I will myself to calm down. Of course she’s not Max’s lover. She’s broke, for Christ’s sake. Her furniture looks like it came from a charity shop. She’s just a con artist who lives next door.
Well, too bad. I never have to see this woman again. Well, she lives next door, so Imightsee her when I go in and out of the house, but so what? Just a polite hello, too busy to stay and chat, that sort of thing. And if she rings the doorbell, I’ll tell her I’m very busy and promise that we’ll get together soon.
I walk out the door and towards my car. I managed to snag one of the closest parking spaces for once. You never get a spot like that normally. It’s dog eat dog out there at pick-ups and drop-offs, but as it turns out, being late has its perks.
I am fiddling with my bag, getting the snap to close properly and when I look up, I see Teri leaning against my car, her cane by her side.
And this time, her foot is swathed in white bandages so that it looks like it’s in a cast.
‘You have got to be kidding me.’
‘I can’t believe you!’ she says, raising her arms in dismay. ‘What happened to you? You disappeared! You left me strandedat the supermarket till with all my shopping and no lift home! That’s not very nice, Kate.’
I can barely get the words out because my brain has stopped working. I blink a few times. I’m dreaming, again, surely. We had what I thought was a fairly major argument, for me anyway, and she’s talking to me like she has no idea why I left.
‘On top of that,’ she says, lifting her swaddled foot a little, ‘I can barely walk. Thanks to you-know-who.’
My heart does a little somersault. I look around quickly. There are so many people milling about at this time. Parents and children, staff, teachers… But fortunately, no one seems to be paying attention to us.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ I ask in a low voice.
She counts on her hand. ‘Well, firstly, I had to make my own way home, even though I can barely walk. And secondly, I had to carry everything into my house, all by myself, when I was counting on you to help me. So, I don’t know, Kate, but if you want to apologise to me, I’m right here.’
‘How did you get here if you’re so incapacitated?’
‘I took a taxi, if you must know. Even though I am very poor, Kate.’
I shake my head at her. ‘I don’t know what you want from me, but you got as much as you’ll ever get out of me. I guarantee it. Now, can you move, please? I need to get home.’
She doesn’t budge, but just gives me that half smile. What do I do now? Do I push her out of the way? Do I kick her?
‘What do you want?’ I say, lowering my voice. I don’t actually want to know what she wants. It’s just an expression. But she takes it literally.
‘Finally! Thank you for asking. As it happens, I’m in a bit of a pickle. I need money. Taxis aren’t cheap, you know.’
‘I just paid for your groceries, Teri. Two hundred odd pounds. I think that’s enough.’
She laughs. ‘I was joking. I need a lot more than money for taxis and groceries.’
‘Not my problem.’
She checks her fingernails. ‘What do you think the police would do if I told them what Holly did?’
My stomach flips again. I look around to make sure no one is listening.
‘You said you didn’t want to go to the police,’ I hiss.
‘No, Kate,’ she replies, definitely not keeping her voice down. ‘Yousaid that. I wanted to call the police, as we ought to. There was an accident caused by your underage stepdaughter who was under your care. Of course, I thought the police should know. And I wanted to go to the hospital, but you flat-out refused. You said there was no need. That it was probably just a sprain. You know, my ankle is probably broken. I’ll probably have ongoing medical issues because of you. Not to mention expenses.’
And the entire time she is talking, I am whispering at her to stop, be quiet, even moving my hands in front of her face, begging her to please shut up, please stop. I am inches from putting my hands over her mouth.
‘Enough!’ I shout. Now people really are looking at us. ‘You’re lying, and you know it,’ I say. ‘All of it lies. You didn’t want to call the police. You didn’t want to go to the hospital. I suggested both those things, and you refused. Repeatedly.’
‘Holly could be prosecuted,’ she says calmly. ‘I looked it up. What would Max say to that, do you think?’
I shake my head slowly. ‘You don’t even know Max.’
‘Oh, that’s right. I don’t.’ She smiles. ‘I’m sure I’ll meet him eventually.’
