Trust Me - Sheryl Browne Page 0,45

confused. Wasn’t she the one Sally was supposed to be offering a shoulder to?

‘Thanks, but I don’t,’ Jake answered brusquely, which went some way to appeasing her.

‘Right, well, I just thought I would offer,’ Sally said, sounding hurt.

Jake blew out a discernible sigh. ‘Sorry, Sally. That sounded ungrateful. It’s just … I really don’t think it would be a good idea for us to … you know, behind Emily’s back.’

Behind her back? Emily’s antennae stood on red alert.

‘It’s fine,’ Sally assured him. ‘I get why you would be a bit edgy. I’m not completely insensitive, Jake.’

‘I know. Ignore me,’ he said apologetically. ‘I’m not in the best of moods lately.’

‘I gathered,’ Sally replied understandingly. ‘You do realise that’s exactly what you said all those years ago?’

‘Sorry?’ He sounded mystified.

‘Before we went our separate ways,’ Sally went on, causing the hairs to rise over Emily’s skin. ‘I knew you were struggling then too, but you just shrugged and said to ignore you and that you weren’t in the best of moods. I got that. I mean who would be after all you’d been through, but I never did understand why you closed up on me the way you did.’

Jake hesitated before answering. ‘I didn’t find what happened easy to talk about,’ he said awkwardly, after a second. ‘It was too painful back then, I guess. Still is.’

‘I know it was. What happened with your mum was unimaginably terrible.’ Sally oozed sympathy. ‘But … it hurt, you know, that you turned away from me. I thought we had something, and the next thing I knew you’d left the village without saying a word. I still don’t know what I did wrong.’

‘Nothing,’ Jake said quickly. ‘It wasn’t you, Sally. It was me. I cared for you, a lot, but …’

Emily felt the blood freeze in her veins. They’d had a relationship? A serious relationship? When? Why hadn’t he told her? Why hadn’t Sally? Why wouldn’t they have?

‘You didn’t love me?’ Sally finished sadly.

‘I was young, confused. My emotions were all over the place. I honestly wasn’t sure what I felt.’ Jake paused. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just …’

‘Needed some space to sort yourself out, I know. Don’t worry, I forgive you, but only because I know how badly you were affected. I’m glad you found someone you could eventually share your problems with.’

‘Yeah.’ He laughed ironically. ‘Not any more.’

‘That bad, hey?’

‘That bad,’ he confirmed, causing Emily’s heart to fracture. ‘It’s the kids I’m really worried about. Millie’s at that age, you know, where she’s pushing boundaries. Ben’s … I don’t know. I’d hoped we might have a better relationship than Tom and I had, but the older he gets, the less it seems we have in common.’

‘He’s probably just a bit shy,’ Sally suggested. ‘Like his dad.’

‘Probably,’ Jake reflected thoughtfully.

‘Not so shy lately, though,’ she added, a playful edge to her voice. ‘I’m liking the authoritative doctor-in-charge thing you have going on. Very hot.’

He sighed ruefully. ‘Yeah, I’m not sure my wife’s that impressed.’

‘She’ll come around. You’re a catch, Dr Merriden. I doubt she’ll want to throw you back.’

‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that.’

‘I would. She won’t let you go easily, Jake, trust me.’ Sally paused. ‘I’d better get on. I have someone due in shortly. Talk later.’

‘Will do. Oh, and Sally …’ Jake stopped her. ‘You haven’t mentioned anything to Emily, have you? About us?’

‘No. Don’t worry, your secret’s safe,’ she assured him. ‘It’s not the sort of thing that’s easy to drop casually into conversation.’

Moving swiftly away from his office as she heard Sally nearing the door, Emily felt a surge of pure rage. Shy? He’d sounded anything but from where she was standing, pouring his heart out to a woman he’d had a relationship with – and hadn’t told her about. Someone he’d ‘cared for’. Now that her eyes had been opened, it was obvious, blindingly obvious to Emily, that Sally cared for him too, which explained her draping herself over him at every opportunity. Her dressing to impress him. Her anger quadrupled as she recalled the tight jeans, leather boots and abundant make-up Sally had been wearing in order to come to her house for nothing more than a girls’ chat. She had thought the woman was simply flirty by nature. She’d even joked about it to Jake, to her utter humiliation. She couldn’t believe that he’d been sharing details about their relationship with her. That he’d just told her that Emily wasn’t there for