‘You’re making that up.’
‘No, of course I’m not. She’s making her chocolate moussecake specially, and you know that’s the one food I can never say no to. So I’mgoing. And if April turns up tonight, I won’t be here.’
He gives me a doubtful, sidelong look. ‘It’s true you’re achocolate mousse cake freak. And I’ll definitely be back by eleven at thelatest.’
‘Well, there you are, then. You have to go.’
‘I’ve got a commission to deliver early tomorrow, so Ireally won’t be late.’
‘Stop worrying! You might even be back before me. I mightend up staying over at Carrie’s.’
He grins. ‘Okay, then. You’ve persuaded me. I’ll go and callAmanda.’
He pockets his mobile and nips out into the garden where thesignal is better.
‘Say hi from me!’ I call after him.
Slumping down on a stool, I gnaw at the side of my lip,already on edge about tonight. Carrie and Ronan are away in Paris for a fewdays, so it was a lie about having dinner at hers tonight – but I couldn’tallow Adam to call off his date because of me.
I’ll just have to lie low, keep the place in darkness withthe blinds closed, and hope I don’t get a visitation tonight from our friendly localloan shark...
*****
Later, I try to keep busy after he’s gone, doing somehousework and hanging a gorgeous print I bought recently of a Highland cow. Itlooks perfect in the hallway alongside my other monochrome pictures.
But by eight o’clock, I’ve given up pacing arounddownstairs, jumping at every single sound, and I’m doing exactly what I jokedI’d be doing: cowering in bed.
Three hours until Adam comes back!
I’ve checked every window and door: all securely locked. AndI’ve moved the little pile of bricks Hamish dropped off, so I could build abarbecue, into the back garden – just in case April arrives and decides mypristine windows look far too tempting to remain in one piece...
I’m trying to read by the light of my phone but the batteryis running low, so eventually I switch it off and lie there in the gloom,thinking about Carrie’s birthday present, which was what started this wholehorrible chain of events with April. And I decide I’m never again going tospend on a credit card if I don’t have the means to pay it back in full everymonth.
This makes me chuckle because I’ve never been renowned forbeing financially prudent. But people can change – and I know for a fact thatmy attitude to many things is different now. I’ve learned a lot, living outhere – about myself and about how I’d like my life to be in the future. Sotomorrow, I’m going to sign up for that interior design course. I’m not goingto wait. I’m just going to do it. I always thought that if I came into money,I’d just resign from my job and enjoy living it up. But now I wish I hadn’tbeen quite so quick to give up working at the café, because I miss it. I missfeeling useful. I miss the day-to-day chat with customers. Most of all, I missBertha and all my old friends there.
However much money you might have behind you, it’s thepeople in your life that are the most important thing. And you need to have apurpose in life in order to be happy and–
The quiet of the night is suddenly shattered by an enormouscrash.
I surge up, clutching the duvet around me, my heart bangingagainst my ribs. Instantly I’m back to that night when a brick was hurledthrough my window, but this was a different sound. It came from downstairs.What the hell was it? Someone forcing the front door? I strain to listen.Nothing now but dead silence. What do I do? Phone the police and tell themsomeone’s broken in. But I don’t know that.
My heart is in my mouth as I push the duvet back and slideout of bed. I creep onto the landing and peer downstairs. The front door isintact. But what about the back door?
I’m about to brave going downstairs when I suddenly see adark shape lying on the hall floor, and my heart nearly vaults out of my chest.
What the hell...?
Next second, relief is streaming through me and I laugh alittle hysterically.
It’s that bloody picture of a Highland cow. I obviouslydidn’t hang it properly because it’s crashed right off the wall!
I run down and prop the framed print against the wall, thenI walk back upstairs and get back into bed, my legs still feeling shaky.Settling down, I smile to myself. It won’t be long until Adam’s back and if I’mstill awake, I’ll make him laugh with my false alarm intruder story–
And just then, I hear it.
A car engine.
It’s too early for Adam. And whoever is driving the vehicleis heading my way. I can hear them bumping over the potholes...
