Page 42 of The Art of Loving You

‘I know we both were but … there’s only me now.’

‘There doesn’t have to be. I can help. The lads. Without Jack … without something … half of us are going to end up inside.’

‘That’s not true. You’ve all left school this year, there’s college and—’

‘Courses we don’t care about and apprenticeships in things we don’t want to do because the government say we have to do something til we’re eighteen and the school don’t want us back.’

‘But you all have … something.’

‘Something to keep us out the way. Make the statistics look good. Keep the unemployment figures down. It’s all bullshit. The centre would be … Weneedit. Jack was the only person who ever saw the good in us. No. That ain’t right. You saw the good in us, Libby. You could do it for him. For Jack.’

‘I’ll think about it but—’

‘If you don’t do this, what are you gonna do?’

‘I don’t know, Liam.’ It was the heartbreaking truth. What was I going to do? How could I live Jack’s life when I didn’t know how to live my own? ‘I’ll think about it’ was as much as I could promise him.

Alone again, through the window I saw Faith crying against Michael’s shoulder, inconsolable.

If I were to go ahead with the centre I’d need her help.

Have you spoken to Libby yet?she had texted.

If we were ever to work together I’d have to know what she meant.My memory of Jack was fragile as it was. If he was keeping a secret from me, would I really want to know what it was?

Could I trust her to tell me the truth?

There was only one way to find out.

I had to ask her but not when she was with Michael. I pulled out my phone and texted her.We need to talk. Alone.

I watched through the window as she read the message, saw her face fall.

As if she sensed me watching her, Faith’s puffy swollen eyes met mine before she quickly looked away.

Chapter Fifteen

Faith had replied to my text after the funeral, promising to set up a date, but it was a week before she messaged again.Can we talk today? I’ll come alone.

She’ll be here after lunch.

‘What does she want to talk to you about?’ Alice asked. ‘Is Michael coming too?’

‘No.’

‘I’ll stay.’

‘You need to go to work. If you take any more time off Leanne might sack you. I’ll be fine. We have things to discuss.’

‘Like what?’ Alice bit the edge of her thumbnail.

I hadn’t told her about Faith’s message to Jack, not wanting to hear her theories. I wanted cold, hard facts.

‘The studio. The centre.’

And something else, something darker.Have you spoken to Libby yet?

‘What are you going to tell her? Have you made a decision yet?’

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