Zoe sipped on her tea, stroked Hercules, and watched television. I tried to concentrate but couldn’t help watching Zoe out of the corner of my eye instead. I liked seeing her smile and laugh. At her age she should be doing that a lot. An episode of a sitcom shouldn’t be an escape from physical violence.
‘I loved that,’ Zoe said when the end credits rolled.
I was tempted to tell her she was welcome to work her way through all ten seasons if she wanted to spend a few nights on my sofa, but I’d promised to leave it. She stretchedand said it was time to go and, despite my resolve earlier to try harder with her, I couldn’t see what else I could do.
‘Your scones will have cooled so we’ll pick them up on your way out.’
Downstairs, I placed them in a zip lock bag for her while she put her leggings in her backpack and pulled on her coat.
‘I like that there are people like you who care about people like me,’ she said as we stood by the door. ‘Just cos I’ve said no, doesn’t mean everyone else will.’
‘I know that. And just because you’ve said no, doesn’t mean you can’t stop by for a hot drink or a meal, come to another meeting of The Friendship Pod – preferably on time…’ I raised my eyebrows at her and she smiled. ‘And it doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind about?—’
‘Don’t offer me a job again.’
‘I wouldn’t dare.’
‘It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s just that the wages from a few shifts aren’t gonna help with what I really need – a place of my own away from Griff. But if you happen to have any miracles tucked away, I’ll take one of those.’
I let her out and bid her a good night. As she walked away down the cobbles, I looked up at the stars above. I’d made wishes before and they’d come true. This time I had the most important one of all.Mum, Dad, if you’re up there, please send a miracle Zoe’s way. She deserves to have good things happen to her.
32
JED
Tara should have been revelling in the success of the first meeting of The Friendship Pod but I had a feeling her worries about Zoe would overshadow that. When I got home, I messaged her to say I was there if she wanted to talk. Shortly before half ten, a FaceTime request came through.
‘I didn’t get to specifically ask her about the cuts,’ she said after she’d filled me in on their conversation, ‘but it had to have been Griff’s handiwork cos Zoe was terrified of her.’
‘Sounds like a nightmare. The reason for turning the job down seems like twisted logic but I can see where she’s coming from. Question for you: do you trust Zoe?’
‘Yes, why?’
‘What if she moves into the flat above the gallery? It wouldn’t be a permanent solution because, ultimately, I want to turn it into my studio and use the first floor as additional gallery space, but I don’t have the time or headspace to even think about starting on that with everything else that’s going on.’
‘You mean that? You’d let Zoe use the flat?’
‘Somebody might as well make use ofit. There’d be conditions, though. It’d have to be for her use only – no random friends staying over – and it would be on the proviso that she accepts those shifts at the café to help you out. If she’s earning with you and living rent and bills-free with me, she could build up a deposit for a bedsit or a house share. I might be able to give her some hours too.’
I was thinking on my feet but, if Zoe was competent and willing, she could be a godsend. Anastasia worked weekends and was off on Mondays and Tuesdays. I manned the gallery on my own those days which meant no studio time but, if Zoe worked those days, I could draw and be on hand if she needed me. And if she did some hours alongside Anastasia on another day or two, I could help with the twins. I ran my thoughts by Tara and she commented that, between us, we could probably offer Zoe a full-time job and have her save that deposit even quicker.
‘Any update from Pam and Billy?’ Tara asked.
‘Mum spoke to Pam earlier. She phoned Ingrid again and tried to convince her to come back but she’s apparently still not budging.’
‘Has she seen Declan yet?’
‘Mum was a bit confused as to whether she’d seen him or was planning to see him but, whichever it was, we don’t know any more than we did on Monday. I don’t understand this thing with Declan. It’s like an obsession, like he’s her drug and she has to keep having her fix. You can love someone deeply and want to be with them all the time but this hits different.’
‘It sounds unhealthy to me.’
I nodded.Unhealthywas a good word for it. ‘I can’t decide what I want the outcome to be. If she works it out with Declan and stays in Aus, at least there’d be a chance for the kids to be raised by someone who prioritises them in their life. If Declan sends her packing, goes ahead with the divorce, and she returnshere with her tail between her legs, what sort of mother is she going to be? What if she blames them for causing the end of her marriage? I can’t help feeling that the kids would be better off without her and I hate myself for that. It’s an awful thing to think.’
‘But you’d never have thought it if her behaviour hadn’t been awful.’
That was a fair point. The conversation returned to Zoe and whether Tara should seek her out and make the offer but, as Zoe had made it clear that she didn’t want Tara’s help, that probably wasn’t the best approach. We agreed to give it until the end of next week and take stock. At that point we’d surely have clarity on Ingrid’s intentions, a better idea of how much support would be needed for the twins and therefore how much help was needed in our respective businesses.
I ended the call and ran my hands through my hair. Things had been going so well for months but, if life was a rollercoaster, we’d just gone down an enormous dip. Everything felt unresolved and unnecessarily complicated at the moment and I didn’t like it.
