surprised.’
‘I’m sorry I’ve been . . .’ Carly waggled her head. ‘All over the place.’
‘You don’t need to explain.’
‘I just . . . I don’t know.’
The lost and despairing look on her face cut Linsey to the core. She pulled her close and squeezed her. Carly pressed against her neck, her breath warm. Linsey closed her eyes. Then her phone rang.
‘I’m going to ignore that,’ she said.
‘It’s okay,’ Carly said. ‘I’ll check the bath.’
It was Zoe. ‘I’m going to need you tomorrow, early,’ she said. ‘That meeting got moved, but it’s okay because they had a cancellation in the 8 am Pilates so I’ll do it then instead. So I’ll drop Maya off, okay?’ Her voice blared. She always spoke too loudly on the phone. Linsey heard Carly turn the water off and the quiet made Zoe’s voice even louder.
‘I’ll come to your place,’ Linsey said.
‘You’re on the way, it’s no trouble.’
‘I’m staying at Carly’s tonight,’ Linsey said. There seemed to be a pause and she hurried to fill it, feeling herself flush. ‘Her friend died. She’s really upset.’
‘Oh my god, not the paramedic on the news? That’s so awful.’
There was nothing other than sympathy in her voice, Linsey told herself. ‘I don’t want her to be on her own.’
‘I totally understand,’ Zoe said. ‘No wonder she was quiet at lunch.’
‘I know.’ She could feel Carly listening. ‘So I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘You’re sure that’s okay?’ Zoe sounded soft, caring.
Linsey thought about telling her. How bad could it be? But she knew how bad – no more contact with Maya, the repulsion on everyone’s faces. It’d happened before, when their cousin came out at eighteen and his parents – Linsey’s mother’s sister and her husband – threw him out of the house, saying he was a threat to his younger brothers. Since then everyone acted as if he’d never existed. Linsey had brought his name up once, a tentative and nervous toe in the water, and her mother had glared at her and left the room.
‘Of course,’ she said now. ‘About seven thirty?’
‘Thanks,’ Zoe said. ‘Tell Carly we’re thinking of her.’
Linsey hung up and found Carly in the doorway behind her. Every time she thought about saying something and didn’t, she felt like she was letting Carly down. Before they’d met, she’d thought the day would come when she’d be able to tell her family; that when she met that one person, it would all get simple. She’d tell them and be ready to walk away if it came to that. But life was never as easy as you planned.
Carly looked at her like she was able to read all this on her face. ‘Bath’s ready,’ she said, and held out her hand.
*
‘Problem?’ Callum said from the table, where he sipped tea and leafed through the local paper, her dressing gown gaping over his bare chest.
‘I’m not sure.’
Ella put her phone down and went into the bedroom to pull on pyjamas, then came back to sit opposite him.
He didn’t look up. ‘Kettle’s still warm if you want one.’
She didn’t. She sat there thinking about what Carly had said. The old Ella would’ve headed out right away to find out more about Tessa Kimball, to try to work out what might be going on. But she was the new Ella, working at having a life and a career, striving for balance.
Callum turned a page.
‘So I was thinking,’ she said.
He didn’t look up. ‘Uh-huh.’
‘I was thinking I’d take you out to breakfast in the morning.’
‘I’ve got an early start.’
‘So do I,’ she said. ‘We’ll do breakfast first.’
He looked over the paper at her.
‘Because it’s your birthday,’ she said. ‘I’ll take you out, give you your present. Kick the day off right.’ She smiled.
He smiled back, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. ‘It’s going to be a late one tomorrow night.’
‘I know.’
‘So we should probably get a good night’s sleep.’
‘People still
‘I’m sorry I’ve been . . .’ Carly waggled her head. ‘All over the place.’
‘You don’t need to explain.’
‘I just . . . I don’t know.’
The lost and despairing look on her face cut Linsey to the core. She pulled her close and squeezed her. Carly pressed against her neck, her breath warm. Linsey closed her eyes. Then her phone rang.
‘I’m going to ignore that,’ she said.
‘It’s okay,’ Carly said. ‘I’ll check the bath.’
It was Zoe. ‘I’m going to need you tomorrow, early,’ she said. ‘That meeting got moved, but it’s okay because they had a cancellation in the 8 am Pilates so I’ll do it then instead. So I’ll drop Maya off, okay?’ Her voice blared. She always spoke too loudly on the phone. Linsey heard Carly turn the water off and the quiet made Zoe’s voice even louder.
‘I’ll come to your place,’ Linsey said.
‘You’re on the way, it’s no trouble.’
‘I’m staying at Carly’s tonight,’ Linsey said. There seemed to be a pause and she hurried to fill it, feeling herself flush. ‘Her friend died. She’s really upset.’
‘Oh my god, not the paramedic on the news? That’s so awful.’
There was nothing other than sympathy in her voice, Linsey told herself. ‘I don’t want her to be on her own.’
‘I totally understand,’ Zoe said. ‘No wonder she was quiet at lunch.’
‘I know.’ She could feel Carly listening. ‘So I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘You’re sure that’s okay?’ Zoe sounded soft, caring.
Linsey thought about telling her. How bad could it be? But she knew how bad – no more contact with Maya, the repulsion on everyone’s faces. It’d happened before, when their cousin came out at eighteen and his parents – Linsey’s mother’s sister and her husband – threw him out of the house, saying he was a threat to his younger brothers. Since then everyone acted as if he’d never existed. Linsey had brought his name up once, a tentative and nervous toe in the water, and her mother had glared at her and left the room.
‘Of course,’ she said now. ‘About seven thirty?’
‘Thanks,’ Zoe said. ‘Tell Carly we’re thinking of her.’
Linsey hung up and found Carly in the doorway behind her. Every time she thought about saying something and didn’t, she felt like she was letting Carly down. Before they’d met, she’d thought the day would come when she’d be able to tell her family; that when she met that one person, it would all get simple. She’d tell them and be ready to walk away if it came to that. But life was never as easy as you planned.
Carly looked at her like she was able to read all this on her face. ‘Bath’s ready,’ she said, and held out her hand.
*
‘Problem?’ Callum said from the table, where he sipped tea and leafed through the local paper, her dressing gown gaping over his bare chest.
‘I’m not sure.’
Ella put her phone down and went into the bedroom to pull on pyjamas, then came back to sit opposite him.
He didn’t look up. ‘Kettle’s still warm if you want one.’
She didn’t. She sat there thinking about what Carly had said. The old Ella would’ve headed out right away to find out more about Tessa Kimball, to try to work out what might be going on. But she was the new Ella, working at having a life and a career, striving for balance.
Callum turned a page.
‘So I was thinking,’ she said.
He didn’t look up. ‘Uh-huh.’
‘I was thinking I’d take you out to breakfast in the morning.’
‘I’ve got an early start.’
‘So do I,’ she said. ‘We’ll do breakfast first.’
He looked over the paper at her.
‘Because it’s your birthday,’ she said. ‘I’ll take you out, give you your present. Kick the day off right.’ She smiled.
He smiled back, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. ‘It’s going to be a late one tomorrow night.’
‘I know.’
‘So we should probably get a good night’s sleep.’
‘People still
Similar Books
