People Can Change Ch. 03

"Will you never let me finish, woman?" I said laughingly. "I have some urgent business to attend to, so I can't go. You would be doing me a favour by taking the booking."

Julie threw her arms around my neck and hugged and kissed me. The two girls joined in for good measure. I stayed with them all day. Julie cooked a roast lunch and I was blown out all afternoon.

That evening I went home and the first thing I did was to fish out the paper with Nicola's number. There was no answer on the land line, so I tried her mobile. She sounded pleased to hear from me, but didn't seem to want to say much. However, when she told me she was at her parents home I understood. When I asked if she'd like to come out for a drink on Monday night she sounded disappointed.

"Tomorrow," she said. "So who are you taking out tonight?"

"No one," I said. "I just thought it was a bit late to ask for tonight."

"Do you know the Rose and Crown on Thorpe Road?" she asked.

I said I did.

"Good. I can be there in half an hour. I'll see you there."

Never before had I experienced such a forceful woman. She obviously knew what she wanted and was going to make sure she got it. I got to the pub with ten minutes to spare, so I found a quiet table and sat down with my St Clements to wait for her. When she opened the door my mouth fell open. She was absolutely gorgeous. It was the first time I'd seen her in a dress and it showed off her legs a treat. When I escorted her to the table I was the envy of every man in the pub. As she kissed me on the cheek a strange feeling shot through my head, a bit like you get when the plane you're in is descending. We sat and she asked me about the girls and then about Julie and I told her of the plan.

"And is there any urgent business?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," I replied, "but if the truth be told, it would probably have waited till I got back."

"Well, I'm glad you're not going," she said.

This gave me a lift, but when I looked into her eyes I could see there was something troubling her.

"OK," I said," lets have it. What's the problem?"

She looked deep into my eyes.

"Greg, you must have realised by now that I'm very attracted to you, but there is something I have to know."

"You want to know about what I did to Julie," I said, as my mood suddenly sank.

"I've seen you with your girls and with Julie and everything tells me you're a good man, but I've also talked to the boys who handled your case, and they think you're the worst kind of bully, a clever one. It's like two different people and I need to know which one is real."

It gives you a sinking feeling when you're forced to re-live something you have been trying for years to forget, but I knew if I wanted this relationship to go anywhere I was going to have to tell the whole sorry tale. At that moment I wanted my evening with Nicola to go on for ever, so I started at the beginning. I told her all about the video on the porn site and how convinced I was that it was Julie. I told her how much I'd hated her for betraying me. Then I told her about the revelation of a twin sister I knew nothing about. I told her about the court case, how Julie had spoken up for me; and how she had told me I needed help. Then I told her about John's clinic down in Aldershot and the year I spent regularly visiting there until John had told me I didn't need to go any more. I was on a roll now. My eyes were wet with tears, so I continued and told her about Kelly and how I had discovered she was married and the way I had dealt with that. By the time I got to Miles goading me in the restaurant she was in danger of her mascara running.

"So you see," I said. "When you ask which one is the real Greg Maitland? The answer is they both are, but that was then and this is now. This Greg Maitland would never react the way the old one did because he has learned to divorce anger from hatred. I only wish he had learned it before all that happened."

She reached over the table and took my hand in both of hers. Then she got up, kissed me on the forehead and walked away from the table. At that moment I thought that would be the last I ever saw of her. I turned, hoping to catch a final glimpse before she left, but she wasn't headed for the door. She was going towards the ladies rest room. Five minutes later she was standing beside me.

"I don't know about you, but I could do with another drink," she said as she picked up our glasses and headed to the bar.

When she returned it was obvious she had decided to give me the benefit of the doubt. The subject matter of our conversation got much lighter and before I knew it the landlord was asking us to leave so he could close up for the night. Nicola had arrived in a taxi so I drove her home in the Morgan. We arrived outside her place and just sat in the car, neither of us really wanting the night to end. I asked if I could see her again. When she said yes I was delighted and said I would pick her up the following night. We kissed before she left me and I realised what it was I had been missing for the last five years.

