Page 115 of Pyg

She looked back to Fran, pity overriding her other emotions. This woman who’d once held so much power over her would never be truly rich, but Alice could be. She stood and struggled to pull her coat sleeve over the plaster cast as Fran looked on, bewildered.

“Well, thanks for?—”

Fran slid a key card across the table towards her.

“What’s this?” Alice asked.

“I’m staying at the usual. I didn’t know if you’d fancy… you know, for old times’ sake?”

“Fran—”

“No strings, Alice. One for the road… if you like.” Fran cocked her head.

Alice considered the key card for a moment. “Thank you, but no.”

“Right, well. That’s that then.”

“You’ll be okay, won’t you?”

Fran’s cold, dark eyes set a hard stare on Alice. “Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Alice smiled and shook her head.

* * *

At some pointduring the rendezvous with Fran, the storm had blown over, and vast patches of blue sky yawned between fluffy white clouds. Alice hailed an Uber with the app and walked out to the main road and out of view of the pub, to avoid any possibility of a Francesca Dalton epilogue. She had nothing left to say. They were officially done, and Alice felt… relieved. Fran couldmove on to her next lover,as she’d put it, and Alice could move on with her life.

Alice leaned against a wooden post. Overhead, the hand-painted sign for The Dog & Duck creaked on its hinges in the light breeze. The Uber app showed the car on its way with a six-minute wait, so she dialled Maggie.

“Sister dearest,” Maggie answered in a droll tone.

Alice laughed. “Just wanted to let you know you were right again.”

“Of course I was. What was I right about this time?”

“Fran. I met her, like you said. It was good closure. And I didn’t sleep with her, even though the offer was there.”

“Well, thanks for sharing that.”

“Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“After the little mix-up with Markus and the flowers?”

“Ah, that was nothing. He doesn’t think sometimes. The silly bastard sent an enormous bouquet to me at work this morning. Bloody mortifying.”

“Ah, at least he’s trying, Mags. Give him a chance.”

“Hmm, since when did you join his cheerleading squad?”

Alice puffed out a laugh. “I haven’t, but he actually does love you, you know? He might be a clueless, toffy twat… and in my unqualified opinion, you could’ve done much better for yourself. But you chose him for a reason, and he’s hanging in there, fighting for you, despite all your prickliness. That has to be worth something, right?”

Maggie mock-gasped. “Oi! You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I am and I always will be. But, you know… perspective.”

Alice let the words land, watching as her torn coat strap flapped in the breeze.

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