Free I Trust You by Katherine Pathak

impossible to pretend that Gerald Coleman wasn’t there. He attracted people like bees around a honeypot. Every time she glanced over, he was holding court with yet another group. The man had a gift for schmoozing. Try as he might, Eliot had never quite matched it.
    When the sun had dipped behind the headland and the air wasn’t quite as pleasantly warm as it had been at the start of the event, the guests began to drift away. Marisa thought she’d help Louise by picking up the glasses that had been left along the edge of the pontoon, some had even been discarded on the boats themselves.
    She felt a presence close beside her. ‘You shouldn’t be doing that. It’s not your job.’
    Marisa answered without even looking at him. ‘I want to get these empties shifted before they leave a mark on the fibreglass. Would you believe how thoughtless people can be?’
    Eliot’s voice softened. ‘Money can’t always buy class.’ He rested his hands gently on her shoulders. ‘Please come inside and let Louise’s team do this. I’m not just being an arse for the sake of it, you know. I don’t want you to overdo things.’
    Marisa leant against him. ‘I understand, and I’m sorry I was so late the other night. The traffic was awful and Erin and I had so much to talk about.’ For some reason, she didn’t allude to her visit to Lee Powell’s house in Thornhill.
                  ‘Don’t mention it sweetheart. I was a little worried when you were so late back and I couldn’t reach you on the mobile, but it doesn’t matter now. You won’t be going again, so there’s no point in dwelling on it.’
                  Marisa’s body stiffened by the tiniest fraction. She hoped he hadn’t noticed. Changing the subject, she whispered, ‘your dad’s here, he arrived an hour ago.’
                  ‘I could hardly miss him. I was on the verge of closing a deal with Donald Tucker. Suddenly, Dad’s dulcet tones drifted down the jetty towards us on the sea breeze. Before I knew what was happening, Donald was leading Dad off for a whisky and soda at the bar.’
                  ‘He says Gaia is away with the girls this week, otherwise he wouldn’t have come. He’s usually quite good at leaving you to it.’
                  ‘That’s true enough. Oh yes, Gaia’s in Paris. I remember her mentioning it now at lunch a few weeks back. You got an invite, darling. You should consider joining them next time.’
                  Marisa creased her face. ‘It’s just not my thing. Shopping on the Rue St Honoré and an evening at the Rex Club comparing Dior outfits. I’d be totally out of my depth. Grace never goes.’
                  ‘She’s got the kids as an excuse.’ Eliot immediately gave her a tight squeeze, hoping his wife wouldn’t take offence at this comment. He was only stating a fact, after all.
                  ‘Another of the perils of being childless. No bloody excuse to get out of unwelcome social events.’
                  Eliot glanced at her nervously, not knowing how to respond to this apparent quip. He saw she was smiling and relaxed, so he allowed himself to laugh. But inwardly he was shocked. Marisa hadn’t been able to make a joke about their struggle to have children during the last eight years – if ever. He wondered if this counsellor she was going to might actually be having a positive effect. He hardly dared hope that Marisa might finally accept the reality they’d never have a child of their own. Because if she could, he believed there may actually be some hope for their marriage after all.
     

Chapter 11
                               
                                             
     
    A lthough it was a Saturday, Eliot had taken a prospective client out for a sail around the bay. They would certainly go for lunch in one of the