Page 82 of Slow Burn Summer

“If it wasn’t for my family, I’d chuck it in the river,” she said, and in that moment she meant it. So much of her life had been taken over by Kate Darrowby’s social media.

Charlie reached across and flicked it on to silent. “Better?”

She nodded, dropping her mobile in the bottom of her bag as if it was burning her fingers. If Liv could do it, maybe she could too; a day-detox at least. She’d done just about as much as she could manage for today.

“Stay in the hotel again tonight,” he said.

Kate had expected this. It had been Charlie’s idea for her to stay at the hotel last night. He’d made the reservation and billed Francisco & Fox; Kate had almost insisted on paying for herself and then didn’t, because there was a certain justice to Fiona footing the bill.

“We’ve been over this,” she said. Last night had been necessary to ensure she didn’t miss her TV slot, but it was time for her to go home.

“Are you going to open the shop this afternoon?”

“Just for a couple of hours,” she said. “I feel bad closing all day—you never know when someone’s going to need an emergency Spider-Man mask.”

“Or you could just take the rest of the day off,” he said. “Get some rest?”

“I’m fine, really,” she said. “It’ll help take my mind off everything if I’m busy.”

“I could take the train back with you, keep you company?”

“He’s not going to come in the middle of the afternoon, Charlie, I’m not in danger. In fact, I doubt I’ll ever see him again now I’ve outed him on national TV.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“It’s important to me to do this on my own,” she said, more softly. “Going in there today, doing that…it felt good, like reclaiming my old self. I’m not scared. I’m not running away. It was my way of sticking my fingers up at the camera and telling him to piss off, and it feels amazing. If I avoid going home now, or let you escort me and keep guard, then it unpicks all of that hard work. I’m going to go home and open the shop, and then tonight when I go to bed I won’t lie there worrying about the morning. Bring it on.”

49

It was early afternoon bythe time Kate reached the shop. She was surprised to find the door clean, a yellow Post-it note stuck to the glass.

Saw you on TV, wow, so amazing! Hope this morning was the last we see of him. Yushu x

He’d been again, then. She wasn’t shocked. Tomorrow would be the acid test. Letting herself into the shop, she threw her bag behind the counter and headed into the kitchenette to put the kettle on. She’d been true to her word so far and not checked social media. Part of her wanted to, but a bigger part of her feared her appearance on TV might have had the opposite effect and escalated the situation. Was she being mocked all over the internet? Was the consensus that she deserved everything she got? The doom-laden thoughts were enough to make avoiding social media altogether the preferable option. It wasn’t going anywhere. It would still be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.

—

Later that evening, she satalone in her flat, the TV on low, a glass of wine in her hand. Her eyes settled on the shelf she’d putup with her own hands, a place to display a copy of the book surrounded by Liv’s twelve-piece crocheted mouse orchestra. Reaching for her phone, she forced herself to avoid social media and just check if she’d heard from Liv. There was a photo, Liv with a cushion up her T-shirt pulling a what-have-I-done face. Kate touched the screen, wishing she could teleport and be with her sister.

I’ve just remembered we have twins in the family

she sent, with a pair of laughing faces.

Liv appeared online.

Piss off. Am eating a massive burger on the beach, so I win.

I’ll let you have that seeing as you’re all sun-kissed and preggers. Have a cocktail on me. Oh, that’s right, you can’t

Kate sent back with more laughing faces.

Ha bloody ha, I’d kill for a glass of wine. Is the shop okay?

Kate felt reassured from Liv’s question that she was sticking faithfully to her social media ban, because after her TV appearance that morning there was bound to be an avalanche of trifle-gate chatter online.

Everything’s fine! Go have fun xx

Liv sent back a kiss emoji and disappeared offline, and Kate sat pensive on the sofa, tempted to break her own mini social media ban. Then she looked at the twelve small mice again, and because she wanted to linger in the glow of Liv’s lighthearted mood, she turned her phone off and threw it back in her bag. Tomorrow would be soon enough.

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