Page 88 of The Day After Christmas
‘Still.’
Felicity considered this for a moment. ‘I mean, I suppose that could be true. He probably ought to be better at it though,’ she ventured, then grinned at Bex and to her delight, Bex answered with a giggle. There was the friend she knew.
‘It’s good to see you smile.’
Bex shrugged. ‘Can’t let the bastards get us down, can we?’
‘That’s my girl.’
On her way down the stairs, Felicity’s phone buzzed in her pocket.
Sophie: How’s the patient?
She stopped on a landing and tapped out a reply.
Felicity: You know, I think she’s gonna be ok.
Sophie: I really hope so.
Felicity: What do we do about Adam?
Sophie: Shall we burn his house down?
Felicity: I mean, I was thinking more like talking to him, but ok, let’s go straight to arson. In fact, I know a guy who can probably do that for us.
Sophie: Why don’t you get Penguin Man to talk to him?
Felicity: Are you mad?
Sophie: I’m serious. He’s a spy, he’s got all those negotiation skills and whatnot.
Felicity: He’s not going to waterboard him if that’s what you mean. And for the hundredth time, my boyfriend is not a spy. He just works for the government.
Sophie: Same thing. And surely just a tiny bit of waterboarding would be fine.
Felicity: Do you even know what waterboarding is?
Sophie: Not really. Is it like surfing?
Felicity: Love you.
Sophie: Love you. Thanks for going today. That must have been hard.
Felicity: It was.
And it had been. So hard to see Bex in such a state and also really hard to take the brunt of her simmering hatred when in reality, Felicity had been “this close” to never even being at the wedding. How part of her wished she’d been brave enough to stay home and watch Jane Austen in her pyjamas.
And then it hit her. Would it have all played out the same if she hadn’t been there? Had her presence actually stirred up the hornets’ nest instead of making things better? There was no way to know.
Felicity: I’m so glad you were there.
Sophie: Me too.
CHAPTER 43
Saturday morning was sunny for September, but a sharp northerly wind bit at Felicity and James’s cheeks as they got out of the car. Today was the open day at Animal Saviours, and Felicity and James had arrived super early to hang bunting and sweep floors and make frantic phone calls to find alternative food vans when two of the ones they booked broke down on the same day.
By 10am all was calm. They were ready. The centre looked beautiful. Clean, beautiful… and empty. Even by 10.30am not a single guest had arrived. Andrea came and stood next to Felicity by the front doors, where she was staring out into space willing people to come walking round the corner or pull into the car park.
