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‘Hold on a minute and hear me out,’ I say, holding up my hand. ‘I’m not going to pretend to know your business, but I’ve done a bit of research and if all that’s really holding you up is concern over your vulnerability to asset seizure, I think we can find a way round it. And,’ I add, sitting back as I deliver the pièce de résistance, ‘we’re prepared to up our offer by a hundred-K.’
It’s going to hurt us financially, there’s no two ways about it. But I reckon we can swing it if I take a couple of IT jobs working for a space cadet whose calls I haven’t been returning.
I love my wife. I don’t care one way or the other about the Glass House, and I don’t particularly want to encourage Millie’s friendship with Stacey Porter. Butif it’s in my power to give her what she wants, I’ll do whatever I can to make it happen.
‘I told you,’ Felix says. ‘You’re wasting your time.’
‘Come on, mate. It’s a good deal. Another hundred thousand—’
He pushes back his chair. ‘You’re talking to the wrong person.’
‘What’s the problem?’ I demand, irritated now. ‘Why are you so wedded to that house? Your wife wants to sell, my wife wants to buy. You know what they say: happy wife, happy life. I’m sure we can—’
He cuts me off. Again.
‘I told your wife,’ he snaps. ‘I’ve warned her to stay away from Stacey more than once. If you really want to look out for her, tell her to listen to me.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Felix gets to his feet. ‘I’mnot the one who pulled out of the sale,’ he says.
chapter 25
millie
Tom thinks it’s a good thing the Porters have pulled out.Peter needs stability,he says.Maybe now isn’t the time to uproot him. And besides, we were biting offmore than we could chew with that mortgage, weren’t we?
Next time, he says.There are other houses.
I tell him it’s not about the house, not any more.
‘You know what that man is doing to her, Tom!’ I say. ‘How can I just walk away?’
‘You’re only hearing one side of the story,’ he says. ‘You barely evenknowthis woman. You’ve been friends for what? Six weeks? Eight at most. We don’t know what their relationship is really like behind closed doors. These things are complicated—’
‘I’ve seen the bruises! There’s nothingcomplicatedabout it!’
‘And I’ve seen his!’
‘Come on!’
‘Millie, you’ve got absolutely no proof Felix is abusing her.’
‘Shetoldme. Well, as good as.’
He sighs. ‘Millie, I know how raw this subject is for you, but I don’t think it’s that straightforward. I think there’s more going on than we—’
‘Are you saying she’s lying?’
‘I know, I know,’ he says, holding up his hands. ‘Believe the woman.’
It’s clear he doesn’t like Stacey. I don’t know what he’s suddenly got against her: they seemed to get on fine when we all met at the gala. Perhaps he’s jealous. Until now, I’ve never wanted anyone but him.
‘Sheneedsme,’ I say.
Tom retreats. He knows better than to challenge me on this.
There was a Spar shop at the end of the road where Tom and I grew up. It was run by a short, immensely fat Polish woman called Marilla who’d lived above it since before we were born. She seemed ancient to us when we were nine years old, but she was probably no more than sixty at the time. She had a thick foreign accent and more than a hint of a moustache, and always wore a long-sleeved black dress, even in the height of summer.
