Jack bit his lip and turned to me. ‘What do you say, Avalon? Shall we have dinner with Georgia?’
It was clear that Georgia had not meant to invite me, her face fell as soon as Jack had asked me whether I wanted to go. I did not want to go, but I did not want Jack spending time alone with this woman.
I shrugged in a noncommittal way and Jack turned back to Georgia.
‘Count us in,’ he said with a smile.
‘Great,’ Georgia said, the grin on her face faltered.
Disgruntled, I followed in Jack’s shadow as he trailed Georgia back to her apartment. It was above a rather depressing looking funeral parlour. The apartment was small and bare, with only two bedrooms, a kitchen, sitting room and a washroom.
I sat on her sofa in a sour mood with crossed arms and pursed lips, listening to Jack rattle on in the kitchen while Georgia cooked. I knew Georgia was being kind but I could not get past the feeling that she was up to something. I felt as though she was trying to steal Jack away from me. I had to remind myself that Jack did not belong to me; he could be friends with whomever he liked. But he was my friend first.
I eavesdropped on the conversation between Jack and Georgia, which carried from the kitchen into the sitting room.
‘So how long are you in the city for?’ Georgia asked over the sound of clanging pots and pans.
‘Not sure,’ Jack replied. ‘A few days, maybe a week.’
‘Why are you here anyway?’ she asked.
Jack’s pause was short. ‘We are trying to make an appointment with The Realm.’ He said slowly.
‘The Realm?’ Georgia’s response sounded confused. ‘I’ve seen people protesting out the front every day since I arrived; something about Human rights or some other nonsense. Oh gosh, don’t tell me that you’re part of one of those Human liberation groups?’
‘Oh no, nothing like that,’ Jack said quickly.
‘Good,’ Georgia gave a sigh of relief, ‘It’s utter nonsense if you ask me.’
‘Mmmh’ Jack agreed half-heartedly. I could hear something being chopped up.
‘So, why do you need to see The Realm?’ Georgia pressed.
I clenched my fists, praying that Jack was not about to reveal our purpose to this stranger.
‘Um, nothing interesting, really,’ Jack said slowly. ‘We … uh, need to get planning permission to … build an apothecary in Mortlock.’
I exhaled, thankfully.
‘Your own apothecary?’ Georgia sounded delighted. ‘Will you run it all by yourself?’
‘Oh no, I suppose Avalon will be there to help,’ Jack invented.
‘Avalon?’ Georgia repeated, then she lowered her voice, ‘And you would trust her completely, not to, you know … set everything on fire?’
‘Yeah, of course. I don’t see why not.’
‘Hm’ Georgia made a tutting noise with her tongue. ‘Have you been friends long, you and her?’
Jack thought about this for a moment. ‘We met only last year,’ he admitted.
‘That’s a big commitment – travelling so far and going into business with someone you barely know.’
I grinded my teeth together.
‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ said Jack.
Of course he hadn’t – we weren’t going into business together at all.
‘Are you sure she isn’t using you?’ Georgia said in a hushed tone. ‘She has this … dark look about her, as though she is up to something.’
I was surprised to hear Jack laugh loudly. ‘Nah. Avalon always looks a bit moody,’ he said with a chortle. ‘Good kid though.’
Kid. I scowled. I was almost nineteen.
‘So there’s nothing going on between you two?’ Georgia pressed.
‘Going on?’ Jack repeated. ‘No. I mean, she is my best friend, so of course we care about each other-’
‘So you’re single?’ Georgia interrupted.
I was gripping the folds of my dress so tightly that my knuckles were white.
‘Yes.’ Jack replied. ‘I am.’
The conversation ended here. I could hear my heart throbbing in my ears so loudly, it was deafening.
I thought things could not get any worse, but I was wrong. Halfway through dinner, which was a course of mashed potatoes, roasted chicken and peas, Georgia asked where we were staying. She was appalled by Jack’s living arrangements and promptly offered him her spare bedroom, free of charge, for one week. Once again, Jack assumed that the offer was for the two of us and accepted without asking me.
When Georgia got up to clear the plates, I rounded on Jack.
‘What are you doing?’ I hissed at him.
‘What?’ he said innocently.
‘I don’t want to stay here with her,’ I said, my voice obviously full of disgust.
Jack made an impatient noise, ‘What is your problem? Can’t you see that she is trying to do something nice for us?’
I glowered at Jack. ‘I don’t want to be in her debt.’
Jack looked over his shoulder to make sure we were not being overheard. ‘Look, it’s just for a couple of nights, okay? It will save us a ton of money on renting a room at the lodge.’