The waitress, p.19
The Waitress, page 19
36
NOW
I called Derek straight away and the receptionist put me through to his secretary.
‘I’ll get him to call you as soon as he is free,’ she assured me and I drove home, a growing sense of doom creeping over me. What could he mean by ‘a very serious problem’?
I arrived back at Willow Cottage and looked up at it from the driveway. What could possibly have gone on with this place now? I was desperate for Derek to call me back and fill me in. I had a growing suspicion that it would have something to do with the woman who had owned it before me. Some financial elements that had been forgotten about that I was now liable for. I hoped that whatever it was, the winning money in my account would cover it.
I got out of the car and was two steps up the driveway when Blake appeared around the side of the house and stood at the top, waiting to greet me.
‘Oh, hi.’ I stopped in my tracks, and we looked at one another, both smiling. I felt we had a stronger connection now after Lucy and then the storm.
‘How did it go?’ he asked. We walked together up the driveway to the back door.
I knew he was referring to taking Lucy to get cremated.
‘It was sad. I have had a pretty stressful day,’ I said, feeling as though I wanted to open up a little. I unlocked the kitchen door and stepped in. Lucy’s absence weighed heavy in the room as I glanced at her empty bed. When would I feel ready to move it?
‘I thought I had better pop round,’ Blake said. There was an edge of urgency to his voice now.
‘Oh, right.’ I put my bag on the counter.
‘Yes. I thought you’d want to know that the lady who used to live here before you, Annalise, has been spotted in the area.’
I put my hand on the side of my cheek. ‘Really?’ I took myself to the table and sat down. I wasn’t sure what to do with the information; I had so many other things bothering me: the run-in outside the toilets at Citrus kept replaying on loop in my mind, I had wanted to just disappear after I had seen him. And I had. Maisie would be wondering where I was. I was now on tenterhooks, waiting for the phone call from Derek, who was undoubtedly going to tell me something serious was going to affect the sale of Willow Cottage. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to deal with first. But it seemed the decision was about to be taken out of my hands, as my phone rang.
‘Hello,’ I answered breathlessly, vaguely recognising the number as belonging to the solicitors. Blake looked at me and I held my hand up, motioning to him that I would be five minutes. He sat down at the kitchen table, and I walked through into the hallway.
‘Kit, it’s Derek, from Mullins solicitors.’
‘Hi, I got your message,’ I said quickly.
‘Yes, right, well then, you will know that there was something I needed to speak to you about. I would say it was quite urgent, actually. I wondered, are you somewhere comfortable and alone?’
‘Yes, I’m in my hallway.’
‘Right, well, there is no easy way to say this, but after surveying all the documents that you gave me, it appears that there is a significant problem with Willow Cottage.’
‘Okay,’ I said, urging him on.
‘It appears that you won’t be able to sell it.’
‘What? Why?’
‘Well, you won’t be able to sell it because it appears – and I am only going on the documentation you gave me – that the house does not in fact belong to you.’
37
NOW
I waited for Derek to say that although it appeared that way on paper, it was an error, it just needed rectifying.
‘It doesn’t belong to you and the name that is on the document is Bridely. From the research I have done, it’s a business that owns many houses…’
Derek’s voice faded away to nothing in my ear as a loud static sound erupted through my body. It was coming from my brain, as though my whole body was being electrocuted.
Bridely. Tom Bridely. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have I not seen through it?
He had wanted to control me. I knew that was what that underlying feeling was. Why he held so much back from me, gave so little away about himself, yet he wanted everything of me.
Derek was still speaking. I tuned back in to his voice.
‘… I am not sure I can help you any more, it appears someone has duped you. Although I am sure the house is a lovely one, it does remain that it is not in your name. I suggest you contact the owner direct; would you like their details?’
‘No, thank you, Derek. I know where to find them. Thank you for your time.’
I hung up and stood in the hallway, the phone hanging limply in my hand by my side. I instinctively turned to face the doorway and saw Blake standing there. His mouth was moving but I couldn’t hear his words. I had left Tom. I had left him. But he just couldn’t accept that, could he?
‘Kit.’ Blake’s voice filtered through. ‘What is it?’
