United States of Love

‘You okay, Mark?’ asked Anna, feeling uneasy by his mood change.

‘Of course I am. Why the hell wouldn’t I be?’ he snapped back.

‘Sorry, you just seem a bit on edge…’

‘Just drop it, Anna.’ He got up and strode off towards the toilets.

‘What’s got into him?’ asked Luke, exchanging a look with his mother. ‘He was all right until he took that call.’

Anna shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea. Best not say anything again.’

Mark came back a few minutes later and sat down, smiling at them. ‘That’s better. All okay? Good. Another drink?’

At home after returning from the pub, Anna felt even more troubled about Mark and his sour mood swing. Yes, he used to fly off the handle from time to time throughout their marriage, but she had never known it to be so sudden, or such a dramatic swing.

Late on Monday morning, Anna was sitting in a coffee shop in Chichester, phone in one hand and Jamie's business card in the other. She hadn’t heard from Tex yet and she couldn’t help feeling disappointed.

She flicked the business card over and over again in her fingers. Jamie had sounded like he’d meant it when he had said she should give him a call about work. She didn't actually have much choice. Not after her meeting with Howard earlier. She should have just kept her mouth shut. She should have just let Howard give her a roasting over her behaviour towards Andy. She should have just nodded and apologised. What she shouldn't have done was to tell Howard just what a creep Andy was and that Howard should be backing up his staff. She also shouldn't have said words to the effect of ‘over her dead body’ about taking Andy out to lunch. And she most definitely shouldn't have told Howard that if his attitude was her word against Andy's then he could stick his sodding job.

Ten minutes later and with a feeling of trepidation, Anna left the coffee shop. It had been a successful call. Jamie had sounded genuinely pleased to hear from her. They had agreed that she should travel up to his home in Surrey tomorrow.

‘Most of my work is done over the phone,’ he had explained. ‘Any meetings are usually at the client's house or hotel. I tend to go to my clients rather than them come to me, it's part of making the service professional and elite. I use my office at home to co-ordinate my staff. Yvonne helps out with the paperwork.’

It occurred to Anna that she should have done a bit of research about Jamie's company before she had phoned. She would have a look at his website when she got home, then at least she would be better prepared when she met him tomorrow. She also had a document waiting to be translated by Friday, so she’d have to make a start on that this afternoon, because Wednesday and Thursday she was working in the tea rooms. She could see a few late nights of translating coming up. Still, she shouldn’t complain, especially not now she’d just lost one of her jobs.

When she and Mark had separated, they had sold their bigger Southampton home and Mark had bought this one for her and Luke. She hadn't wanted to stay in Southampton, she'd only gone there with Mark because as a professional footballer, he needed to be near his club. Once his career had been deemed over, due to an accident, they no longer had any ties with the city. Anna had chosen to return to Chichester, where she had grown up, needing to feel she belonged somewhere, getting comfort from familiar places and people.

It was only a two-minute walk from the centre of Chichester to her little, two-up two-down, mews cottage. No matter whatever the weather – be it a bright April morning like today or a cold, dark winter's afternoon – the sight of her blue wooden door at 2 Coach House Cottages always made her feel happy.

She approached her front door, and as usual her neighbour Mrs Meekham twitched her net curtain. Anna waved and smiled, thinking if you looked up the expression Neighbourhood Watch in the dictionary, it would simply say ‘Mrs Meekham’. She put the key in the lock and turned it gently before creeping in. The front door opened straight into the living room and she didn't want to disturb Mark.

Much to her surprise, he was actually up, showered and dressed, judging by the two wet towels tossed idly on the back of the sofa, and was now in the kitchen, talking on his mobile.

‘Yes that would be great. I'll give you a call when it's convenient to come round. I just need to make sure…’ He stopped in mid-flow as he turned and saw Anna. ‘Err, look, can I give you a call back? … No everything's fine … not at the moment… Yep … Yep … that's right… Okay, cheers then. Bye.’ He slid his phone shut and thrust it into his pocket.

‘You didn't need to hang up on my account,’ said Anna as she picked up the towels.

‘I didn't.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes. Really.’ The slight irritation in his voice didn't go unnoticed. ‘Just business. Nothing for you to worry about.’

