really quite restrained, you know,â her eyes widened at the injustice of it all. âAlthough I did just buy this fabulous Chanel bag last month in LA when I took the children to Disneyland; isnât it to die for?â She dropped the bag back onto the sofa in defeat.
âOur relationship has just become so stale and awful, thereâs nothing but squabbles. And with everyone talking about this stupid economic crisis â well, itâs just too boring, isnât it?â
âHave you tried counselling?â Jessica asked and moved to retrieve the wine from the fridge.
âHeâs suggested it a few times, but I figure why bother? Itâs not going to help. I donât know if I even want to work on the relationship. I just donât know what to do. Please donât tell anyone.â
âOf course not,â Jess promised, topping up both their glasses.
âYou know what? I really donât want to talk about it any more, itâs so hideous,â Tori said.
âNo worries,â Jessica said, âbut Iâm here whenever you need me, okay?â
âThanks, love,â Tori nodded, plucking a slice of baked eggplant from the platter. âAnd Iâm sorry for dumping all this on you. You have enough relationship angst of your own to deal with.â
Jess went back to sorting out her scrapbooking supplies. âThatâs okay, sweetie, your stuff doesnât make mine any harder; we all have things to deal with.â She screwed the lid tightly onto her glue pot. âSometimes I just wish I hadnât been so sucked in by him, you know, but then I think that at least by trusting him I got those wonderful years with Liam and Callum.â She sighed. âI canât decide what would have been worse; never having them to begin with, or losing them the way I have.â
âDarling, itâs an impossible situation and thereâs really no point thinking about all the what-ifs,â Tori counselled.
âI know youâre right,â Jess said as she screwed up scrap paper and threw it in the recycling bin. âHe was such a phoney, you know,â she said suddenly. âThatâs what it was. He was such a good salesman as a wine rep that it spilled over to his private life. He would do or say anything to get his own way.â
âOh, for sure,â Tori said. âLike when he told Nick he barracked for St Kilda and managed to get him around to work all day during last yearâs finals when Nick had origin ally said no.â
âYeah, thatâs right. I was so surprised about that. I couldnât work out why Nick wasnât going to the game. But he said, âAnything for a Saints fan.â Then when I told him that Graham was a Kiwi who didnât even follow AFL he just stormed off. He never returned another of Grahamâs calls.â
âWow, what a dog.â Tori shook her head.
âCome on, letâs go and sit out on the deck,â Jessica suggested. âItâs a beautiful night.â
Outside a blanket of stars sparkled from above and a gentle breeze flirted with the gums. âHere, thisâll keep you warm,â Jess said and threw a mohair rug to Tori, who slipped it around her shoulders.
They settled into the outdoor furniture with their drinks, the snacks on a table between them, and Jess continued her story.
âIt wasnât as if there was one big moment where everything fell apart between us, you know; it was more like a whole lot of little things that slowly eroded our relationship.â
âI know absolutely what you mean,â Tori replied. She pulled the rug closer around her. âItâs like thereâs just a long horrible rumbling of nastiness.â
âExactly,â Jessica nodded, tucking her feet under her body. âBut I was so in love with the boys that Graham sort of faded out of the picture. The boys and I were a team. Perhaps thatâs why he