Girl A Dan Scottow (reading women .TXT) 📖

Daisy’s face jerked around on the screen. Jumping from one freeze frame to another, intermittent fragments of words breaking the silence.

‘Sorry, Daisy, the line is really bad.’

‘I said who’s that behind you?’

34

Beth spun around on the bed, towards the door.

Nobody there. But the delay could have given someone time to duck out of view. She turned back to the phone.

‘Daisy, I have to go. Nighty-night, sweetie pie.’

Beth blew a kiss into the phone and ended the call, dropping the phone onto the bed. She turned, looking out through the doorway. The landing was empty. She stood up slowly.

‘Hello?’ she called out into the empty house, telling herself she was being ridiculous.

Daisy must have been seeing shapes in the dark, through the jerky video call.

But Beth felt afraid. She had always relied on her instincts. It had served her well in life to do so. Slipping off her shoes, she stepped out onto the landing carpet. The soft pile felt good on her bare feet. She tiptoed across the landing to the top of the stairs, and stood, holding her breath. Listening.

There was no sound from the ground floor of the house. So she began her descent. Halfway down the stairs, she paused again. Silence.

Her heart was thumping so hard, she was sure she could hear it. Letting out her breath, she continued down to the hallway below. Everything seemed okay as she glanced towards the kitchen. A quick look into the living room revealed it to be empty. She carried on. There was nobody there.

Turning, she froze.

The front door, wide open, swayed gently, the security chain rocked back and forth, as if someone had brushed against it on their way out. She darted to the doorway, gripping the edge of the frame with both hands, looking out into the driveway, searching.

No movement.

No people.

Nothing.

Slamming the door shut, she slid the chain into place and retreated inside the house. A quick scout reassured her that whoever had been in the house was gone. She was alone again.

Terrified.

She would have to get a locksmith in.

Returning to her bedroom, she removed the hoody.

As she began to fix her hair, the doorbell echoed through the house, and she wondered how much more of this her nerves could take. She crept down the stairs, holding her breath. She was sure a stalker wouldn’t bother ringing the doorbell, but the back of her neck tingled, regardless.

A little caution never hurt anyone.

She approached the door. Opening it a crack, she peered through. Mikey loitered on the doorstep, his back to the house. Relieved, Beth pushed the door shut, sliding off the security chain.

Grabbing a short black leather jacket from the hall cupboard, she opened the door. Mikey turned towards her, and a smile crept onto his face.

‘Hi,’ he said. ‘You ready to go?’

‘Yep.’

Beth stepped out onto the gravel, closing the front door behind her. She looked Mikey up and down, trying to avoid making it obvious. He wore a tight black T-shirt, and a pair of black skinny jeans. He was toned, but not bulky. Beth didn’t think any man should ever wear skinny jeans, but at least he had the thighs and calves to pull it off. He smiled again as they walked towards a sporty-looking red Citroen. His wedding ring glinted in the setting sunlight.

‘Your wife couldn’t make it tonight?’ Beth asked, attempting to sound nonchalant.

‘Our babysitter fell through at the last minute, so Suzie had to stay home with the little ’un.’

Beth relaxed at the mention of his child. She hadn’t pegged him as a father, but now she did, she liked it.

‘Your husband doesn’t mind you heading out on a Saturday night with me?’ Mikey’s eyes flicked sideways. He was testing the water.

Beth hesitated. She didn’t want to think about Charlie. It hurt too much.

‘He trusts me. Who are we going to see?’ she asked, changing the subject.

‘The Hypnotronic Hamsters. It’s kind of… electro, dancey, pop-type stuff.’

Beth raised an eyebrow, as she imagined it was the sort of thing Peter might listen to.

‘They’re awesome, I swear!’

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’ Beth swung her legs into the car as Mikey closed the door for her, like a true gentleman.

* * *

They made small talk on the journey. Beth told Mikey about Daisy and Peter. Mikey gushed over his daughter, Bella, who was two.

Beth told Mikey how Charlie had been her university crush, and how they had been together ever since.

Mikey explained that he had met Suzie on a dating app, five years and still going strong. He seemed embarrassed at first, but Beth assured him it was the modern way. Loads of her colleagues had met their spouses online. It was just how things were done now. Too busy to meet in real life.

The venue was small but trendy. It had originally been a Victorian tea room, and at one point was a notorious biker café, but these days it was a live music spot, popular with the youngsters. Beth and Charlie used to go there a lot, but they hadn’t been for years. She couldn’t even recall the last time.

Standing in the queue surrounded by twenty-somethings, and the odd thirty-something, Beth suddenly worried she had made a mistake. The effects of the bottle of wine were beginning to wear off, and she felt like mutton dressed as lamb.

She thought about her children in a strange flat, wondering what reason Charlie had given them for the upheaval. She hoped Peter had not heard any of their conversation earlier in the day. It was bad enough that Charlie knew the truth about her past. She couldn’t bear her children finding out.

Charlie would never tell them. She was confident of that.

But Peter knew something was going on. Beth prayed he would not try to do any investigating of his own.

‘Here.’ Mikey handed Beth a small silver hip flask.

She unscrewed the cap and sniffed the contents. The warming smell of bourbon burned her nostrils.

‘We can get a taxi home,’ he added, winking.

Beth took a