They were making their way back along the shoreline when Janey unwittingly asked the question Maxine had been gearing herself up for.

‘So what else happened in London? You must have gone to a few parties; did you meet any nice men?’

Janey was carrying the glasses. Maxine, who had stuffed the empty Bollinger bottle inside her jacket, was skimming pebbles across the water. She watched the last pebble collide with a wave and disappear from view. A gust of wind blew her hair into her eyes and she used the extra seconds it gave her to compose herself.

‘I went to a party,’ she said finally, ‘and met a nice man.’

‘And now it’s my turn to be kept in suspense?’ Janey protested. ‘Come along now, don’t be shy! Give me the gory details.’

‘I’ve known him for a while.’ Maxine took a deep breath and wished she could have persuaded Guy to part with two bottles of champagne. A little extra Dutch courage would have come in useful. ‘But until the party I didn’t even know I liked him. You know him too; quite well, in fact. And I don’t think you’re going to like it much when I tell you who it is.’

Janey thought hard for a moment. With a perplexed shrug she said, ‘Well, you’ve got me.

But if it’s an actor ...’ Her eyes widened in mock amazement and she clapped her free hand to her chest. ‘You don’t mean ... Mel—’

‘Look, he loves me and I love him,’ said Maxine rapidly. ‘It’s serious stuff. I know you hate him, but you have to believe me ... for the first time in my life I really do feel—’

‘Mel Gibson?’ shrieked Janey, and several seagulls beat a panicky retreat.

‘Bruno.’ Maxine’s shoulders stiffened in an unconscious gesture of defiance. There, she’d said it. Now all she had to do was pray Janey didn’t burst into tears.

But Janey was starting to laugh. ‘Is this a joke? Max, that’s not fair. Come on now, I told you everything!’

‘And now I’m telling you. It really isn’t a joke.’ The words spilled out fast, jerkily. Maxine took another steadying breath. ‘He turned up at the party on Friday night and practically kidnapped me. Except I wanted to be kidnapped,’ she amended, a shiver running down her spine even as she recalled the sheer romance of it all. ‘He wants to marry me. He’s leaving Nina. Oh Janey, it was as much of a shock to me as it is for you, but it just happened! I can’t even begin to describe how I feel ...’

‘Well,’ said Janey as the gulls continued to wheel frantically overhead. ‘I’m stunned.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘You’re sorry I’m stunned, or sorry it’s Bruno?’

‘You know what I mean.’ Maxine bit her lower lip. ‘I’ve been dreading telling you. Do you absolutely hate me?’

‘I don’t hate you. I can’t believe you’re being so incredibly stupid,’ sighed Janey, ‘but of course I don’t hate you. Max, the last time I came for a walk along this beach, somebody gave me the most almighty lecture. I can’t remember it word for word, but it had something to do with keeping well away from Bruno Parry-Brent because he was an unprincipled, sex-crazed, triple-timing shit-gigolo-bastard who would bring me nothing but everlasting grief.’ Pausing, she tilted her head to one side. ‘Now does that ring any bells with you, or do you have a twin sister I don’t know about?’

‘Oh hell,’ said Maxine uncomfortably. She braced herself once more. ‘Look, I know I said all those things but that’s the whole point; he would only have made you miserable. You’re a nice person and you expect everyone else to be nice, too. You’re trusting, unselfish, honest; as far as people like Bruno are concerned, it’s practically an open invitation to behave badly. They can’t resist it. And I know,’ she added with passion in her voice, ‘because I’m like Bruno too. I don’t trust men, I’m a selfish bitch and I lie like the clappers. Don’t you see, Janey? Bruno and I were made for each other! We’re a perfectly matched pair.’

Janey frowned. ‘I thought you loathed him.’

‘I did.’ Maxine gave her an apologetic look. ‘Well, I thought I did. But what I really loathed was the fact that ‘I knew he’d end up hurting you. You see, it was like watching a re-run of me and Maurice. You know what I’m like, Janey. I simply can’t handle nice, dependable men. The better they treat me, the worse I behave. If a man’s going to keep me on my toes, keep me interested, he needs to be a bastard, someone I can fight with. I don’t mean getting beaten up,’

she added hastily, as Janey’s eyebrows rose. ‘I’m not into black eyes and teeth flying in all directions. ‘I just need someone I don’t trust enough to take for granted.’

Maxine was rattling on at a furious pace, putting across every argument she could think of.

Strangely, thought Janey, it rang true. It might be weird, but it made sense.

‘I know it’s masochistic,’ Maxine went on. ‘I’m a hopeless case. But if it’s easy, there’s no buzz. And I need that buzz ...’

Uncomfortably aware that she was once again echoing Maxine’s own words to her, Janey said, ‘There’s still Nina.

