Eventually the news crews and paps clear off. I watch my mother walk up my short footpath, her pristine permed hair sprayed within an inch of its life. ‘Holly? Are you in there? Open up.’
She’s ten times more intimidating than the paparazzi.
‘Coming,’ my throat croaks.
‘She’s there,’ I hear her say to Richard.
‘I’ll give you a few minutes.’
Scraping back the deadbolt, I crank the front door open a few inches. ‘Mam, what are you doing here?’ I swallow back a dam full of pent-up emotion.
Mam hates tears. She’s always said they solve nothing. But seeing her here, watching her tell off those god-awful paparazzi, I can’t help it.
Steel-blue eyes sweep over my face, drinking in every last detail from my tear-stained cheeks to the bags beneath my eyes. ‘For goodness’ sake, child, look at you.’
‘Sorry, Mam.’ I take a step back, and she pushes the door the rest of the way open and steps into the house she persuaded me to buy six years ago.
She pats my arm awkwardly. It’s the closest to a hug we ever get. Air kisses and pats are a Hazelwood’s standard greeting.
‘What are you apologising for? It’s me who should be apologising.’ Her head shakes, but her perm doesn’t even twitch. It knows better. ‘I came by last week to try to patch things up between us, but you weren’t here.’ Her eyes slant sidewards at me. ‘Having seen the news, and the crowd camped outside here, I have a good idea where you’ve been hiding out.’
‘Sorry.’ My cheeks burn. Bad enough she’s seen those awful videos, but now she knows I’ve been shacking up with a movie star. If I could teleport myself out of here, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Two silver eyebrows dart upwards. ‘He’s quite the catch. You always did have a thing for that man,’ she muses, strutting through to my kitchen, her gaze raking over every nook and cranny. ‘Used to see half-naked posters of him pinned to the inside of your closet.’ She tsks, but there’s a rare smile flirting with the corner of her mouth. ‘Mind you, he is pretty easy on the eye.’
My mouth falls open. Who is this woman and where is my ultra-religious pearl-clutching mother?
‘I’m sorry, Mam. For everything.’
‘Stop apologising. I’m the one who’s sorry.’ She takes a seat at the kitchen table and motions for me to do the same. ‘I panicked when I saw that video, I have to admit.’ Her lips purse into a grim line. ‘But I should have been more supportive.’
Am I hearing things?
First the easy-on-the-eye comment, then an admission of being wrong. My mother has definitely been abducted by aliens. I don’t know who this impersonator is.
‘It was probably the worst time of your life, and I’m sure my reaction didn’t help.’ Her head tilts forwards, and she taps the table with a neatly trimmed fingernail.
‘No wonder you were ashamed,’ I shrug. ‘It wasn’t my finest moment.’
‘I wasn’t ashamed. I was livid. Not at you, but that someone could do that to my daughter. I’ve had Richard on the case ever since. As you know, being filmed in public like that is a grey area. I wanted to be sure we could nail that bastard Dan Hargreaves, before we went after him.’
Fresh tears line the whites of my eyes again. ‘I thought you liked Dan.’
The frequency of the tapping increases. ‘I liked the idea of him,’ she admits. ‘On paper, at least. But it turns out he’s a rotten apple. You’re not the first woman he’s abused. In fact, his parents paid a hefty fee for his last girlfriend to drop some very serious charges against him.’
‘What?’ I rock back on the hard wooden chair. ‘Did he assault her?’ His contorted face flashes through my head. He always had anger issues.
‘He filmed her without her consent. In the er —’ She clears her throat uncomfortably and I get the gist. ‘Richard is going to make sure he gets jail time. A man like Dan thinks he’s above the law. It’s imperative that it’s corrected.’
‘Wow.’
‘All I ever wanted for you was security. I worked so hard my whole damn life to try to provide you with it.’ Her cobalt eyes rise to meet mine. ‘Your dad and I were brought up in a different era. We had nothing when we were kids. I never wanted you to experience the same thing. That’s why I pushed you towards a man like Dan. That’s why I’m hard on you. Because I care.’
‘You and Dad are both so successful. Conor is so successful. My whole life, I’ve never felt good enough.’ That awful hashtag lights up in my mind like a lighthouse beacon. ‘I’m the family fairy. My only ambition was to paint.’ I choke back a sob.
‘Oh, Holly.’ Mam puts her arms around me and pulls me into an awkward hug. ‘Youaregood enough. You’ve always been good enough. I pushed you because I saw so much potential in you. Yes, I wanted you to get a “real job”.’ She lifts her fingers to make quotation marks. ‘But I never wanted you to give up on your dreams, either. In fact, I sold one of the paintings in your old bedroom only last week.’ Her lips lift into a small smile. ‘I hope you weren’t too attached to it.’
‘What?’ These unexpected revelations and the lack of sleep are leaving me light-headed.
