Alison’s jaw drops. She hasn’t been expecting this from me. ‘No… I can’t let you do that. You don’t even know me, it wouldn’t be fair.’
‘I’m not leaving you here, Alison. I can’t make any promises but I can at least try and keep you safe for a couple of days until we manage to work something out.’
There is such a long silence that I think she’s going to refuse again, but then she slowly nods. ‘Maybe then. Just for a couple of days until I can work out what to do.’
While she heads upstairs to pack some clothes, I pace Alison’s sterile kitchen and call Pam. ‘I’m so sorry to do this, Pam, but I need to ask a huge favour. Could you have Freya with you for a few days? Just until the weekend?’
‘Of course. Is everything okay, Mia?’
‘Yes, sorry, everything’s fine, but I think it would be good for her to spend some more time with you. I know you both get lonely there. And I’ve got lots of extra work to do so it would really help me out.’
Thankfully Pam doesn’t ask what exactly I need to do that I couldn’t fit into my normal working hours. ‘Well, yes,’ she says, ‘we love the house being filled with Freya and her noise, but are you sure you’re okay? You and Will are fine, aren’t you?’
‘We’re great. He loved meeting you both last night, thank you for that. So is it okay if I drop her round this evening?’
‘Oh, that soon? Um, yes, of course. I’ll get her room ready straight away.’
Pam knows I’m keeping something from her; I have never been disorganised enough to have to spring something like this on them, but how can I tell her I’m letting one of my clients stay with me for a few days? She would never understand. But while I want to do my best to help Alison, and at the same time get to the truth of everything, I will not let her be around my daughter.
Chapter Twenty
Josie
* * *
A loud noise wakes me and I shoot up, jumping out of bed before I realise it’s Alison dropping something in the bathroom. I hear her humming to herself, something tuneless that sounds like it’s coming from a child’s mouth.
It’s 8 a.m. and this is the first I’ve seen or heard of her since our conversation by my car at university. Fuming that she hasn’t had the decency to explain herself, I rush to the bathroom, still in my pyjamas. I won’t spare her the dignity of a knock – I’m going to unlock it from the outside, something I don’t even think she knows is possible, otherwise I’m sure she would have asked the landlady to change the lock.
‘What are you doing?’ she squeals, when I burst in on her. She’s not even in the shower but is about to start brushing her teeth.
‘What the hell happened to you yesterday?’
She squeezes toothpaste onto her brush. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Oh, come on! You told me you’d be home at seven and said you wanted to talk. What was the point if you weren’t going to be home? What kind of stupid game are you playing here, Alison?’
She spins around. ‘Josie, what are you talking about? I didn’t even see you yesterday.’
This girl is bat-shit crazy. ‘Why are you lying? You were waiting for me in the uni car park in the afternoon, you said you wanted to talk.’
‘Oh, Josie, you must have had too much to drink or something. I wasn’t even at uni yesterday. I didn’t have any lectures so I spent the day and night with an old school friend.’ She dabs her mouth with her towel. ‘I really have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, why would I wait for you in the uni car park when I can just catch up with you here?’
The smirk on her face warns me there’s no point protesting. This is one of her weird games and there is nothing I can do. ‘You’re right,’ I say. ‘I must be mistaken.’ I turn to walk out.
‘I hope you enjoyed your evening, Josie.’
I don’t even bother to respond.
* * *
‘I think my flatmate knows about us.’
‘Whoa, Josie, hold it right there! What do you mean us?’ Zach looks around nervously before closing his office door.
‘I mean that you were at my flat yesterday.’
‘How do you know? Has she said something?’
‘She hasn’t said anything but I just know. She’s been acting strangely. I mean, even stranger than usual. That noise we heard must have been her.’
Zach sits down at his desk and starts chewing his pen while he stares at me. ‘Look, I know the two of you don’t get on but maybe you should just try to make an effort with her. I could really do without gossip being spread around. That could be dangerous, Josie. You know that, don’t you?’
He’s right. It’s not fair on him that he gets dragged into my fight with Alison, especially when he really hasn’t done anything. ‘I’ll sort it, okay?’
But the frown remains on Zach’s face. ‘Please do. Look, I see you as a friend now, Josie, I think we share a lot of common ground and that’s rare, but you do know—’
‘I know, Zach.’ I don’t need him to spell out to me how we will never be anything more than that.
‘Then please can you make your peace with her.’
‘I have to go,’ I say, and I turn quickly because I don’t know whether I’m angry or upset.
* * *
Alison is curled up on the sofa reading a book when I get home. She sits up straighter when I come in – on guard, just as I am whenever we come into contact with each other.
‘Can we talk?’ I say, trying to make my voice soft. I know I can sound quite harsh sometimes – abrasive, even – and I don’t want to put her on edge. I need to defuse this situation. Zach is right, he doesn’t deserve malicious gossip to be spread about him when he’s done nothing but try to help me.
‘What is it?’ she says, putting down her book and sliding her legs off the sofa.
There’s something different about her. I was too caught up to notice it this morning but I’m sure it was there then too. She’s more confident now. Not the passive quiet girl she has been since I’ve known her. And it’s because she has something to hang over me, to suffocate me with whenever she wants.
I sit down next to her, forcing myself to see this through even though I can’t find any part of her to like. ‘Can we please try to sort things out? I don’t know about you but I could really do without the arguing and tension between us. We’ve got enough to worry about with exams and assignments and stuff. If it’s my fault then I’m sorry, but surely there’s a way we can work things out?’ I refrain from adding that this is exactly what she pretended to want as well. I must keep my anger under control.
She scrunches her nose and stares at me. ‘And what’s brought this on, Josie? You can’t stand the sight of me usually so I’m surprised you’re here, grovelling for my friendship.’
‘Wait a minute, Alison, I said nothing about friendship. I’m just trying to make things… amicable. We don’t have to be best buddies, but let’s just try to be civil to each other.’
She ignores every word I’ve said. ‘I’ve got friends, Josie. Plenty of them back home. I don’t actually need any more. I’m sorry but friendship just doesn’t work that way. You can’t force it. We just don’t like each other, do we? There’s nothing we can do about that.’
I’m too shocked to speak. Shocked she’s coming out with this, that she’s being so assertive and sure of herself. So what’s changed? It’s because she saw Zach here, it must be. She really has got one over on me now.
‘Anyway,’ she continues, ‘you seem to be doing a good job of making new friends yourself.’
‘And what does that mean?’ I can no longer keep the anger from my voice, even though this is exactly what she wants.
‘I have to go,’ she says, brushing past me on her way out.
* * *