Famous last words, thought Anna suspiciously. He was definitely being shifty. Perhaps he was planning to dash off back to America, something that she would be most happy about, but on the flip side, Luke would be crushed.

‘How long are you here for?’ she asked.

‘Not sure, a couple of weeks,’ responded Mark vaguely. ‘Thought I'd go and see my parents at the weekend.’

‘That'll be nice. You could take Luke with you.’

Mark looked slightly startled at the suggestion. It was obvious the thought hadn't actually crossed his mind.

‘Yeah, I was just about to suggest that myself,’ he said rather too brightly.

‘Good, that's that sorted,’ smiled Anna. Then changing the subject before Mark could think of an excuse to wriggle out of it, she said, ‘I have an appointment in Surrey tomorrow, so you and Luke will have to look after yourselves. I just need to sort out a few things about work.’

‘Okay, no problem.’

Towels put away, Anna sat down at the kitchen table and typed Jamie's website address into the laptop. The company logo appeared, a fancy hand drawn with wavy lines reaching out across an image of the world. She skimmed over the homepage, speed-reading. Relocation packages, various different levels of service – Silver, Gold, Platinum. Specialising in international relocations and assistance.

Anna flicked around the website, jotting down some things she thought she should remember. It might help to impress at tomorrow's interview. Then she clicked on ‘About Us’. There was a picture of Jamie smiling easily at the camera, his fair hair cut short with a slight side parting. Scrolling down, there was a picture of a footballer in a red and white kit standing next to Jamie. She read the caption underneath it. Patrick Ardoin, Arsenal FC. Anna assumed that Jamie had links with football clubs; it would make sense, as there were so many foreign players these days. She vaguely remembered Mark talking about Ardoin, saying what a good defender he was.

As a pro-footballer in his younger days, Mark had always been appreciative of Arsenal's 'rock solid back line'. Unfortunately, Mark's premiership career had only consisted of six first team starts.

Anna felt that familiar pang she always experienced when she thought of the accident that had not only brought about the end of Mark's playing career, but had also caused her to miscarry what would have been their second child. Another little boy. She closed her eyes and tried to shake the thoughts out of her head. She hated thinking about the last few years of their marriage; it was too painful. She turned her attention back to Jamie's website and clicked on ‘Testimonials and Clients’.

‘What you looking at?’ asked Mark, peering over Anna's shoulder.

Anna jumped, unaware that Mark was there. She snapped the lid down on the laptop.

‘Trunky want a bun?’ she teased, well, half-teased.

‘That's a pretty impressive CV,’ said Jamie, putting down the printout of Anna's résumé she had emailed the day before. ‘I was particularly impressed by the fact that you completed your Modern Languages degree through the Open University. That couldn't have been easy with a young child.’

‘No, it wasn't at times,’ acknowledged Anna. ‘But going to a brick uni wasn't an option.’

‘Work with the tour company is definitely over then?’

‘Well, put it like this. My P45 landed on the doormat within twenty-four hours of the meeting. So I think it's pretty safe to say I no longer work for them.’

Jamie leant back in his chair, his fingers steepled. ‘I can't guarantee work day in, day out initially. It quite often depends on whom you're assigned to, where they are located, whether it's a one-off assignment or an ongoing working arrangement. For example, you could be assigned to a family who are relocating from abroad and need lots of things sorting – moving home, schools, bank arrangements and so on – in which case you would be with them for several weeks or even months. On the other hand, it may be a one-off business meeting, or you may be needed to translate or help interview a live-in nanny or gardener. Something like that could be one day or a few days.’

‘It sounds fine. I’ve still got the couple of mornings I do at the tea rooms midweek.’

‘The work here doesn’t always involve translating. Sometimes it’s a bit more like PA work. Are you okay with that too?’

She nodded. ‘Absolutely. It sounds great.’ She genuinely liked the sound of it. She may even be able to give up the two mornings at the tea rooms.

‘Okay, let's give it a go, shall we?’ Jamie sat forward and tapped at the keyboard on his laptop. Then he paused, as if struck by a thought. ‘The PA work I mentioned, you all right working for Tex?’

Anna felt a little flutter in her stomach. Working for Tex? Could she work for him? Then again, could she say no to Jamie? Would that jeopardise her chances of getting this job? She realised Jamie was waiting for an answer.

