Chapter Twenty-Seven
‘You okay, flowerpot?’ Erin watched Riley pull her pale arms from her denim jacket with Frida Kahlo’s face painted on the back and hang it on the hook on the back door of the kitchen.
Riley puffed out her cheeks. ‘S’ppose.’
‘Can we have a—’ Erin’s sentence was cut short by the sound of a voice calling Riley’s name. She turned to see a bright-eyed man with an expansive afro, wearing a beige crew neck jumper and thick-framed glasses.
‘Riley Moore?’
‘Who wants to know?’ said Riley, moving to the kitchen doorway.
The man wiped a hand on his chinos, then extended it. ‘I’m Gavin Adesina. I’m a big fan.’
Riley shook his hand, her spine straightening. ‘Thanks.’
‘Hope you don’t mind me tracking you down.’
Erin’s ears pricked up at the word tracking. She’d watched Baby Reindeer with Jack and now she knew about stalking, she had something new to worry about. ‘How exactly did you track her down?’ she said, coming to stand by Riley’s side, legs wide, arms crossed.
‘Sorry, I should have introduced myself properly.’ He dug into the pocket of his trousers and brought out a business card, which he waved in front of the women, clearly unsure who to offer it to, the woman he’d been looking for, or the one who appeared to be her bodyguard.
Riley took it. ‘I’m the promoter who sent you the DM.
’ He pointed at the card in Riley’s hand, as if that proved it.
‘Like I said in my message, I follow you on TikTok, and I saw you’d filmed one of your posts on Blackheath.
I’m local, well, I live in Deptford. I was going to ask where to find you, but thought that might come across as a bit weird.
I asked around and the fella in Montpeliers sent me here.
Thought it might be better to meet in person. ’
Beads of sweat sprung up on his brow and he was blustering. Erin got the impression he really was a fan but wasn’t sure if that made him more or less dangerous. ‘Where abouts do you live?’ she said. If he knew where to find Riley, it was only right she should have the same information about him.
A ‘v’ appeared between Gavin’s eyebrows, as though the question confused him. ‘On Blackheath Hill, Deptford end.’
Erin nodded in acknowledgement.
‘Anyway,’ Gavin said, turning his attention back to Riley. ‘Since I first got in touch, I’ve started working with the people who are running the community spaces down in Kidbrooke Village.’
‘Kidbrooke Village,’ Erin said, with a derisive laugh.
She couldn’t stop herself. She’d lived in the area all her life and remembered the Kidbrooke of old, when it was dominated by the Ferrier Estate, before the ugly social housing was demolished and replaced with bougie apartments that no one who’d previously lived there would be able to afford in a million years.
Some of her favourite customers had been displaced by the new development.
‘They add Village to the name and suddenly there’s a couple of zeros on the end of the property prices. ’
‘I know,’ said Gavin, his face turning serious. ‘I grew up on the Ferrier. We were moved to Hackney, and it’s taken me years to get back to the area. I don’t recognize the place now.’
Erin softened. If he’d survived the Kidbrooke of old, he deserved their time. ‘It’s different all right.’
‘They’re trying to get some of the community spirit back,’ said Gavin. ‘They’ve approached me to sort out some local talent to perform down there.’
‘Local talent,’ said Erin, now willing to believe he was who he said he was. She bumped Riley with her hip. ‘That’s you, that is.’
Riley grinned, a flush blossoming on her cheeks. ‘What kind of gigs are you planning?’
Gavin scrunched his lips to the side. ‘It’s all a bit vague at the moment. The guys down there are trying to set up a community space, but they haven’t got any firm plans yet. I know what I think they should do, and they’re listening, but—’
Erin was distracted from the conversation by a mother with a toddler in a highchair waving for her attention.
She mouthed that she wanted the bill. ‘Sorry.’ Erin shuffled past Riley and Gavin and took the bill and the card machine over to the woman, who was trying to distract her crying toddler with a rice cake.
He pushed it away with a pudgy fist, while rubbing his tear-filled eyes with the other. ‘Naptime, is it?’ Erin said.
‘Hopefully,’ said the woman, crossing her fingers before holding her phone to the end of the card reader. ‘Sorry for the mess.’ She grimaced at the table strewn with soiled napkins and half-chewed rice cakes.
‘Don’t you worry about that,’ said Erin.
‘We’ve all been there.’ The woman hoisted the crying child from the chair and onto her hip.
Another customer gestured Erin over and she took his order, then swiped up a pair of empty cups on her way back to the kitchen, where Riley and Gavin were still chatting.
‘Sorry, I’m keeping you from your work,’ said Gavin.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Erin. She meant it, but she couldn’t stop to earwig, however much she wanted to, because she had an English Breakfast tea to brew and a sausage sandwich to make.
‘I’ve got your number,’ said Riley. ‘I’ll give you a call at the end of my shift, okay?’
‘Great,’ said Gavin. ‘Thanks for your time. Bye, then.’ He called into the kitchen. ‘Bye!’
‘See ya,’ said Erin, over the sound of the sausages already sizzling in the pan.
Riley’s blue-green eyes seemed to glitter for the rest of the afternoon.
Erin would have loved to talk more about Gavin’s plans, but for the first time in ages, The Bookmark thrummed with customers, and they were both rushed off their feet.
Even Zita had to sit at a different table to usual.
Erin noticed her check out the sugar bowl and scowl at the meagre contents.
