Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
I woke up curled in a ball, with my grandmother’s coat draped over me and her plum hat pulled over my eyes. It took me a moment to focus and realise where I was. But then everything hit me in one swift blow – the woodlice, the door, the oral sex with Jack. I glanced at my phone – it was six-thirty – and prayed that Jack wasn’t an early riser. I scrolled down to the shop number and hoped to God that Mrs O’Callaghan would be up.
I always kept a spare key in the shop, just in case, hidden in the storeroom Blu-tacked behind the whiteboard because there was no way anyone would look there if it were ever broken into. Not that they’d know whose lock it belonged to, even if they did manage to find it.
Niall’s voice picked up the other end.
‘Niall?’ I whispered.
‘Speaking, who is it?’ He sounded confused.
‘It’s me.’
‘Pearl?’
‘Sorry it’s so early.’
‘Pearl, what are you doing? Are you OK?’
‘Yes, no, I … I’ve locked myself in my porch and can’t get back inside. Can you get my spare key? It’s Blu-tacked behind the whiteboard in the storeroom.’
‘OK. But how did you manage to lock yourself out?’
‘The woodlice.’
‘Woodlice?’
‘I had to move them last night from the groove in my gate and forgot to put the latch on the door.’
‘You’ve been in the porch all night?’
‘Since about one o’clock this morning.’
‘What were you doing up so late?’ he asked, and I think he must have heard the pause through the phone. ‘Never mind,’ he said. ‘Wait there.’
‘I can’t exactly go anywhere else,’ I said, but Niall had already put the phone down.
A short while later, Niall was stood outside my porch looking as awkward as I felt. His eyes dropped to my bare legs and I pulled my grandmother’s coat tight around me.
He handed me my spare key.
‘Here you go,’ he said but he kept his eyes from mine.
‘Thanks, Niall, I really appreciate it.’
We both stood there in silence for a moment because what do you say to someone when you’re half naked?
‘Did you move them all OK?’ Niall asked and it threw me.
‘Move what?’
‘The woodlice.’
‘Oh, yes, thank you, I did.’
‘That’s good.’
‘Yes.’
There was a beat.
‘Thanks again.’
‘It’s no problem,’ he said.
‘I best get inside.’
‘Best get some clothes on,’ he added, and it caught me by surprise.
I watched as Niall made his way across the drive to the gate, then he carefully checked the latch before he closed it gently behind him.