‘He’ll come and see me tomorrow.’
I pinched my lips together, feeling anxiety pulse in my chest as my forehead grew clammy with sweat. It was getting harder and harder to lie to her, but I thought her knowing the truth would be even worse. ‘I’m not sure, Nan,’ I said quietly trying to catch my breath.
‘Maybe he’ll come tomorrow,’ Nan repeated. ‘My grandson, Max.’
I swallowed. ‘Maybe.’
With a nod of satisfaction, Nan turned her attention back to the window and for the hundredth time I cursed my stupid, selfish brother who’d managed to get himself sent to prison and left me to pick up the pieces.
Chapter 4
‘You’re late,’ Tara said as I rushed into The Vine that evening. She was sitting at the end of the bar, reading a book. There was one customer, a man who was hunched over a coffee in the corner, looking glum.
‘Are you busy?’ I said, glancing round the empty bar in an overdramatic fashion.
Tara raised a well-groomed eyebrow.
‘Sorry, sorry, sorry. It’s been a bit of a day.’ I was still wearing my bike helmet and my cagoule, so I began unzipping my jacket as I went towards the tiny back room where we stashed our belongings.
I threw my coat and my rucksack inside, then I took off my helmet and balanced it on top, checked my reflection briefly in the mirror on Tara’s desk, and quickly pulled out my ponytail and brushed my hair with my fingers.
‘Were you at Tall Trees today?’ Tara asked as I emerged from the office, twisting my hair up into a bun because it was tangled and knotty from my helmet and the rain and my fingers couldn’t make it look better. I nodded.
‘How’s your nan?’ The word sounded funny in her drawling Californian accent, but I quite liked it. I shrugged.
‘Same,’ I said.
‘Did she ask about Max?’
I pinched my lips together and nodded again.
‘Don’t you think you should tell her the truth?’
‘No,’ I said feeling very tired suddenly. ‘I don’t want to upset her.’
‘I don’t see why you have to cover for him.’
‘I’m not doing it for him.’
‘Good,’ Tara said. She didn’t think much of my dysfunctional family, which I quite liked. She was protective of me and I appreciated it. ‘What did you say to your nan?’
I held my hands out, showing that I was at a loss. ‘I just said he was away.’
‘It’s not an outright lie,’ she said with a small smile. ‘But that’s tough for you. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s fine,’ I muttered.
Tara’s expression darkened briefly. ‘What does your dad say?’
‘He just pays the Tall Trees invoices,’ I said with a barb in my voice. ‘He doesn’t get involved in the emotional side of it. Things have always been tricky with him and Nan. Since my mum sodded off anyway. And now he says it’s too risky to come home in case he ends up inside, like Max.’
Tara rolled her eyes. ‘He’s such a drama queen. What exactly has he done wrong?’
I hauled myself up on to a stool next to her and rested my chin in my hands. ‘Not a clue,’ I said. ‘Fiddled a bit of tax, perhaps? He lost his business but a lot of that was because he bailed Max out and paid a fortune for his solicitor and that. I’m not completely sure it was all legit but I think the worst that would happen is that he’d get a big bill. He’s hardly Donald Trump.’
‘It’s an excuse?’ Tara said.
‘Probably.’ I sighed. ‘At least he came back for Max’s trial.’ I closed my eyes briefly, remembering how my parents hadn’t even put their differences aside to support their son in court. Not thatit had been the first time he’d been in the dock, but this time we knew he wasn’t going to get off with a slapped wrist.
