‘I think you know what, Sam. You’ve been saying rotten things about me to the younger ones and upsetting them.’
Cassie could see her bristling.
‘You’re not my mother and I can say anything I want to my own little brother and sister.’ This was veering way off target; she needed to change tack or she was only going to make things worse.
‘Look, Samantha .?.?.’ The girl had exactly the sort of defiant look she could imagine her giving a teacher. ‘I know it’s tough when your parents split up, and even more so when they meet somebody else. I’m sorry this is how you feel, and in your shoes, I’d have probably felt something similar.’
‘Well, you’re not me and I don’t care what you’d have done at fourteen, so fuck off and leave my family alone. And don’t think you can get to my dad behind my back, because he’ll always pick me over you.’
Cassie picked up that, underneath, the girl was very unsure of herself, but another part of her recognised that what she said was true. No wonder Marisha could afford to be so magnanimous – she’d somebody far more effective to fight her battles for her. On the other hand, if Samantha thought that Cassie coming into her dad’s life was bad, just wait for what was coming down the tracks from her sainted mother.
For the rest of the evening, Cassie kept very quiet, serving the food and helping Cici with her night-time routine. Con still wouldn’t meet her eye. She busied herself tidying away the dinner things – because apparently teenagers didn’t do chores anymore – but the truth was, she felt like shutting herself in the bathroom and breaking down in tears. Teenager or not, Samantha was old enough to know exactly how to wound an adult but had learned nothing of the complexities of life that might have softened her attack.
Finn arrived back at eleven and Cassie met him in the hallway, already in her jacket.
‘Hey, why the big rush, what’s wrong?’
Cassie briefly explained to him the conversation with Samantha, who no doubt was straining her ears to the max behind her door.
‘And you know what, Finn, maybe she has a point.’
Right now, Cassie felt too exhausted to talk any more about it. Finn looked disturbed, though he certainly didn’t jump to her defence with a burst of indignation, but then, had she really expected him to?Stop me leaving, a little voice inside her was crying out,tell me she’s wrong. But nothing happened. Cassie stepped out into the corridor and the door closed behind her like the end of an era.
Chapter 30
Cassie climbed the steps up from her apartment block car park with a leaden feeling in her gut. When crossing the foyer, a flash of movement from outside caught her eye. She did a double take but the view through the code-protected glass door was empty. No, she hadn’t imagined it – she glanced back quickly and this time there was no mistaking it. Someone was loitering at the edge of the outer door. Her heart quickened; had the security man seen them? She whipped out her phone to dial the number, when the figure lurched into full view: battered leather jacket, narrow scarf, pork-pie hat .?.?.
‘Gav?’
The shape raised his arm in a gesture reminiscent of Antarctic explorers glimpsing long-awaited rescue.
‘Cassie. Let me in.’
His Glasgow accent sounded so familiar. Oh, for fuck’s sake. A couple of possibilities occurred to her, but only one stuck: I can’t leave him out there. She keyed in the code, and he staggered in the door and theatrically sank to his knees.
‘First things first, I don’t know what to say,’ he proclaimed, which was clearly untrue. ‘I owe you an apology. I am .?.?. beyond sorry.’
She gazed at him in disbelief.
‘Get up off the fucking floor, Gav. Sorry for which bit? For dumping me by text after fifteen years? For wasting my life?’
‘All of it. I know .?.?. you’re absolutely right.’
There was a pause as he rolled a cigarette with supreme attention.
‘You can’t smoke that here,’ she said. How were they even talking about smoking? This was ludicrous.
‘Nice place, by the way. Classy.’
He looked mildly wretched. She sighed. It all felt so familiar. Teflon Gav.
‘You’d better come on up.’ Oh no, was she going to regret this?
‘I can’t bear the idea of putting you out .?.?.’ He looked sheepish but definitely not crushed.
‘Bit late for that I would’ve thought.’
They traipsed upstairs, and after closing the door behind them, she took in the incongruous sight of Gavin mooching in Ramona’s apartment.
