Free Friday's Child by Clare Revell

She’d tried to brake and swerve, but she hadn’t been quick enough.
    Patrick moved around the front of the car and motioned to her to back up slowly.
    She wound down the window. “I can’t.”
    He moved around to the window. “Don’t give me that. Just put the car in reverse and go slowly.”
    “But the cat?”
    “Elle, forget the cat. Back slowly off this log or we’re not going anywhere.”
    “OK,” she whispered. The car jerked as she reversed slowly.
    “Great, now stop and put the hand brake on, so I can check underneath.”
    The light of the torch vanished under the car. She closed her eyes tightly. This was meant to be a simple trip to the cliff top house owned by Garth’s parents. His parents were away, so he’d invited twelve of them from university up for the weekend before Easter break. Studying for finals and partying was on the agenda for all of them.
    The door opened and Patrick climbed back in. “No damage that I can see. A tiny scrape on the paintwork, but clear nail varnish will fix that up and stop it rusting.” He smiled. “You all right to drive or want me to?”
    “I’ll do it. You don’t want to go home?”
    He shook his head, kissing her cheek. “Of course I don’t. I get to spend the whole weekend with you. Why would I want to go home?”
     
    ****
     
    Eleanor shook her head, pushing that day and those images far from her mind. If he knew what she’d done, he’d have nothing but contempt for her. She deserved every harsh word, angry look and irate tone he gave her.
    The door opened and Patrick came back in. With him was the blonde haired woman that had been with him in the library, who close up, was even prettier than she remembered. She carried a bag of what looked like takeaway. Patrick carried another one. He grinned at his companion, seeming at ease in her presence, laughing at something she’d obviously said in the hallway.
    Patrick put the bag on the counter. “Elle, this is my partner, Shay Williams. Shay, this is Eleanor Harrison, or Lisa Bellamy.”
    An unexpected surge of jealously at the word partner flooded her. “Hi.” She shoved her hands in her pockets, not meaning to appear so openly hostile, but unable to stop it.
    “Hello. I hope you still like Chinese. Patrick said it was a fairly safe thing to get for lunch.”
    “Yeah.” She glanced at Patrick, hating the way he grinned at the other woman. Things had just got too much for her to deal with. Once the letter came she knew she needed help. She asked for, needed protection of some sort, but she didn’t expect to be whisked away from everything and everyone and hidden. She’d thought maybe a cop would follow her around, like in a movie. She hadn’t, even in her wildest dreams, expected that her protector would be Patrick, nor had she imagined he’d be an MI5 agent.
    What had she gotten herself mixed up with if the top security agency in the country were protecting her? Didn’t they deal with terrorists? There was no way she was a terrorist. She was simply a nightclub singer, trying to find a break. More to the point, she was irritated, no, way more than irritated, that he hadn’t been truthful with her.
    As if you’ve been truthful with him.
    She ignored her nagging conscience. There was a huge difference between what she’d done and this.
    And that partner of his. Did she have to be so pretty? And they were as close as she and Patrick once had been. Was he so fickle with his relationships? Did he treat all women alike until he got his way with them? Were they more than just work colleagues?
    She knew she was being irrational, but it still hurt to think about the relationship she had thrown away. She bowed her head.
    God, I know I don’t have the right to ask You for anything, but help me not to be angry, when I have no right to be. And help me not to feel so jealous. After all, I left Patrick, not the other way around .
     
    ****
     
    Patrick chatted with Shay as they ate, trying to compensate for