‘When our parents died, all we had was each other.’ She pointed to his empty cup. ‘Do you want a refill?’
‘There’s still another cup in the pot.’ Jon picked up the small, stainless-steel coffee pot and poured the rest of its contents into his cup. ‘Am I going to need this?’
‘I’m not sure. You said it was a long story.’
Suddenly he wanted everything out in the open. He wanted to let Chloe know where he stood, and then they could forget about these games and get on with the practical.
‘Right...’ Jon wondered where to start, and decided that the very beginning was probably best. ‘Well...boy meets girl, I guess...’
Her eyes widened suddenly. For one delicious moment Jon let the misunderstanding hang in the air between them.
‘I met my ex-wife at the Freshers’ Ball at medical school.’
‘Ah. Yes, of course.’ She found another teabag from the seemingly endless supply in her bag and put it into her cup, splashing hot water onto it. ‘And...then you got married?’
‘Yes, we did, after we’d both qualified. Everyone pretty much expected we would, we had the same interests, the same goals in life...our families got on so well that Helen’s parents and mine used to go on weekend breaks together.’
Chloe’s hand flew to her mouth, stifling the inevitable comment. Jon couldn’t help smiling, even though there wasn’t a great deal to smile about in all of this.
‘Yeah, I know. When the in-laws start planning Christmas together there’s a certain amount of expectation involved. But we didn’t let them down, we got a nice house together, both of us had good jobs that we loved. We were very happy.’
Chloe didn’t look convinced about any of this. Maybe she was smarter than he’d been. He’d thought then that love was something he could catch and keep, but now he knew better.
‘I got a promotion, and Helen started working nights. We saw less and less of each other, and when we did there were more and more arguments. We became like strangers living in the same house.’
Even now, the quiet hopelessness, the feeling that if this was all there was to life it had somehow fallen short of what he’d wanted, reverberated through Jon’s heart. He’d never smelled Helen’s soap, the way he had Chloe’s. Never checked the sell-by dates of her food in the fridge. Maybe if he had, things would have been different, but it was too late to think about that now.
‘In the end, Helen asked me to leave. When we told our families that we were splitting up, the crash of broken expectations was deafening. Everyone was looking for a reason, why the perfect marriage should no longer be so perfect, and I couldn’t give them one. My parents talked to Helen’s, and then came to me and demanded to know whether I’d had an affair. I hadn’t...’
‘And you set them straight?’ It was warming to find that Chloe’s first reaction was one of belief, and not the disbelief that his parents had voiced.
‘I tried to.’ Jon shrugged. ‘They were always very fond of Helen, though. And she was ready to believe anything that anyone said about me at that point. The whole thing blew up in our faces and became very bitter. Helen’s solicitor drew up the divorce papers, and when I got them they cited adultery.’
‘But...if that wasn’t true...’ Chloe’s brow was creased with thought. ‘I mean, they’re legal papers. Wouldn’t they be null and void? You’d still be married.’
Maybe it was the odd twist of logic. Or maybe just that Chloe was basing that logic on such an unquestioning belief. Jon couldn’t help laughing.
‘I’ve no idea. I wouldn’t sign them, I held out for irreconcilable differences. There was no doubt at all about that one. My mother was furious with me, and that was when James came to the rescue and offered me a place to stay. I moved out of my parents’ house...’
He shrugged. The softness in Chloe’s eyes said all that there was left to say. The stupid, needless conflict, which had broken his family apart and driven him away because he’d been unable to handle all the back-biting.
‘So, you see, I know how easily families can break. And I know how hard you and James have fought for yours and that’s special. Call it meddling, but if I can help you now...’
He didn’t know what he was hoping for. Maybe Chloe did. Jon reached forward, taking her hand, curling his fingers around hers.
‘If you can help me now, it won’t make anything right for you.’
Jon was used to people taking his help without question. Without even thinking about what it might mean to him. That was okay, it was his job and it was what he’d chosen to do, but Chloe... Chloe was different from anyone he’d ever met, and each time she showed that, it touched him.
‘I know. I’m past caring about that now, and I concentrate on what I’m good at, my job and my friendships. I’ve given up on everything else, but you won’t give up on Hannah, and that means something.’
Suddenly she looked up at him, her eyes as soft as honey. ‘So...do you really think you’re prepared for this? Amy can be quite a handful.’
‘I doubt it, but I’ll give it a go. What can go wrong?’
She smiled suddenly. ‘I don’t
know. I dare say Amy will come up with something.’