Blink(52)

I looked up at him and felt my face flush as I inhaled. He was wearing that nice aftershave again.

‘I wanted to ask if you’ve been OK today,’ he said. He glanced at the door and leaned forward to speak quietly into my ear. ‘I hope it’s not been too . . . difficult?’

We both knew exactly what – and who – he was referring to.

‘It’s been OK,’ I began and then, in a moment of madness, decided to be a little more candid. ‘Bryony has got me doing senseless tasks though, it’s ridiculous. There are far more important things I could be doing.’

Dale nodded. ‘I hear you. Let me keep an eye on things for the next couple of days. I’d hate to think we’re wasting all your experience.’

Wasting it? They hadn’t even tapped into it yet.

‘I’ve got to refile the archived property details.’ I nodded to the box that had toppled from the pile when I’d jumped back.

‘Here, let me get that for you.’ Dale moved past me and stumbled slightly, grasping hold of my shoulder, his face embarrassingly close to mine. We locked eyes for a moment.

‘Oh! Excuse me.’ Bryony stood in the doorway. ‘Am I interrupting something here?’

Dale coughed and stepped away from me.

‘I was just helping Toni,’ he said quickly. ‘With the archive boxes.’

‘I see.’ Her mouth set into a tight little line and she glared at me. ‘Toni, you can carry on writing the contact cards in the office,’ she said. ‘Leave the archiving for today.’

I nodded and walked out of the office without looking at either of them again.

When I got out into the corridor, the door clicked shut behind me, and as I walked away, I heard raised voices.

Back in the office I relayed what had happened to Jo. ‘She looked furious,’ I said. ‘Anyone would think she was the owner and Dale was her assistant.’

‘You’ve worked out why, haven’t you?’ Jo smirked. ‘Surely you can’t be that na?ve.’

‘Worked what out?’ Then it came to me. ‘They’re having an affair?’

Jo had just taken a sip of her tea and nearly choked. She shook her head. ‘Bryony’s got a crush on Dale but the attraction isn’t mutual. Dale was engaged to his childhood sweetheart. They’d just started to plan their wedding when Mia was killed in a car accident. It happened about eighteen months ago.’

‘Oh no,’ I whispered. No wonder Dale had been so understanding when I told him about Andrew. He knew exactly how I felt.

‘Since then it’s been embarrassing.’ Jo rolled her eyes. ‘Bryony started coming to work dressed to the nines. She’s not even subtle about her intentions anymore.’

‘But she’s married,’ I said. ‘You said they were desperate for a child.’

Jo rolled her eyes again. ‘Like I said, Toni, no offence, but you’re a bit na?ve. Don’t you realise that some people just want it all?’





45





Three Years Earlier





The Teacher





Harriet Watson placed the small dish of seedless grapes and sliced strawberries on the desk in front of Evie and beamed. ‘A nice snack I prepared for you earlier.’

Evie looked at the fruit but didn’t touch it.

‘So, what do you say?’ Harriet prompted her.

‘Thank you,’ Evie muttered.

‘Well, aren’t you going to eat it?’

The child picked up a seedless grape, inspected it and popped it into her mouth. ‘We’re going to McDonald’s for tea.’

Harriet’s stomach burned. ‘Fast food will rot your innards,’ she said tightly. ‘Your mother shouldn’t be taking you to those places.’

‘It’s a treat.’ Evie frowned. ‘It’s my favourite.’

‘Fast food contains very high levels of sugar and salt,’ Harriet told her. ‘If you eat too much of it, your taste buds will only want that sort of food and you can even become addicted.’

Evie looked at her. ‘It’s just a treat.’

‘Anyway, enough about that. I’d like to get to know you a little better, Evie. You can start by telling me all about your friends at your old school.’

Evie popped another grape in her mouth and took her time chewing it.

‘I’d like to know their names and the sorts of things you used to do together.’

‘My best friends are Daisy, Nico and Martha,’ said Evie, perking up a bit. ‘We used to play together at break and eat our lunch together. And we sat next to each other at story time, too.’

‘How lovely,’ Harriet remarked. ‘You said they are your best friends but they’re not, anymore, are they?’

‘They are,’ Evie replied swiftly. ‘They are my best friends.’

‘But you never see them. They live back in Hemel Hempstead.’ Harriet’s voice dropped lower. ‘I heard they have a new little girl as their friend now. I’m afraid she took your place when you moved house.’

‘They’re still my friends.’ Evie pushed away the bowl of fruit. ‘Mummy says we might go and see them soon.’