A tall figure approached from across the road. Teal held her hand up to her eyes, shielding them from the glaring sun.

  ‘Oh God,’ Teal whispered under her breath as the person came into full view. ‘What the hell is she doing here?’

  ‘Surprise. I bet you weren’t expecting me.’

  ‘How the fuck did you find me, Channing?’

  Chapter Seventeen

  It was the top floor of the house that now resembled a building site. Downstairs, the walls had been painted, the floorboards sanded and the windows replaced. All that remained to complete the rooms was the furniture being delivered from John Lewis. The rugs, cushions and pictures were still in their wrappers and would not be used until the building work was finished. Even though Teal had left earlier wanting to escape the noise, Carissa revelled in it. All of it. The dust. The smell. The banging. Even the sound of the lorry’s engine that had come to collect the rubble. She took a moment to admire the open space between the rooms before she made her way downstairs, with every intention of tidying the living room which was now full of the bedroom furniture.

  Carissa didn’t know what time Teal would be home but she intended to make the living room presentable so they could have a comfortable sleeping area. She couldn’t wait to be in Teal’s arms again. As she reached the bottom step, she paused for a moment.

  Carissa couldn’t be certain but she heard a voice that sounded familiar. Too familiar. She momentarily held her breath. The male voice, who she recognised as Jim, one of the builders, said her name in answer to the female’s question. It was then she put the name to the voice. No, it can’t be!

  Her pulse quickened. This is what it must feel like before having a heart attack. Standing there, Carissa was torn between opening the door or high tailing it out the back door and jumping on the first train to London.

  ‘Carissa, Carissa,’ her name was repeatedly called by Jim.

  What shall I do? Oh God, how did she find me?

  ‘Carissa?’

  If there was ever a time when Carissa wished her name was something different, it was now. The voracious curiosity about what Lara could want got the better of her. Inhaling deeply, she pulled open the door, stepped over the threshold and turned right. Ahead was Jim and the woman she thought she would never lay eyes on again—Lara.

  There she was in all her glory. Lean, toned and tanned. The first three buttons of her white shirt undone to reveal her cleavage. As always, Lara looked drop dead gorgeous. Even Jim had trouble taking his eyes off her.

  ‘Ah there she is,’ Lara said when she caught sight of Carissa hovering in the background.

  ‘Thanks, Jim.’ Carissa gave him a weak smile. ‘I’ve got this.’

  Almost reluctantly, Jim backed away, his eyes still glued on Lara until he reached the hallway, he then brushed past Carissa and scrambled upstairs.

  ‘Is that it?’ Lara said when Carissa came to a stop a few feet away from her and barely acknowledged her. She smiled playfully as she extended her arms for a giant hug.

  Carissa ignored her gesture. ‘What do you want, Lara?’

  ‘What kind of question is that?’ Lara asked rolling her eyes.

  Carissa looked down and, for the first time, noticed Lara’s suitcase by her side.

  ‘You don’t think you’re staying here, do you?’ she said, her disquiet turning to irritation.

  ‘Well of course I do,’ Lara scoffed. ‘Where else am I supposed to go?’

  ‘I don’t give a rat’s arse. You are not staying here.’

  Carissa gripped the door by its edge with the full intention of slamming it shut, when Lara pressed her hand against the door.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Carissa said.

  Her tone was cool. ‘I came here straight from your mum’s place.’

  Carissa blinked rapidly. Was Lara being here a good sign? Had her mum sent her down with the money?

  ‘Your mum said she’s not giving you the loan,’ Lara said. ‘She said if you want to buy a property you’re going to have to do it through your own sweat and tears.’

  Carissa was barely listening. All she knew was that her dream of making some money to get on the property ladder had been dashed. Not only by her mum, but to have Lara deliver the news made it ten times worse.

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ Carissa said, voicing her thoughts out loud.

  ‘She’s right. She’s actually doing you a favour. You’ll have more self-respect if you do it on your own.’

  Did I just hear right? Lara’s actually talking about respect. If the news hadn’t made her feel so depressed she would have actually laughed. Right in Lara’s smug looking face. ‘And why couldn’t she just have told me this over the phone? Was it really necessary to send you?’

