Free Anything but Ordinary by Nicola Rhodes Page A

silence. 
    ‘Well, I’d better go and see what Agent Whatisname is doing,’ said Denny eventually. 
    ‘I wonder why Tamar sent him here,’ mused Cindy. 
    ‘I think it was a message,’ said Denny his voice vibrating with hope. ‘Of course she may just have wanted us to help him,’ he conceded. ‘Hard to imagine her needing rescuing really.
    I know what you mean,’ said Cindy.
    ‘She … I mean why wouldn’t she come home, if she could?  Mind you, we were arguing a lot,’ he answered his own question. ‘All that “being normal” crap,’ he continued,  ‘Facials and shopping and stuff like that … not that I blame you of course.’
    There was a frosty silence. 
    ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ said Cindy. 
    ‘Well, nothing, I just …’ Denny backtracked desperately.
    ‘You think this is my fault?’ Cindy was outraged.  ‘After all the stuff you did. Acting like a chauvinistic prat, telling her what to do all the time, lightning bolts in the kitchen.’
    Denny was furious.  He leaped angrily to his feet. ‘ You were the one who got her into all that stuff in the first place. And you encouraged her, even though you must have known that it was driving me mad. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hadn’t done it on purpose, just to drive a wedge between us, you’re quite smart enough for that !’ he went on relentlessly.  ‘That dumb blonde routine of yours might fool the others, but I know better.’
    ‘Why would I do that?’ snapped Cindy. ‘God knows she’s welcome to you,’ she continued hurriedly before he could answer. ‘I saw the way you treated her before she left. She was in tears some nights after you had been having a go at her.  You drove her away. It had nothing to do with me. And I don’t blame her for walking out. I wouldn’t have put up with it either.’ She stopped. Denny’s face was white. He knuckled his eyes to stem the sudden tears that had sprung up. 
    Cindy was horrified.  What had she said ?
    ‘Was I really that bad?’ he stuttered.
    ‘No-no, I didn’t mean it, I was angry. I’m sorry. Don’t…’
    ‘I was ,’ said Denny. ‘Jack warned me I was behaving badly too, only he put it a bit more tactfully than you did.’ he slumped back into the chair and covered his face with his hands.
    Cindy put a tentative arm around him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated. ‘I miss her too.’ There did not seem to be anything else to say. 
    ‘I just want her to come back,’ said Denny.
    ‘She will ,’ said Cindy vehemently. It was terrible seeing this side of the normally laid back Denny. 
    Denny looked up at her face.  ‘I’m sorry I tried to blame you.  I didn’t mean it. I guess I’ve treated you pretty badly too. I just didn’t want to face the truth – that it was me. I drove her away.’
    ‘I’m not at all sure that you did,’ said Cindy thoughtfully. ‘I mean it’s not like her to just leave like that. You can forget all that stuff I said before. I was just being emotional. I guess we’ll know more after that Agent tells you what he remembers.’ 
    ‘You don’t have to be nice to me,’ said Denny. ‘I don’t deserve it. I’m a shit.’
    ‘You are a shit,’ said Cindy but without accusation in her voice, ‘lately anyway.  But you didn’t use to be. And I don’t think you’ve changed that much, not deep down.’ she took his face in her hands and turned it gently towards her as if he was a small boy. ‘What’s wrong with you Denny?  What’s happened to you?’
    ‘I don’t know. It’s like it’s not really me saying those things. Only I know it is.’
    ‘All I know,’ said Cindy. ‘Is that you have always been one of the sweetest, gentlest, kindest men I ever met. And Tamar knows it too. I wouldn’t have left you over a few silly arguments …’
    ‘Cindy …’
    ‘… and I don’t think she would either.’ finished Cindy. ‘She’s too wise for that. If I can see that you haven’t been acting like yourself