Page 62 of A Merry Little Christmas

Even though Nell had been so fed up with Merry that she’d resigned from the business on the spot, there she was, still working at this time of night. ‘It’s just that she’s not answering her phone and I need to talk to her.’

‘She hasn’t got her phone with her.’ He pulled Nell’s mobile out of his pocket. ‘She dropped it on Yvonna’s drive when she dropped Max home. I’ve been over to fetch it. She won’t have heard any of your messages.’

‘I haven’t left messages,’ said Merry. ‘There’s something I need to say to her, face to face.’

She let out a ragged breath. She was getting to the stage in the evening where if she didn’t sit down soon, she was going to collapse.

‘Are you feeling all right?’ Olek asked. ‘I guess that’s a silly question. Do you want to come in, sit down?’

She shook her head. ‘I’d better not, Cole is expecting me home. I … My dad has passed away, it happened this evening. I wanted to let Nell know.’

‘I’m so sorry.’ He gently put his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. ‘Dear Merry, you are having quite a difficult time of it.’

‘I am. I feel like I can’t catch a break, so much is happening. Too much for me to process.’ She rested her head on his shoulder, content to take advantage of his strength for a moment. She’d always liked Olek, he was like the brother she’d never had, and he was such a good match for Nell.

‘It must be overwhelming,’ he murmured.

‘First me being admitted into hospital, then Dad getting ill. And now, suddenly, he’s gone for good. But, hey, you’re not having an easy time of it either. Nell told me about your test results. I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope it works out for you. You’ll make such brilliant parents together and there are other ways to—’

‘She’s talked to you?’ Olek stiffened and held her away from him. ‘What did she say?’

Merry bit her lip, wondering if she’d spoken out of turn. After all, Nell had said she didn’t want to talk about it. ‘Not much, only that you couldn’t conceive and that you were working it out between you.’

Olek stared at her so intensely that she felt herself shrinking back from him. ‘So she actually admitted to you that it is me who’s infertile?’ He shook his head, bewildered. ‘I don’t believe this. Am I the only one who didn’t know the truth?’

Olek was the one with the issue? She tried not to hide her surprise. Nell had been so adamant that it would be her that it hadn’t occurred to Merry that it wasn’t. ‘No, no! That’s not what I mean. When I said “you”, I was referring to both you and Nell.’

‘I see.’ Olek looked dubious.

‘But I am sorry this has happened now,’ Merry rushed on, eager to steer the conversation to safer waters. ‘Particularly as neither of you have had problems in the past.’

His eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Nothing!’ She recoiled from the anger in his tone. ‘Only that with you having Max, and Nell having had a previous pregnancy, I assumed—’

‘Nell?’ Olek stared at her open-mouthed. ‘What are you talking about?’

Merry was confused, thinking that it was obvious. ‘The fact that she managed to get pregnant before, by accident, should imply that she wouldn’t have any issue conceiving – unless there’s a new issue, of course. I mean, that was a long time ago.’

‘She was pregnant before?’ Olek’s eyes widened with shock.

Merry could have bitten her own tongue out for being so indiscreet. ‘Oh my God. You didn’t know. I assumed… it was never a secret, she was open about it at the time.’

‘Not to me she wasn’t.’ A muscle in his jaw flexed.

‘I’m sure she didn’t mean to keep it from you.’ She wracked her brains, trying to remember if Nell had ever mentioned not wanting to tell him, but nothing came to mind. She’d never have broken Nell’s confidence if she’d known. ‘It was a long time ago, before she knew you.’

‘How reassuring.’ He gave a harsh laugh. ‘You know, until tonight I thought my wife and I didn’t have any secrets from each other. Now I’m not sure if I know her at all.’

‘It must be a misunderstanding,’ Merry said hurriedly. ‘She loves you, she’d never deliberately lie, or do anything to mislead you.’

‘Oh really?’ Olek said bitterly. ‘I’m afraid you’re wrong, because I’ve just heard her suggest to another man that she’d have sex with him to get pregnant and that no one would ever know.’

‘What?’ She inhaled sharply. ‘Which other man? Nell would never do that. Never.’

‘She just has. To the guy in your Airbnb. She was upstairs with him when I called in to give her the phone back. Once I’d heard her say that, I had to get out of there in case I did anything I’d regret.’

‘Woody?’ Merry breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Those two are as thick as thieves, but I don’t think she’s his type. He’s got a husband of his own.’