He opens the desk drawer, pulls out a small white remote control and adjusts the air conditioning. ‘Beth! What’s got into you? I’m not lying.’
‘You’re kidding yourself. I see the way you look at her.’
He sighs again. Even heavier this time. ‘You’re seeing things that are simply not there.’
My eyes well up with anger. Perhaps I am being overemotional. Impending visits to the hospital always do this to me. Not knowing what news they’re going to spring on me next brings back the day I was told the lump I’d found wasn’t good. I drop my head in my hands. ‘It’s happening all over again.’
‘Calm down, will you? Think about it. Immy is experienced. She can look after Mum. You saw how good she is with her. Mum likes her, which is more than we can say about every single person that agency sent. Like I said, if Immy weren’t here, we’d have to take Mum with us today. You know what chaos that turns into. And I can’t miss my next business trip.’
‘Sod work. Cancel it,’ I bark. ‘Tell people you’re ill.’
‘People are counting on me, Beth. They rely on me. I can’t let them down. And you’re not well enough for me to leave you alone.’
‘You’re making excuses, and, in any case,werely on you. Get your priorities right for once!’
He shakes his head. ‘I can’t win, can I? I’m trying my hardest to do the right thing here, and I get this.’
‘You know nothing about her. Have you even checked that there was a flight to Stockholm this morning?’
He nods. ‘I have. And yes, there was.’ He touches my arm. ‘Let’s not fight. We don’t need to argue. It’s not constructive. You know that. We work best as a team. I love you. We need to get you better. Everything is under control. I’m not the same person I once was. You know that.’
24
SCARLETT
‘I’m not really sure what the police can do. I think I may’ve made a bit of a fool of myself.’ I kneel on the red mat in Fi’s gym, iPad in hand, ready to log her reps. It’s Thursday morning, and I’m here to deliver her second session of the week.
‘What did they say?’ Fi puffs through a set of bicep curls.
‘The sergeant said he’d look into it. A couple of weeks, he reckons it’ll take, and he’ll be in touch.’ I sigh. ‘I could tell from his body language he was just trying to appease me.’
‘Why would he do that? Aren’t they trained to tell it how it is? That must encourage you that he’ll do something about it. Was it the same guy who dealt with you initially?’
‘Yes. Why?’
Fi gives me a coy smile. ‘Just asking.’
‘He said I had nothing concrete to go on. His boss would laugh him out of the office.’
‘I’m sure he’ll at least try.’ Fi drops the set of weights. They hit the floor with consecutive thuds. ‘Shoot. It’s too darn hot tobe doing this. Why don’t we sit by the pool instead? Let’s go for a dip. You can borrow one of my daughter’s bikinis.’
It’s freezing in here. The air con’s first-class. ‘You’ve two more sets.’ This is why Fi pays me a hefty sum to train her. We both know she wouldn’t set foot in this room if she wasn’t forking out one hundred pounds an hour for me to make her. ‘Have a drink.’
She picks up her water bottle and takes a sip.
I pick the weights off the floor and place them on the bench. ‘He’s a keynote speaker at a conference this weekend, speaking about Business and Personal Development.’
‘Who, this Marcus?’
I nod. ‘From seeing him at that festival the other day, I bet he’s going to be in his element.’
‘And he’s the featured speaker!’ she says, one eyebrow arched. ‘Where?’
‘Edinburgh. I’m thinking of going. If Tim’s going to be ploughing through a load of red tape, then I’m going to have to.’
She gives me another sideways glance. ‘You sure that’s a good idea?’ She wipes her face with her gym towel.
‘What choice do I have?’
