‘Ordinarily that would have been the thing to do, but there was a child, and—’
‘Child?’ she queried sharply. ‘There’s a child?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, a boy.’
‘But he—he told me he doesn’t have any children.’
‘He doesn’t—now. Danny died twelve years ago. He was seven.’
‘Oh God,’ she felt faint, ‘how awful!’
‘Yes. It wouldn’t have been so bad if Margaret hadn’t kept blaming herself for it.’ Brad took a deep breath. ‘I’m not explaining this very well. When Jake realised exactly what his wife was he moved out of their house and into an apartment. Unfortunately, unknown to either of them, Margaret was already pregnant with Danny. Over the next five years they tried on and off to make a go of it, but it just didn’t work out. And yet Margaret was really good with the boy, an ideal mother in fact. And if Danny had more uncles than any other kid in the neighbourhood he didn’t seem to realise it.’
‘Surely if things were as bad as that Jake could have taken the boy away from her?’
‘Like I said, you couldn’t fault her behaviour as a mother. So it went on year after year, Jake married and yet not married, the one thing holding them together the love they both felt for the boy. Then Danny died.’
‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘He had leukaemia. It was as if Danny had been the only thing holding Margaret on the ground, after his death she was either high on booze or drugs the whole time.’
‘And Jake?’ she asked quietly, shocked and appalled by the tragic past Jake hid from everyone.
‘Jake has his own way of dealing with grief. He works himself until he drops. And drop he did. He was as much of a wreck as Margaret for about a year—he really loved that kid. But finally he came to his senses and set about building what life he could, something Margaret was never able to do.’
‘Why did she die?’ Stacy asked.
‘Now that’s something you’ll have to ask Jake about if you really want to know, and if he really wants to tell you. I’m just trying to explain to you why he hits the roof every time he sees you with another man. He can’t take that from a woman after Margaret.’
‘But I’ve tried to explain to him that they mean nothing to me!’
Brad shook his head. ‘That wouldn’t mean a thing to him. Do you think Margaret didn’t tell him the same thing time and time again? The only trouble with her was that they didn’t mean a thing, she just needed them like she needed oxygen.’
‘Poor Jake!’
‘Indeed,’ he agreed. ‘I just hope what I’ve told you has helped you to understand him a little better.’
‘Understand him, yes. But I still don’t see why he should get so upset about my seeing my friends. We hardly know one another for him to act so possessively.’
‘You’ve known him long enough to fall in love with him, and Jake—well, you’ll have to ask him about his feelings for you.’
Stacy turned away. ‘I already know his feelings, he made them very clear last night.’
Brad chuckled. ‘I seem to remember you made certain feelings clear last night too, but they aren’t your true ones.’
‘That’s different. I—’
‘Not at all,’ he rebuked. ‘You acted out of anger. Jake did the same thing and yet you’re condemning him for it. The next time he sees you he’ll probably apologise.’
‘I wouldn’t count on it,’ she said wryly.
‘Neither would I if he hasn’t calmed down. He had a hell of a hangover this morning. Ready to leave?’ he indicated her empty coffee cup.
Stacy sighed. ‘I suppose so.’ She was so confused with what this man had just told her about Jake.
They left the dining-room together, Stacy unsure of how she was going to spend the rest of the day. If she went down to the film set she would undoubtedly see Jake, and yet she didn’t want to stay here at the hotel on her own.
‘Talk of the devil,’ Brad muttered at her side, keeping a firm hold of her arm as she would have moved away.