Chapter Twelve
A fter three increasingly worried texts from Liz, Bea finally had the chance to call her late in the afternoon. The light was growing orange as she snuck into one of the side rooms downstairs and placed the call.
No one had specifically told her that she wasn’t allowed to have her phone, but she didn’t want to be seen with it, just in case.
“Finally,” Liz said when she picked up the phone.
“Finally?”
“I was starting to think that I’d sent you to some kind of cult or something and they’d kidnapped you and taken away your phone. And then you were going to ignore all my messages until I finally persuaded a documentary team to take on the story and we’d hunt you down on an abandoned farm complex somewhere in East Anglia.”
“Liz?”
“Yes?”
“Have you been watching a lot of TV?”
There was a pause. “A bit.”
“Alright, maybe you could get Den to bring you some library books or something instead?”
Another pause. “Alright, that’s probably a good idea. So how is everything?”
Bea had debated with herself just how much to tell Liz and in the end had decided that there was no point worrying her while she was laid up. She could tell the whole truth at some later point when Liz was feeling better.
“It’s great,” she said with a smile in her voice. “Small class size, just a couple of sessions a day, not a problem at all.”
“And the accommodations?” Liz asked. “I was worried about that. I mean, I didn’t want to be away from Den for so long, but the potential client-base made it worth it, rather than the money.”
Bea needed to skirt the issue of money. “The accommodations are… spartan. But that’s fine. It’s the way they should be, helps to focus the mind and all that.”
“Right, right, obviously,” Liz said. “And, well, at least there’s some money, that should make up for it.”
Bea couldn’t talk about the money. Not when she was getting paid less than half of what had been promised to her. Okay, so accommodation and food were included. But still. This couldn’t be a sustainable job, not for long. Unless, of course, she got a raise before the next session. Assuming there’d be a next session.
Could she work here that long?
It was all so new, she was just getting used to it, wasn’t she?
Maybe it would all turn out alright.
“What about the clients?” Liz was asking.
“Oh yeah, they’re fine, no problems.”
Fine. They were baking biscuits and completely lovely together, which, given the fact that they were all supposedly angry people, was somewhat of a surprise. Still, she shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, should she? Everyone seemed to be getting along nicely. Well, other than the usual suspect.
“Really? There’s usually at least one troublemaker at these things,” laughed Liz.
Bea had an image of Alli leaning against the doorframe, bright green eyes slanted and suspicious, luscious blonde hair draped over one shoulder.
She smelled, somewhat strangely, of guava. It had taken Bea a long time to pin the smell down, but now that she had, she couldn’t unsmell it.
“No, no, no troublemakers,” she said, because she couldn’t tell the truth.
What was she supposed to say? That she’d had a crash, lost her temper, let someone blackmail her into betraying the program that she was supposed to be trying her hardest at in the hope that maybe they’d pay her enough to live and give her a job with stability and let her move out from under her ex-boyfriend’s feet so she didn’t have to listen to him screw his new girlfriend?
Her heart started pumping too hard and she had to take deep, calming breaths.
“You alright?” Liz said.
“Fine, fine,” said Bea.
“Good, because I’ve got some great news. There’s a flat opening up in the building opposite mine. It’s small, but nice, and I put in a good word for you and the owner is really enthusiastic. Plus, the people aren’t moving out for another two weeks, so the timing is almost perfect.”
Bea felt herself get lighter. “Really? That’s amazing. I mean, it sounds perfect.” Living across from Liz would be perfect.
“It is, so, um, I did something that maybe I shouldn’t have done?” Liz sounded uncharacteristically unsure.
“Like what?”
“Listen, don’t be angry, you can say no,” Liz said. “But, um, I put down the deposit for you. You can pay me back. I just didn’t want you to lose the place. I’ve got pictures, I sent Den over to take some, and I’ll email them to you so you can see how good it is. I just wanted to give you a chance, Bea. You deserve this. You don’t deserve to be living with Robbie and whatever-her-name-is.”
“Marilyn,” Bea said faintly. “This is too much, Liz.”
“It’s not. Please don’t be angry.”
