Page 87 of The Jealous Girl

The door creaked behind me, and I pivoted in my chair.

‘Sorry, I’m late,’ Charlotte said, looking flustered.

I shot a glance at Ryan. He’d said this was a family dinner to welcome his dad home. What was she doing here?

My presence already felt questionable. But I was staying in the house; they couldn’t not invite me to dinner. Although Denise had probably been tempted. But Charlotte? She was just one of the yard workers – supposedly.

‘I had to deal with a call from the feed supplier,’ she said as she dropped into the chair opposite Ryan. ‘They were threatening to cancel tomorrow’s delivery.’

‘Why?’ Ryan asked, looking horrified.

‘They were furious that their last invoice still hasn’t been paid.’

Everyone’s heads turned to me.

‘I’ve paid all the invoices that were due,’ I said quickly.

‘Well, clearly not,’ Charlotte said. ‘Otherwise, they wouldn’t be calling to cancel, would they?’

‘I don’t have any invoices for them that are due,’ I insisted. I might not know anything about horses, but I knew how to make sure bills were paid on time.

‘Nonsense,’ Charlotte said, her voice rising. ‘I gave it to you myself.’

I shook my head. ‘You haven’t given me any invoices.’

She glared at me. ‘I most certainly did. I made sure to hand it to you personally and tell you it was urgent.’

‘That’s not⁠—’

‘Huh.’ Martin cut through my objection. ‘I guess sometimes the old ways are the best.’

‘I swear Charlotte never gave me that invoice,’ I hissed as I followed Ryan up the stairs after dinner.

‘Why would she lie?’ Ryan asked as he reached the top and turned to face me.

‘To make me look bad,’ I said flatly. The answer was so obvious. At least to me.

‘Charlotte isn’t out to get you,’ he said tiredly. ‘And she’s too loyal to waste time playing games like that.’

Loyal. The word was like a slap. He thought Charlotte was loyal. Unlike me.

‘She cares about the stables. About my parents. This family.’

‘And you think I don’t?’

‘You push back against everything here.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘If it’s all too much for you⁠—’

I blinked. ‘You want me to quit?’

‘We just can’t afford for you to be making mistakes like this.’

‘I didn’t make a mistake,’ I insisted again. ‘I know how tight things are financially.’

‘Financially?’ Ryan said, looking confused. ‘I was talking about the stables’ reputation. What are you talking about?’