Chapter 1 #2
As Alba leaned forward to take the paper, Ellie noted how much calmer she seemed. The tension in her shoulders had eased, and the smile she offered this time looked genuine. “I feel like I’m gatecrashing.”
“How could you possibly gatecrash something you’ve been invited to from the moment I hired you?” Ellie tilted her head, puzzled. “Where is it you’ve moved to?”
“Oh, not too far from here. Wincanton Road. Are you familiar with that area?”
Ellie grinned. “Very familiar with it. I live two streets away from you. I’ve been there…” She paused, mentally counting back. “Twenty-three years now.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sure you’ll see me around walking my dog. The local park is beautiful.”
“I haven’t ventured towards the park in a while now, but yes, the area in general is great.” Ellie rested her arms on the desk. “It’s quiet, we rarely have any trouble, and there’s a great sense of community.”
Alba slipped her phone from her blazer pocket and glanced between the screen and the piece of paper.
“I guess I picked the right area then.” She added Ellie’s number and tapped a short message.
“I’ve just dropped you a text, so now you have my number.
If you could let me know about those plans when you know what they are, I’d really appreciate it. ”
Ellie lifted her phone and quickly added Alba’s number. “Will do. I can pick you up in a cab tonight if you want. It makes sense if we’re so close to one another.”
“That would be great.” Alba looked up from her phone, her long eyelashes fluttering as she held Ellie’s gaze for a moment longer than necessary. But Ellie felt something shift in the air between them. Wow. That was an intense look. “If you wouldn’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Ellie nudged her mouse to wake up her computer screen. “I’d imagine seven would be a reasonable time to be ready for. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
Alba stood and pushed the chair under the desk, walking towards the door before pausing in the doorway. “Thank you for being so welcoming. It’s been a while since I’ve been in this position. Nobody wants to be the ‘new girl’ at thirty-two.”
Ellie regarded her with a warm smile. “You’ll thrive here. Mark my words.”
Rushing around her bedroom, Alba almost tripped over Colin’s toy that he’d abandoned right in the middle of the floor. She caught herself just in time, steadying herself against the edge of the dresser before shooting the culprit a pointed look. But Colin didn’t even flinch.
Her black Labrador lay sprawled across his bed beneath the window, long legs stretched lazily in every direction, his dark eyes following Alba with interest. When she lifted a brow at him, those unmistakable puppy-dog eyes blinked back at her with complete innocence, and any irritation she’d felt evaporated.
Colin had been with her since he was eight weeks old. So far, there had been six years of muddy walks, countless quiet evenings on the couch, and the steady comfort of his presence through the highs and lows of her life. He’d never known anything other than Alba as his person.
So when she’d called time on her marriage, there had never been a conversation about where Colin would end up. He was going with her, and it didn’t matter what Audrey wanted. Colin was Alba’s dog. Audrey had been the intruder in their life.
“Okay, I need you to be really cool tonight for me, boy. My new boss is heading over here, and we want her to like us, right?”
Colin lifted his head, cocking it to one side as he studied her. His expression was so earnest it almost felt like he understood.
“No. She won’t be coming here often. I’ve been there and done that…
and she’s a married woman.” Alba frowned at her own reflection in the mirror across the room.
Why was she even having this conversation with her dog?
“She’s the boss, and she’s invited me out to join them all this evening.
We could find ourselves some new friends, my main man. ”
Crossing the room, she bent to scratch behind Colin’s ears, smiling when his tail thumped softly against his bed. The familiar weight of his affection steadied her nerves a little, then she straightened and turned for the mirror again.
As she gazed back at herself, her phone pinged on the bed.
Right now, she would give anything for it to be Eloise, even to say she was running late, but the shiver that ran up her spine reminded Alba that she was never that lucky.
Audrey was currently on a roll with insulting messages, and she probably had no intention of stopping.
She took a deep breath and turned towards her phone, lifting it slowly and praying it was Eloise.
Of course it wasn’t.
Since you’re likely starting at a new school on Monday, I thought I’d wish you luck!
You’ll need it! I know you like to tell yourself that the problems at your last job were my fault, but people will eventually see you for what you are.
Give it time. Maybe this place will be different.
Maybe they’ll be more tolerant than the last lot.
Or maybe they’ll realise what everyone else realises in the end.
That you’re far better at making people feel sorry for you than you are at actually doing your job.
Enjoy the honeymoon period while it lasts and try not to embarrass yourself too quickly.
Alba lowered her phone to the bed and sighed. How the hell was she supposed to move on with her life and build new friendships when Audrey always had something to say? How was she supposed to do her job—which she was good at—knowing that Audrey had connections and friends in other schools?
Just get tonight out of the way and pay her no attention!
She took a deep breath, pushed Audrey completely from her mind, and smoothed her hands down the silk of her deep green dress, the fabric catching softly beneath her fingertips.
It felt strange against her skin—almost unfamiliar.
Alba couldn’t remember the last time she’d dressed up for an evening out with colleagues, but it had definitely been before the divorce.
Before everything had started to unravel.
“Now, Tess will be here not long after I leave. She’s going to spend the evening with you.
” She’d debated leaving Colin alone for a few hours.
Realistically, he would have been fine, but Alba knew herself well enough to admit that she wouldn’t relax if she did.
She’d spend the entire evening worrying.
You’ll worry about him regardless. “Come on. Let’s head downstairs and wait for our new guest.”
Colin huffed dramatically and rested his head back on his paws.
“Look, I know the place is a mess, but I can’t help that right now. Blame Audrey for making everything the way it is, not me.”
Colin suddenly sprang up from the bed and trotted after her.
Alba flicked the light off and descended the stairs carefully. She was slowly getting used to wearing heels again after weeks of living in trainers and flats, but the thick, plush carpet on the staircase of her new house made every step feel slightly uncertain.
As she reached the hallway, the doorbell rang right on time. It would be Eloise. Alba didn’t imagine she knew what being late looked like. After all, she was the headmistress of one of the top-ranking high schools in England.