Starting Over (New Beginnings #1) Page 6

  "Ruby's right. If Deb wants it, it'll happen."

  "Well it's not happening." Ash added.

  Ash didn't see Ariane walk up behind her. She hadn't seen her since their disagreement the night before and she'd be happy to not see her for the rest of the weekend, although she wasn't holding out hope of that happening.

  "Hey Ash," Ariane said.

  Ash wasn't one to be outwardly rude, but she also didn't want to make things easy on Ariane.

  "Hi Ariane." she said and turned her attention back to Ruby.

  "Listen. I really want to apologize for last night. I wish I could say it was the alcohol talking, but I was just being a bitch, and I was way out of line, so, I'm sorry."

  Ash was stunned. Despite what Connor had said, she hadn't expected an apology at all, let alone something so sincere.

  "Um, thanks Ariane, that's fine."

  "Cool, so we're good?"

  "Sure, start over." Ash smiled.

  "Do you want to come into town with the girls Ariane?" Ruby asked.

  "Um, yeah, sure, I suppose. When?"

  "Don't know yet, Deb's over there sorting out the details with the boys now."

  Ash turned and noticed Deb had moved with Connor over to where Hayden was sitting with Dave and Matt.

  "I'm not going." Ash said.

  "We'll see." Ruby replied.

  "I won't go if that's the problem." Ariane said.

  "No Hun, it's got nothing to do with you. I'm not leaving the girls for somebody else to look after, and I don't have the money to pay for a pampering session."

  "I'll pay." Ariane said quickly. "I've got more money than I know what to do with now, and I owe you one after last night's comments."

  "Thanks Hun, but it's not necessary and I'm not going."

  "Yes, you are,” Deb said moving towards them, bringing a hint of Lilac with her. “It's all organized." Sitting down again, her perfume wafted away. "Are you coming too Ariane?" Deb asked while softly tapping out a rhythm with her foot on the wooden floor.

  "Sure I guess. When are we going?"

  "Two thirty."

  "Cool, we're meeting out the front then?"

  "I'm not going." Ash added again.

  "Yes you are. Hayden said he'll put you over his shoulder and carry you out to the car himself if you don't."

  "What? No." Ash looked over at Hayden who smiled back at her and patted his shoulder.

  She shot him back a filthy look that had him laughing as he nodded at her.

  "And we’re taking Hayden’s car. Ruby, he said you could drive. So we shall meet you out the front in half an hour Ash."

  "Argh.... I.... Argh...."

  Ruby laughed.

  Ash got up and walked over to the girls to check on them before she left, because she obviously had no say in the matter. She figured she could go along but she wasn't letting anyone pay for her pedicures and manicures. She will wait while the others have theirs. That would work.

  Connor came up to her as she was leaving to go back to the room and grab a few things.

  "So, raincheck on the canoeing then?"

  "I guess so. I don't want to go."

  "What, canoeing on the lake? You were all for it this morning."

  "No, into town; I'd much rather go canoeing."

  "Well, now you get to do both."

  "Yeah, great."

  Connor laughed. "Have a great time Ash, and don't worry about the girls, they're in safe hands. I think we're all going swimming again."

  ****

  Chapter 7

  Ash still wasn't overly happy when it was time to go but she did grudgingly meet the others out the front at the designated time.

  Ruby drove Hayden's car because she was the only one who wasn't likely to be drinking much, since she was still breastfeeding. Deb had booked them in for a luxurious afternoon of pampering, with facials, manicures and several other treatments all the while being served Champagne after conning Connor to pick up the bill, but the conning part was not all that hard. Connor has never been stingy even if nobody could accuse him of being frivolous with his money now that he actually had more than he knew what to do with, and if his sister wanted an afternoon of pampering with her friends at his expense, then he wasn't going to deny her.

  ****

  Ash really didn't want to admit how much she was enjoying the shoulder and neck massage as they all sat there relaxing and drinking bubbly.

  "Okay Ash, it's time to spill, what's the secret?" Ruby asked.

