Page 50 of Perfect

Please delete this conversation. If Connor found out I’d been talking about him, he’d kick my face in.

He added a worried-looking emoji which made me smile.

Will do and don’t worry. Thanks for the Intel. Speak later.

I was running the meds thing through my mind and was just about to place my phone on the bedside table as another message beeped in from Tom.

A group of us are going into Scarborough Friday night for drinks, you brave enough?

I pondered my answer for a couple of minutes before responding.

Pub crawl type of thing?

Yes.Tom responded.Maybe a club?

My nose wrinkled of its own accord.

I thumbed in my reply.

I don’t think they’ll let me in and I don’t have a fake ID or anything.

My phone buffered again and I moved it around the room, attempting to find a signal.

We can play it by ear. If you don’t get in, we can go for food or something. Dirty kebabs?

I grinned, Lisa used to go on about dirty meat and how it helped with the hangover process.

I’ll think about it.I responded.

He sent me an eye-rolling emoji and two kisses. I was pleased with the level of ‘safe’ banter with Tom and I hoped that this was a sign that any romantic notions he’d originally felt, would eventually dry up altogether. One could only hope so. Tom being interested in me would only complicate things. It was hard enough dealing with Connor, let alone anyone else. I definitely wasn’t a triangle girl.

I shuffled further back onto the bed and closed my eyes for a while.

*****

Fashioning a fresh pair of skinny jeans and a cream, lightweight blouse, I made my way to look for Dad and hopefully find some dinner. I’d been asleep for thelast two hours and my stomach felt hollow. Anna usually served up around now, but the kitchen was empty and there was no sign of cooking. As I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the table, I glanced out of the back window into the garden. Dad was standing in front of a BBQ with smoke billowing out around him. I pulled a face and popped back the apple. He’d never been the best of cooks, if he was the chef, it was probably going to be inedible. My God, how I would have killed for a big mac and fries right then.

I moved towards the back door, but low voices stopped me in my tracks. I strained to listen. Great, now I was a nosy bitch as well as a slut. Life on the farm appeared to be moulding a whole new me.

My brain seemed to be supplying my feet with mixed messages but I persevered, shuffling forward, wincing at the tap-tap from my sandals. The thought of being caught eavesdropping was not one I relished and I felt a sick sensation pool in the pit of my stomach.

I pursed my lips and circled around, cocking my head, trying to establish where the voices were coming from.

It was Rachel and Connor and it sounded like they were in Dad’s study. I fought against going to listen, but curiosity got the better of me as the exchange started to get heated. OMG, what if Rachel had seen the kiss and they were talking about me? I cursed myself and added ‘self-involved’ to the personality traits of the new me.

“—need to be more careful—knows where Gran lives and could easily have followed you from there. I thought you were coming back last week when he was still inside?” Connor’s voice was stern as usual.

“I couldn’t leave her, she looked shocking,” Rachel replied, her voice paper thin. “And will youstopworrying? He doesn’t even know she’s been ill.”

Who the hell were they talking about? Inside what?

“Bullshit. You usually visit the first weekend of every month. You need to change it. You know what we were told about regular patterns of behaviour for fucks sake.”

I could hear every word clearly and any guilt I may have felt in the first instance vanished as I saw they’d left the office door wide open. It surely couldn’t bethattop secret if they hadn’t closed themselves in there.

I folded my arms and stood on the inside of the kitchen. Rachel and Connor’s voices were now being clearly carried down the corridor and from my new position, I could make a quick escape if the need arose.

“I’d rather you not use that language Connor and we need to talk about this later, Mike’s making supper.”

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