My blood ran cold. Slowly, I lifted my head to meet Jessy’s gaze.
Her cheeks were pink now, and she obviously felt a little awkward asking – but she’d seen the name on my phone.
Great.
‘No one.’
‘She has to be someone: she’s been trying to get through to you for our entire date,’ Jessy pointed out, entirely reasonably, as my mind raced. ‘Friend?’
‘No.’ Not a lie.
Something strange flashed in Jessy’s eyes before her expression shuttered off. ‘Is she an ex? Or someone you were seeing before we –’
My phone screen flashed again in my hands.
Incoming call: Unknown (Cassie Fletcher?)
I hitdecline call.
‘I’m not seeing –’
‘Because she seems pretty persistent,’ Jessy said, her voice growing colder. ‘And I can’t imagine that many people have your number.’
Incoming call: Unknown (Cassie Fletcher?)
Decline call.
‘She shouldn’t have my number.’ This was getting stupid. ‘Look, let’s talk about –’
‘You do remember that you’re not supposed to be dating anyone else, don’t you?’ Jessy’s tone was pointed with accusation.
Fuck, how had this gone so wrong?
Incoming call: Unknown (Cassie Fletcher?)
‘Fuck off, Cassie,’ I muttered under my breath, losing all patience.
There. Phone turned off.Try and call me now.
When I looked up, feeling more than a little triumphant that I had put an end to the constant interruptions, it was to see Jessy looking less than impressed.
She had her arms crossed. ‘Is that how you’re going to treat me, when all this is over? Telling me tofuck off?’
I fought the instinct to swear again. ‘No.’
I had to be fair to her: she didn’t know the context, and from the outside looking in I could see how Jessy had got the wrong idea. But still, I had hoped she knew me better than that.
‘Because I can’t think what this Cassie woman could have done –’
‘Yeah, well, that’s because you don’t know shit,’ I snapped, my temper like an exposed fuse whenever Cassie tried to get her claws back into my life. ‘I don’t want to talk about it. Please drop it.’
It was the wrong thing to say. Jessy’s eyes widened – in shock, in hurt, I didn’t know.
‘I just asked –’
‘No, you didn’t – youkeptasking, and I told you I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to talk about her,’ I said stiffly, trying desperately to remind myself that it wasn’t Jessy’s fault the woman had been such a terrible mother. ‘And I told you, she’s not an ex, she’s –’
‘Right, and I’m supposed to believe you when you react like that,’ Jessy said, her voice sharp. ‘I just –’