  Lara rolled her eyes dramatically. ‘Because she knew you’d want to see me obviously.’

  ‘Have you lost your mind?’

  ‘I haven’t come all this way to be insulted.’ Lara smoothed down her hair. ‘Look, are you going to let me in? I’m knackered.’

  ‘What? No, of course I’m not,’ Carissa snapped impatiently as her mind raced. What should she do? Minutes earlier all she had to worry about was making sure the wallpaper she had chosen for the bedroom was the right one, but now her one and only concern was getting rid of Lara. And fast. What would Teal think if she came back and found Carissa’s ex sitting in her house? Somehow Carissa didn’t think Teal would be too impressed.

  ‘What do you mean no, Cass?’

  ‘Exactly what I said. No, you can’t come in. I’m working. I can’t just have anybody drop in like it’s a hotel.’

  Lara raised her eyebrows. ‘Anybody? I’m hardly anybody, am I?’

  ‘You might be my ex but you’re a stranger to Teal.’

  Carissa noticed a spark of interest flash in Lara’s eyes at the mention of Teal’s name. ‘Teal, eh? Your mum told me about her.’

  ‘Told you what?’ Paranoia struck at Carissa’s heart.

  ‘Calm down.’ Her smile grew a little wider as she eyed Carissa with an oddly amused expression on her face. ‘I’m sure you’re allowed visitors as you’re away from home. So I doubt she will mind me stopping for a while.’

  Carissa’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. ‘A while? Here? No way. No bloody way.’

  ‘Cass, are you going to humiliate me by making me beg? I’m tired—’

  ‘Don’t try and lay a guilt trip on me. I didn’t ask you to come here.’

  ‘Have you forgotten what we have—’

  ‘Had you mean. And no, I wasn’t the one that forgot anything. It was you.’

  ‘And that’s why I’m here, Cass.’ Lara reached for her hand and Carissa snatched it back. ‘As hard as I tried I couldn’t get you out of my head.’

  ‘And you expect me to believe that?’

  ‘It’s true. I love you.’

  Carissa snorted. Those words sounded alien to her now. ‘Don’t make me laugh. If being apart from you has made me realise one thing, it’s that you don’t love anyone but yourself.’

  ‘I’ll prove you wrong, if you give me the chance.’

  Carissa glanced down at her watch and panic set in. It was nearly four o’clock. Teal could be back any minute. She had to get rid of Lara. ‘Look, there’s a bed and breakfast down the road. They’ll have vacancies. Check in there and I’ll come and see you tomorrow.’

  ‘Promise?’ Lara smiled seductively. A smile that would have normally brought Carissa to her knees.

  But not now. Not when she had found Teal. ‘I promise. Now go.’

  Lara’s face immediately softened to highlight her attractiveness and her smile became instantly flirtatious. ‘Or you could come over tonight.’

  ‘Don’t push it,’ Carissa said, trying to keep her tone calm and even. ‘I’m coming over to talk and that’s it. And afterwards I want you to go home.’

  Lara took her case by the handle. She paused a moment as if measuring Carissa’s response. ‘That’s what you say now. But I know what turns you on. Remember—’

  Carissa gritted her teeth and tried to suppress her irritation. ‘Those days seem so long ago.’

  ‘Not that long,’ Lara said with a wave of her hand. ‘I’ll see you in the morning then.’

  This time Carissa closed the door. Heart pounding against her chest, she tried to compose herself by taking deep measured breaths. Her mind was like spaghetti junction. How could Lara just turn up like that? Without any notice. Carissa realised that was a silly question. It was Lara she was talking about after all. Lara did what she wanted, whatever the upheaval. But what the hell was her mum’s excuse for giving Lara her address? Was she deliberately trying to stir up trouble for her? Or did she actually think she was helping by playing matchmaker. Knowing her mum, it was the latter.

