Never Again

Part Twenty Eight

Jack had got special permission to not be at the team hotel the night before the inaugural match, so that he could accompany Erin to Michelle’s birthday meal. He was keeping up the attentiveness that he’d shown since he’d found out she was pregnant, and since the blow with her father they had a closeness that they’d missed out on before. Erin was happy, happier than she had been for a long time, despite everything.

Michelle was clucking as they arrived at her favourite restaurant, and ushered them into the dining room. It was a small gathering, four couples, and there was an element of awkwardness at Jack’s presence, both from the other two couples joining them - Marcia, Michelle’s cousin and her husband, and Sophie,  Michelle’s work colleague and good friend, and her boyfriend, but also from the other patron’s of the restaurant. Jack was after all a household name and face.

The food was amazing, Portuguese, and it was the greatest meal that Erin had eaten in a long time, and once everyone realised Jack was a normal guy, the meal became quite raucous. But Erin didn’t really get chance to speak to her friend, not in the way that the two of them were used to, and she’d promised her mother that she’d meet her the following day, so time was running out this weekend.

                “I’ve got a window for breakfast? Early?”

Michelle grinned, “I will always make room for your window!” They hugged tightly before the night ended.

But true to her word, Michelle was waiting at their favourite cafe at half past nine the next morning, grinning from ear to ear.

                “So you two were looking all cuddly last night! I KNEW Jack Reilly would come good! And I am SO pleased he stood up to your father...he still scares me!”

Erin lowered herself into her seat and sighed, “Michelle, let’s not get ahead of ourselves! You were never one for presumptions! Jack Reilly, despite me thinking to the contrary, is actually shaping up to be a dedicated father-to-be. But that is truly as far as it goes. Ok?”

Michelle opened her menu and looked at it for a moment before looking up at her friend, “really? He is the funny, friendly, and quite frankly the hottest and fittest man that you’ve EVER dated...”

Shaking her head Erin closed her own menu, “let me remind you of how he abandoned me at that restaurant, then he begs forgiveness...within days he’s photographed with a busty blonde.  Rewind three years, me, sat at home, Max out with a busty blonde, uncaring of me...do you see a pattern emerging? I am not falling for all that bullshit again mate.”

Michelle sighed, “Erin, Jack is not Max. Nowhere near. Have you talked to him about it?” When her friend shook her head she added, “there may be an innocent explanation for this.”

                “Like Max always had? I need to stay emotionally clear of him Michelle, the baby is the important thing, and it is all I’m concentrating on. Ok?”

Michelle knew when to quit, they’d been friends for long enough, she truly believed Erin was wrong, and she also knew her friend better than she knew herself. She was already hook, line and sinker for this man, she was trying to fight it, protect herself but it was already too late. But there would be time to counsel her, Erin was quite determined and the last thing she wanted was to fight with her over this, she had no desire to ruin their short time together with an argument. She could only hope that Jack could be his persuasive best and break down Erin’s defences. If anyone could, it was him. So she instead smiled and devoted her focus to her best friend.

She LOVED Jack’s apartment, it was everything that a London pad should be, old fashioned - it had one of those cage lifts in the hallway, the high ceilings, full length sash windows, it was perfect. There was even a private roof terrace nestled between the chimneys of adjacent buildings that captured the afternoon sun. They’d shared the bedroom again last night, the guest room was London-sized small and Erin couldn’t see Jack out of his own bed for her. And again it had been cute, cuddly and very friendly.