The Food Of Love

Food Of Love Chapter 13

Part   13

Sitting in the car  Terrie  got out her phone again  and dialled  Max's own number.  

Mark had been touchingly jealous to hear that she had it.   “ Max is like my Brother Mark.  I've got  both his  and Lucy's numbers.   Just for emergencies.”

   “ Hiya  Max.”   She said as he answered.   Mark and Peter could catch snippets of what he said in reply.

“ Terrie.  Luce said you were  coming round  babe.  I'm just in the garden.  To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure  then ? ”

“ Cool it  buster. “   It was like  the play fighting of puppies.  “ Not only have I  got Peter with me I've also got my boyfriend ”.   

And she gave Mark a sidelong luscious  glance that had him blushing and squirming in his seat.

Max's voice lost some of its playful edge.    All the time Terrie had remained single,  he had clung to his fantasy  of their being together.

But when he'd heard she'd  got a man in her life it had been  like a knife in the belly.   He'd managed to convince himself that it wouldn't last.  He'd never met the man so could deny he existed.  He couldn't have Terrie so didn't want anyone else to have her.

 “So  as I said  what brings you up here ?”   He all but snapped.

And Terrie dropped the further bombshell  about Peter now knowing the truth.........

“ He's  fond of you Max  and now he wants to know you as his Dad.   who am I to deny him the chance any longer”.

Him.  Not me.  Max thought  savagely.  “ We'll talk about this  more when you get here “.   He added icily.

errie looked at Mark and sighed.   “ I couldn't expect him not to feel a bit resentful.   I made him keep silent about it all these  years and now all of a sudden it's coming out”.

Mark gave her a quick smile.   “ But you're  doing it because it was the right time for Peter.  Surely he'll  see that “.

“ I wish I could be so sure “   she answered    “ and there's the matter of him still carrying a torch for me.  I can hear it in his voice”, she added as an explanation  as Mark bridled.

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Lucy  hugged Terrie and Peter in greeting  and  then stared flabbergasted at  Mark.

Suddenly all the  sense of  superiority she  had felt   over Terrie in her last  12 years as a  married woman melted away.

She had always thought Max to be gorgeous  and to be honest he certainly was in a strawberry blonde ruggedly built way.

But the jealousy  she had always had of  Terrie in the back of her mind made her see  her own man as eclipsed by the  far superior beauty and charisma of this man.

There was no doubt that  whatever the secret formula of 'sex appeal '  or 'allure'  was then Mark Chatford  oozed it from every pore.

There was no doubt that  he was head over heels for Terrie and try as she might  Lucy couldn't be truly happy for her.

Max came in and kissed Lucy en route.    Terrie was delighted to see a genuine tenderness in him.

Then he hugged Terrie and greeted Peter cheerily  before he was introduced to Mark  by a glowing Terrie.