Independent Jenny by Sarah Louise Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

remember rightly. You seemed happy, back then. Maybe you’ve just grown apart.”
    “Maybe we both stopped making the effort. Relationships take work, maybe we both stopping working at it and just became … complacent?”
    “Well, it was no excuse to cheat. But maybe this is an opportunity for you to find yourself again. Think about what you want next and what would make you happy.”
    “I’ve no idea how to do that.”
    “Maybe you should take that trip with Hayley. Get some time away to think. Maybe a week in the sun will help you figure out what you want.”
    “That is kind of appealing.”
    “Then do it.”
    He gave me a quick hug and went back to work. I walked back to my studio but I couldn’t concentrate on the photos, so after a while I went home and spent the rest of the afternoon with my earphones in, moving from room to room in a bubble of pop music, tidying and cleaning the house. I collected a load of clutter I no longer wanted in a bag by the front door, ready for a charity shop. I scrubbed inside the kitchen cupboards. I dusted and vacuumed every room. I put all the photo frames containing the faces of Ross and I together in the spare room, face down in an empty drawer. There was a frame in the hall with all of our siblings in it at our wedding. Every time I passed it, I hovered and looked at Aiden’s smiling face.
    Finally, I sat down with a cup of tea. There was no avoiding thinking about it anymore. Aiden had kissed me.
    Yes. Aiden kissed me and it felt … amazing. Weird, for a second, like I was kissing my brother, and then it wasn’t my brother any more but a handsome, kind man who loved me. Loved me enough to never hurt me. He even loved me enough to let me go and make up my mind about this whole mess without persuasion or forcing the issue at all.
    I hadn’t even thought about Ross and the other girls. Yes, plural. Ever since Aiden said that he’d forced Ross to tell me, I was pretty sure that this wasn’t the first time it’d happened. Just the first time he’d been spotted. Of course there had been more than one. How could I believe now that it’d only happened once?
    My phone rang, making me jump. Ross. Ugh. I answered, knowing he’d keep calling if I didn’t.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey. How was your day?”
    “Fine thanks.”
    “Listen, I want to talk to you.”
    I didn’t want to see him but I did want to confront him about the other girls.
    “Okay. Come round right now if you like.”
    While I waited for him to arrive, I thought about what I might say. I was pretty sure now that there was no going back. Maybe neither of us was as in love as much as we used to be. Somehow, we’d gone through the motions without me ever stopping to consider if we were still a good match. We hadn’t been out for a meal or a day or anything nice as a couple for so long. He was right; I spent more time with Shane than him. We’d drifted apart. And now I was drifting towards Aiden.
    Somehow, letting him go no longer made me sad, but relieved. I wasn’t jealous of those other girls, I was almost … grateful. The realisation made me smile.
    I imagined Aiden kissing another woman and realised how that did make me unhappy. Interesting.
    His knock came at the door and a rush of familiarity washed over me as I looked at him. Suddenly, I wasn’t sure again. I walked back into the living room without waiting to let him pass or greet me. I sat down on the sofa and he went to the armchair. Before he could speak I held out my hand to stop him.
    “Tell me something, Ross. How many times has this happened?”
    “What?”
    “The random sex with a stranger.”
    “Just this once, babe.”
    “And why did you tell me? Why not keep it secret?”
    “Because I felt so guilty.”
    “No, because Aiden saw you.”
    His face turned white.
    “Aiden told you that? Jesus, he’s supposed to be my brother.”
    “Aiden cares about me.”
    His eyes flashed to mine.
    “What?”
    “Like a brother. He’s just looking