42. Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Two
‘Ireally am not sure about this.’ May sank further into the sofa.
Paige stood above her, hands on hips, shaking her head. ‘Oh no you don’t. You’re coming out, and I’m not going to take no for an answer. If you hide away for the rest of your life, you’re letting them win.’
‘Letting who win?’
‘The haters, the press, and that cow Kia Critchlow. They should be ashamed of themselves for spreading lies about my best friend.’
‘Paige, can I ask you something?’ May shifted position and rested her chin on her drawn-up knees.
‘Go on.’ Paige paused her getting-ready routine to sit beside May.
‘How do you know it’s all lies?’
To May’s surprise, Paige threw her head back and cackled.
‘Because I know you! The thought of you trying to sleep your way to high grades is ridiculous.’ Paige stopped laughing, folded her legs beneath her, and took May’s hands.
‘I know something happened. Not what the papers are reporting, but something. And I also know you’re not ready to talk to me about it yet. When you are, I’ll be here waiting.’
May’s eyes filled with tears. She couldn’t look at Paige for fear they’d break free. ‘I can’t believe there was ever a time I hated you.’ She sniffed back the threatened deluge. ‘You’re the best. I’m so lucky to have you as my friend.’
Paige laughed, more moderately. ‘To be fair, I was horrible to you when we first met, and you had every right to hate me.’ She squeezed May’s hands.
‘You’re not so bad as a friend yourself.
We’re as lucky as each other.’ Stretching out a finger to wipe the tear on May’s cheek, Paige said, ‘Right now we need to get some makeup on you or you’ll scare the drinkers in the Ship, and that’s no mean feat. ’
‘Oi, you’re meant to be making me feel better!’
‘Tough love, May Tyler. Tough love.’ Paige jumped off the sofa and gathered up her enormous makeup collection, spreading it out on the sofa between them.
Half an hour later, May looked in the mirror, pleasantly surprised. Despite the time Paige had spent colouring her face with powders, lotions and potions, she still looked like herself, just a better-rested, happier version.
‘What’s your mum up to tonight?’ asked May as they pulled on their coats.
Paige winced. ‘I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.’ She sighed, keeping May in suspense as she buttoned up her jacket. ‘She’s out with your mum.’
‘Patricia is out with Maz?’
‘Yep,’ said Paige. ‘They seem to get on really well, which I guess isn’t all that surprising. They’re both strong characters with chequered pasts. It was either going to be love or hate with those two.’
‘So Maz has been around here?’
‘Quite a lot, actually.’
‘And?’
‘And what?’ asked Paige, her hand on the door.
‘And what do you think of her?’
Paige gave up trying to open the door and instead leaned against it.
She gave May an apologetic smile. ‘You’re not going to want to hear this, but I like her.
She’s fun, interesting, and seems genuinely sorry about some of the choices she’s made in her life.
Don’t get me wrong, I can see how she’d be crap to have as a mum, but she’s been a good friend to my mum.
I’m not sure she’s a bad person, just a little misguided. ’
‘Wow.’ May tried to process this long speech. ‘Wow.’
‘That’s all you’ve got?’
‘Let’s get to the pub,’ said May, ‘before I change my mind.’
The Ship was busier than usual, the regular male drinkers delighted by the influx of pretty young girls who were still hanging around Saffron Bay in the hope of seeing the local heartthrob.
‘They’re so pathetic,’ said May when they’d got their drinks and found a table.
‘Give them a break.’ Paige glanced at the table of giggling young women beside them. ‘You must have had a few crushes on famous people over the years.’
‘David Bowie mainly,’ said May, taking a sip from her wine. ‘I used to dream of him serenading me with “Heroes”. Obviously, I rather missed the boat on that front.’
‘On account of him being old enough to be your granddad, or on account of him being dead?’
‘Both.’ They laughed into their drinks, and May realised how good it felt to laugh again.