I looked at him; I didn’t know what to say. Where would I begin with something like this?
‘Kit, come and sit down.’ He took me by the arm, and we walked through into the snug. I fell into an armchair and a few minutes later, he was next to me with a glass of water. I took a sip, on autopilot.
‘Now, do you want to tell me what is going on?’
I looked at Blake, the hope and anticipation in his eyes. Could I trust him? Would he understand when I told him what I had done? What I was?
‘Boring finances and an annoying ex. That is all you need to know,’ I said robotically.
Blake looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Okay, if you’re sure. I am pretty good with annoying exes; sort of a pro in that area.’
I looked at Blake and suddenly it occurred to me – the ex he had referred to before, she couldn’t be the mysterious Annalise, could she? He had been very quick to protect her, and he had said she had been sighted around here again.
I didn’t have the energy to get into that now; I would file it away for later in case I needed it. I gave Blake a weary look.
‘Honestly, you don’t want to get bogged down with my crap. I need to…’ I went to stand, and Blake lunged forward and took the glass of water out of my hand.
‘Thanks. I am just going to have a lie down, I think; it’s been a long shift and I’m pretty tired.’
Blake handed me back the glass of water. ‘Okay. Well, just give me a call if you need me.’
We stood by the doorway. Our eyes locked and I wished everything else would just disappear so I could feel whatever it was that was trying to evolve between us.
After he left, I checked the front door was locked before I headed upstairs. My phone began to ring. I looked at the number: it was Citrus. It would be Maisie, wondering where the hell I had got to for the last half an hour of my shift. I didn’t have the energy to answer and speak to her. I switched the phone to silent and lay down on the bed.
I opened my eyes. There was a greyish tint to the room. I had slept until the evening, and it was beginning to get dark. I looked at my phone. There were messages from my family, doing the usual check-in, and then a text message from Maisie’s mobile phone. There was also a message from Blake, assuring me he was here if I needed him to be. I didn’t know what to think about any of it.
I took the last sip of water from my glass and then began to walk downstairs. I felt the draught as I hit the bottom step and I did a quick recap. Said goodbye to Blake, locked the door, checked the front door, went upstairs to lie down. I walked through the hallway into the kitchen and could see immediately the door was wide open. I froze to the spot, and I felt a cold explosion throughout my entire body and then I couldn’t move. Fear had trapped me. The sun had set and there was barely any light left in the house. I wanted to move to the light switch, but I couldn’t feel my legs; it was as if they had come away from my body, they were no longer a part of me. The only thing I could feel was my heart thumping at what had to be a thousand times a minute in my chest. I looked down at my leg and willed it to move. I managed one tentative step at a time until I reached the kitchen. Then I sprinted to the door and slammed it shut.
I turned around and a saw the flash of purple out of the corner of my eye. Lucy’s collar was in the middle of the table. I pushed my hand over my mouth. Someone had been in the house whilst I had been sleeping. I took a knife from the rack and immediately took myself off around the house.
‘Where are you?’ I screamed as I headed up the stairs and, one by one, kicked all six bedroom doors open. ‘Just get out and show yourself, for Christ’s sake.’ I ran down the stairs and through the hallway into the dining room, the sitting room, which I still needed to tend to, then the sunroom, the pool room and back again. ‘Your game is boring and pretty lame.’ I raced through to the kitchen again and looked in the utility room. I swung open the door to the study. There was one chair and a small writing desk in there. No sign of anyone. I opened the door to the toilet. Nothing. I heard a noise behind me; it had come from over by the kitchen. I swung around and headed back to the kitchen, gripping the knife tightly in my hand. I stood by the back door. I could hear a scraping noise coming from right outside. I gripped the knife tighter and swung the door open.
38
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‘Hendrick,’ I said, letting all the breath I had been holding come out at once. He looked down at the knife.
‘I know, Hendrick. I know everything.’
He held his hands up. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Can I come in?’
‘No, you cannot come in. You are a liar. You conned me. I believed you, I trusted you. I should call the bloody police!’
‘I know. And you still can trust me, just let me in, I need to speak to you, it’s important.’
