The Girls Who Disappeared(19)

She frowns. ‘So you just snuck out in the middle of the night?’

‘It was actually the early hours of this morning.’

Was it? She can’t remember what time it was. All she knew was that it had been dark. But considering it doesn’t start getting light until after 7.30 a.m. he could be right. Either way it was before 6 a.m. as that was when her alarm went off.

‘Did you see Izzy in the café?’ she asks, hating herself for it. She knows she sounds needy and insecure. But she looks so much like Sally. Wesley must notice too. Sometimes, especially in the early days, Olivia would stop in her tracks when she saw Izzy, and for a wild moment, a millisecond really, it was as though Sally had never gone missing, as though she’d been in the town all along and was walking carefree down the high street, her dark glossy ponytail swinging. And it would be so painful it winded Olivia, sending her into a spiral of nostalgia and grief for the only best friend she’s ever had. Olivia tried, about ten years ago, to befriend Izzy despite their eight-year age gap and had asked her if she wanted to go for a drink. Izzy had agreed – her parents might not have wanted anything to do with Olivia but Izzy was delighted to swap memories and humorous stories about her sister. They’d spent a few nights out reminiscing about Sally, but being with Izzy just reminded Olivia that although Izzy looked like her best friend she was an imposter, and it made her miss Sally all the more. Olivia realized then that friendship couldn’t be forced, no matter how much you both might want it.

Now Wesley tries to look nonchalant. ‘Yeah, we had a quick chat. Anyway, when are you finishing up here? Thought we could go to the pub tonight.’

‘About five,’ she replies.

He laughs. ‘God, Liv, at least fake some enthusiasm.’ He reaches over and tenderly touches her face. For a moment she sees rare vulnerability in his eyes. ‘I know it’s a hard time of year. But I do love you, you know, and I’d do anything for you.’

‘I know you would.’ She nudges the concrete with the toe of her boot.

‘I just want to take care of you.’

She doesn’t need taking care of. She’s a grown woman and everyone treats her like a child. But she would never have survived through it all without him. And now she wonders if she does love him or whether she feels like she owes him.

‘I know neither of us wants kids …’ he says, and she looks up at him in surprise.

‘Whoa! Isn’t this a bit of a heavy conversation to be having on a Tuesday afternoon?’

He laughs. He has a wide mouth that is too big for his face. It can make him look happy one minute and sulky the next. ‘I just think maybe we should move things forward. It’s about time. Live together. I can look after you. You need me, Liv. And I need you. We’d be a proper couple.’

‘We are a proper couple.’

‘You know what I mean. You could move into my flat with me. Get away from …’ He inclines his head towards the office where her mother is.

Does she want to get away from her mother? They’ve always been close and Wes gets on well with her. And it’s a big house to live in all by herself. She’d feel guilty leaving her all alone. Not to mention that she hates Wesley’s poky flat. ‘What about Mum?’

‘She’ll be fine. She’s a strong woman. And you’d still work here, wouldn’t you, so you’d see her every day.’

‘Can I think about it?’

He sighs. ‘This can’t be a surprise. We’ve been together for twenty years.’

But it is a surprise and she can’t help wondering why he’s mentioned this now.





12



The Charmer


Derreck smiled broadly as they all trooped past him into the villa. Stace could hardly believe her eyes at the sheer opulence of the place. It was like a palace, with a marble floor and a sweeping staircase that led to five double rooms. There were two bathrooms with tubs as big as swimming-pools and a kitchen with modern appliances. The views from the front overlooked the river, and at the back the garden was private, hidden from the other two properties at either side by exotic trees and bushes. Although, according to Derreck, the other properties were vacant. There was also an oval swimming-pool sunk into the lawn and a terrace with an awning and a barbecue.

‘How can Derreck afford this?’ Stace whispered, after they’d all been shown to their rooms.

‘Everything is much cheaper in Thailand,’ said John-Paul, by way of explanation, as he placed his clothes in the polished wooden chest of drawers. ‘And he has a good job now. Investment banking. He’s settled down at last.’

‘Girlfriend?’

He looked up from the suitcase and raised his eyebrows. ‘Why? You interested?’ He laughed. John-Paul wasn’t the jealous type and he was sure of her. Too sure, sometimes, she felt. It would have been nice for him to show a little bit of jealousy on occasion. Anyway, he need not be jealous. They might not have been getting on that well lately but this holiday had come at the right time.

‘Now you come to mention it, this does have a corporate air about it,’ she said, unpacking her new skimpy bikini.

John-Paul laughed. ‘A corporate air! Like you’d know what that is.’

She punched his arm playfully. ‘By what I’ve seen in films.’