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He skips, a little too eagerly in my view, from the room, and Megan turns to me, fixing me with a cool gaze.
‘What was the disagreement about, Mary?’ she asks.
‘Erm …’ My mind races. ‘Oh, it was just that Pete came home late from the office last night with a takeaway, and he went to bed without clearing it away. The place stank of fish this morning, and we had words. Nothing major.’
‘Oh.’ She looks somewhat mollified. ‘Actually, I did think I could smell something when I came in. Men, eh? Can I just grab a glass of water?’
‘Of course, go for it.’
She gives me a small smile, and I smile back, relieved.
Dodged that one, then,I think.But we can’t go on like this, we really can’t …
Megan opens the cupboard where we keep the glassware, then heads for the sink and turns the tap on, filling her tumbler before turning back to look at me. She’s wearing a fitted pink hoodie and skin-tight grey leggings with little white stars all over them, her body looking taut and toned. Her long blonde hair is pulled into a neat top-knot, and she seems to be wearing no make-up other than a slick of mascara, her skin fresh and glowing. I wonder, not for the first time, why Pete is bothering with me when he has this gorgeous creature.
‘So, what are you up to at the moment, Mary? Anything exciting happening?’
Megan puts her glass down on the counter, and I shake my head and take a sip of my tea.
‘Not a lot,’ I say. ‘Same old, same old.’
‘Oh.’ She sounds mildly surprised, and her blue eyes widen.
‘I thought Pete said you were going away for a bit? At the end of the month?’
My heart skips a beat.
He told her I was thinking of going away? When? And why would he do that? He promised me he wouldn’t say a word …
I stare at her for a moment, then shake my head.
‘Erm … no, change of plan,’ I say. ‘Iwasthinking about going on a trip, yes. But I’ve changed my mind. I might take a holiday a bit later in the year instead.’
‘Right.’ She’s definitely looking at me with a strange expression on her face now, one I can’t read, but it’s making me feel nervous. A knot of apprehension begins to form in my stomach.
‘So you’ll be here, then? For the next few weeks? Here, in the house?’
Her voice has a hard edge to it, one I haven’t heard before.
‘Yes. Not going anywhere!’
I keep my tone light, breezy even, not sure what’s going on, and then almost clap with relief as Pete reappears, duffle bag slung over his shoulder.
‘Pete! So, you won’t be back tonight, then? Because I might see if Ellie wants to come round,’ I say.
‘Ah, good idea. No, I won’t be back tonight. See you sometime tomorrow?’ he replies, but he’s looking more at the wall behind me than he is at me, the awkwardness in his manner persisting. Then he says, ‘Ready, Meg? Let’s go. Bye, Mary. Give my regards to Ellie.’
‘Sure,’ I say, but he’s already left the room, his footsteps heading down the hall towards the front door.
‘Bye, Megan,’ I say quietly, but she doesn’t reply. Instead, as she follows Pete out of the room, she turns for a moment and looks at me. I stare back, and my chest tightens.
Why is she looking at me like that?
Megan is beautiful. But now her face tightens, her mouth curling into a sneer, and there’s something in her eyes, an expression that makes my whole body tense. She looks … she looksevil.
‘Bye, Mary,’ she says, and her voice is low; there’s a hint of menace in her tone that chills me. She stares at me for a few more seconds, then turns away and follows Pete down the hall. Moments later I hear the front door closing, and they’re gone.
