Page 15 of An Ill Wind in Seabury
Taking a wipe out of the pack, she swiped at her face and started to remove the layers of thick, tear-streaked makeup.
Five minutes later, there was a small mountain of used wipes sitting on the counter beside her, but at least Claudia recognised her own face again. Sure, she still looked a bit nuts because of her gravity-defying hair, but it was a definite improvement.
As much as she didn’t want to reapply the heavy makeup, Claudia didn’t think she really had much choice in the matter. The idea of turning up at Seabury House without a bit of armour in place was mildly terrifying.
Rolling her eyes at her own cowardice, Claudia grabbed her comb, her makeup bag, and the huge can of hairspray and headed for the ensuite. It was time to get to work. Perhaps if she could get this fool’s errand done, her mum might give her a break at long last. Then maybe, just maybe, she could stake a moment to rediscover who she really was under all the layers of anger and hurt.
‘As long as there’s still arealme to discover.’
Claudia couldn’t help but curl her lip in disdain as she approached the massive hire car. Shereallydidn’t want to get back in the thing!
After scuttling back to it earlier, she’d managed to sneak away from the entrance she’d blocked just in the nick of time. A quick glance in the rearview mirror had revealed an elderly gent watching her go with his hands on his hips.
Just another person I need to apologise to!
At least she’d managed to find a slightly more suitable spot when she’d got back into town, though.
Slightly being the operative word!
Claudia had pulled into a vacant parking spot in front of a posh-looking café at the far end of town. Unfortunately, the car was so big that she had to edge in diagonally, taking up a space and a half. Now, she was half-expecting to find a rude note waiting for her on the windscreen.
Not that any rude note could hold a flame to the kind of rubbish her mother threw at her on a daily basis!
‘Oh poo,’ she muttered. ‘I think I’d have preferred a note!’
She’d just got close enough to spot an official-looking sticker pouch on the windscreen, along with its money-grabbing piece of paperwork inside. It looked like karma was out to get her for her bad behaviour.
Ripping the ticket off the windscreen, Claudia scrunched it into a ball and lobbed it into the passenger footwell. Then she hopped into the driver’s seat and slammed the door before anyone spotted her and decided to give her an earful. Right now, she’d probably just burst into tears again, and she didn’t have it in her to sort her makeup out again so soon!
‘Right, let’s get this ridiculous job over with,’ she muttered, automatically reaching for the keys, only for her hand to brush smooth plastic. Of course, this stupid hunk of a car didn’t have anything as simple as a key to start it.
Shaking her head, Claudia reached for the ignition button.
‘I hate you, you know that, right?’ she growled, as the computer on the dashboard sprang to life so that she could use the cameras to reverse out of the space.
In theory, all these gadgets should make manoeuvring the car easier, but it was safe to say that she felt like she had zero control over this monstrosity. Ifonlyshe was sitting in her cosy little banger right now, she might actually enjoy exploring the back roads of this gorgeous little town. Sure, her old car was mostly held together by bits of moss, but at least she knew how to drive it.
An ominous beeping suddenly filled the car. Did that mean she was in reverse… or about to run over a little old lady? Claudia peered at the computer screen in confusion, but it just flashed violet at her.Useful!
‘Sod it!’
Glancing in the rearview mirror, Claudia eased her foot down. She promptly took off at a speed that would take her straight into the railings on the other side of the road if she wasn’t careful. She quickly corrected her course and thrust the car into gear before weaving along the seafront road.
Claudia breathed a sigh of relief the minute she left the town centre behind her to head back up the hill. At least this time, she had a slightly better idea of where she was going, thanks to the woman in that cute little café. The woman she’d been thoroughly rude to. Despite her bad behaviour, she’d still given Claudia pretty detailed directions on how to find Seabury House.
‘Unless they’re fake and you’re about to head to the local sewage farm!’
The idea made Claudia smirk. Then she sighed, and it fell straight back off her face again. It was time to get this horrible, stupid, pointless job done. Then maybe she could head back to the hotel and do her best to apologise to Lionel for her horrible behaviour.
Then tomorrow… she could head home.
Home. There was a word that held no comfort.
Claudia swallowed, determined not to start crying again. She put her foot down a little harder as she neared the crest of the hill.
‘When I get back, something’s going to have to change,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t care if I have to live in my car… it’s got to be better than this!’
The thought had barely flashed through her mind when her phone started to vibrate on the passenger seat next to her. With a sideways glance, Claudia spotted her mother’s name flashing up on the screen.
