She stood up, brushed herself down, and marched to the auditorium door. She swung the door wide, and was just saying, ‘Boys, I know what you’re up to …’ when she saw her. There was a woman on the stage. The lights flickered. Bridie blinked. The woman was gone.
Bridie froze.Oh, god – it’s her. It’s Isobel Raine.Then she made a dash through the foyer to the main door, straight past the counter. A whimper reminded her she’d forgotten something.
‘Come on, Barney. Let’s get out of here.’ The crate was too big and bulky to grab in a hurry. Instead she leaned in, scooped Barney up, held him close to her chest, and ran out of the theatre door.
Shakily, she locked the door, turned around and ran, almost shrieking in fright when she ran into a woman.
‘Bridie?’
Chapter 33
‘Kate.’
Bridie looked at her sister wide-eyed. Her first thought when she’d run into her on the promenade outside the theatre had been:did she see me step out and lock the theatre door before I ran?If Kate had seen her, she could say goodbye to her plan to keep the theatre a secret.
‘Where did you come from?’ Kate asked. ‘I didn’t see you walking along the promenade. It’s like you appeared out of nowhere.’
There was a side street a couple of houses down from the theatre. ‘I … I just came from the town.’ Bridie pointed towards the street. Then she spotted Layla trailing behind her mum. Although she had her mobile phone in her hand, she wasn’t staring at that, as Bridie expected, but looking from Bridie to the theatre, narrowing her eyes.
Bridie avoided Layla’s curious gaze.Damn, she thought.She saw me coming from the theatre. Why isn’t she saying anything?
George ran over. ‘Is this Barney? Can I stroke him?’
‘Hello, George. I didn’t see you there,’ said Bridie. She’d forgotten that neither Layla nor George had met Barney beforeshe’d taken him with her to Cobblers Yard. Bridie eyed Kate. If she’d had a close relationship with her sister, then her niece and nephew would have been over to Cobblers Yard, visiting along with Kate, and would have met Barney already.
While George stroked the puppy, Bridie frowned at her sister when she said, ‘Dad expected you to come over with his puppy and visit.’
‘Would you like to walk him, George?’ Bridie asked, ignoring her sister. She clipped Barney’s lead on to his collar.
George turned to his mum. ‘Oh, can I?’
Kate nodded. ‘Go on then.’
Bridie put Barney down, and George enthusiastically took the lead, walking ahead as Bridie reluctantly fell in step with her sister. She could feel Kate’s eyes boring into her, waiting for an answer to her question.
‘I’ve been too busy to visit Mum and Dad.’
‘Busy doing what?’ Layla asked, cocking her head to one side, walking beside her.
Bridie pursed her lips when she saw Layla glancing over her shoulder at the theatre.
‘I don’t know if your mum told you that I’ve got a job in a shop in Cobblers Yard, and I’ve moved into the flat above the shop too,’ she said to her niece. I’m afraid you grandma wasn’t very keen on your grandpa getting a puppy, and because I couldn’t bear the thought of him being rehomed, I took him.’
‘But you’re living in a flat,’ Kate unhelpfully pointed out.
‘It’s comes with a yard. Well, it’s a bit more than that – it’s a small garden.’ Bridie expected her sister to criticise her decision. It was just what she’d been doing all her life.
‘But it’s still a flat, Bridie. The dog is not going to be a small puppy for long. Do you know how big Labradors grow?’
Bridie rolled her eyes. ‘Yes, Kate, I know how big Labradors grow.’ Bridie smiled to herself as she added, ‘I’m not going to be there forever. I’ve got plans.’
‘What plans? You work in a shop. I bet you don’t earn much. I think you’re going to be in the flat for a while yet.’
Bridie bit her tongue. She couldn’t wait to see Kate’s face when she found out that her little sister owned the theatre. Bridie didn’t know how she was going to keep it to herself, but she had to. She could just imagine what Kate would say if she found out now, when the theatre was in such a state.
‘It’s just as well Auntie Bridie has moved out of Grandma and Grandpa’s house.’
‘Shush, Layla! I thought we agreed we wouldn’t talk about that?’