You say Bruno’s going to leave her. What makes you think he will?’

‘I don’t have to think.’ The gulls were still wheeling noisily overhead. Maxine suppressed an urge to hurl the champagne bottle at them. Meeting Janey’s concerned gaze, she recalled Bruno’s phone call earlier this morning. ‘I know,’ she said simply. ‘He already has.’

They had finished retracing their steps. Janey’s white beach shoes were awash with sand.

By the time they’d made their way back up the high street, it was almost midday.

‘Alan will be home any minute now,’ she said, fishing in her pocket for the front-door key.

‘If you’d like to stay for lunch, you’re very welcome. Or is Guy expecting you back?’

‘Special dispensation,’ Maxine replied with an unnecessary glance at her watch. She had already arranged to meet Bruno at the Dune Bar at twelve-thirty. Somehow a cosy foursome didn’t seem appropriate. ‘Guy’s given me the afternoon off; he’s taking the kids over to Mimi Margason’s house for lunch. She’s the woman whose party you went to, isn’t she? I’ve never met her, but she sounds wild.’

‘She is.’ Janey wondered if she would ever see Mimi again. She had the uncomfortable feeling that bridges were being burnt. Unless they came into the shop, she might never even see Guy and the children again, either. ‘She’s outrageous. And very, very nice.’

‘Ah well, in that case I probably wouldn’t like her,’ Maxine replied. ‘As I said, nice people make me nervous. Apart from you,’ she added cheerfully. ‘Sisters don’t count.’

‘So will you stay for lunch?’

‘I can’t.’ By this time they had reached the shop. Taking a step forward, Maxine kissed Janey’s cold cheek. ‘I’m seeing Bruno. It’s a bit of an awkward situation, isn’t it?’

‘It’s certainly unusual.’ Janey smiled. ‘I dare say we’ll get used to it.’

‘We’re both happy,’ said Maxine, wishing she didn’t feel so guilty. ‘We’ve both got the men we really and truly want. There’s only one thing left to do now, to round it off.’

‘What’s that?’

Maxine grinned. ‘Find some poor long-suffering female for Guy.’

Chapter 43

Bruno evidently didn’t believe in wasting time. Maxine, only a few minutes late, arrived at the Dune Bar to find him deep in conversation with an extremely pretty brunette, pouring her a glass of Chardonnay with one hand and jangling two sets of keys in the other.

‘And about time too,’ he complained when Maxine joined them. ‘I don’t think you know Pearl, do you? I’ve just been telling her how madly in love with you I am, and how you’ve changed my life for ever. Think what an idiot I’d have looked if you hadn’t turned up.’

‘He’s definitely a changed man,’ Pearl declared, eyeing Maxine with undisguised curiosity.

‘I only came over to invite him to a party tomorrow night and he hasn’t stopped talking about you for the last twenty minutes. He won’t even come to the party.’

Bruno, eyes glittering with amusement, slid his arm around Maxine’s waist. ‘I’d only get chatted up by women with designs on my body,’ he complained. ‘There’s only one woman in my life from now on. Who needs parties, when we have each other?’

‘Boring old fart,’ said Maxine, helping herself to wine. ‘I like parties. If I was invited to one, I’d go.’

‘You can both come.’ Pearl scribbled the address on the back of a beer mat. Grinning at Maxine, who evidently met with her approval, she said, ‘It’ll be fun.’

Bruno had picked up the beer mat. Maxine promptly whisked it from his grasp.

‘I’ll definitely be there, but Bruno might not,’ she said smoothly. ‘He doesn’t need parties any more, you see. He’d only get chatted up by women with designs on his body.’

‘Thanks,’ said Bruno, when Pearl had left.

‘What’s the problem?’ Maxine demanded. ‘Afraid you won’t be able to resist a bit of temptation?’

‘Look, we both know you aren’t going to any party tomorrow night. Guy’s away and you’re looking after the kids. I only said no because I didn’t think you’d want me to go on my own,’ he said with a trace of exasperation. ‘I thought you wouldn’t trust me.’

‘So what are we supposed to do?’ Maxine countered. ‘Trot along to the nearest hospital and ask to be surgically joined at the hip? Sweetheart, we’re just going to have to learn to trust each other. I’m not going to try and stop you doing anything you want to do and you’re certainly not going to stop me. You can chat up Michelle Pfeiffer if you like. All you have to remember is that if I ever find out you’ve been unfaithful to me, it’s over.’ With her index finger, she drew a swift, clean line across his throat. ‘Finito. Kaput. Down the pan.’

Bruno kissed her. ‘I love you.’

‘Hmm.’ People were staring, but Maxine didn’t care. ‘Just as well. We’re going to be gossiped about from here to Land’s End.’