Page 72 of Coming Home to Hope Street

She switched off the light, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears from falling, and started counting sheep. Perhaps that would work for once. If not, she was going to look like hell in the morning.

Chapter Forty-Four

At work the next day, Hannah was desperate to talk to Livvy about Kieran but didn’t know how to bring it up into conversation without getting angry. She was still annoyed at the situation; still trying to work out what was going on. Was it a plan or was it a coincidence?

The thing that upset her most was she couldn’t be sure if she trusted Livvy yet. Why come back now after all these years? Could it really be because they were after money for half of the house that Livvy thought she was still entitled to? Hannah supposed legally that was right, but morally it wasn’t as Livvy hadn’t been around for so long. She didn’t deserve it if that was what she was after.

And there was no money now. It had gone towards her mum’s care and to support them both while there was no way she could have gone out to work.

Yet part of her wanted to think that Livvy wouldn’t do that; wouldn’t be like that.

Livvy, she noticed, was quieter than usual, and she took this as a sign of her guilt. So when they were getting ready to go home for the day, the thoughts had festered so much that she had to say something. She beckoned Livvy into the storeroom and closed the door so no one could overhear them.

‘Can I ask you something?’ Hannah didn’t let Livvy confirm yes or no before continuing. ‘Why is Kieran still here?’

‘How do you know that?’ Livvy frowned.

Hannah was thrown for a moment, half-expecting Livvy to say no and that Pip had got it wrong. ‘It doesn’t matter how I found out.’

‘It does to me. Who’s been talking?’

‘It—’

‘It was Phoebe, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes, but—’

‘I might have known.’ Livvy folded her arms. ‘She’s never been happy about me coming back. Why do you think she wants to cause trouble all the time?’

‘She hasn’t said anything to you since that first night she grilled you. And quite frankly, I think you deserved that after just turning up after so long.’

‘Oh, here we go. Now the real reasons are coming out. You’re still mad at me, aren’t you?’

‘No, but I do feel a mug sometimes,’ Hannah snapped, annoyed by Livvy’s defensive tone.

‘For what? Letting me stay when I had nowhere else to go?’

‘But you’ve never told me why you came back. Why did you? Why Somerley after all this time?’

Livvy shook her head in anger. ‘Bloody Phoebe should mind her own business.’

‘She’s only trying to protect me.’

‘What do you mean?’

Hannah faltered. Oh, well in for a penny. ‘Did you come back because you found out I was with Doug and he was rich?’

‘That’s what she thinks?’ Livvy’s breath caught in her throat. ‘I can’t believe you’d agree with her.’

‘Well, isn’t it strange that you turn up unannounced and then Kieran does the same a few weeks later?’

‘No! It was only because Pip told him we were here. I was happy enough to be rid of him.’

Hannah raised her eyebrows at this.

‘It’s true!’ Livvy insisted. ‘Do you think we’ve done this to get at your money?’

‘You said yourself you’ve always been short.’

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