On Tuesday I drove Julie and the girls down to Falmouth to board the ship and was not expecting to be back in time for a date with Nicola. Both of us were reluctant to accept a day without seeing each other. We were behaving like a pair of love struck teenagers who couldn't stand to be apart.

The trip down to Falmouth was uneventful, in spite of the excitement level. Annabel had found out there were internet facilities on board and promised me an email every day to let me know what was happening. As they were checking in Julie turned and hugged me.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," she said. "Thank you."

They made their way up the gang plank and disappeared inside the ship. I waited around to see if they appeared at the stern to wave goodbye and sure enough, as the ship cast off, they all came out. As the ship left the harbour I made my way back to the car and set off for home.

During the time they were away I saw Nicola almost every night. It was Friday night when Nicola finally got tired of waiting. For my part, I treasured what we had so much, I was nervous about pushing things too fast, but that Friday Nicola invited me to her place. After dinner she led me to the bedroom. Five years is a long time to go without the sort of love we made in that room on that Friday night. We slept, woke up and made love again. I feasted on her body which turned out to be every bit as beautiful as I had expected. Her wonderful round bum proved to be very receptive to being stroked and massaged and my fingers on her back brought her mouth crashing down on mine with her hips grinding against me. We fell asleep in each other's arms. I woke to find my dick being prepared for action by Nicola's gorgeous mouth. After another session of lovemaking we showered and went to work. Eric was all smiles and winks when I turned up late for the first time since my divorce.

Annabel's emails were a joy to read. They were really enjoying their cruise. By the end of the first week they had dined with the Captain twice. Annabel thought he must fancy Julie. Nicola was always interested to hear about Annabel's emails.

Nicola's shifts made life difficult for us in the second week. She was working evenings, meaning the only time we saw each other was for lunch. I really missed her, but it did give me some time to work on the business plan for the bank. Another dealership had gone to the wall in the neighbouring town of Bishop Stanton and if I could get the premises for a good price I could expand the business into another town. I also took the opportunity to go and see Clare. I told her about Nicola and that our times of comforting each other were probably over. She actually seemed happy about it.

"I can't say I'm not going to miss it," she said, "but you're a good man and you deserve to be happy. I'm really glad you've found someone."

My interview with the business adviser at the bank went well. I now had such a good track record they were happy to finance a second branch. I put my bid in to the receivers and waited for their response. I also had something to sort out in London, so Thursday was devoted to a trip to there.

I took Saturday off to go down to Falmouth and pick up Julie and the girls. The ship docked at two pm and by three we were on our way home. Grace was telling me all about seeing mice drinking port in the Bodega and Annabel was full of seeing dolphins swimming close to the ship.

"And what about you?" I asked Julie. " I gather you were a big hit with the Captain."

"I really don't know what you mean," she said. "I can honestly say the only man who occupied my mind was the one who gave up his holiday for us." She grabbed my arm, pulled me close, and put her head on my shoulder.

I got them home around ten, helped Julie put the girls to bed, and brought the luggage in. Julie poured us both a glass of wine.

"So, how are you feeling now?" I asked.

"Fine," she said. "We all had a wonderful time and we all agreed the only thing that could have made it better was if you could have been with us."

This last comment took me by surprise. There had been a number of occasions when I'd thought we were getting close, but this was the first time in five years she'd said she wanted to be with me. She offered me another glass of wine, which I turned down as I had to drive home.

"You don't have to go," she said. "You could stay here tonight."

"No," I said. "I think I would sleep a lot better in my bed than on your sofa."

"It doesn't have to be the sofa," she said.

"I really don't think that's a good idea, do you?" I said. "I think you need to be sure of your feelings before we start anything like that."

