Page 79 of The Home Grown
“Forget about me and Phil. I’m still keen to know why you said no.”
“But you—I mean, are you okay?” I say.
“El, please—I don’t want to talk about it,” she snaps and the look she gives me tells me she won’t change her mind.
“Right, sorry,” I say.
“Well—like I said, I’m still keen to know why you said no.”
And just like that, she forces the direction of the conversation back to me.
“Why would I say yes?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” She throws her bag over her shoulder and straightens up. “I’m sorry to be blunt, but you’re living in Kathryn’s shadow. Practically running her salon … where is she now, El?”
“She’s out looking at wedding venues,” I shrug, actually grateful for her leaving early today.
“Yeah? But why is it up to you to stay here until eight? On a Friday night?”
“I’ve got clients,” I say.
“Your clients? Or ones Kathryn palmed off on to you? I’m going to say it, but you’re a glorified skivvy. What happened to the Ellie who wanted to run her own show? What happened to living your own life? I mean, imagine you say yes, and Mike introduces you to one of his friends and you meet someone who blows you away.”
“I’m not sure that’s how it would work. I think I’d be needing to pretend to be with him, so it wouldn’t look good if I was trying to get with his friends.”
“Okay, fine … but I mean, once it’s all over. Or—” She pauses, a creepy smile forming on her face. “What if you realise that you and Mike are meant to be together after all and this is one big love story I can live vicariously through you?”
The idea brings a chill to my spine. “I’m not sure?—”
“Or … I like this, hear me out… or maybe you can play him at his own game. Freak him out a little. Lay it on. Yanno, so when you attend these functions together … you could show up looking your best, flirt like hell with him, make him wish like he was really married to you, mess with him a little? Because if he’s anything like he used to be, he wouldn’t be expecting that, and I don’t think he’d know how to react. It’d be hilarious.”
“Or maybe I just say no and leave it at that.”
“Or maybe you live a little?”
Jess slips her coat on.
“I don’t know. It’s all a bit … much, I think. We don’t even know if we are married. I’m waiting for him to check through his paperwork. Besides, I think deep down I’m still upset about him not reaching out when he came back from Germany. It’s like I didn’t even matter to him, but now, when it’s convenient for him, he’s interested.”
“But he said he called you and he was told never to ring this number again?”
“Yeah, but he must have had the wrong number or something,” I shrug. “Still, he knew where I lived?—”
“Or Kathryn answered and told him to do one. It’s the sort of thing she’d do. God forbid you meet someone and can’t tend to her every waking call,” Jess says in a tone laced with sarcasm.
I gape at her. “Wh—do you think she’d do something like that?”
“I definitely think she’s capable. I mean, she’d have had to of had access to your phone and deleted messages or whatever. Then she probably blocked his number or something—look, I don’t know but it’s possible. Wasn’t she madly in love withJeremy Betts at one point? Maybe she figured ‘If I can’t have Jeremy then Ellie can’t have Mike’.”
I feel wrapped in my naivety. Because there was a point, way back, when my charger went missing, and I’d had to leave my phone in Kathryn’s room while I used hers. I mean … what Jess is saying is possible, but she wouldn’t, would she?
“Now, are we going for dinner? Because I’m starving,” Jess says.
We head down the stairs to the main salon area, where I automatically head for the front door to take the lock off. A habit I got into when working in the upstairs treatment room, when it’s just me. But as I reach for the lock, a figure darkens the doorway and my heart stops as I come face to glass to face with Mike Betts.
“Oh, my God,” Jess says. “Speak of the devil … he’s aged well.”
I flash her a look of despair before turning back to the door, locking eyes with Mike, standing on the other side, grinning at me.