‘Err… yes, that’s okay by me.’

‘You sure?’

‘Absolutely. He seems nice enough, I’m certain we can work together well.’ She wasn’t sure if Jamie was convinced.

‘I can always assign you to someone else, it’s just that Tex thought someone with local knowledge would be ideal.’

‘What, he asked for me?’

‘Pretty much. I told him I was interviewing you today and that’s when he suggested it.’ Jamie looked evenly at her. ‘I must admit, I have my reservations. You know he can be very charming.’

Anna felt the flutter in her stomach turn into a knot. Jamie was warning her Tex was a charmer. A ladies’ man. She looked directly at Jamie. ‘I’m sure he can be, but don’t worry, I never mix business with pleasure.’

A timely knock at the door brought the conversation to a halt. Yvonne poked her head in the room and smiled when she saw Anna.

‘Hi! How are you?’ she enquired.

‘I'm fine thanks. You?’

‘Great, thanks.’ Waving some papers in her hand, Yvonne looked over at her husband. ‘Thought you might need these. Time sheets, expenses forms, personnel form.’

‘Excellent! What would I do without you? Actually, while you're here perhaps you can go through them with Anna. You're much better at that sort of thing than me.’ Jamie gave Yvonne his best angelic smile and fluttered his eyes at her.

‘Quit with the puppy dog eyes, Dixon,’ joked Yvonne, then coming into the office, beckoned Anna. ‘Come on, you're with the Queen of Forms now. Let's sit over there on the sofa and go through them.’

‘Thank you, darling.’ Jamie grinned at his wife.

Anna dutifully followed Yvonne over to the black cube sofa and began going through the various personnel questions with her.

‘Okay, that's all done,’ announced Yvonne after fifteen minutes. ‘All explained and filled out as necessary.’ She put the form Anna had just completed into a wire tray marked ‘filing’ on Jamie’s desk.

‘Thanks ever so much for this,’ said Anna as she was leaving. Funny how it now seemed to be a double-edged sword. And one she didn’t want to get cut by.

Chapter Five

‘So there you have it. I am now going to be working for a relocation company and my first job is in Arundel. How ideal is that?’ Anna said to Mark and Luke as the three of them sat at the table, having finished their evening meal. ‘Thought it was about time I did something different. A new challenge.’ She crossed her fingers under the table at the lie, well, manipulation of the truth.

‘Well done, Mum.’

‘All I've got to do now is finish translating that document,’ said Anna, eyeing the green folder on the bookshelf. ‘I'm not going to put all my eggs in one basket. I'm still going to keep the translating work going.’

‘Perhaps I should do something like this Jamie's doing,’ mused Mark as he broke off a piece of garlic bread. ‘Sounds like he's doing all right. A nice house in Surrey that must be worth a bob or two. Working from home, just organising people. He must be raking it in.’

‘You're doing okay though, aren't you?’ asked Anna. Somewhere in the back of her mind alarm bells were ringing.

‘Oh yeah, everything's fine,’ responded Mark, then changed the subject swiftly. ‘Thought I'd visit my parents tomorrow.’

‘Oh, right,’ said Anna trying to keep up with the turn in conversation. ‘What about Luke?’ Mark looked blankly at her. ‘You were going to take him with you but he's got school tomorrow.’

‘I can have the day off,’ interjected Luke. ‘Well, that's if Dad doesn't mind me going with him.’ Luke looked at his dad expectantly.

‘Of course you can, son. Not a problem at all,’ said Mark.

‘But, Luke, I don't know if that's a good idea,’ began Anna.

‘Come on, Mum, it's only one day,’ argued Luke. ‘How is one day going to hurt? It's hardly likely to affect my future career prospects, is it?’

Anna looked at Mark for some moral support, but he just shrugged and said, ‘Don't look at me. I don't want to be brought into your row.’

‘Mum! Why are you being so difficult and starting an argument?’ said Luke grumpily. ‘You always do it. Anyway, I'm going with Dad tomorrow and that's that.’ To show that as far as he was concerned the matter was now closed, Luke clattered his cutlery down onto his plate and stood up. ‘Don't spoil everything.’ With that, he stormed off to his room, stomping on every stair as he went.

‘Luke!’

‘Just leave it, Anna,’ said Mark frowning, agitatedly tapping the table with his fingers. ‘It's only one sodding day.’