The temptation to leave it as it was was overridden by Erin’s mother’s voice in her head, and she greeted Zita as usual, and refilled the bowl with small white sachets. It was empty the next time she passed.
‘That was a good day,’ she said to Riley, when she locked the door and turned the sign around to closed.
‘We could do with a few more like that.’ If they did, maybe she’d be able to hold on to the business.
She tried to stop her mind from doing the maths, but it wouldn’t be told.
It presented her with the sad truth that she’d need to fill every chair in the place all day, every day for the sums to add up to what she needed for the rent increase.
Riley dropped into an armchair. ‘Yep. Exhausting, but good.’
Erin sat next to Riley, gearing herself up for the difficult conversation. ‘What’s that Gavin got planned for you?’
‘Not sure yet.’ She tugged at the hair behind her ear, which was growing back at a surprising rate. ‘But it’s a buzz to be approached out of the blue. Makes things seem possible, you know? Like what I’m writing in my next chapters isn’t just fiction.’
‘I can imagine,’ said Erin. ‘What do you think Chegs will say?’
Riley’s smile dropped. ‘Huh. Probably nothing. He’s only interested in what Teagan has to say these days.’
Erin clenched her buttocks. ‘About that.’ She made fists and dug her nails into her palms. ‘I try not to get involved in other people’s business unless I’m asked to, but … I saw something yesterday that I thought I should mention.’
Riley’s brow furrowed. ‘What?’
‘I can’t be sure …’ She paused. ‘Actually, that’s not true. I am sure I saw Teagan put her hand in the back pocket of Cheg’s jeans when they left yesterday.’
Riley sat up. ‘Like, taking something out of his pocket?’
Erin dug her nails in deeper. ‘No, like she was kind of putting her arm around him, in a … well in a way that made them appear to be … close … a couple, maybe.’
‘What did he do?’ Riley’s chin puckered and Erin wanted to take it all back. Being the cause of her pain was agonising. She braced herself. She was not the cause of Riley’s pain. Chegs and Teagan were.
‘To give him his due, he sort of pushed her hand away, but the way he looked back in here, it seemed more like he wanted to make sure he hadn’t been caught. I didn’t get the impression he was surprised, or upset with her, if you know what I mean?’
Riley stared down at her hands. ‘You think there’s something going on between them?’
‘I don’t know. But if I were you, I’d be asking questions.
’ She reached for Riley’s hand. ‘I’m sorry, love.
I’ve been dreading telling you. I didn’t know what to do for the best.’ She almost added that Jack told her to share what she’d seen but thought better of it.
Riley might be feeling humiliated, and knowing Jack knew before she did could add to that.
‘I just thought that, if it was me, I’d want to know.
’ Riley gave a tiny nod. A tear dribbled down her cheek onto her black satin skirt, and Erin’s heart broke for her. ‘It could be nothing.’
‘I’ve had my suspicions,’ Riley said. ‘And, even if they’re not shagging, I’ve been wondering what I’m doing with someone who chooses to spend their time with someone like Teagan.
She stands for everything I’m opposed to.
She’s an entitled leech.’ She took a napkin from the holder on the table and wiped her cheeks.
‘When we got together, Chegs made all the right noises. He said he admired my politics and my creativity and all that. He was so supportive, but recently, he hasn’t been interested in what I’m doing.
If anything, he seems annoyed that my stuff is getting noticed.
He likes to be the star of the show. I think he liked having a quirky girlfriend with tattoos and piercings and who dresses differently and thinks differently to the people he grew up with.
’ She glanced up and Erin’s insides clenched at the sadness in her eyes.
‘But I’ve been wondering for a while whether he was only ever with me to piss his parents off, or to prove he was down with the plebs, or something. ’
‘Don’t say that,’ said Erin. ‘You’re not a pleb. You’re a beautiful, talented, caring, and downright impressive woman.’
The corners of Riley’s mouth lifted minutely. ‘Thank you. But I suspect I’ve been the opposite of a trophy girlfriend. Chegs fancied being seen as alternative, and I think I’ve been unwittingly fetishised.’
‘Unwittingly fetishised. Sounds painful.’
‘It is painful.’ Riley’s voice cracked.
‘Come here, love.’ Erin wrapped Riley in a hug and held her tightly as she cried. ‘We don’t know the facts yet. There might be a perfectly innocent explanation.’
‘Even if there is,’ said Riley, through her tears. ‘I think it’s the end of the road for us. I’m not sure I even like him that much anymore, so I don’t know why I’m so upset.’
‘Because it’s not the ending you wanted, and that’s always going to be hard. We go into relationships full of excitement and hope, and it’s so disappointing when it all comes to nothing, especially when it’s not for want of trying.’
Erin envisioned Adam sitting at the table across the room when they’d talked.
Excitement and hope had bubbled inside her and she was almost certain he felt that too.
But she’d been foolish to let her guard down, and the girl crying in her arms was testament to that.
This was how love stories ended, with tears, hurt and recriminations.
She held Riley close, whispering, ‘It’s all right, sweetheart.
You’ll be okay.’ Maybe everyone’s better off on their own, she thought.
At least then they’re the ones who decide what happens next.
As Riley sobbed into her shoulder, a new wave of fear for the future of the café surged through Erin.
If Chegs was out of the picture, Riley needed this job more than ever, and it was up to Erin not to let her down.