  "There is no secret." Ash said.

  "Then where do the designer clothes come from?"

  "My ex-husband was all about appearances, he liked me to wear expensive clothes. Now that he's my ex, I don't have access to that kind of money. Luckily the good designer stuff lasts a while; otherwise I'd be sitting here naked. As soon as it wears out I'll be in trouble."

  "With that type of money, your ex must be paying a fortune in child support?" Ariane asked curiously.

  "No, he doesn't pay me anything." Ash explained and continued to tell the girls about his disappearing act with pretty much everything.

  "That's just wrong," Audrey said. "Surely the tax office can track him down and garnish his wages or something. The girls are missing out on so much because of him."

  "They're not missing out at all," Ash interjected, "they are far better off without him, and so much happier. Mark wasn't a very good father, or husband."

  "Didn't he want kids?" Ruby asked, shocked.

  "Well that's the silly thing. He used to bug me about having kids but I didn't want to have them with him, he was an arsehole, and far too controlling. I pretended I had gone off the pill while I kept taking them but I ended up pregnant anyway. Mark was ecstatic when I told him, in fact he was so excited and attentive, I actually thought it was the best thing that could have happened. When we went for the ultrasound and they told us it was twins he was so excited, but then when they wouldn't move so he could find out the sex, he got so angry. I thought he was going to hit the technician for a bit. By the time we got home he'd calmed down again and I thought I had convinced him a surprise would be a good thing. The later ultrasound was no better; they still wouldn't get into the right position. You'd think I would have realized before the birth what the problem was, but I didn't twig until the actual birth. When the doctor told us the first baby was a girl, his only comment was, 'Hopefully, the next one's a boy.' When Sarah was a girl as well, he disappeared and I didn't see him again until I had to check out. He didn't touch the girls or talk to me at all the entire trip home."

  "Oh my god Ash, why didn't you walk out then?" Deb asked.

  "I had nothing, nowhere to go, no money. Not I thing, I was trapped. As they got a bit older he spent time with them occasionally and it wasn't too bad. We did our own thing for the most part. But despite the initial shock of him leaving, I was so relieved that I haven't felt a real need to try to find him. I don't need anything from him, and I don't want anything from him. We just want to live our lives the way we want to live it.”

  "Shit, no wonder you don't trust men," Ariane said guiltily, "and now I feel like absolute shit for everything I said last night; Ash, I really am sorry."

  Ash just waved her off.

  "Honey you have to know, not all men are like that." Deb said.

  "I know that, but I missed it once, I'm not willing to risk going there again."

  "I guess I can understand that, to a degree anyway."

  I know we're all wondering, so I'm going to be the brave one to ask," Ruby said. "Was he abusive to you and the girls?"

  "If you're asking if he used to hit us at all, or knock us around? Then no, he never raised a hand to us." Ash reasoned she wasn't really lying, he never actually laid a finger on the girls, and he didn't actually hit her either. She would never admit to anyone what had really gone on.

  "There are more forms of abuse than just physical, Ruby." Audrey said.

  "Ash, you don't strike me as the type of woman to put u
p with that. Why did you even marry him in the first place?" Ariane asked. "And please don't think I'm judging. It's just you come across as a really strong, opinionated woman; not someone who would ever let a man or anyone really, treat you with anything other than the utmost respect."

  "It wasn't always like that. In the beginning he was loving, attentive and supportive. It was only after he finished university and started working that he became so controlling. And it started with little stuff here and there. By the time it got too bad for me to actually be able to justify his actions anymore, I didn't know how to get out. He had control of everything and I was stuck."

  "I need more champagne," Deb said. "Anyone else?"

  "Yes please," the general reply followed Deb’s question in a chorus.