  Carissa looked down at her trembling hands and anger seeped through her veins. She wasn’t annoyed that her mum had said no about the money. It was her prerogative. But what she did have an issue with was the way she had gone about doing it. A quick phone call would have done the job. All she needed to say was, ‘I’m not willing to lend you my hard-earned cash’, not cause a drama over it and most definitely not send Lara to see her. What if Teal had been there? Instead of being on top of the world, Carissa felt like a deflated balloon. Lara’s sudden appearance had made an already awkward situation a lot more difficult.

  Carissa pushed herself to her feet and went in search of her phone. She needed to call Nicole and tell her the bad news.

  She located her phone which was plugged into the main socket in the kitchen and punched in Nicole’s number.

  It rang for several seconds before it connected. ‘Nicole?’

  Silence.

  ‘It’s Carissa.’

  ‘Hi.’ Nicole sounded distracted and not her normal flirty self. Not that Carissa minded, it was just different to hear Nicole sound so … serious. ‘Is everything okay?’

  ‘Yes, everything’s great. Your team are doing a fantastic job but we haven’t seen you for a while. Where are you?’

  ‘I’m in London sorting out some finances. Why?’ A note of panic crept into her voice. ‘Who’s been asking for me?’

  ‘No one,’ Carissa quickly reassured her. ‘I’m calling about the deposit for the apartment.’

  ‘Have you got it.’ There was surprise in her voice.

  ‘No. I’m sorry, I really tried, but—’

  Nicole’s voice was distant as if she was talking away from the phone. ‘Shit. Look forget about it. Are my crew still there?’

  ‘Yes. But only Jim turned up today.’

  ‘Yeah, I had to pull the others out to work on another site. Just tell Teal she has nothing to worry about. The work will be finished on time.’

  ‘Oh she’s not worried. In fact, she’s really pleased so far.’

  ‘Good. Okay, all right I gotta go.

  The line went dead and Carissa took a seat at the kitchen table. For the moment, everything to do with Nicole was forgotten. She needed to focus on how to handle Lara. Teal would be home soon and Carissa had to decide whether or not to tell her about her ex’s unexpected arrival. The woman who claimed to love her, versus the woman who openly wanted her just for sex. What would Trudi make of the situation? Knowing Trudi, she would tell her to play both sides at once. Don’t let the left hand know what the right hand was doing so to speak. But that wasn’t Carissa’s style. She liked to play things straight, even if it was to her detriment.

  So no, she couldn’t be keeping any secrets. She’d tell Teal as soon as she got home. Then together they could work out a plan of action. Maybe Teal could go with her when she went to see Lara at the B&B.

  Thinking that Teal would be home shortly, Carissa sprung to her feet and ran to the newly converted living room. The bed base was on its side and she pulled it flat. With as much strength as she could muster, she dragged the mattress on top of the base. Finding the bedding amongst the clothes, she quickly made the bed, then did a quick tidy round so the room was comfortable and ready to be slept in. She’d bring her own belongings down later.

  Perspiring slightly when she finally sat down, Carissa wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She didn’t know why she was so worried about Teal’s reaction. It wasn’t as if she was going to be that bothered about Lara’s appearance anyway. As much as Carissa wished this wasn’t true she knew in her heart it was.

  It wasn’t as if she was anyone special to Teal.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Teal found the most secluded section of the pub. The last thing she needed was for Carissa to walk in on them. She knew it was too early in the day for her to have a drink but the shock of seeing Channing had left her feeling shaken. She still couldn’t believe Channing was trailing behind her, two suitcases by her sides.

  Teal dropped her bag on an empty seat and sank onto the one next to it. Before she even uttered a word, a waitress appeared with the wine she had ordered. Teal filled her glass to the top with the dark liquid and took a long sip.

  ‘Aren’t you going to pour me one?’

  Teal ignored her. She didn’t want to cause a scene. Without thinking, Teal slipped her hand into her jacket pocket and pulled out the emergency pen she kept with her at all times. Then, almost instinctively, she started drawing on the napkin in front of her. The napkin didn’t give her much surface area to work with, but she used whatever space she had diligently, trying to make use of the little kernel of inspiration that had planted itself in her psyche to combat her growing anger.

