Page 29 of Barging In

C lem topped up her glass of wine and stifled a yawn.

Leaning back, she propped her feet up on the gunwale.

It felt like the longest day of her life.

Her body begged for sleep, but her mind wouldn’t let her rest, racing with thoughts she couldn’t outrun: what Drew had said to her, the way he had paraded Victoria around like she was his property, and worse, how Victoria had let him.

She was his abandoned goods, dragged out from the attic once a year like an old suitcase.

Clem hadn’t been able to watch one more second of that insufferable charade. It was too painful. Drew didn’t deserve a woman like Victoria, and the thought of their situation made Clem’s blood boil. With the bar quiet and Max more than happy to carry on alone, she’d made her escape.

As she crossed the moonlit courtyard, she spotted Drew climbing into his car, where the woman with the sharp pixie cut sat waiting in the passenger seat.

The sight of her being there, today of all days, sent more anger surging through her, propelling her forward.

Although the urge to return to Victoria had tugged at her now that her odious husband had left, she didn’t want to add her bitter mood to Victoria’s evening.

Earlier in the day, when she’d tried to raise the subject of Drew, Victoria had been quick to change it, only remarking that their marriage wasn’t conventional.

Did she know about the other woman — or women?

Allow it, even? It was beginning to feel that way.

But why? Why would she put up with that?

Clem intended to get to the bottom of it.

Gazing up at the stars as they began to vanish behind thickening clouds, her mind drifted back to their time together in the kitchen.

How fun it had been, the ease between them, how good Victoria felt against her when they hugged.

The thought made her stomach flip. She pressed her hand to it with a smile.

She missed Victoria’s presence when she wasn’t around and found herself thinking about her all the time.

A groan escaped before she could stop it.

She was falling for Victoria. The unobtainable. Typical.

The woman seemed to have an uncanny knack for reading her.

Whenever Clem struggled to say something awkward, Victoria somehow sensed it and gently coaxed the words from her.

What did that mean? Was it that Victoria noticed things about her, or was she good at reading people in general —husbands and catering managers not included?

Clem found hollow victory in the fact that Victoria’s loss on the catering front was her win.

She’d be baking for the wharf now, and that came with a ready-made excuse to drop by more often and bump into her.

If only her heart could stand it. Seeing someone regularly whom you admired — or, more truthfully, who you thought was an actual goddess — was bound to hurt. Still, the extra income would help.

The thought of her unpredictable future stole Clem’s breath away.

It reminded her that she hadn’t baked this evening; she’d just accepted the invitation without thinking.

That would mean an extra-early start tomorrow.

The relentlessness of it all, she was sure, was fuelling her underlying anxiety.

She kept telling herself that this was the price to pay for a different lifestyle, but then again, what was the point of freedom if all it did was leave you feeling overwhelmed?

Were humans just programmed to worry about something and find fault with even their most recent dreams?

Clem rolled her shoulders back and tried to think practically.

She’d work hard over the summer and save as much as she could.

Worst case, she’d have to leave Florence tied to the jetty and move in with her parents over the winter, something that would feel like failure in her eyes.

If she could make enough to get her through the colder months, she’d only have to work half the year.

But to what end? To wind up bored, like her mum was likely to.

She could keep working through the colder months, hoping to break even while likely wondering if it was a total waste of time.

Clem needed to be busy. Serving a handful of customers a few cups of coffee each day wasn’t going to satisfy her.

Maybe she should have thought about that before diving in.

Had she been so swept up in the idea that she hadn’t fully thought it through?

As she took a sip of wine, she spotted a figure crossing the bridge from the wharf. In the low glow of the hanging bulbs, she recognised Victoria. She must be walking home. Clem waited until she drew level with Florence’s bow, then called out, “Victoria! ”

She stopped in her tracks. Even in the dim light, Clem could see a wide smile lifting her cheeks.

“Can I get you a drink?” she added.

“Please,” Victoria said, a hint of exasperation in her voice as she stepped onto the gunwale.

Clem offered her hand.

Victoria took it, leaning her weight into Clem as she stepped down with a sigh.

“Where were you heading?”

“I needed some fresh air, so I thought I’d wander into town and grab a taxi at the rank.”

“Is the party over?”

