The Piggy Farmer (The Barrington Patch Book 3) Emmy Ellis (notion reading list TXT) š
- Author: Emmy Ellis
Book online Ā«The Piggy Farmer (The Barrington Patch Book 3) Emmy Ellis (notion reading list TXT) šĀ». Author Emmy Ellis
Inside, gagging for a coffee and a fag to steady her nerves, Brenda led her to the kitchen, turning on the light. She scrolled the blind up above the sink then flicked the kettle on, anxious because Cassie would be here soon, and while the element crackled and rumbled, Sharon taking a seat at the table, Brenda sent her boss a message: Sharonās here.
Phone on the worktop farthest from her unwanted guest, Brenda got on with spooning instant coffee into two mugsāshe couldnāt wait for her machine to filter, it took at least twenty minutes. She ought to clean really, the plates and whatnot from last nightās late dinner still sitting in the bowl ready for the dishwasher. Sheād been too tired from looking after Sid Watson, one of her elderly marks, to bother loading it. āSo, whereās the fire? Itās a bit early for this kind of malarky, isnāt it?ā
Sharon sighed, picking at a fingernail, the tick, tick, tick of it loud. āLook, Iāve got to talk to someone. Thereās stuff you donāt know about Karenā¦ā
I know plenty, duck. āOh right.ā Feigning nonchalance came so easily. It had to when you worked for Cassie. A poker face was part of your armour, something sheād learnt while under Lennyās rule. Never show your opponent whatās on your mind until youāre prepared to speak. Heād said that to her once, and sheād taken it on board.
Sharon stuffed the fingernail between her teeth and ripped it off.
āDonāt even think about spitting that on my floor, you dirty cow,ā Brenda said. āThe binās just there.ā She nodded to the grey flip-top by the internal door.
Sharon got up and disposed of the result of her gnawing, returning to her seat with a weary thump. āSheās got some stupid scheme on the go, and Iām worried sheās gone and done it.ā
āDone what?ā Will she admit it?
āI know I said I needed to talk, but I canāt say.ā Sharon studied the fruit bowl, maybe the already-going-brown bananas, a bunch that had Ripens Over Time on the bag.
Well, Brenda had only bought them two days ago, so that claim was a load of old bollocks. That was the thing with bananas. One minute they were green, and the next time you looked, they had bruises, the yellow stage a mystery.
She told herself off for letting her mind wander.
āI canāt grass on her,ā Sharon reiterated.
Loyal to the last then. āIs that why youāre panicking, walloping her door at ten to six in the chuffing morning?ā Brenda added sugar. āI mean, itās enough to wake all the neighbours, and if Karenās āschemeā is meant to be kept quiet, you havenāt done a good job at making sure it stays that way.ā
āI didnāt want fuck all to do with it, I said no when she asked me, I wasnāt going to be in on it, but sheāll do it anyroad. Sheās obsessed, that one.ā
āSo because she hasnāt answered your texts or her door, you think somethingās happened, is that it?ā Brenda flinched at her phone going off.
She read the message from Cassie: Perfect.
What the fuck was going on?
āYes.ā Sharon got up and opened the long pale-pink curtains in front of the back door, staring out at the garden, the fir tree branches in Mrs Roderickās border weighed down with snow, the bushes covered in a glaring white wig, an old ladyās perm. āI should get hold of Cassie. Should never have kept this to myself. But Karenās my mateā¦ā
Brenda sighed inwardly. Karen was supposedly her best mate, although Brenda had long since realised Karen only bothered with her when she wanted something. It didnāt sting as much as it should, and Brenda had got used to only being needed when it was convenient. She acknowledged there and then that she hadnāt been such a good friend herself. If she had, sheād have tried harder, gone to see Karen a bit more, but saying that, why should she when it was clear she wasnāt wanted in that way anymore?
Life, it changed things. It got busy, and there wasnāt enough time in the day to continue nurturing friendships. Neither of them were who theyād been when theyād first become pals.
āDo you get it, though?ā Sharonās breath turned to condensation on the glass in the door, and she drew a sad face on it. āItās not like Karen is the same lately, is it. I mean, she barely comes to see you. Not being funny, but she uses you when Iām not available.ā
āShit happens.ā Brenda poured water into the cups, thinking life didnāt change that much.
Here they were, still talking like they were in their teens, going against their friend, although Brenda hadnāt said owt bad. A trio of mates was never ideal. One always spoke about either of the others, then made out they didnāt when faced with the person theyād slagged off. It wasnāt Brendaās style these days, she was way past that, but how unsettling that Sharon had gone down that route now, a regression of sorts. Why bring that up? Why tell Brenda something that could potentially hurt her? Was she jealous Karen was mates with Brenda?
āAnd, wicked as it sounds, I was relieved when she turned to you,ā Sharon went on. āThereās only so much of Karen you can take, know what I mean? Sheās got so arrogant as sheās aged. Or more arrogant.ā Her cheeks flushed. āThat sounded bad. But you must know what Iām saying. She can be a bit full-on, and recently, sheās been even more so. I canāt cope with her by myselfāI donāt want to cope with her. Iām getting on in years and just want a bit of peace
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