Page 31 of A Little Light

“I like it. You have fun friends. I can’t wait!”

“It’ll probably be in a couple of weeks. Hillary usually hosts it about a week or so before Christmas.”

“Oh. That’s…a while away.” Rachel frowned as she stared down at her hand. And then she pulled it away suddenly. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“If you wanted to do something together before then, just let me know. I’m off for the rest of this week. Decided I needed a break.”

“Oh. Is everything okay?”

Rachel cleared her throat, something in her eyes changing. “Yeah, fine. I…had a difficult client last night.”

“Difficult how?”

Rachel shook her head. She clearly didn’t want to get into it with Andi. “Nothing. It’s okay.”

“You may be here for me, but I’m here for you, too. Did something happen?” Andi didn’t want the thought to cross her mind, but it was too late. If Rachel had been hurt in any way, she wasn’t sure what she’d do with that information. “Rachel?”

“Could we talk about it another time? I’m trying to push it from my mind. They’ve been blacklisted from the company, and that’s what counts.”

Blacklisted? Jesus, what the hell had happened? “I… Okay. If you’re sure?”

“I am.” Rachel beamed one of her beautiful smiles, relaxing into her seat. “So, let’s arrange something for before the Christmas party. No use in us both hanging around at home when we could be enjoying ourselves.”

Something within Andi suddenly calmed. Rachel was right; they should be enjoying themselves. Living life. Wasn’t that the very thing Andi had promised Jane once she got her diagnosis? To live life to the full and never take a single day for granted? “Yes. Let’s arrange something.”

Rachel got to her feet, eyeing Andi’s coffee cup. “Another one?”

“Yes. Please.”

Chapter 10

Rachel checked the loft was clean and tidy, rushing around and grabbing things before she shoved them into her bedroom and closed the door. Andi was coming over. Not for a social visit…but she would still be here. Rachel wanted the place to look presentable. Nothing less was good enough.

Her phone started to ring on the coffee table.

“Hello?”

“What’s wrong? Your message sounded like you were having a meltdown.” She heard the panic in Kelly’s voice. “And why are you out of breath?”

“Andi is coming over.”

“Okay, I don’t know if I want you to finish the rest of this conversation. Getting the pent-up tension out before she arrives?”

Rachel stopped dead, wrinkling her nose. “Did you just…imply what I think you did?”

“Look, I’m not going to shame you. Whatever works best for you before she gets there.”

“I…was not masturbating! I was tidying up. Jesus, Kelly!”

Kelly burst out into a fit of laughter. Why did Rachel fall into her trap time and time again? “Relax, I’m fucking with you. But tell me, why exactly is Andi coming over? I thought you wanted to rid her from your life…or whatever it was you were trying to do.”

“I didn’t say that. I said I didn’t think it was a good idea.”

Kelly sighed. “And now?”

Rachel rested against the back of the couch, dragging a hand through her hair. “I’m still not sure it’s a good idea. But anyway, she’s not coming over to see me; she’s coming over to have a look at the boiler before I call out a repair company. I have no heating.”

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