The following morning Anna saw Mark and Luke off. Well, just Luke really. She hated any bad feeling between her and her son and always liked to wipe the slate clean at the beginning of each day. She had rung Luke's school earlier that morning, excusing him on the pretence of illness. Thank goodness she could leave a message on the answerphone, it was much easier to lie to a machine than a real person.

‘Give my regards to your grandparents,’ said Anna, as Luke followed Mark out the door.

Luke gave his mum a smile and brief hug. ‘Yeah, sure. See you later.’

Closing the door behind them, she turned and looked menacingly at the laptop and the electronics folder containing the document that she was translating.

‘Right, here I come,’ she said, marching purposefully over to the offending items.

Often the thought of the work was worse than the actual act, and quite soon, she was working steadily through the text. The morning was productive but the afternoon proved less so. Not only was she feeling tired after yesterday's travelling and interview, but the phone seemed to be on a personal mission to disrupt her concentration as many times as possible. Four times it rang within an hour and each was a complete waste of time. Fed up with so many interruptions by people trying to sell her something, the last one being from an estate agent wanting to make an appointment – Anna rudely slammed the phone down on him – she pulled the phone out of the wall to make sure no one disturbed her again.

She did, however, receive a text message on her mobile.

Hey! Looking forward to seeing you next week at work. Maybe we could get some lunch? Tex.

She looked thoughtfully at her phone while wrestling with conflicting feelings. She was happy she had a job and she was happy that Tex had messaged her, but on the other hand, she was disappointed that the job involved working with him. Much as she liked Tex, now he was going to be a client she couldn't afford to get involved. Beautiful eyes and an orgasmic voice or not. In the end, she didn’t reply. It would be easier if she explained face to face.

‘That's really great, sis,’ said Nathan after Anna had finished telling him about her new job. ‘A bit sudden though. I didn't know you were looking for a change.’

‘I wasn't really. It just came up. A great opportunity,’ said Anna, holding her mobile to her ear as she looked out between the Venetian blinds at her living room window. She watched the Saturday evening shoppers and workers rush by, her road a convenient shortcut to the car park on the north side of the city walls. ‘Anyway, I was just ringing to see how Zoe is. We were supposed to be going out tonight.’ Anna wandered over to the sofa and began fluffing the cushions.

‘I'll pass you over.’ There was a slight pause and a rustling sound while the phone exchanged hands, then Anna heard her sister-in-law.

‘Hi, Anna, I'm really sorry but I can't make it tonight. I feel dreadful.’ Zoe sniffed. ‘I can't shift this cold I picked up from the kids.’

‘You don't sound too good,’ consoled Anna, trying to hide the disappointment.

‘I'm so tired, I really wouldn't be any fun tonight. Aitch-choo!’

‘Bless you.’

More sniffing. ‘Thank you.’

‘Well, you get yourself dosed up and into bed. I'll come by in the morning and take the boys out to the park or something.’

‘Oh, thank you, Anna. You're a star. That would be a great help. Nathan's working tomorrow, as usual. I'll see you in the morning. And sorry.’

‘Don't worry. Not a problem. We will get a night out sooner or later.’

Anna ended the call and flopped down onto the newly fluffed cushions. She had been looking forward to a girlie Saturday night. Something that she felt Zoe needed as much as she did herself. It had been a funny week, and she really wanted to chat to Zoe and get her take on the turn of events. That was the trouble when you lived alone, you didn't have anyone to sound out your ideas and thoughts with. Someone to reassure you that you were doing the right thing or, indeed, the wrong thing. That was something she really missed.

Anna was now faced with an evening alone. Luke had gone to one of his friends after school and was staying the night as they were having band practice followed by an X-box evening. Mark was going to Southampton that evening to see his old friend Gary. Mark had somehow managed to talk Anna into letting him borrow her car. Just as well she had never changed the insurance details when Mark went to America; her tired old blue Fiesta was still insured for any driver over twenty-five. This did have an upside too, mused Anna, trying to cheer herself up. Mark would look pretty funny in it, his six-foot frame scrunched up like a locust. So not cool.

‘Penny for them?’ Mark asked, coming into the living room. He was carrying two glasses of wine and passed one to her. ‘Been stood up?’

