Do You Remember? by Mandy Baggot Read Free Book Online

of all her confused feeling now being expelled from her mouth.
    ‘What about Dominic?’ Guy stated, his eyes meeting hers.
    ‘Ah! Here you are! Finally got served. They’ve got a bit of a rush on what with it being freebies. Ally’s jumped behind the bar. It’s all hands on deck,’ Chris said, joining them. He sounded like a jovial Santa. It was completely inappropriate.
    ‘We should go soon. We don’t want to impose on Dad too much,’ Emma said. Her cheeks were infused with colour and she tried to mask the bitterness in her voice.
    ‘Christ, Em it’s barely past ten! I’m sure he wasn’t expecting us back this early,’ Chris said. He gave a snort of amusement.
    ‘I’m not feeling very well,’ Emma responded. She held her bag to her stomach and dropped her eyes to the floor.
    ‘Shall I get you a glass of water? Is that red wine you’ve had? You know red wine doesn’t agree with you,’ Chris said. He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
    ‘No, don’t go. I’m fine, just the humidity I expect,’ Emma replied, clutching at the sleeve of Chris’ nylon jacket.
    ‘I must go and speak with Jerome from Ultra Leisure. It was nice to meet you both, excuse me,’ Guy said, backing away from them.
    ‘Hang on, mate! Before you go…what time for the coaching session tomorrow? Dom is going to go nuts when we tell him,’ Chris said.
    ‘Nine thirty. Registration and then we start with simple techniques and ball skills,’ Guy replied. He looked to Emma.
    ‘Brilliant! Cheers!’ Chris said, waving his glass in the air in appreciation.
    Emma watched Guy’s every step. His expensive suit, the way he moved. She would know him anywhere, just from his gait. She had watched him so often back then, at first from a distance and then up close. It was if he was permanently etched on her brain. All those years dwelling on what he’d done had done nothing to destroy the feelings she had for him. She hated it.
    ‘Dom’s going to be made up about doing football skills with someone from Finnerham United you know,’ Chris said, swigging from his pint and spilling some on his tie.
    ‘Can you take him tomorrow then? I thought you were working,’ Emma remarked.
    ‘I am, but you haven’t got anything planned, have you? You’ll only have to drop him off and pick him up. Guy isn’t going to expect you to join in,’ Chris said. He laughed.
    She nodded and smiled feebly. Even a five minute drop off was going to be five minutes too much.
     
    He sat in his car, his fist in his mouth, his heart breaking. He had a son. He was eight years old and tomorrow he was going to see him. All those years apart with no contact she had been raising his child. How could this have happened? Had he hurt her that much? She didn’t even have the whole of the story. She only knew what she saw…what she thought she saw. If she’d really loved him she should have waited for an explanation. An explanation she should have known would have come. He had been in a dire situation. A dire, disgusting, situation he still had nightmares about. What had happened that day had cost him Emma.
    He wiped at his eyes with his fingers and thought about Luc. He would have been an uncle.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    August 2005
     
    ‘Dad, would you mind if we didn’t go to Nice today?’ Emma asked.
    It was almost ten. She had helped him cook blackened scrambled eggs on the camping stove and now she was watching him collate the plates and burnt saucepan to take to the washing up area.
    ‘Oh, love, I thought we had it all planned. You, me, yacht-gazing, boutique-shopping and baguette-munching,’ Mike said. He looked over at her as he gathered up the utensils.
    ‘I know but I want you to enter the darts competition. You missed the one last week and there isn’t one the next. You should enter,’ Emma told him.
    She had been planning this speech since last night when Guy had kissed her.
    After their smooch to Roxette, she had left the dance floor lightheaded, her