Chapter 43

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

PRESENT DAY

‘ R ay in the beer tent?' asked Beth.

‘Where else?' Sandy said, her cheeks flushed. ‘He's been looking forward to the beer tasting for months.' She drained her plastic cup of wine. ‘I'm off to get another. You want one?'

‘I'm on duty, remember?'

Sandy grimaced. ‘Oh yeah, I forgot, bad luck. I'm going to make the most of not having a toddler to race after. God bless babysitters.'

Beth made a tutting noise.

‘Bad mother, not letting your child enjoy the fair,' she teased.

‘She'd be whining within thirty minutes, and you know it.'

Beth was only half listening to her and had her eyes on a group of lads at the firing range.

‘Trouble?' asked Sandy.

‘Ludbrook Grove lot,' said Beth. ‘I bet there'll be trouble before the night's out, especially now they've arrived.'

She nodded to the gang of Asian lads that were hovering around the fish and chip van.

‘It wouldn't surprise me. After what happened at Imran's shop, there's bound to be a bit of aggro,' Sandy said, eyeing up the lads. ‘Don't envy you tonight. That was a bloody disgrace. Poor Imran and his family.'

Jassy and Laine wobbled past them on their high heels, their potent perfume floating on the air.

‘To be young again,' said Sandy wistfully. ‘I couldn't get into a dress like that now if I tried,' she said, admiring Laine's clothes.

Beth smiled. ‘Oh, yes, you could.'

Sandy wobbled towards the drinks tent, swinging her handbag. ‘See you later.'

‘Yeah. See you later.' And most likely, you'll be pissed by then , thought Beth.

Tom returned with two hot dogs. ‘Not bad, these,' he said, handing her one, stroking her hand as he did so. Beth shivered. Was that deliberate?

‘Need to watch that lot,' she said, nodding at the lads.

Beth looked around, taking everything in. Will Moulson, she noticed, was unsteady on his feet. A plastic cup of beer wobbled in his hand. Leigh looked uncomfortable when she met Beth's eyes, so Beth turned away and looked over to the dodgems, where she saw Ana and Matt. The person she was really looking for was Ben. When they'd been together, they'd gone to the fair every year, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Hale was eyeing up some girl on the carousel. She couldn't have been more than fifteen. Jesus , thought Beth, what's wrong with these men?

‘You're dripping.'

Her head snapped up, and she felt the wetness of the ketchup on her hand.

‘Not like you to forget to eat.' Tom grinned.

‘Cheeky sod,' she said, taking a large bite.

She was some way off, but Ana knew it was her. Olivia's face and body were etched on her brain like indelible ink. She would know her anywhere.

A man was with her, and they were watching the sheep shearing competition. Ana's heart quickened and her hands shook. She swallowed several times to relieve the dryness of her throat and heard herself say hoarsely, ‘Shall we watch the sheep shearing?'

‘Sure,' said Matt, but Ana didn't move.

She'd imagined this moment so many times. She had practised what she'd say over and over again, but she hadn't prepared herself for the fear that now gripped her insides and paralysed her legs.

Olivia turned, saw Ana, and waved. At that moment, Ana felt the bile rush up into her oesophagus and she struggled to keep it down. She waved back and then grabbed Matt's hand, aware that her own was rather sweaty. She kept her face averted from the man, who was still intently watching the shearing.

‘Hi,' said Olivia. ‘It's good fun, isn't it?' She waved a hand to take in the fair.

Ana turned her attention to the back of the man standing next to Olivia.

‘This is Matt, my work colleague,' said Ana. Ana realised her mistake immediately by the hurt look on Matt's face. Shit, she should have said friend, not work colleague.

‘Oh, I'm sorry,' said Olivia. ‘This is Ana,' she said to the man beside her. ‘She lives opposite me. I told you about her. Ana, this is my boyfriend…'

Olivia's voice became fainter, and it seemed to Ana that she was falling into an abyss. She felt her legs give way and she grabbed Matt's arm.

He looked at her oddly. ‘You okay?' he said softly.

The man turned around and held out his hand to Ana.

Laine flirted with almost every boy she bumped into at the fair, knowing Sajid was watching her the whole time. She laughed loudly at a dirty joke one of the boys told her.

‘It's not even funny,' said Jassy, unimpressed. ‘Why are you winding Sajid up like this? It's not nice.'

‘He could at least say hello,' moaned Laine.

‘So could you,' argued Jassy.

‘I'm not going to be the first to speak.'

Laine's expression suddenly changed as though an invisible cloth had wiped it away, turning her rose-pink cheeks to porcelain white. Jassy followed her gaze to the beer tent where several men were swaggering about laughing.

‘Laine?' said Jassy, but Laine seemed not to hear her. ‘Laine, what is it?'

Laine seemed to snap out of her reverie and smiled. ‘Nothing. Come on. I'm going to see Sajid.'

Jassy followed with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Laine had already had two drinks. God knows how she got them. It seemed to Jassy that Laine could get anything she wanted. It still worried her where Laine got all that money. From the corner of her eye, she could see Needles and his mates watching them.

‘Shit, Laine, wait.'

But Laine wasn't listening, and Jassy reached her too late. Laine already had her arm around Sajid's waist.

‘Shit,' Jassy muttered again. ‘This is going to be bad.'