‘Mmm. You heard then. Should you be drinking if you're driving tonight?’

‘I might go over to Gary's in the morning instead.’

‘Why's that then? Won't he mind?’ Anna took a sip of wine.

‘No, he'll be fine.’ Mark smiled at her. ‘Cheers. I just thought seeing as Luke isn't here and you're all alone, that maybe we could go out tonight.’

‘Me and you? Out? Tonight?’ The suggestion had taken her completely by surprise.

‘Yeah,’ nodded Mark slowly. ‘That was the general idea of what I said.’

Anna eyed him carefully. Was this a good idea?

‘What's the harm in it?’ asked Mark, as if sensing her apprehension. ‘We've been eating together all week. It's just the same except we'll be at a restaurant instead.’

‘I suppose you have a point,’ said Anna, trying to reason with the thought.

‘Of course I do. Come on, get your glad rags on. It'll be just like old times.’

Anna couldn't make up her mind if the butterflies she felt in her stomach were excitement or nerves. She couldn't ignore the feeling that going out for dinner with Mark wasn't one of her best ideas.

‘Wow, you look lovely!’ he exclaimed as Anna came downstairs and into the living room.

It was the response she had hoped for. Had she been going out with the girls tonight, she may have just worn her jeans and one of her casual tops, but as it was Mark, she wanted to show him that she could still look good and hadn't fallen to pieces without him. She had opted for a black shift dress with bold, purple and red embroidered flowers around the neckline and hem, teamed with black patent high-heeled boots and a purple cardigan.

‘You look nice, too.’ In fact, Anna thought Mark looked gorgeous. She had always liked him in a dark suit and open neck shirt. Whether he remembered this and had purposefully dressed that way, she didn't know.

It felt odd walking through the town centre, side by side. It had been so long since they had done that. Before, Anna would have automatically slipped her arm into his, or he would have put his arm around her shoulders or held her hand, but those days were long gone now. Having said that, Anna had gradually felt herself relax around Mark as the week had gone on. She was still unsettled as to what he was doing back in England, but actually having him physically present wasn't as unnerving as it had been originally. Maybe tonight, on neutral ground, they both might relax even more, and she might be able to wheedle out of Mark why he was here.

The restaurant in South Street was busy but they managed to get a table. There was plenty of noise and a good atmosphere, which would help fill any awkward silences between the two of them, Anna thought. But she needn't have worried, she realised, as the conversation flowed pretty easily, although Mark seemed to be asking most of the questions and avoiding talking about himself and America. The conversation had started off very generally, almost politely, as they talked about how much new housing was being built around Chichester, the recession, Luke, his school and, of course, in true British style, the weather.

‘Talking of the weather,’ said Mark, ‘do you remember that time we went camping, when Luke was about three or four? We went to Cornwall.’

‘Oh, will I ever forget it,’ chuckled Anna. ‘I've never known so much rain. I thought tents were supposed to be waterproof.’

‘They are, except someone didn't zip it up properly and left all my clothes by the door.’

‘That wasn't me!’ she exclaimed, laughing at the memory. ‘Oh, but weren't they soaking that morning? Every single thing was dripping wet. Oh God, and then Luke did a wee on your sleeping bag. Do you remember?’ Anna was really giggling now. At the time, Mark had been horrified.

‘How can I forget? He must have been saving that wee up all night. It soaked straight through the bag.’ Mark was laughing too.

‘It was such a horrendous night that we packed up and came home the next day.’ Anna was shaking her head and still grinning at the memory.

‘We were so Ray Mears, weren't we?’ said Mark smiling at her.

‘See, I told you that one day we would laugh about it.’ Anna was aware that she had had too much to drink. She wasn't really sure how much, as Mark had just kept topping her glass up. Time to abandon caution she thought, it was now or never.

‘Mark,’ she began, nervously twiddling the stem of the wine glass in front of her. ‘What are you really doing back here?’ She looked up at him for a response but he just looked back at her, studying her face, as if he was deciding whether to tell her something or not. Anna raised her eyebrows questioningly. ‘Well?’

‘Well…’ Mark moved his hand across the table until his fingers were touching the base of the wine glass Anna was still fiddling with. ‘Let's go home. I'll explain there, where it's more private and less noisy.’ He stroked the tip of her finger with his.