You Had Me at Halo(32)

“Love to,” Holly spoke before Vince got the chance. “I’ll see you there then. Anyway, I’d better go. Bye.”

What did you do that for? Vince demanded once Andrew had given them a surprised look before making his way back toward the staircase.

Because I want to get this over and done with as quickly as possible and Andrew there seemed like he was settling in for the day. It seemed easier to say yes than to take the time to explain why we can’t do it, Holly informed him.

I never give them a reason and I never say yes. Vince shook his head. I don’t socialize with anyone from work. That’s why he looked so surprised.

Oh. Holly paused to consider this for a moment. I didn’t know that. Besides, that wasn’t entirely true. He had asked her out when she had first started at the company last year. Not that she’d said yes, since apart from having her eye on Todd at the time, she had no desire to become reacquainted with Vince. Of course now she knew he wasn’t so bad...nice even...but still, it just proved that he wasn’t diametrically opposed to going out with people from work. So really, she was doing him a favor by trying to improve his social life. Not that they would have time to go, but that was beside the point.

xxx

It didn’t take them long to cover the short distance to parking lot and Vince headed toward one of the many white Baker Colwell service vans. He slid in behind the wheel and they made the rest of the journey to Holly’s old house in silence, which was good because the closer they got, the less Holly felt like talking. Or like going in.

She had moved out when she’d gone to college, but had felt obliged to visit once a week to see her stepmother. However, since starting at Baker Colwell she had been so busy between work and Todd that she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been home. She had a funny feeling it might not have been since Easter. Almost four months ago.

Are you okay? Vince silently asked once he parked the van and they were standing in front of the door.

Not really. Holly gulped. Perhaps I don’t really need to do this in order to speak to Todd. I convinced Gemma without resorting to evidence. Surely I could do the same again. And you believed me.”

“I had overwhelming proof,” Vince reminded her. As much as I dislike Todd, for whatever reason, you’ve been given a second chance to get things sorted out and say your goodbyes. You need to make the most of it.

Holly, who had been about to protest, closed her mouth as she felt inexplicably reassured by Vince’s philosophy. Turned out that while this whole set up made a lot of things more difficult, in some ways she was finding his continued presence a relief from all the changes that had been thrust upon her lately. It was obviously some sort of latent Darwinian survival skill that was helping her to get on with the person in whose body she was sharing.

Thank you, she said as she pressed the bell.

It’s fine. Are you sure you don’t want me to do the talking? Vince asked.

No. Holly gave an adamant shake of her head as she once again went over the story they had come up with: Hello Mrs. Evans, you don’t know me but I’m a friend of Holly’s and I’ve come here on behalf of the Baker Colwell...cue holding up ID card. I’ve just cleared out her desk and thought you might like the rest of her belongings...cue holding up the sum whole of her working life: a box containing a coffee cup, some photos and a dog-eared work diary.

As far as cover stories went, it wasn’t very original or believable, but hopefully it would be enough to get them in the door. From there she didn’t have a clue how they were going to manage it, but the law of averages suggested that something had to go right for her today. Didn’t it?

She was just about to push the button again when she heard the sound of her stepmother’s heels tapping along the marbled hallway. The door opened and Holly sucked in a deep breath as she tried to prepare herself to face her nemesis.

“Hello Mrs. Evans…” Holly started to say but the rest of the words sort of died on her lips as she stared in front of her.

Boy.

It had to be said that her stepmother didn’t look too well. Perhaps she’d eaten something that disagreed with her at the funeral yesterday. Fish perhaps? Because something definitely wasn’t right with her pale face and her red rimmed eyes.

“Oh, hello.” Her stepmother blinked as if adjusting to the bright light of the day. “It’s Vincent, isn’t it? You and Holly went to school together for a while. Goodness, you look exactly the same.”

“Just a bit taller I guess. I was only about eight back then,” Vince said; which was probably lucky since Holly was pretty much rendered speechless.

Obviously the fish was affecting her stepmother’s mind as well. And you know she was getting a bit sick of Vince pretending they had once been friends. Enough of it already.

“Oh, well, do come in.”

“Thanks,” Vince once again answered as Holly tried and failed to not feel strange as she crossed over the threshold of her old house.

She’d been born in this house and her mother had died here only hours later. Despite the pain, Holly had happy memories of growing up, just her and her dad. Besides how could you miss what you’d never had? Unfortunately her father didn’t subscribe to this theory and she would never forget the first time their domestic bliss was shattered by the appearance of a total stranger called Jill Turner. The once-off meal quickly extended to two nights a week and Sunday afternoons, until there had finally been a wedding.