The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath

Author:Mel McGrath [McGrath, Mel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2019-01-31T00:00:00+00:00

His breath catches, throat swells like a frog’s and he feels himself almost slayed with grief. Everything he’s let go, the horrible stiff-upper-lipness of his horrible upbringing. Cassie helped but it wasn’t really until he met Gav that he was able finally to divest himself of it. If he hadn’t read that paragraph all those years ago would he ever had had the courage to reject the future that had been mapped out for him?

Hadn’t his parents done everything they could to try to rip him off, to trick him into a life of pretence and quiet despair? And for what? Respectability? Convention? If it hadn’t been for Cassie and, later, Gav, he might have slipped into the mould they had already prepared for him. When he thinks about Gav, though, his heart stumbles. Dex has always been given a long leash, Gav never even trying to impose his own monogamous impulses on his husband. There has only ever been one condition. Play by all means, but if you’re going to play, play away. Gav has never asked anything else of him, except, perhaps, a willingness to feign interest in opera and modern dance, but still Dex hasn’t been able to find it in himself to comply. Plus his earlier encounter wasn’t the first time he’d ordered in. Why? Laziness? The path of least resistance? Maybe. Or could it be some twisted combo of revenge for his financial dependency coupled with a secret desire to get caught? Mate, best not go there.

He tunes back into the music, moves a little to the beat. The Radials! Irresistible. The dance area comes alive as everyone begins flinging their bodies around. For a moment Dex is transported. Someone pushes past and sends him off balance. He swings an arm out to stay himself and sees the culprit hurrying away. A small woman with dark hair, dressed in red. She turns for an instant, doesn’t see him, but in that moment a sharp stab of recognition hits him. Oh, but, hang on, isn’t that the pizza delivery girl from earlier? What’s she doing here? His eyes scan the space beside her for signs of a companion, but she’s scurrying off towards the edge of the dance area. Alone, he thinks. It’s a bit sad, actually. Who goes to a festival without their mates? He feels for her, a foreigner in his town, his capital. He should buy her a drink. Yes, be magnanimous. He muscles his way through the crowd towards her waving and catches her eye. She’s surprised to see him, which, yes – he suddenly wonders if he isn’t being a bit creepy. Maybe that’s why she seems ill at ease, a bit embarrassed.

‘Hey,’ he says, ‘fancy seeing you here.’

‘Yeah,’ she says. She’s trying to sound nice but Dex is pretty sure she’s faking it. Her breathing has quickened and her eyes are darting from side to side as if she’s looking for an escape exit. He’s intrigued now. Why is she

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