She was on the inside. There was a little piece of her that was angry that now she was in a position where she had to pay the money back. But she was also grateful at the same time. Liz was trying to help. She had helped .
“Listen, look at the pics right now, I just sent them through.”
Bea pulled her phone away from her ear and clicked on the email icon. She started to smile. The flat was small, but it was also light and beautifully finished. She could immediately see herself living there. “It’s really beautiful.”
“I know, and I know the owner. He’s a good guy. I realize that I probably stepped over a line, but then I was thinking that the only reason you’re there and not here is because of me, and if I hadn’t broken my leg, then you’d be here to see the flat for yourself.”
“I get it. No, I completely understand. It was really kind of you, Liz.”
“Don’t mention it. Are you sure you’re not a bit cross?”
She took a second to think about it. Cross? No. She needed a new place, she needed to be away from Robbie and Marilyn. The money was a different issue. “How much do I owe you?” she asked carefully.
Liz told her.
She felt it like a blow to the stomach. It was almost exactly as much as she’d be taking home from the program. And she’d have to hope that she got hired on for the next session too so that she could actually pay the rent.
“Thank you,” she managed to say. “It’s really nice.”
“You’re welcome,” said Liz. “Now I’d better let you get back to work.”
Bea hung up the phone. She could manage this. She really could. And the benefits of moving into a place of her own had to outweigh whatever inconveniences there were working here.
She opened the door and practically bumped straight into Alli. “Were you listening at the door?” she said without thinking.
Alli’s eyes widened. “Of course I wasn’t. I wouldn’t do something like that.”
“Are you sure?” Bea wanted to take the words back as soon as she’d said them. It was clear from the look on Alli’s face that she hadn’t been listening. But she couldn’t help herself. There was something about the woman that made her lose her temper. Some kind of trigger mechanism or something.
She just couldn’t figure out what it was. She was never like this, not with anyone.
“A phone,” Alli said, ignoring Bea’s beginning of an apology.
“It’s my phone,” Bea said.
But Alli was still looking at it. Bea shrugged. Maybe this was the easiest solution. “Here,” she said, holding it out. “Call whoever you want.”
Alli took the phone and held it in her hand, weighing it.
Bea sighed. “Look, this is as good as it’s getting right now. If you need to make a call, then do it. I’ll do my best to get your phone back, but I can’t promise anything, and it’s not going to happen in the next few hours, so you might as well.”
“You know, I’m not entirely sure what I’m getting out of this deal and that’s really not the way this is supposed to work,” said Alli, coming in closer, phone still in hand.
“Do you… do you smell of guava?” Bea had no idea where those words had come from.
Alli blinked. “Uh, yes.”
Bea swallowed. “Um, it’s nice. That’s all. A nice smell.”
“Is it not a little weird that you can identify the smell of guava?” asked Alli.
“Yes,” Bea said, grinning. “But I had this lip gloss when I was a teenager that was guava flavor. It took me ages to figure out what the smell was.”
“I like it, it’s refreshing and unique,” Alli said. “It’s Korres, a Greek brand. Surprisingly affordable.”
Which brought Bea back to earth. Affordable. Money. Job. Right. She cleared her throat. “So, um, do you need to make a call, or…”
Alli looked down at the phone. Then slowly she raised her hand. “No, not just now.” She lifted that eyebrow. “And I want my own phone back. Is that clear?”
Bea nodded.
“You’ve got until tomorrow.”
Right. This was blackmail. How could she have forgotten? She nodded again.
Alli thrust the phone toward her and Bea reached out to take it.
Their fingers brushed and Bea clutched her phone, taking Alli’s hand at the same time.
For an instant they were locked together and Bea’s breath came faster and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck start to prickle. She wet her dry lips and looked up to find that Alli’s green eyes were staring into hers a look of… something there. Fear? Something else?
The Alli was snatching her hand away. “Until tomorrow,” she said again.
“Right,” Bea said, as Alli walked away.
It wasn’t until later that Bea thought maybe Alli hadn’t had anyone to call.
In the moment, she was far too busy getting her breath back.