Chapter 4
MICHELLE
M ichelle yawned widely as she stared around at what used to be her childhood bedroom. Her tiny single bed was the only thing that remained the same, and even that had been shunted into one cramped corner.
After she’d moved in with Lawrence, her parents had gleefully boxed up all her childhood knick-knacks, shoved them into the attic, and filled her yellow-walled bedroom with as much gym equipment as the space could hold. Now, it was like a shrine to the toned and the muscly.
Sitting up and scrubbing at her bleary eyes, Michelle glared at the hulking elliptical trainer on the other side of the room.
Just the sight of it made her feel guilty.
She wasn’t sure how often her mum and dad used this space, but that wasn’t the point, was it?
They’d clearly not been expecting her to turn up on their doorstep, begging for her old room back for a little while.
‘Or forever,’ she muttered.
Because, if she was honest, Michelle felt stuck. She was back in Crumbleton with her tail firmly between her legs, and she had no intention of braving the outside world again anytime soon.
Of course, her parents had other ideas. If they had their way, she’d be making up with Lawrence and moving back in with the cheating git faster than you could say “rowing machine.”
‘Over my dead body!’ She yawned again.
Blimey, she was exhausted. What with the emotional toll of saying a final farewell to her dream home yesterday, followed by her breakdown and subsequent rescue, Michelle’s energy levels were at an all-time low.
Of course, another night with barely any sleep hadn’t helped matters. At least this time, it hadn’t been because of loser Lawrence or the cramped bed. Instead, her dreams had been pleasurably plagued by a pair of bad-boy brown eyes.
‘Urgh, I really need coffee,’ she muttered, heaving herself out of bed. ‘And some kind of plan!’
Last night, the only thing Michelle had been focused on was sneaking into the cottage without her dad finding out she’d been rescued by Danny Dalton. Now, in the cold light of day, there was a whole heap of added extras to worry about.
For starters, her car was quite conspicuously AWOL. Then there was the fact that the boxes she’d driven halfway across the country to retrieve were also missing.
There was only one thing for it—Michelle needed to get herself over to the garage and get her car back asap. She’d just have to pray that Danny could get it running again. If he couldn’t… well… she was going to have to get seriously creative with her story.
Michelle started pulling her clothes on as quickly and quietly as possible, racking her brain for some kind of plan. There wasn’t a bus route that went past the garage, and it wasn’t like she could call a taxi for a lift, was it?!
First things first. She needed to get out of the cottage without being collared by her parents. With any luck, they’d still be in bed. Maybe she’d even manage to sneak in a quick coffee before she left!
Michelle crept across the tiny room, doing her best to avoid the rowing machine. She’d already stubbed her toe on the bloody thing twice since she’d moved back in.
Pressing her ear to the door, she listened carefully. The cottage was old, and the floorboards groaned at the slightest provocation. If her parents were up and about, she should be able to hear them moving around.
Silence.
Perfect.
Michelle eased the door open and peeked out onto the narrow landing. The coast was clear. Her parents’ bedroom door was still firmly closed.
Holding her breath, she tiptoed across the floorboards and down the narrow staircase, wincing every time there was a creak. She was almost at the bottom when disaster struck.
‘Morning love!’
Michelle froze, one foot hovering over the last step. Her mum’s cheerful voice had just drifted from the direction of the kitchen.
‘Bollocks,’ she breathed. There was no way she could sneak out now without being spotted.
‘Michelle? That you?’
Michelle rolled her eyes and sighed.
‘Morning, Mum!’ she called back, doing her best to sound cheerful and innocent. Not at all like she was creeping around, desperate to escape the cottage minus a full-scale parental interrogation.
‘Come and have some breakfast. Your dad’s made scrambled eggs.’
‘I’m just popping out for a quick bit of… exercise!’ she quickly invented.
‘Exercise?’ came her dad’s incredulous voice. ‘In this weather?’
Michelle glanced towards the front door. Through the little glass panels, she could see that it was still pretty grim outside. The rain had eased off, but the sky was a threatening shade of lead.
‘I just need a bit of fresh air,’ she said brightly. ‘You know me… I love a bit of exercise in the morning!’
‘Since when?’ chuckled her dad.
Michelle rolled her eyes… though he did have a valid point. Her idea of exercise was the long walk from the sofa to the fridge and back again.
‘Well, at least join us for a coffee first,’ her mum insisted. ‘And you’ll need to dig out your waterproofs before you go anywhere!’
Michelle closed her eyes and counted to three. There was no getting out of this, was there? Her parents were clearly up, dressed, and in full-on “concerned parent” mode.
‘Fine,’ she sighed. ‘A quick coffee, then I’m off.’
Resigned to her fate, Michelle made her way down the hallway and into the cosy kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table, newspapers spread out between them and matching mugs of coffee steaming gently in the morning light.
‘There she is!’ her dad beamed, glancing up from the sports pages. ‘How’d you sleep, love?’
‘Fine, thanks,’ Michelle lied, sliding into the spare chair and reaching for the coffee pot. ‘I slept like a baby.’
Her mum shot her a look that suggested she wasn’t entirely convinced. ‘You look tired, love. Are you sure you’re alright?’
‘I’m just a bit worn out from yesterday,’ said Michelle, doing her best not to grind her teeth as she added milk. ‘You know how it is.’
‘How did it go?’ said her dad, folding his newspaper and giving her his full attention. ‘Get everything sorted?’
Here it was. The moment she’d been dreading.
‘Yeah, all fine,’ she said, trying to sound breezy. ‘Got my stuff, said my goodbyes to the house. All done and dusted.’
‘And the drive home was okay?’ said her mum. ‘The weather was pretty grim… I wish you’d waited.’
