‘Please,’ I admonish.
‘Please. I want a sausage roll.’
‘The lady will come in a minute and you can tell her what you want. But you have to sayplease, all right?’
‘Aw right.’
‘Hey, Tia.’ Kelly sits down opposite me and leans closer, speaking quietly so no one else can hear. ‘Everything okay? You seemed a bit upset earlier. I wanted to come and see how you were, but I couldn’t leave the shop.’
Her kindness is going to undo me. Now that she’s here, I’m desperate to tell her what’s been going on, to unburden myself, but I’m not even sure where to start. She doesn’t have a long break, so I think I’m just going to have to launch straight into it. I wipe Leo’s hands with a napkin and give him my iPhone to play on. That’s probably the only thing in the known universe that will keep him occupied for more than ten minutes. I also give him my earbuds to keep him from eavesdropping. Once he’s settled, I lean forward in my chair. I realise my heart is thumping in my ears. I’m nervous about telling my friend.
What if she doesn’t believe me? Or, worse, what if she saw me going off with a man at the club but hasn’t said anything? Maybe she and Fiona have been discussing that night behind my back. But that’s ridiculous. Kelly isn’t like that. She would tell me straight. She would ask me outright. Anyway, I’m almost positive that those photographs are fake.
‘Well…’ I begin.
Kelly waits for me to go on.
‘Hi.’ A familiar voice interrupts my attempt to explain what’s been going on. I look up and try not to let my disappointment and annoyance show when I see who it is. It’s Fiona. What’s she doing here?
‘Hi, Fi.’ Kelly turns and gives her a warm smile.
‘Hey,’ I say quietly, hoping she’s just here to say a quick hello and then leave.
She seems a little unsure of herself, which isn’t at all like Fiona. She’s usually so self-possessed and confident. ‘I was just walking past and saw you guys through the window.’
‘We’re just having a quick sandwich,’ Kelly says, flushing. I can tell she feels bad for not asking Fi to join us. ‘But I know you don’t usually eat carbs.’
‘Actually, I’m craving a cheese roll.’ Fiona gives a nervous laugh.
‘Sounds good, you should let loose and order one,’ I say, trying to keep my voice light. Trying not to blurt out that I want her to leave because I’m in the middle of a really important conversation.
‘Actually, do you mind if I gatecrash your lunch? I need cheering up.’
My heart sinks.
Kelly flashes me a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it apologetic smile. ‘Of course you can. They haven’t taken our order yet. Come and sit.’
‘Is that okay, Tee?’ She turns to me and looks for a moment like a lost little girl.
I feel like a total cow for having such mean thoughts about her. ‘Of course it’s okay. That would be lovely.’ I try to push my disappointment away. ‘We haven’t caught up for ages.’
Fiona sits in the empty chair and I resign myself to the fact that my problems will have to remain unspoken for a while longer.
‘How are things with you, Tee?’ Fiona asks.
‘I’m okay.’
‘She was just about to tell me something,’ Kelly says, oblivious to my discomfort, which isn’t like her at all. She’s normally pretty sensitive to other people. She turns back to me. ‘Maybe we could both help with whatever it is?’
‘No, it’s fine. It’s nothing.’
‘I’ve interrupted something.’ Fiona’s face reddens again, and she stumbles to her feet. ‘I’ll leave you two to chat.’
‘Fi!’ Kelly cries. She and I exchange another fleeting look. ‘Fi, sit down.’
I put a hand on her arm. ‘Stay, Fiona. You haven’t interrupted anything. You’re my friend too. I just didn’t want to bore you with school stuff.’ I decide that there’s no way I’m telling Fiona about the photos. Maybe I’ll tell her about the incident with Rosie instead. That way, she won’t feel like I’m keeping something from her. I’m also still not entirely convinced that it isn’t Fiona behind the photos. For all I know, her uncharacteristic nervousness might be due to a guilty conscience.
‘I…’ Fiona stands for a moment, not making a move to either leave or sit back down.