  ****

  Three hours and half a dozen bottles of champagne later, Ruby drove a rather drunk group of ladies back to Connor’s place in time for dinner, even though Deb had tried to convince them all they should go out partying. Ruby pointed out the general lack of appropriate attire for nightclubbing. In Deb's mind, this was only delaying the night out while they all went back and changed; Ruby had no intention at all of taking them back out again. She didn't think any of them would even get into the local nightspot in their current state of intoxication in any case, and she also doubted any of their husbands would let them back out tonight. Deb, especially, had let her hair down without the kids around.

  The guys could hear the drunken giggles even over the noise from the kids playing in the pool. They had only managed to drag them out of the swimming pool about half an hour earlier with promises that they would be able to go back in after dinner if they all behaved themselves and ate all their food.

  "Uh oh," Blake commented, "sounds like the girls have had fun."

  Blake was Connor’s younger brother, as well as the youngest of the Maise siblings. At thirty-three he was five years younger than Deb, who was the eldest.

  "I really hope Audrey isn't too drunk, she doesn't do hangovers very well. Tomorrow is going to be all bad if she is. You guys are going to have to help me with Zoe, please."

  "Doesn't sound too good; can someone go out there and slow them down before they come in here with all that cursing?" Dave asked.

  "Ruby's already on it by the sounds of things," Hayden said with a smile, "and it sounds like Deb's the problem." he added, elbowing Matt in the ribs. "Someone might just get lucky tonight." he said, slapping him on the back as he laughed out loud.

  "Argh... Not by the sounds of that." Matt replied as an almighty crash came from the entry hall, followed by a string of curse words and Deb's chortled laughter.

  Connor watched Ash and Deb stumble through the door to the games room.

  "Oops, sorry Bro, I think I broke your thingamajig." Deb laughed as she stumbled and looked down at the ground for something that wasn't there. "We're just going to change our clothes and then Ruby is going to take us back into town so we can go dancing at Bowden's for a few hours." she said, her words decidedly not as slurred as they all expected.

  Connor watched Ruby shaking her head behind Debbie.

  Matt walked up and put an arm around his wife's waist. "Connor, can you deal with Adam and Bianca for a minute for me while I help Deb change?" Matt asked as he led her out of the door and towards their room.

  "Sure thing Bud." he replied with a smile, knowing full well the only thing Deb would be changing into would be her pj's for an early night. Hopefully, Matt would be able to get her showered and freshened up enough for her to be able to have dinner; otherwise she was going to be really sick.

  "So are you good to take care of the girls again now Ash, or am I still on babysitting duty?" Hayden asked.

  "Umm...?" Ash replied and then giggled.

  Ariane came up behind Ash and put her arm around her shoulder.

  "I'm thinking, maybe, we might not end up dancing tonight." she said.

  Hayden sighed. "I think I'll just deal with the girls."

  "No, no. I'm good." Ash commented. "Let's go play some pool with the kids." she said, dragging Ariane after her.

  "Do we need to stop them?" Connor asked.

  "Nah, they'll be okay. They're going to get beaten regardless of whether or not they do it on purpose." Ruby replied.

  "How long ‘til dinner Connor? I think we have some ladies here in need of food." Hayden commented with a sigh.

  "I'll go and check, and see if I can't get it hurried up." he replied. "Earlier is better I think. Right?"

  Hayden nodded affirmative before Connor turned to leave.

  Audrey had sat herself down on the couch with her head resting on the arm of the couch. She was comparatively quiet next to the others.

  "Are you okay honey?" Blake asked, sitting down beside her and patting her leg gently.

  Audrey nodded. "Where's Zoe?"

  "At the pool table with the others. She can't quite play yet, but she likes hanging out with them anyway. She's been on chalk duty."

  "Okay."

  "Hey guys," Ariane called, "we need some water over here please."

  "Get it yourself." Scott called back.

  "I don't want it. Ash does." she replied.

  "Oh okay, hang on a sec." he said as he pulled a bottled water out of the fridge.

  "Oh yeah. For her it is hand delivered, I get a 'get your own'. Bloody lovely that is."

  "Yeah whatever, you'll get over it." he said, handing the bottle across to Ash.

  "Thanks."

