Page 43 of One Hot Summer

“Okay, okay. We’re going.”

I carefully coordinated myself so I could carry everything, Bing included, to the house. I fumbled with the keys and eventually managed to bring all the belongings inside.

“Hang on in there, Bing,” I reassured him. “You wait until I’ve got your things ready.”

I pulled his dishes out first, put fresh water in one and biscuits in the other, and placed them both on the floor by the fridge. I was just about to start on his litter tray when I thought I heard creaking floorboards coming from the bedroom. I tried not to think about it. Houses make noises, especially old ones. I had asked Sarah whether it was a good idea buying such an old house, in case it came with a resident ghost.

“Not all old houses are haunted,” she’d reassured me. “Walls crack and floorboards creak, it happens.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced then, and I still wasn’t now. As hard as I tried to ignore the creaking and the footsteps, and whatever was approaching the door to the kitchen, my heart was pounding with fear. I grabbed the nearest object I could find to defend myself, as the door was thrown open. I winced and took a step back, readying myself to attack.

“A spatula? Really?” Sarah stepped into the kitchen and closed the door behind her. “You almost gave me a heart attack. I thought someone had broken in.”

“Right back at ya, sista.” I put the spatula back on the counter while my heart tried to resume its normal pace. “What are you doing here? I assumed you were at work. Your car wasn’t on the drive when I arrived.”

“I left it in town. I’m going to go pick it up later. We ended up having some drinks and…”

“Ah yes, the date.” I looked at my friend, who was still fastening her dressing gown and flattening her hair. Or trying to, at least. That hair was a sure sign of a good night. “The bed got christened last night then?”

“Well…” It wasn’t often that Sarah blushed.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” I held up my hands. “We’re saving all the juicy gossip for when I’m back. I won’t push you for details. Did you get my text?”

“No,” her eyes darted to the door, wincing at the footsteps that were making their way from the bedroom, “I’ll have a look though, and send you a reply. Just leave Bing’s stuff there, I’ll sort it all out, and I’ll…”

The door opened.

There he stood.

My ex-friend-with-benefits. Dan.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Our eyes locked. I wasn’t imagining anything. It was Dan. My Dan. My very own ex. The guy I had been having sex with, on and off, for nearly a decade. So, he was the guy that Sarah had been seeing. The one she liked and had been texting every day since they’d had their first date. After everything, why didn’t she feel she could tell me about it? Why not be honest from the outset?

Thoughts were flying around inside my head, not making any sense. How long had they been talking? Was it when we found him on the dating app? Who made the first move? Were they falling in love? I looked down at Bing in his carrier, as he started scratching at the floor, making me remember why I was there. I released the catch on his carrier. I didn’t look at Sarah. I couldn’t.

I directed my comments to the cupboard door. “He’s eaten already this morning. Don’t let him make you think he’s dying of hunger at any time. He will be lying.” I picked up his bag of food and toys and placed them on Sarah’s table. “His things are in there. Dreamies, too. No more than five a day, or else he’ll be sick, probably in the last place you want him to be. There’s a blanket in there that might make him a bit more comfortable in a new place, he likes to sleep on it. Thank you so much.”

“Jenny…” Sarah stepped towards me.

“I have to go, I have some things still to pack.” I turned towards the door.

“Don’t go.”

“I’ll call you when I’m home and arrange to pick him up. Thanks again for having him.”

“Jenny…” I heard Dan’s voice as I pulled the front door open and stepped outside, but I didn’t stop to hear what he had to say. I kept on going, almost dropping my car keys as I fumbled with them in my pocket to get the car door open. I had to get away as quickly as I could. I was followed closely by a frantic Sarah, who grabbed my car door, preventing me from shutting it and driving away as fast as possible.

“I’m sorry,” she said, tears forming in her eyes. “I was going to tell you when you got back. I didn’t know where this would lead. Whether it would even lead anywhere. I wasn’t sure how to tell you. We just–”

“I need to go, Sarah. We’ll talk after my holiday, like we originally planned to do.” I held on to the steering wheel, too scared to look at her in case I started to cry too.

“Look, I get that it’s weird and I can kind of understand why you’d feel a bit jealous, but–”

“Jealous?” I cut her off. “You think I’m jealous? Sarah, Dan can do whatever the hell he likes. You can do what you like. You and he can do whatever you like together. You’re both single adults. I don’t care that you and he are together. You’re both great, amazing people. If I’d liked him in that way, then I would have taken that step with him when he wanted to make it more serious.”

“Then what’s the problem?” Her panic switched to confusion. It made me angrier. How could she not understand why I was so upset with her? I finally looked at her.

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