Page 12 of The Library of Second Chances
The sound of food hitting the bowl made his head turn. Mrs Cook was pouring his favourite mix into a plastic feed plate, right next to a fresh bowl of water. The automatic feeder gave him the same thing every day, but this was wet food, smelling deliciously meaty. Clementine watched, his whiskers twitching as the enticing aroma surrounded him.
‘See you tomorrow, my boy.’ Mrs Cook was halfway out the door when Clementine leaped down and rubbed himself across her leg. He meowed at her, not wanting her to go.
She chuckled, reaching down to pet him. ‘I love you, too.’
CHAPTER SIX
AS PROMISED, CHLOEsent Hannah a message, saying how glad she was that they had run into each other and that they should spend some time together soon. That was how she found herself in Wellbridge’s town centre on a breezy Tuesday morning, waiting in front of the post office.
Hannah bounded over not long after, her hair in a high ponytail. How was it that she could look the same even though seven years had passed? When they were teenagers, twenty-six-year-olds had seemed so mature and put-together. But nothing had really changed.
Chloe smiled as she returned her hug. ‘Right, now I don’t have to make coffee all day, I can actually catch up with you properly,’ said Hannah. ‘Shall we go do some shopping?’
‘Sure.’
There were a few high street shops in the little town centre, and Chloe and Hannah browsed clothes as they caught up with each other and the seven years they had missed. Chloe told her about moving to Sheffield and working in marketing after she had finished university.
‘Do you miss it?’ Hannah asked, moving along shirts on racks.
‘The city, yes. Marketing, not so much.’ The job had had little to do with her degree in linguistics and more with the rising rent prices. ‘I moved here after . . .’ She trailed off, realising with dismay that she hadn’t told Hannah about her parents.
Hannah must have noticed the look on her face because she abandoned the rack of clothes, giving her a look of sympathy. ‘I heard about what happened,’ she said softly.
‘You did?’ Tears burned in Chloe’s eyes and she quickly blinked them away. ‘How?’
Hannah hesitated. ‘Well, Gwen posted about it. On Facebook.’
Right.Chloe turned away, pretending to be interested in some skirts. She didn’t know why it bothered her so much that Gwen posted about Mum and Dad on her Facebook page. She had every right to do so. Maybe it was because on her Instagram, she was painting herself as a fabulously wealthy and happy sugar baby, with no mention of them at all. She hadn’t even made it to the funeral. She had asked Chloe to move the event a few days later to give her time to come back from Fiji, but Chloe had reminded her that the world didn’t revolve around her. They hadn’t spoken since then.
‘Should I have unfriended her?’ asked Hannah, sounding alarmed.
‘No, no.’ Chloe wiped her eyes, glad she wasn’t wearing mascara. ‘It’s nothing like that. I’m glad you know, actually.’ It would skip the painful process of telling Hannah herself, anyway.
Hannah hugged her. ‘I’m so sorry about what happened. It’s awful. I can’t imagine.’
Chloe held her until Hannah pulled away. She forced a smile, not wanting to get lost in memories of Mum and Dad in this bright clothing store. ‘Thanks. Tell me about you. What have you been up to?’
Hannah hesitated. ‘Well, I have a daughter now. She’s almost four.’
Chloe tried not to show her surprise, though she supposed they were at the age now when they were starting to have kids. Even if it did still feel like a far-off possibility for Chloe.
‘Wow, that’s great,’ she said. Hannah had always been the one who said she didn’t want kids and would never have kids, though she supposed people changed their minds. ‘What’s her name?’
Hannah gave a fond smile. ‘Lily.’
She glanced at Hannah’s left hand. ‘I didn’t know you were . . .’ She trailed off as Hannah shook her head, looking like she had just swallowed something sour. There was no ring on her finger, and Chloe cringed at herself inwardly.
‘He’s an idiot. Sees her on weekends, but . . . it just didn’t work out.’ She scoffed. ‘I wouldn’t trade her for the world, though. I can’t wait for you to meet her.’
‘That’ll be nice,’ said Chloe. ‘Though, um, you should know I’m not really planning to stay long.’ She told her about moving into her parents’ house after the funeral.
‘Oh, Chloe. It must be so tough living in your house where they . . . That’s . . . I’m so sorry.’
She let Hannah hug her again, her empathy bringing fresh tears to her eyes. ‘It’s all right,’ she reassured her. ‘I mean, it’s not, but it is what it is. I came here temporarily, but I’ll move on as soon as I’ve saved up some money. There are too many bad memories here, you know.’
‘Not all bad, I hope.’ Hannah sniffled.
Chloe nudged her. ‘You were my best friend in school. I promise we’ll stay in touch more.’