  Channing observed her closely. ‘Are you just going to doodle on that napkin or are you going to converse with me,’ she asked.

  Teal kept her head down, her gaze locked on the napkin in front of her. She had drawn a pair of eyes, and to her shock, they were Carissa’s. Realising this caught her off guard. She had not just managed to capture their likeness but also the spirit in them.

  Teal quickly folded up the napkin and slipped it into her pocket. ‘There’s only one thing I want to know.’

  ‘Which is?’

  ‘How the fuck did you find me?’ she hissed under her breath.

  ‘Your neighbour told me you’d inherited your aunt’s house. She gave me the address you left her for emergencies.’

  Oh shit, why did I do that!? Why didn’t I warn her not to tell anyone where I was? ‘Channing—’

  ‘Please hear me out. You owe me that much.’

  Teal wanted to say she owed her nothing but refrained in the hope Channing would leave once she’d had her say. ‘Go on.’

  Channing’s fingers played with the stem of her wine glass. ‘Look, I know things have been hard for you with what happened to Alana, but I think you coming here proves that you want to move on, that you want change. I think we should give it another go, Teal, start from the beginning. I should never have moved out. I should have put up more of a fight.’

  Teal exhaled a breath. She wanted to tell Channing to stop. That there was no point in going over the same ground again. They never had, or never would have a relationship as far as Teal was concerned. It was like talking to a brick wall trying to get this through to Channing. This is what I get for not calling the police.

  Teal stared at Channing for a moment, as she struggled to find the right words. She reached for the bottle again and refilled her near empty glass. The pub was beginning to fill up now and there were a number of people milling around their table. Music was playing in the background but it was drowned out by the sound of chatter and laughter.

  ‘Channing ….’

  Channing stared straight back at her.

  ‘I don’t want you here. You know that, don’t you?’

  ‘Why not? You must feel something for me? Anything?’ Channing asked.

  The words caught in Teal’s throat. Feel something? No I don’t! She thought about her feelings for Carissa. How she couldn’t stop thinking about her. Even in her dreams, Carissa was always present. It was a feeling she had never experienced with Channing. So no, it wasn’t about whether or not she felt something for her. The truth was Teal had only felt pity for her.

  Left with no alternative but to answer, Teal shook her head and turned resolutely to her wine, but Channing didn’t seem to get the message.

  ‘But you did feel something for me once, right?’ Channing asked bluntly.

  Teal suppressed a groan. ‘Please let this sink into your head. We had a one night stand. Do you get it?’

  Channing smiled, unperturbed. ‘I’d rather call it a connection.’

  Teal was knocked slightly off balance by her comment. ‘Connection? Who said anything about connecting?’

  Channing narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re just scared to open your heart. You don’t know what you want, Teal. That’s the problem.’

  Out of the corner of her eye, Teal noticed the door open and she held her breath, dreading it was Carissa. Instead, a very attractive dark-haired woman dragging a suitcase behind her walked in and headed straight to the bar. She noticed Channing give the woman a once over with narrowed eyes and Teal thought how great it would be if the two of them hit it off. If the stranger was into women that was.

  ‘Is she your type then?’ There was a cold chill to Channing’s voice.

  Teal frowned and let out a frustrated sigh. ‘What?’

  ‘You know who. The woman that just walked in.’

  ‘Hardly. I barely got a look at her.’ Teal glanced towards the bar but the woman in question was nowhere to be seen.

  ‘You’re not a very good liar, Teal.’

  ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

  ‘You’d probably be chatting her up if I wasn’t here, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Chatting her up? Channing, I’m not looking to be with anyone. Can’t you understand that?’

  Channing stared at her blankly. ‘You need some time to think. That’s all. I’ll stay in your spare room until—’

  ‘Whoa, lets rewind back a minute. You’ll stay where?’

  ‘In the spare room at your house,’ Channing said matter-of-factly. ‘We don’t need to rush things. Not to begin with anyway.’

  ‘Channing—’

  Channing took a mouthful of Teal’s wine. ‘Let’s drink up and get back to yours. I can’t wait to see your new place.’

 

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