‘Not hiding, watching.’ He pointed to where Kitty and Emily were making their way down the wooden staircase. ‘You’re pretty free and easy with who you’ll let look after your kid.’
‘She’s a teacher. You told me so yourself.’
‘And you’ll take my word for that?’
‘I told you, I’ve spent enough time around you and have enough mutual friends for me to know you’re not dodgy.’
Nick frowned. ‘Yes, you said. But how do you know I haven’t changed since we last saw each other?’
A rosy tinge appeared beneath the skin on Carla’s cheeks.
‘You had me followed?’ Nick’s eyebrows shot up.
‘No, of course not. But if we’re putting all our cards on the table, I’ve been keeping tabs on you for years.’
‘How?’
‘Social media, mainly. You should stop accepting friend requests from people you don’t know.’
‘I don’t have you on my social media.’
‘I didn’t use my real name as I didn’t want you knowing about Emily. So, I used a fake name and photo. It was easy.’
‘What are you, police or something?’
‘Hopefully, one day. It’s always been my dream to join. Right now, there’s no way I could juggle shifts with being a single mum.’
‘So what do you do?’
‘I work as an emergency call handler. It gets me as close to the police as I can be for now. My boss is pretty good at giving me shifts that work around childcare.’
‘Where does Emily go when you’re at work? I thought you said you didn’t have anyone you could leave her with?’
‘I have a great childminder, but she’s not a live-in nanny. I can hardly send Emily to stay with her twenty-four-seven. It would bankrupt me, even if she were up for the idea, which she wouldn’t be.’
From the beach came the sound of a child giggling, and sadness bubbled in Nick’s chest. ‘You should’ve told me about her sooner,’ he said at last.
‘I should have,’ she said quietly. ‘I thought I was protecting her. And maybe myself, too.’ She smoothed down her hair andlet out a long breath. ‘I can’t do it anymore. I’m running on empty.’
The words hung between them. For the first time, Nick believed her.
‘IfI agreed,’ he said carefully, ‘because I’m still not convinced this is a good idea, how would this work?’
Carla’s head snapped up, eyes wide with sudden hope. ‘You’ll let her stay?’
‘I’m not promising anything. If I did… what exactly are you asking?’
‘A few days,’ she blurted. ‘A week at most. I’ll FaceTime her every night. She’s easy, really. She eats most things, sleeps through the night, likesBluey, and hates peas. You’ll barely notice she’s there.’
‘You’ve met me, right?’ he said weakly. ‘I can barely look after myself.’
‘Which is why I’m giving you instructions.’ She dug into her bag and handed him a folder of papers. ‘Everything you need is on there – routines, allergies, the childminder’s number. And you can keep my passport if it makes you feel better. I’m not running away.’
Nick stared at the passport she pressed into his hand. Her photo looked younger, softer. The eyes were the same. Determined. Frightened.
‘You’ve got it all worked out, haven’t you?’ he said.
‘I wish I hadn’t had to work anything out,’ she whispered.
