Beautiful Broken Things(Beautiful Broken Things #1)(69)

Suzanne’s footsteps sounded on the stairs and she appeared, pulling her hat over her head and tucking stray hairs under the rim. ‘Ready to go?’ she asked me.

I was just about to nod when the unmistakable sound of a key turning in the lock jolted us both. I saw a look of total, complete panic pass over Suzanne’s face. As if by instinct, she moved closer to me, her hand clenching over my wrist.

She relaxed as soon as the door opened to reveal a figure I recognized from the photographs on the mirror in her Brighton bedroom. When he saw us, his face dropped in shock. He stopped in the doorway, one hand still on the handle, mouth open. Then, ‘Fucking hell, Zannie.’ Suzanne’s brother walked forward, leaving the door open, and lifted her right off the floor into a hug.

‘Hi,’ she said, her voice muffled against his shoulder. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Looking for you!’ Brian set her back down on the carpet and let out a breath. ‘God, I was worried sick.’

‘Really? Why?’

‘You don’t appear at Cardiff station and no one knows where you are? Yeah, I was worried.’ The relief had faded from his face and he looked faintly annoyed for a moment before his eyes fell on me. ‘Oh! Are you Caddy?’

I nodded mutely.

‘I recognize you from Facebook pictures.’ He actually held out his hand, and I shook it. ‘Right.’ He reached out and hooked his arm around Suzanne’s shoulder, pulling her in for a second hug. ‘Seeing as I’m here, I guess I’d better take you both home.’

As soon as we’d got in the car, Brian pulled out his phone and dialled a number before he even started the engine. ‘Hey, Sarah.’ His voice was relaxed and easy; it was the voice of someone used to smoothing situations over. ‘I’m in Reading . . . Yeah . . . No, that’s why I’m calling. She’s here.’ He glanced to his left at Suzanne, who glowered. ‘She’s fine . . . No, totally fine.’ His eyes moved to the rear-view mirror, catching my gaze.

I answered the unspoken question with a vigorous, horrified shake of my head. There was still at least a chance that my parents didn’t know what had happened or that I’d ever been out of the city. He grinned, an understanding ally. ‘So we’re heading back now,’ he said into the phone. ‘We’ll be in Brighton in a couple of hours probably.’

When he hung up, he tossed the phone on to the dashboard and started the car. ‘So –’ he said, still upbeat. He executed a perfect three-point turn, throwing his hand into a wave at the house behind us, as if there was anyone there to see it – ‘want to explain yourself?’

‘What’s to explain?’ Suzanne asked.

‘Oh, I don’t know, Zanne,’ Brian said, deadpan. ‘Maybe start with why the three of us are in my car driving from Reading to Brighton on a Sunday morning?’

Suzanne muttered something I didn’t catch, but whatever it was made Brian laugh. She looked at him, a grin appearing on her face. He reached out a hand and ruffled her hair. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he said.

After a respectful fifteen minutes, Brian tried again. I sat in the back, fiddling with my hoodie cuffs, hoping they’d forget I was there.

‘There I was, thinking you wanted to see me,’ he said, easing into the roundabout and then taking the second exit on to the motorway.

‘It’s not about that,’ Suzanne replied. ‘It would have just been nice to be included in the decision.’

‘OK. One: when Sarah and I talked about it we thought you’d be thrilled, so asking your opinion didn’t even come up. And two: you can’t just up and leave just because you don’t like a decision someone’s made.’

‘Why not?’

In the rear-view mirror I saw Brian roll his eyes. ‘Because it’s bloody annoying. I don’t get my kicks driving from Cardiff to Reading to Brighton and back again, you know. We could’ve just had a nice weekend in Wales. I was going to take you to the rugby.’

Suzanne made a face. ‘Wow, I’m so sad I missed it.’ It was strange for me to see her like this, somehow diminished in the presence of her older brother. She was transformed from my cooler, worldly friend into Brian’s Little Sister. Sulky and slouching against her seat.

‘Plus,’ Brian added, ignoring her comment, ‘you really should tell me before you turn up at Mum and Dad’s. What if they’d been there?’

‘I wouldn’t have gone in if they were. And why would telling you make a difference?’

‘Oh, Zanne, come on.’

‘No, go on, tell me.’ She shifted a little in her seat so she was facing him. ‘Spell it out.’

I saw Brian tense his shoulders against his seat, tilting his head back slightly. ‘I just worry, OK? You know that.’

Suzanne leaned her head around her seat to look at me. ‘That’s Brian’s speciality,’ she said, a touch of sarcasm in her voice. ‘Worry.’

‘Is it?’ I said, not sure what to say.

‘Yeah, it’s a great filler for where the actual helping should be.’

‘Jesus!’ Brian let out a sharp exhalation. ‘That’s not fair.’

Suzanne sat back, her face disappearing from view. ‘Is it fair that you get to act really put upon? Oh, poor you, having to drive to come and get your stupid, tearaway sister?’