‘Seriously,’ said Paige, ‘if you’d discovered Bowie was hiding out in a nearby village, are you honestly telling me you wouldn’t have indulged in a bit of stalking?’
‘You can’t compare Cillian McDonaugh to David Bowie.’ May shook her head in horror.
‘Maybe not. The point’s the same.’
May was distracted from their conversation by sudden whispering from the neighbouring table.
The girls were clustered around a phone screen, peering from it to May and back again.
They nudged each other, and when May gave them a death stare, instead of looking away, the most confident of the group spoke up.
‘You’re the woman in the photo, aren’t you? ’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ May bristled at the sneer on the young woman’s face.
‘This photo.’ The girl turned the phone around for May to see. ‘That’s you.’
‘No, it isn’t,’ said Paige. ‘That’s my friend’s cousin.’
‘Her cousin? Yeah, pull the other one.’
‘It’s true,’ said Paige, all innocent and wide-eyed. ‘You know what it’s like in places like this, all inter-breeding and such like. Everyone here is related in some way.’
‘If it’s true,’ said the girl, ‘what’s your name?’
‘Sarah,’ said May, with no idea where she’d pulled the name from.
The young woman humphed and sat back in her chair. ‘Fine, but if you’re from this village, you must have met him.’
‘Met who?’ asked May, feigning confusion.
‘You know who.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Cillian McDonaugh, of course.’
‘I think we saw him in the General Store last week,’ said Paige thoughtfully. ‘Don’t you remember, Sarah? It was a real disappointment.’
‘Oh yes,’ said May, ‘it was.’
‘A disappointment?’ asked the woman.
‘Yes,’ said Paige. ‘He’s much shorter in real life, has a bit of a beer belly going on, and his trousers were so tight we could see that anything underneath would be a let-down.’
The woman frowned, twisted back to her friends, and, to May’s great relief, let it go.
‘You talking about our resident pop star?’ murmured Rita, walking past with a tray of dirty glasses.
‘Actually, we were trying not to,’ whispered May, taking a sip of her wine.
‘Probably just as well.’ Rita tilted her head in the direction of the snug and kept her voice low. ‘He’s in there with his sister and a few friends.’
‘Oh, great.’ May sank lower into her seat.
‘Don’t worry, love,’ said Rita. ‘I doubt he’ll be making an appearance in the main bar. He seemed wary of being swamped by adoring fans when he arrived, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to escape out of the window.’
Rita walked off laughing, and May downed what was left in her glass of wine.
‘Fancy another?’ asked Paige.
‘I’m not sure I want to risk staying any longer.’
‘Oh, come on.’ Paige stood and collected the empty glasses. ‘You heard what Rita said, the chances of you bumping into Cillian are second to none.’
‘Knowing he’s in the building is bad enough.’ May snatched a glance at the table of fans. They were engrossed in telling each other stories and giggling.
‘Please, May. We haven’t even had the chance to properly catch up yet.’
May sighed. Paige was a good, loyal friend, and May had been distracted and distant. She owed Paige a conversation. ‘Fine, one more drink. I’m just nipping to the ladies’.’
Paige beamed at May and skipped off to the bar. May made her way through the busy pub and to the corridor that led to the toilets. She’d almost reached the ladies’ when the door to the snug opened, and she walked straight into Cillian.
‘Watch where you’re going,’ snapped May. She tried to ignore the tantalising smell of his aftershave and the warmth of his chest as they did an awkward dance to get out of each other’s way.
‘Sorry,’ he stammered. ‘I should have been more careful.’
With my heart, May added in her head. ‘No worries.’
‘I’m having a last drink before I head off.’ Cillian gave her a wary smile. ‘You’re welcome to join us. Alice and Luke are here.’
May’s chest tightened. She couldn’t remember a time Alice had come to the Ship and not invited her little sister along.
Was that how things were going to be from now on?
‘Thanks, I’ll pass.’ Without another word, May rushed into the ladies’ toilets, locked the cubicle door behind her, and burst into tears.