Page 76 of The Girl in the Woods

‘That’s unlikely,’ said Ray.

‘All the same, I don’t want them in my bed…’

‘Right,’ said Beth, not wanting to hear anymore.

‘I don’t think that’s happening,’ said Ray.

‘Don’t you remember being young,’ said Sandy.

‘No comment.’ Ray grinned.

Sandy smiled and went back into the cèilidh tent.

‘See you later,’ said Ray, hurrying to catch up with Will.

‘Just think, we could have been somewhere nice and quiet, having a lovely hot mug of chocolate,’ sighed Beth.

‘Well, how about later at my place?’ suggested Tom.

Beth inhaled. She hadn’t been expecting that. She shrugged. After all, she didn’t want to seem too keen. ‘All right,’ she said, just before Lisa turned up again and vomited at Tom’s feet.

‘Can’t find the bugger,’ she said.

‘Maybe he’s gone home for a pee,’ said Beth. All this talk of peeing was making her feel pretty desperate herself. ‘Just…’ she said, pointing to the Portaloo.

‘If you see Luke, remind him he’s got a wife,’ called Lisa.

Will wasn’t wrong about the queue.

‘Might be quicker to go home,’ said the young woman in front of her. ‘I’ve been here for what seems like half my life.’

‘Yeah, except I’m on duty.’

‘Great do, isn’t it? I’m Caroline. My husband Hale and I moved to Longbridge last year.’

‘Is he here tonight?’ Beth asked as they moved forward.

‘I’m not sure where he is,’ she said, looking around. ‘He had to find somewhere quiet to take a work call. It never stops. Gets me down a bit. Still…’

‘I know the feeling.’ Beth checked the time on her phone. It was only 7.30pm, three and a half hours before she could get off.

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

The sky had turned a beautiful scarlet red, and Frankie admired it appreciatively before throwing up onto the dry earth behind a tree.

The music from the fair faintly reached her ears. She wiped her lips with a tissue and, confident that no one else was in the woods, she pulled down her knickers and peed on the dry grass.

Frankie liked the fair. It allowed her to pick up new clients and have fun at the same time. Pulling her dress back down, she turned to go back when she heard raised voices. Peering around the tree, she saw a girl gesticulating angrily.

In front of her was a man, but Frankie couldn’t see him properly. He had on a baseball cap and what looked like combats. The girl held her hand out like she was expecting the man to give her something.

Frankie knew she should creep away, but supposing they heard her? The man turned, and Frankie stepped quickly behind the tree. Had he seen her?

Laine was halfway into the woods when Jassy gave up.

‘I just want to be alone,’ Laine had shouted.

Laine had hoped Sajid would at least talk to her after the fight, but he hadn’t. He’d just ignored her as if she didn’t exist.

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