I could see the look of disappointment on her face as she kissed me goodbye. I agreed I would go back on Monday evening to see how she felt after her first day back at work. I was very glad I decided to go home. Not long after I got there Nicola turned up on my doorstep looking very fragile. She threw her arms around me and buried her head in my chest. As I took her into the house I realised she was crying. We sat down and I just hugged her until she started to talk to me. It turned out she and John Blackman had been pursuing a stolen vehicle when it crashed into another car coming the other way. The occupants of the oncoming car, a young family, were all killed.

"Would you like to stay here tonight?" I asked.

She nodded and I led the way upstairs to bed. I held her until she fell asleep. In the morning she felt much better, good enough for us to spend the whole morning in bed. Breakfast was amazing. I had her lips and nipples for starter and her pussy for the main course. She feasted on my dick and my mouth. We got up in time for lunch and I took her to the pub by the river. I realised her shifts were getting in the way of our relationship. What the previous night had shown me was that I wanted her to be able to call on me any time she needed me. During lunch I gave her a key to my house with the instruction to come over whenever she wanted. I was hoping she would come over at the end of her shifts so at least we could spend the nights together. My plan worked out well. That night, as I was about to turn in, I heard her key in my door. Before I left for work I told Nicola I was going to see Julie that night. She gave me a look that said she was not entirely happy about it but just accepted it.

"Before I leave," I said, "there's something I'd like your help with."

I held up the third finger on my left hand.

"I've been trying to get this ring off for five years," I said. "I don't suppose you could help me get it off?"

"With pleasure, sir," she said, throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me.

With the help of some olive oil and a pair of latex gloves, she had the ring off my finger in less than ten minutes. Now I was truly a free man.

When Julie arrived home she was looking a little stunned. I asked how her day had gone and she said it had been fine. I asked if she had seen Miles and that's when I understood her stunned appearance.

"That's the strangest thing," she said. "I heard some of the girls in the office talking and they said he was dead. Some sort of car accident."

"How do you feel about that?" I asked.

"I don't know, really," she said. "I mean, I did really care for him, and in spite of what he did to me I never wished him dead. I'm not really sure he is dead, but right now I don't know how I would feel if he is."

"Well, I hope he's dead," said Annabel.

"Annabel," Julie said. "You shouldn't wish people harm."

That evening we sat and ate as a family. It was very pleasant and Julie seemed to be making a special effort to make me feel welcome. She asked me if I managed to get my business done and I told her I now had another branch of "Drive-In Auto services". She queried the name and I told her it was more appealing than "J&G Auto services".

"Yes, but J&G stood for Julie and Greg. Aren't you sad to see it go?" she asked.

"Not really," I said. "You made it clear you wanted nothing more to do with the company when you swapped your share for my half the house. At the time, my share of the house was worth a lot more than half the company. Still, I couldn't afford my share of the mortgage at the time, so it was a good short term deal for me."

"Well, I'm sad about it," she said. "It's like one more connection between us has been broken"

At the end of the evening I went home, even though Julie appeared to want me to stay.

The inquest for Miles was held at the Slough coroner's court. Julie wanted to go and had asked me to accompany her. From the start the verdict seemed to be a foregone conclusion. The police were convinced it was an accident. All their evidence pointed to Miles falling asleep at the wheel and not making the bend. The sergeant said there were no skid marks to indicate he had tried to brake, and where the car had hit the tree all the indications were that the car was coasting when it hit. The coroner asked if he thought suicide was a possibility. The sergeant said , in that case, he would expect the vehicle to be accelerating right up to the point of impact. However, all the evidence at the scene indicated this was not the case. When the grieving widow was called she painted a picture of a devoted family man. Julie was seething as she heard Miles' wife paint him as an ideal husband with absolutely no reason to take his own life.

The only dissenting voice came from the pathologist. He pointed out that the cause of death was a broken neck, caused by the head moving suddenly and quickly forward while the body was held back by the seat belt. He told the coroner that in a modern car with air bags it would not have happened. When the coroner asked if there was any evidence to contradict the police view of Miles falling asleep at the wheel, he came up with some interesting facts. He would have expected to find bruising from the seat belt on the right shoulder, but there was none. He also commented on there being post mortem trauma to the left shoulder. However, when asked if any of this ruled out the theory of falling asleep at the wheel he said he couldn't rule it out and that the level of alcohol in the blood made falling asleep more likely.

