Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
In the bright hallway, the dog got louder, the sharp, frantic kind of barking that scraped at Lily’s nerves, while she, Aiden and Mrs Patel continued to watch the door to Gigi’s flat.
For a moment no one moved.
Aiden took purposeful strides to reach Gigi’s door. He raised his hand, hesitated, then knocked firmly.
The barking exploded in response, echoing down the hallway.
When Gigi didn’t answer, that sliver of unease gripped Lily tighter.
“Maybe she’s not home,” she suggested, drifting along the hall to join Aiden at Gigi’s door.
“She doesn’t like to leave Pixie alone,” Mrs Patel said. “When she has an appointment, she has a dogsitter who comes over.”
A quiet voice from inside the flat made Lily lean closer to the door.
Gigi was in there – quietly trying to get the dog to settle down.
“Are you okay?” Aiden called to her.
“Fine,” Gigi called back. “Everything’s fine. Sorry for the noise. She’ll settle down soon.”
Mrs Patel nudged Lily aside. “Open the door,” she demanded. “You’ve got us all worried.”
“I’m really fine.” The door opened slowly.
Gigi smiled, but her red eyes and mascara-streaked cheeks made Lily wince. She certainly didn’t look fine.
“Oh dear,” Mrs Patel said. “Look at the state of you!”
“Are you okay?” Aiden asked, more compassionately.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just got a headache.”
“You’ve been crying,” Mrs Patel stated.
“I suppose I have, just a little.” Her face suggested it was significantly more than a little. “I’m all right, though. Just worrying about the rent and what’s going to happen. Finding a pet-friendly place is so hard.”
“I’m sure it will all be fine,” Mrs Patel said. “Whoever takes the building on is certain to be a much more reasonable landlord than Mr Latham.”
Lily frowned at the remark, but it seemed to perk Gigi up.
“What’s wrong with Pixie?” Aiden asked, crouched beside the dog who continued to make a racket.
“She hasn’t had a walk today, the poor thing. What a terrible pet owner I am. Wallowing in self-pity and ignoring her needs.” Gigi touched her forehead. “I’ll take her out now.”
“Not if you’re not feeling well,” Mrs Patel said. “You need to rest. Henry can take Pixie for a walk.”
“Oh, no,” Gigi said, shaking her head. “I couldn’t ask that of him.”
“You don’t need to ask. He’s volunteering.”
Lily put a hand in front of her mouth to cover her grin.
Mrs Patel moved to open the door to her flat and shouted inside for Mr Patel. “Get your coat and shoes on,” she called. “You’re taking Pixie for a walk.”
“That’s so kind,” Gigi said, clipping the lead onto Pixie’s collar. The barking stopped abruptly, and Pixie put all her energy into wagging her tail instead.
“Take her for a long walk,” Mrs Patel said to her husband, who walked out of the flat, zipping up his coat. “Gigi’s not feeling well, so make sure you wear Pixie out.”
“We’ll go up to the park. I’m sure we’ll have a lovely time.”
“Thank you, Mr Patel,” Gigi said, pressing her hands together.
“No need to thank him,” Mrs Patel said sharply. “That’s what good neighbours do. Now off you go and lie down.” She made a shooing motion, and Gigi had just taken a step inside when Aiden stopped her with a hand on her elbow.
“Do you need anything?” he asked, his smile all warmth. “I’ll be going to work shortly, but I’ve got time to nip out if there’s anything you need. Shopping, or something from the chemist…”
“That’s so kind,” she replied, leaning into his touch. “I don’t need anything, though. Just to catch up on sleep, I think.”
Aiden told her he hoped she felt better soon, then said a collective goodbye before going upstairs.
“Poor Gigi,” Mrs Patel whispered when she and Lily were alone in the hallway. “She didn’t look well, did she?”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Lily replied, walking back along the hall with Mrs Patel. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was it about Mr Latham that you found unreasonable?” They stopped in the hallway between their respective doors. “I thought you said he’d been good about the late payment.”
Mrs Patel drew an audible breath and glanced around before speaking.
“I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but he wasn’t actually very kind when I told Mr Latham of our temporary money problems.” She lowered her voice.
“I don’t want Henry to hear about this, but the conversation I had with Mr Latham wasn’t easy.
He wasn’t reasonable at all to start with.
And I’m afraid to say I had to resort to begging. ”
“I’m sorry,” Lily said.
“The shame of it,” Mrs Patel muttered. “The worst of it is that I think Mr Latham enjoyed it. More than that, he encouraged me to beg. He wanted me to lose my dignity over the whole thing.” She shuddered. “I think he was a sick man. Sick in the head, you know?”
Lily nodded. She was definitely getting the picture.