“Almost. I’d had enough. There’s nothing like others walking out on your celebrations to dampen one’s mood.”

“Oh... sorry,” Clem said, regretting that her previous anger had kept her from returning to the party.

Bloody Drew.

“It’s fine. I didn’t even expect you to come, let alone stay, but I’m glad you did. It’s been a long day for both of us.”

As Victoria sat down, Clem checked her watch and then rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s still technically your birthday, and I’m here now.”

Victoria smiled and, to Clem’s surprise, patted her hand. “You are.”

Clem slipped inside to fetch a glass, then returned a moment later, filling it with wine.

“Who else abandoned you?” Clem asked, settling back down in her own seat.

“Drew had to leave. Jasper disappeared with Max to his apartment with what looked like a bottle of scrumpy. He left Emma at the bar with only a handful of people lingering. Thanks for helping out, again; it was kind of you. ”

Clem gave a casual shrug. “I was feeling a bit like a spare part, and as you know, I can’t bear to watch someone struggle.”

“I can attest to that,” Victoria said, shooting her a smile. “It was good of Max to take on the bar. The plan was that we’d all take a turn, so I was certainly grateful that Max spared me. I hope it wasn’t an unenjoyable evening for you.”

“No,” Clem lied. “I thought it best to leave you with your friends.”

“They aren’t my friends; they’re Drew’s. I don’t have any other than Jasper.”

“Seriously?” Clem raised her eyebrows, disbelief colouring her voice. How could a woman like Victoria not attract people?

Victoria nodded as she picked up her glass. “I was friendly with a few colleagues from the architectural firm I used to work at. After I married Drew, he persuaded me to quit my job and go work directly for his business instead.”

“Cut out the middleman,” Clem put in.

“Exactly. Drew was the firm’s biggest client, so my departure almost folded the place.

Of course, I didn’t know any of this until later.

I bumped into an old colleague who told me she’d lost her job because of it.

Drew must have known exactly what he was doing.

Even if it made business sense for him, it didn’t sit comfortably with me.

People stopped talking to me after that. ”

Clem bit her tongue. She wanted to add something, but Victoria had just made her feelings clear that she didn’t like what he’d done. Calling someone’s husband an arsehole wasn’t the best way to win over a new friend.

“After that, I found myself moving in Drew’s circles, and rich men’s wives are not my cup of tea.” Victoria’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Dare I ask what you thought of Drew?”

“I’m wondering when he’s going to enter politics.”

Victoria laughed, but her mirth quickly dissipated. “Drew told me what he said to you. I’m sorry.”

Clem shrugged. “It’s nothing I haven’t heard before. Many times. You get used to it.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Victoria grumbled.

“No, I shouldn’t. But arseholes are arseholes.” Well, she’d said it, but Victoria didn’t even flinch at the word.

“Most of the time, I count myself lucky that it’s only words. Considering what some men do to women.”

Victoria nodded.

“I noticed Jasper gave him a wide berth,” Clem added.

The corner of Victoria’s mouth twitched. “He’s never been Drew’s biggest fan. I assumed it was because they’re two men at very different ends of the moral spectrum.”

“Quite possibly.” Clem suspected Jasper disliked Drew’s treatment of Victoria as much as she did. Knowing she couldn’t keep a lid on what she really wanted to say for much longer, she asked, “Can I tell you the truth?”

“Of course,” Victoria answered with a tight frown. “I will put aside my annoyance that you haven’t already.”

Clem gave her an apologetic half smile. “The reason I left is that I couldn’t watch the two of you any longer. All the fake smiles, the masquerade, it made me feel a bit sick. He left soon after me. I saw he had a passenger — the same one from your house. You know, the pixie.”

Victoria nodded. “Jasper mentioned someone was waiting for him. I assumed it was Hannah.”

“Hannah?”

“His secretary. He couldn’t get away quick enough.”

Clem turned to face her. “Why put up with it?”

“I agreed to it,” she stated .

“What? You’re kidding,” Clem said, her heart sinking as she realised Victoria’s situation was exactly as she feared. At Victoria’s raised eyebrow, she hurried to add, “Sorry, of course you’re not. Not sure why I said that.”

“Mmm,” Victoria muttered. “It’s not something people joke about. We live apart. It’s only natural.”