one more time into his unguarded flesh.

She just carried on chattering as if she’d had the greatest revelation ever.

‘We were good friends once, before we started going out, weren’t we?’

He nodded.

‘Well, we can have that again, can’t we?’

Why did she have to end every sentence in a question that required a yes or no answer from him? He didn’t want to be pushed into agreeing with her. Couldn’t she just leave him be?

He answered because he had to. ‘It worked once.’

‘Exactly. Just friends.’

He sneered. Just as well she was changing gear so they could edge forward once again and she didn’t see it. ‘Friends it is.’

Only he’d never wanted to be just friends with Adele. That had been her idea. From the moment they’d been introduced at a dinner party held by a mutual friend he’d known she was different. Special. He’d been captivated by her quick mind, her drive, the prim exterior with just a hint of something else simmering underneath.

He’d agreed to exactly the same thing the first time she’d turned him down.

Friends it is.

He’d been lying then and he was lying now.

It had taken time to crack her tough outer shell and get her to agree to a proper date. When he’d kissed her at the end of the evening all his fantasies about her had been proved right. Adele was a passionate and deeply sexy woman. She just liked to hide it well.

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