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“Surprise,” I said, shoving the flowers at her. She took them, but didn’t smell them, didn’t say anything. My heart dropped through the floor, but I smiled anyway, pushing past her to get inside.
“We said I’d call,” she snapped. “I’m not ready yet.”
“Yousaid you’d call,” I said. “I just went along with it, thought it’d be a surprise and I could help.” I looked around the place. It was clean right through, with no sign of Casey’s bowls or the cushions she’d trashed. The sofa was turned the other way around, to hide where she’d been scratching it. I choked back the dread, stomping on through to the bedroom where the few bits of shit I had were missing. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she hissed. “I’ve just got some things to do.” She looked at the clock, nervous. “You need to go, Callum, just for a few hours.”
“Why?” I folded my arms, throat all tight.
“I’ve got someone coming. Trust me, you won’t want to meet them.”
I fucking knew it. Deep down I knew. “It’s Roger, ain’t it? You’re seeing fucking Roger.”
Her pretty face turned dark. “Of course it’s not fucking Roger! What the fuck, Cal? Are you fucking serious?”
“Who then?”
“My sister,” she spat. “She’s coming over.”
The relief flooded over me like the fountain of fucking life. I smiled. “Shit, Soph, you had me worried pissing sick there. That’s cool about your sister, should have said.” I went through to the kitchen, flicked the kettle on. “I could’ve helped tidy up.” I took a sniff under my armpits, they held up alright. “Could’ve had a shower, too. Wanna make a good impression, like.”
Her expression pissed all over my parade. I didn’t have time to react before the doorbell went again. Casey barked and Sophie flinched, waving her arms around in a panic. “Oh fuck,” she said. “Jesus Christ, Callum, Jesus Christ. Please just play along, will you? For God’s sake just play along.”
I didn’t know what she meant until she opened the door. Sophie’s sister was taller than she was. A skinny thing with longer hair. Her nose was bigger, but she was pretty too. She sure didn’t look pleased to be there, clomping her way in with heels and a clipboard under her arm.
Sophie’s sister eyed me like a piece of crap on her shoe, and all thoughts I had of a great family introduction were smashed into pieces. “I didn’t realise you hadguests,” she said.
I met Sophie’s eyes and they were desperate, frantic. They were cold. “They were just leaving,” she said. She ushered me into the hallway before I could react, Casey, too. “Thanks for dropping by,” she hissed. “I’ll check with the allocations team on Monday, Mr Jackson, see if we can get your application moving along. If you could call into the office I’ll sort out the additional paperwork.”
I stared in shock, from Sophie, to her snotty sister and back again. I raised my eyebrows, begging her to say something, anything. To backtrack and introduce me properly, tell her sister how happy she is with me, how much I mean to her.
She didn’t say fucking anything, just opened the door and shooed me out like a fucking rodent.
She mouthed sorry before she closed the door in my face.
And I skulked back to the fucking sewer where I belonged.
***
Chapter Fourteen
Sophie
“That’s a turn up for the books,” Alexandra spat. “I thoughtthiswas a pile of horseshit, but clearly not.” She waved the piece of paper in my face, but I couldn’t make out any of it. “A complaint letter,” she expanded. “Claiming you have a dog in the property andundesirablesliving here. This is Canary Wharf, Sophie, not one of your poxy council estates. We can’t have people likethathere. How on earth does it look?!”
My chest was still paining, torn into pieces by the hurt in Callum’s eyes. In that one last moment, as I’d closed the door in his face, I hadn’t seen the savage standing there, I’d seen the boy who’d thrown his pens from his shitty mother’s balcony. A hurt, defeated, broken little boy.
Yet still I fucking lied. Still I held onto appearances like they fucking mattered.
“He’s a tenant,” I said.
“Sure he is,” she snapped. “Don’t insult my intelligence, Sophie. The guy looked at you like you were candy on a stick. He seemed pretty comfortable here, too, for a tenant.”
“He’s been around a few times. I’m helping him.”
“Is that what they call it these days? Really, Sophie, you need to recalibrate your tastes and select something more becoming of you.”
“Why are you here?” I stomped in her direction, folding my arms across my chest. “You’ve seen the place, now go. Write it up on your little form and get out of my business.”
