AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fine, whatever.” Yes, I sound like a sulking teenager.
“Janet, you’ve known all along and you didn’t say anything.” The pain in Daisy’s voice is evident.
“Daisy, If I could have told you I would have,” Janet answers.
“Daisy, I asked Janet to recruit you and mentor you. Your skills are impressive, and I’ll admit that I wanted you close, just in case you were able to find Callie. Which you did.”
“Why did you send people after us?” I ask.
“They were never after you. Once Daisy had located you, I wanted to make sure you were okay, that you had everything you needed. My people were never supposed to be spotted, they were supposed to be invisible.”
“You need new people then, Mum, because they sucked at being covert.”
“Maybe you could train them,” she laughs. It’s strange because everything—almost—feels normal. As if I haven’t had an absent mother. Like we spend all our time chit chatting together. “I thought about revealing myself, once Daisy had found you, but…”
“But what?” She could have shown herself in Sweden. Why all this fucking about?
“I was terrified you’d reject me.” Her voice cracks and I see tears pool.
“Well, we’ll never know now.” Should I be kinder? Possibly, but my defences are too high for that.
“Where do we go from here?” Daisy asks. She still looks super pissed at Janet.
“We verify the accounts. Pass everything on to the name I gave you and then sit back. Your job is done, Callie, it’s over.” I want to believe her, really I do, but until Betty is behind bars, I can’t.
“Will you stay here? I have more than enough space. You can have your own rooms.” Janet asks.
“We only need one room,” I say, because I can’t think of sleeping without Daisy. I see my mum smirk and I blush a little.
“One room it is. I’ll get everything set up. Please stay for as long as you like. You’re safe here.” Janet says. She shoots Mum a look that I can’t translate.
“What about Daniel, my brother? Betty has already warned me I’m cutting it close. She will hurt him, you know she will. I can’t just sit here and wait. We have no idea how long it will take for the authorities to put her away. Daniel doesn’t have that long.”
“I have someone working on the problem, Daisy. I promise I’ll do everything I can to get him to safety.” Mum talks with confidence. I can see she’s used to being in charge. I’m a bit impressed even if I’m still mad and defensive.
I need more alcohol. More than Janet has, I would guess. I make my way over to the bottle of brandy and pour myself a very generous glass. Down the hatch it goes. I could do with some alone time. A lot has happened recently—I should stop being so surprised really—and I don’t do well processing around others. It’s the one time I enjoy being alone.
“Can you show us to our room? I think I’d like some time alone.” No one argues with my request. I follow Janet up the stairs. Everything in this house looks like it came out of a magazine. I’ve not had this level of luxury for a while. She shows me into a bedroom that is ridiculously big. It has a canopy bed, for fuck’s sake. There is an ensuite and a balcony. Janet makes bank! This house must be worth a few million.
When I’m finally alone, I sink into a chair that is by a set of double doors. It’s so quiet that I start to feel uneasy. I need to unwind. The brandy is making me feel a bit buzzed, which is great. I don’t feel panicked or filled with anxiety, which is a strange turn of events. You would think that after all this shit, I would be a bloody wreck. Maybe my capacity to be surprised and shocked have reached their limits?
The ensuite is gorgeous. I only went in for a pee, but now I’m running a bath. It’s a clawfoot. I’ve never been in a clawfoot bath before. I’m going to pretend for half an hour that I’m a carefree housewife, living the life of luxury. It’s only after I get in the bath that I find a bath bomb. I add it and instantly regret it. Bath bomb up the arse is not an experience I’d like to repeat. Does it ever stop fizzing?
Once my bum stops feeling weird, I settle down. My head leans back on the little pillow and I close my eyes. Okay so my mum isn’t dead. That’s a big one. How do I feel? Happy, obviously, but also detached. I know she’s my mum, but she isn’t someone I know. I wish I could just fall into her arms and feel everything I should, but I can’t. I feel disconnected. That relationship is gonna need some work.
The sound of the bathroom door opening pulls my focus. Daisy walks in and immediately starts stripping. Nice! Slipping into the bath, she lets her head fall back on to my shoulder. We haven’t exchanged any words. I wonder if she’s okay, it’s not just my reality that has been impacted. I don’t know the full scale of Janet’s involvement in Daisy’s life, but I’m not blind. Daisy was hurt by Janet’s deception.
We remain silent, enjoying the bath. It’s the first time that Daisy and I have actually been able to stop. Not just for a couple of hours or a night. No, we can properly stop and relax. I think we are actually safe now. My Spidey sense isn’t pinging. This level of normalcy is what I’ve been craving with Daisy my whole life. Dare I believe we are going to get our happily ever after?
The bath water is lukewarm by the time we get out and re-dress. It’s late afternoon now, far too early to retire to bed and I don’t think either of us is in the mind-set to have sex. Later hopefully. Now we need to go back downstairs, hopefully to eat, and then talk some more with Janet and Mum. As much as they think my part is done with, they’re wrong. I’m not done until Betty is gone.
I had no idea my mum is a lesbian! The way she’s snogging Janet though is kind of giveaway. Well, well, well, it really is a case of “like mother like daughter.” I clear my throat when it becomes apparent they haven’t noticed us enter. My mum goes bright red—another trait we share—and Janet looks everywhere but at me as they part. “No need to stop on our account,” I smirk. This day is all kinds of fucked up.
“Sorry you had to see that,” Mum mumbles.
“So, how long have you two been together?” Daisy asks. I think this is just another thing she’s pissed about. Not them being together, but the fact that Janet, the person she thought she knew, has been keeping things from her.
“Eighteen years,” Janet replies.