Michelle did her best to hold back another eyeroll. She adored her parents, but the combined weight of their concern could be a tad smothering.
‘It was fine. A bit wet, but you know… nothing I couldn’t handle.’
She took a sip of coffee, keeping her eyes firmly on the tabletop. She was a terrible liar. Always had been. Even as a kid, she’d never been able to get away with anything. Her face was basically a neon sign that flashed “GUILTY” the moment she tried to be economical with the truth.
‘Where did you stash all your boxes?’ said her dad, glancing around the kitchen as if he expected them to materialise out of thin air.
‘Oh,’ said Michelle, her mind racing. ‘I… er… I left them in the car. I didn’t want to drag them through the rain. They can stay there until everything dries up a bit.’
‘Sensible,’ her mum nodded approvingly. ‘No point getting everything soaked.’
Michelle felt a wave of relief—and guilt—wash over her. That had been close. Too close. She needed to get out of there before her parents started asking more questions.
‘Right then,’ she said, draining her coffee in record time and scorching her mouth and throat in the process. ‘I’d better get going.’
‘Hang on a minute,’ said her dad, reaching across the table and catching her hand. ‘Are you sure you’re alright, love? You seem a bit… I don’t know… jumpy?’
Michelle forced a smile. ‘I’m fine, Dad. Honestly. Just keen to get some exercise in before the weather gets worse.’
‘Where are you planning to go?’ said her mum. ‘The marsh paths are probably pretty waterlogged after all that rain.’
Wasn’t that the truth!
‘Just… around,’ said Michelle vaguely. ‘See how I feel.’
Her parents exchanged a look.
‘Are you working this morning, Dad?’ she asked, crossing her fingers behind her back.
The question was more than just a diversionary tactic. Michelle wanted to know if her dad would be out on the roads in his taxi… because if there was any chance he’d be driving in the direction of the Dalton Garage, she needed to stay well away!
‘Nope, I’ve got a blessed morning off,’ he said with a broad smile. ‘Hey, if you’re planning on a nice, steady walk, perhaps I could come with you?’
‘Oh… I…’
Shit!
‘Brian, don’t you dare!’ her mum growled. ‘You promised to help me shift that wardrobe in our bedroom.’
‘I… forgot,’ said her dad, looking sheepish. ‘Sorry love, looks like I’m spoken for.’
‘No worries,’ said Michelle, forcing a smile and doing her best to keep the relief out of her voice. ‘I’ll be off then.’
‘Make sure you take your phone,’ said her mum. ‘And wrap up warm. It’s chilly out there.’
‘Will do,’ said Michelle.
‘And don’t be too long!’ her dad called just as she made her escape from the kitchen. ‘We thought the three of us could video- call Lawrence later. See if we can’t help sort this whole thing out between you.’
Michelle froze. What?!
‘What?’ That one slipped out, and she u-turned straight back into the kitchen.
‘Well, we just think—’ her mum started.
‘No,’ said Michelle. ‘Absolutely not. I’ve told you, it’s over. Finished. Done. I don’t want you calling him. In fact, I don’t want you getting involved at all.’
‘But love—’ her dad began.
‘No buts,’ said Michelle, surprised by the steel in her own voice. ‘Promise me you won’t phone him. Promise me you’ll leave it alone.’
Her parents looked taken aback. They exchanged another look—this time full of concern. It got right under her skin.
‘Alright, love,’ said her mum, her voice gentle. ‘If that’s what you want.’
‘It is,’ said Michelle. ‘That’s why I left him in the first place. Can’t you just trust me on this?’
‘Of course,’ her dad said. ‘But if you change your mind?—’
‘I won’t .’ The words came out in a near-growl. She needed to get out of there before she said something she regretted. ‘Look, I’ll see you both later.’
Michelle practically fled the scene, grabbing her jacket from the hook by the front door and escaping into the grey morning.
It wasn’t their fault she’d been living a lie for so long…
It wasn’t their fault she had an appalling taste in men…
It wasn’t their fault she was the family Chaos Magnet…
Slamming the front door behind her, Michelle took two strides along the side of the house and slumped against the wall. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and did her best to let the cool air and the chill of the damp stones at her back calm her down a bit.
Michelle loved her parents, but the fact that they were so keen to see her crawl back to Lawrence really hurt.
Of course, it wasn’t their fault, was it?
! As far as her mum and dad were concerned, they’d watched their daughter go from deliriously happy to cold and stony in the space of just a few days…
and they still didn’t know why. At some point, she was going to have to come clean.
‘One problem at a time!’ she breathed.
First, she needed to get to the Dalton Garage.
Michelle pushed away from the wall again and glanced around the small front garden, looking for inspiration. She might have told her parents she wanted some exercise, but it was at least an hour’s walk, and she didn’t fancy her chances of staying dry for that long.
She needed some kind of transport, but somehow, Michelle didn’t think her dad would be too pleased if she half-inched his taxi and drove it into enemy territory without his consent.
That’s when she spotted it. Her mum’s bike. It was in its usual spot, leaning against the side of the cottage and covered in the same motheaten tarpaulin as ever.
‘Could be a winner…’ muttered Michelle, pulling off the tarp and shuddering as a shower of woodlice cascaded onto the path.
Tossing it aside, Michelle started to give the bike a critical once-over. Other than a host of creepy crawlies, it looked fine. In fact, the tyres looked brand new, and the chain had clearly been oiled recently.
‘Helmet… helmet…?’ she muttered.
Michelle might be making a mad dash for it, but she wasn’t daft enough to risk her life without one. She flipped open one of the panniers, only to come face-to-face with her mum’s pink, sparkly helmet.
‘Bingo!’ she whisper-cheered. ‘Right then, Operation Car Rescue is a-go.’