A recess was called to consider the verdict and I took the opportunity to speak to the grieving widow. Julie was interested in what I had to say to her.

"I asked her if she was open to offers on the wreck," I said. "She said I was being insensitive, but she still took my card."

"What do you want with the wreck?" she asked.

"I thought I would restore it," I told her.

"You will not," she said. "I never want to see that car in my driveway ever again."

"Ooh, Julie, are you inviting me to put my car in your driveway?" I asked.

Recognising the innuendo, she slapped me on the arm.

"I might be," she said, and we both laughed.

The court reconvened and the coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. Julie needed to go to the ladies room and I waited for her in the corridor outside the court. As I waited the grieving widow came up to me.

"Mr Maitland, you expressed an interest in buying Miles' car. Perhaps we could discuss it. Over dinner maybe."

"My God," I thought. "Her old man isn't buried yet and she's already looking for action."

"Sorry," I said. "I've changed my mind, I don't need the car now."

"Now that is a pity," she said. "Still, there's no reason why we shouldn't still have dinner."

At that moment Julie arrived. The widow's face changed as she recognised Julie.

"Mrs Penry-Jones, this is my ex-wife, Julie Maidment. I believe you two have already met," I said.

"Yes," said Mrs Penry-Jones, "but I know her as Julie Baker."

"I've always used my maiden name at work," Julie said.

This was another surprise for me.

"Tell me, Mrs Penry-Jones, does it take much practice to lie through your teeth like you just did in there?" Julie had her claws out now.

"All that stuff about being a devoted husband, when you know he hardly comes home and has been fucking me for the last year."

"It becomes much easier, darling, when half a million pounds is at stake," said the widow. "Not that I think there was ever a chance of it, but if suicide had been suspected the insurance company would halve the settlement. We both know the only person he ever really loved was Miles. To be honest I always expected to find he had been murdered by some jealous husband."

With that she handed me her card. "Think about my offer, Mr Maitland. I'm sure it would be worth your while."

As she walked away Julie was fuming. "She gets a million pounds and she didn't care about him one way or the other. He took six years of my life and I get nothing," she said.

There it was again, that mercenary streak. When did she become so obsessed with money, or had she always been so and I hadn't noticed? Then there was the other thing. SIX years she had said, but we had only been divorced for five. There were things that didn't quite add up.

I drove her back to her work in London and we had a light lunch in a wine bar, just around the corner from her office. While we were there one of her colleagues, Allison, came in and Julie invited her to join us. The two chatted about work and the inquest until Julie decided she had to go into work. Allison was still finishing her lunch and remained with me. Just as I was about to leave she reached across and put her hand on mine.

"I'd just like to say I think it's wonderful how you still support her," she said. "After her affairs with Miles and all."

"That was all after we divorced," I said, "so it was none of my business."

"Oh, yes, of course," Allison said, with a look of someone who has said more than she meant to, "but to still be friends is really good."

I showed no indication of having noticed, but it kept going around in my head. Alison had said Julie had affairs with Miles. That was affairs, plural. I only knew about an affair, singular.

It all came out shortly after the inquest. Julie had started cooking dinner on the days I had the girls and she would invite me to stay to eat with them. It was at one of these dinners that Annabel and Grace started to talk about Nicola. I hadn't really thought to tell Julie about her. After all, it was none of her business. However, after one visit that had particularly excited them they started to tell Julie about having a ride in Nicola's police car. This time Julia wanted to know who she was, so I told her she was my fiancée. Julie was particularly quiet after that until we'd put the girls to bed.

"How could you do that to me?" she asked.

"Do what?" I countered.

"Oh, come off it, you must have realised," she said. "You let me waste all my efforts, cooking for you, almost pleading with you to come to my bed. You must have realised I was trying to win you back. All the time I was doing that you're asking some slut of a police woman to marry you."