‘That’ll never happen,’ I said, drawing a line under the subject.
But I realised my heart had developed an annoying habit of quickening every time my phone received a message, only to plummet in my diaphragm each time it wasn’t Josh. And it never would be, because he was keeping to the agreement we’d made when I left.
Even though my mission to get answers from Josh had basically failed, I couldn’t help wondering if Adam had had another motive in making me seek him out. Had he wanted my visit to do more than just shine a light on the past? Had he hoped it might also illuminate a pathway to the future? Obviously not one with Josh – I couldn’t imagine Adam engineeringthatin a million years. But perhaps he’d wanted to show me the dreams we’d had together might still be possible.
The phone call that pushed me to change the rest of my life wasn’t even for me. It was for Raegan.
I should have been alone in the Cupcakes and Rainbows workshop because it was mid-afternoon on a Saturday, and Raegan never worked weekends. But Polly had received a last-minute invitation to a birthday party, freeing her mum to come in and help me with a big order for later in the week.
‘If you ask me, Pol’s only been invited because a bunch of kids in her class have come down with the pox.’
‘“Chicken” or “small”?’
Raegan’s tight-lipped expression loosened at that. ‘It kind of pisses me off that they only asked the B-listers yesterday. I wanted to say no, but Polly really wanted to go. Apparently, they’ve hired a bouncy castle to die for.’
‘Not literally, I hope.’
Raegan scoffed. ‘I don’t know this group of mums that well. They’re more the “designer gym kits” and the “let’s do brunch” gang. Whereas I’m more at home with the “let’s go to Costco” crowd.’
‘God, is there really that kind of hierarchy in the infant school playground?’
‘You have no idea,’ Raegan said meaningfully.
It was an arrow straight to my heart, because sadly she was right about that.
‘Am I speaking to Polly’s mum?’ I had no idea who was on the other end of the phone, but whoever it was, they sounded panicked.
‘No. I’m sorry, she’s just popped out for a minute. Can I help?’
There was a pause that went on for several beats too long.
‘Do you have her mobile number?’
‘I do, but ...’ I glanced across the room and saw Raegan’s fuchsia-pink phone sitting beside her bag. ‘... but she hasn’t gotit on her at the moment. Can I take a message? She’s literally just popped out for a minute to get something.’
The woman on the other end of the phone relayed this to someone who must have been standing nearby. All I caught was a hurried ‘not there’.
‘Look, I’m a close friend of the family. If Polly’s not well or needs picking up I can—’ I never got to finish my sentence because in the background someone began shouting and I could hear the sound of children crying.
‘None of us has Polly’s mum’s number, you see,’ the voice on the end of the line continued. ‘But then someone remembered she works at this cake place.’
If I’d been standing in front of the caller, I swear I’d be shaking her by the shoulders by now to get the words out of her.
‘Is something wrong? Is there a problem?’ I asked in a voice that didn’t sound like mine at all.
The woman gulped audibly, and my heart began to thump so fiercely it felt capable of cracking a rib or two. Surprisingly my voice was relatively calm as I enunciated in tones that brooked no argument.
‘Please tell me exactly what’s happened, so I can get word to Raegan.’
‘There was an accident on the bouncy castle – well, more of a mishap, really,’ the woman downgraded, which might have been a comfort had it not been for a noise I now heard above the general chaos in the background. It was a siren.
I didn’t remember scribbling down the details across the front of my order book, but I must have done, for the torn-off cover was scrunched up in my hand as I stood waiting for Raegan’s return. I’d already turned everything off and was positioned by the door with my friend’s coat over my arm.
She noticed the darkness of the room first.
‘Did they cut off the electricity again?’ she joked, putting down the four-pint container of milk she’d popped out to buy. ‘They didn’t have any two pints, so I had to get—’
‘Put your coat on, Raegan.’
