Page 29 of Her Last Walk Home

‘I didn’t even get the promised meal. He was a cheapskate.’

‘That’s so not on, Shannon. Did you read the small print? Isn’t it in the terms and conditions that you get fed?’

‘Stop messing, Jess. It wasn’t funny. In all honesty, I was kind of scared.’

‘Maybe you should take your name off the site. Try dating the old-fashioned way.’

‘I want one with money.’

Jess lifted her pint and pointed it towards the bar. ‘A few fine things sitting up there.’

‘You’d shag one of them? They’re ancient.’

‘They’re the ones with the money.’

‘And don’t forget, they’re the ones with the wife and four kids at home.’

Jess leaned her head to one side. ‘Divorced, maybe?’

‘Divorce means baggage. Suitcases full of it.’

‘What about your man at the end of the bar? On his own. Nice eyes. I caught him watching us a minute ago.’

‘You can hardly see his face, let alone his eyes.’

‘Quit moaning, Shannon. Let’s have fun.’ Jess drank more cider. ‘Where did you stay last night if you didn’t go home?’

‘Karen’s. She didn’t mind. Can’t say the same for George when I arrived home this morning with no door key.’

‘Your brother is a nutter at times. What did he say?’

‘More like what he didn’t say.’

Jess licked her lips. ‘Don’t look now, but your man at the end of the bar is kind of cute. I like the ones with beards.’

‘Will you stop? I bet he’s one of those with a trunk full of baggage.’

‘I wouldn’t mind seeing his trunk!’ Jess laughed.

Shannon had to smile. Her friend was a tonic, but even so, she felt a moment of jealousy. Jess had a natural beauty, whereas she herself had to shovel on the foundation and fake tan, and her hair was a fucking nightmare. Still, she had to admit she looked good on the agency’s website. It had cost her a small fortune to get a make-up artist to work her magic. But it’d beworth it, wouldn’t it? Her saviour was probably out there right now, staring at her face on a screen, his millions burning a hole in his pocket. That thought made her feel better before her mood took a downward spiral.

‘Jess, did you hear about that girl’s murder?’ She tugged her short skirt towards her knees, feeling suddenly vulnerable.

‘Oh God, yes. Horrific. Twenty-five, same as us. Did you know her?’

‘Kind of. Hadn’t talked to her in a long time.’

‘And she had a kid.’

‘Shocking.’ Shannon wondered if she should remind Jess where she’d first met Laura Nolan. A filament of unease threaded itself between her vertebrae, and she shivered.

‘Don’t look now,’ Jess said, ‘but he’s actually staring at us.’

‘Who’s staring?’ She was glad the conversation had shifted.

‘Your man at the bar.’

‘That’s such a cliché.’

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