He held up his hand, a wait signal, then smiled at Laura. ‘I’m afraid we don’t have anything else available at the moment, but I can certainly let you know as soon as new properties come on.’
‘That would be great.’ Laura suddenly felt silly. As if she were playing a childish game, making something out of nothing. She stood and Neil shook her hand. Almost as soon as she’d vacated the seat, the other couple swooped in.
Embarrassed, she walked towards the door, still trying to look like a bona fide buyer, whatever that was. Goodness knows what she thought she’d find out – there was nothing to find out. The only thing that absolutely did not add up was Cherry saying that Neil had called her and encouraged her to take a longer holiday. He was clearly woefully understaffed.
‘She’s back next week,’ said the girl as Laura headed for the door. She looked round. ‘Cherry? You were asking about her. Back on Monday.’ There was a poorly hidden note of relief to the girl’s voice.
Laura nodded. She knew. She looked for a moment at the girl and saw how out of her depth she was. Poor thing. She smiled. ‘Last day?’
The girl grimaced. ‘Tomorrow.’ Then regretting her unprofessionalism, ‘Sorry, shouldn’t say that, should I?’
‘I won’t tell anyone.’
The girl grinned. ‘Thanks. I was beginning to think she’d never come back.’
‘Delayed return?’ Laura spoke with understanding and empathy – as well she might, as she knew perfectly well Cherry had extended her trip.
‘Do you know her?’
A sigh escaped. ‘A little.’ Laura quickly smiled and closed the pressure valve up tight again. She hadn’t meant to sigh – she didn’t really want anyone to know – but the worry had been hers alone for a few days now.
‘Understandable, though.’
Laura stopped. ‘Yes,’ she said again, not knowing what they were talking about, but something stirred, something that made her alert.
‘I remember when my grandmother died. Norfolk, though, not the South of France. Bit easier to get to the funeral.’
Laura was still standing there, rocked, trying to stay calm, trying to look sympathetic, as if she knew that Cherry’s grandmother had died, but every bit of energy seemed to be occupied by the unfurling realization: Cherry must have made it up. Made up her grandmother’s death – did she even have a grandmother? – so she could be in the South of France at her villa. It couldn’t be true, otherwise she would have told Daniel and he would have told her.
No wonder Neil had had no choice but to let her go away when his other staff were also off. She glanced up at him and saw him look at her strangely, perhaps wonder why she was still there, and it focused her enough to get out. With a brief thank you and goodbye to the girl, who had no idea just how much she’d done for her, she left the agency and didn’t look round or slow down until she was back in her own road. Then it hit her again. She stopped in the middle of the pavement and goosebumps rose on her arms.
Cherry had made it all up.
SIXTEEN
Friday 18 July
It threw her into turmoil. When she’d left France, there had been something she didn’t quite trust about Cherry, but she’d never really expected to find out anything. Now it was real. Cherry had lied to her boss to go on holiday – she’d lied to them too, or at least been economical with the truth, and Laura felt hurt. She’d been manipulated. She was reminded of the scheming Cherry had done to get her job. And then there was the money. Cherry had seemingly cheated Daniel out of a hundred pounds, so it raised the dark, uncomfortable question, was she a gold-digger?
There had been no one to talk to. Laura had considered bringing it up with Howard, but it was a long time since she’d confided in him about anything. Izzy was still in France and it wasn’t the sort of thing she could discuss on the phone. So she’d left it to brew and fester in her own mind.
Daniel was due home later that day, and as much as she’d been looking forward to seeing him, she was now also slightly dreading it. They’d spoken on the phone a few times and things were more or less back to normal between them, but now she had this thing and she didn’t know what to do with it. His return home was only for a few days, as he was moving into his new flat the following week. Laura had arranged a barbecue for close family and friends to send him off. It would be the first time she’d see Cherry since the holiday. Cherry, who now infiltrated her mind every minute of the day, winding round like a creeper and making her uncomfortable, uneasy.
The nightmares had come back, out of the blue, dark thoughts that she’d tried to bury. They had started before he was even born. She’d dream she’d had another baby but had forgotten all about him, only remembering three days later that she’d left him in the wardrobe in a Moses basket. Panicked, she’d pull him out, neglected, near starving, and he’d look at her wide-eyed and confused, not knowing why he’d been abandoned. Guilty relief would swamp her, relief she’d got to him in the nick of time, but somewhere in the back of her head she knew she’d do it again; she’d let him down again. And she did, as the nightmare was recurring.