Sarah stared at him, a hard lump expanding in her chest. She couldn’t quite believe it. Did he really think she would want to hear about his ex-wife amidst all of this?
‘Please hear me out.’ He’d clearly noticed her astonished expression. ‘I need you to know what’s been happening because …’ He paused, glancing awkwardly down. ‘I love you, Sarah,’ he announced, stunning her. ‘I know you won’t believe it unless I tell you what’s been going on. Will you let me explain?’
She scanned his face. His eyes were full of quiet pleading. Also, something else. Fear? ‘Go on,’ she said, apprehension running through her.
Joe nodded, relief flooding his features. ‘I told you about the pregnancy.’
Sarah braced herself. ‘Yes,’ she said, studying his eyes intently. Eyes where dark shadows danced, she noticed, her stomach tightening.
‘She has something called polycystic ovary syndrome.’ He ran a hand over his neck. ‘It can cause complications during pregnancy. It can also be one of the leading causes of infertility. Courtney thinks she won’t be able to get pregnant again, and … she blames herself, thinks she’s being punished in some way.’
Oh no. Sarah didn’t know the woman – she didn’t sound like the kind of person she wanted to know – but still her heart went out to her.
Joe hesitated before going on. ‘She asked me if we could get back together,’ he said, trepidation in his eyes as he searched hers.
What? After all she’d done to him? Sarah almost laughed in disbelief.
‘I said no,’ he added quickly. ‘There’s no way I would ever consider … The thing is … She tried to take her life,’ he continued, his voice thick with emotion. ‘I found her on the balcony. She’d taken tablets. I …’ He stopped and looked heavenwards.
‘Oh God, Joe, no.’ Her heart skidded against her ribcage. He’d been through this once with his poor sister. It had almost destroyed him.
He looked back at her, his eyes those of a haunted man. ‘Whatever she is, whatever she’s done, I can’t leave her too long on her own right now. I just can’t take that risk. I needed you to know. I hoped you’d understand. I should have been there for you. I wasn’t. I need to be here for you now, but I …’
Sarah swallowed. ‘It’s okay,’ she assured him. She hesitated, then stepped towards him to offer him the hug he clearly badly needed. She wasn’t sure it would be okay. Though she hated herself for it, there was a small part of her that wondered about the woman’s motives. Joe would never walk away from her while she was threatening to take her own life. Anyone who knew anything about him would know that.
Dropping his head to hers, Joe pulled her close for a second, and then breathed out a heavy sigh and eased away. ‘There’s something else you need to know. About Laura,’ he said, his gaze now holding a warning.
‘Which is?’ she asked, a fresh chill of trepidation running through her.
‘I checked under the name Jameson,’ he went on guardedly. ‘It seems she was a teaching assistant before she worked at the hospice.’
‘A teaching assistant?’ Sarah looked at him curiously. ‘And?’ There was more, obviously. She steeled herself.
‘She was dismissed from her job when a child wandered off on a nature trail on her watch.’
‘Christopher Jameson,’ she whispered, nausea churning her stomach. ‘He said she was dangerous. He said I should ask her about her previous job and why she left it. I was going to, but when Steve told me how abusive he’d been towards her, the lies he’d told about her …’ She hadn’t mentioned to Steve what Jameson had said about her previous job, and now she wished to God that she had. Which one of them was lying? Laura? Her ex-husband? If it was Laura, why would she?
‘It might be nothing,’ Joe said, but she could see from the tight set of his jaw that he didn’t think it was. ‘I’m going to check it out further. Meanwhile, I realise you might want to stay to make sure Steve’s okay, but it might be an idea to make an excuse to take Ollie home this evening.’
Sarah glanced back to the house. She could hear Sherry saying her goodbyes. She had an overwhelming urge to go back in, gather Ollie up and leave immediately, but she had no idea what to say to Steve. How much he would believe.