  "Fifteen minutes until dinner." Connor said, entering the room again.

  "Fantastic. I'm starving." Ash answered as she downed the bottle of water.

  "I'll go and let Matt know," Ruby said. "Deb will need it more than the others.”

  Dinner was a painfully noisy affair, with the girls possibly even more noisy than the kids. Deb eventually rocked up about half way through; she didn't look too bad under the circumstances. With food in their systems Ash, Ariane and Audrey were all fairing much better too, they almost seemed sober again.

  Connor came up to Ash after everyone had finished eating.

  "How are you feeling?" he asked.

  "I'm all good," she replied. "I didn't have that much all considered. Deb's the one who's going to be in trouble tomorrow; I hope she drinks plenty of water now so she's not quite so dehydrated."

  "You sound fine, not slurring at all." He chuckled.

  "I'm fine now; I don't even feel tipsy anymore, let alone drunk. I could probably have another drink now."

  "Ariane's already onto that." he said, nodding in her direction.

  "Yeah, she's younger than the rest of us. She'll recover quicker tomorrow."

  "Did you want a beer?" Connor inquired.

  "No thank you, I'll pass. I might be okay for now, but it wouldn't take much to tip me back over. It's a fine line."

  "You and Ariane are good now?"

  "Yeah, we're all sorted. I think knowing I don't have my sights on Hayden took care of that issue."

  "I don't know why she keeps trying. He really isn't interested."

  "Because she's a strong willed woman who won't give up until she gets what she wants."

  "Seems there are a few of them here this weekend."

  Ash chucked at his comment and patted his arm softly.

  Connor felt the warmth radiate out from where her hand touched his skin. Her fingers barely even pressing down and yet, still leaving the deepest impressions.

  "So I thought we could get up early in the morning and take the canoes out. I was worried you might be a bit hung over, but if you think you'll be okay, it really is beautiful out there in the morning; just after dawn is stunning."

  "Sure Connor, let me know what time and I'll be ready."

  "I'll catch up with you later and confirm the time."

  "Okay." She answered before watching him walk away.

  ****

  The kids had all finished dinner well before the adults and had been given permission to go back to the games r
oom to play. They were trying to be on their best behaviour so they could go swimming as soon as the adults all finished dinner.

  Ash decided to go and check on them quickly before starting on dessert. She was worried when she walked into the room in time to hear Adam telling his sister that it would be okay to climb up on the pool table and dance.

  "Adam." she admonished him. "Don't you dare tell her that! That is not acceptable under any circumstances. Not only is it dangerous, but you could break something. Where are Sarah and Beth?"

  "Here Mummy." Beth answered, coming into the room from behind her.

  "We went to the toilet." Sarah added defensively, having heard the tone in her mother’s voice a few seconds before.

  "Okay, you all behave yourselves." she said, before heading back to get dessert. She was finishing up a delicious piece of passionfruit cheesecake when Connor got up from the table.

  "I'll go and round the kids up and see if they want to go for a swim before it gets too late." Connor said as he headed out towards the games room.

  ****

  Connor came back in a few minutes later.

  "Alright, the kids are getting ready to go for a swim," he said, "except Sarah and Beth." he added quietly looking at Ash. "They were playing up in the games room so they're in their room waiting for you."

  "What did they do?" Ash asked in stunned disbelief.

  They were good girls, and only ever got into trouble in front of her. They had always been too scared of their father to do anything wrong, and were always on their best behaviour around other people.

  "I told them they had to explain to you, and you'd be right in."

  Connor didn't miss the filthy glare she shot him as she raced out of the room.

  "What happened?" Hayden asked.

  Connor shook his head.

  "Connor, aside from being generally annoying seven year olds, those girls don't do anything wrong."

  "Well Hayden, this is not a general day then, they were dancing on the pool table. Adam said he told them to get down or they might hurt themselves, but they told him to get stuffed and piss off."

  Hayden shook his head in disbelief. "Those girls don't swear."

  Connor shrugged. "Well their mother can sort them out."