‘No way, get away from here, or I will call the police.’
Hendrick began backing away and I followed him until he was on the driveway. I noted his car again.
‘And that.’ I pointed with the knife. ‘That was your pay-off, I take it. What else did you get from him?’
Hendrick glanced at the Porsche, a look of shame flitting across his face.
‘Ah, I thought so. Easily persuaded, then. Do you even have a girlfriend?’
Hendrick shook his head.
‘I knew it. And that book, you weren’t reading it, were you, it was all part of the trap to lure me in, to get me to like you to buy the tickets from you.’
Hendrick let out a big sigh. ‘Yes. It was. But that was then, this is now, look, I know you really hate me right now but—’
‘Hate you? I don’t even know you, Hendrick. How can I hate someone when I have no idea who the hell they are? You just kept showing up here and now look, at the pivotal moment, here you are again.’
‘I’m here to warn you, Kit. I’m on your side. Look, I know you think I’m a bit weird, but the reason I showed up a lot was because I wanted to make sure you were okay. I needed the money, okay, I am… was… in a lot of debt. If someone offered you that much money to get you out of debt, you’d take it.’
‘What you did was completely immoral, Hendrick, there was no excuse. I am a real person.’
‘I know, that was why I came around, because deep down, I care.’
I snorted loudly. ‘You cared about your bank balance.’
‘I worried about you; I was here a lot. Checking on you, making sure you were okay.’
I narrowed my eyes at him. ‘You did lift Lucy into the sink.’
Hendrick hung his head again, but I caught the nod. ‘I’m sorry she died. You did not deserve that.’
‘Please tell me you had nothing to do with that.’
Hendrick held his hands up again. ‘I had nothing to do with that.’
I felt my grip slacken on the knife and I clocked Hendrick looking down at it.
‘Go, now. I have nothing more to say to you.’ I lifted the knife up and waved it in his direction.
‘Okay. Just listen to me, promise me you will pack up and get out of here as soon as possible. You’re not safe here alone.’
‘Oh, believe me, Hendrick, I am not about to start taking advice from you, am I? Please go away. Don’t come back, okay, I don’t want to see you here again.’
Hendrick shook his head. ‘Whatever you say, Kit.’ He turned and headed down the driveway and slipped into the car. He started the engine then stuck his head out of the window.
‘Please just call me if you need me.’
I realised I was shaking as I waited for him to drive away. Then I was crying. I furiously wiped away the tears. I knew what I had to do next, and I was sure he would be expecting me.
39
THEN
Tom was trying to pretend he was okay with me staying a night at my flat, but I could hear and feel the tension in his voice as he walked about the kitchen at Sandbanks. He placed crockery down a little too hard and even the way he brushed past me was a little too brash. But I ignored his petulance and began humming as I made my way around the kitchen. I was preparing a healthy lunch of chicken salad. I wasn’t a great cook, even though I watched good food being prepared every day. But grilling chicken was pretty simple, and I had always known how to lay out a nice-looking plate of leaves, having been on salad duty a few times at Mirabelle.
I set the table as neatly as I would if I were working at the restaurant, and Tom and I sat down.
‘I can’t hang around for long; I want to get to work early. Not too early, don’t want to look desperate, but I’m thinking half an hour earlier than usual.’ I trailed off. I noticed Tom wasn’t really paying attention to what I was saying.
‘Have you any plans for today?’
Tom looked up from the kitchen island, where he sat staring at his iPhone.
‘I have lots on,’ he said frankly.
‘Great. Good.’ I looked at the neatly set table. ‘Oh, water.’ I poured two glasses from the filtered tap and beckoned Tom over. ‘Come, come and eat.’
He placed his iPhone on the island and hopped down off the stool and sat opposite me.
‘Bon appetite!’ I said and raised my water glass to him.
He looked down at the food. We had hit a wall again. Since he had told me his parents were dead, he hadn’t mentioned anything more about them or his sister. And it seemed my persistence at making maître d’ was only vexing him further. If I committed my life to him, I also would also be committing my life to never quite knowing where I stood with him, if something so small as me asserting a little freedom could affect his behaviour in such a way.
I had to admit I was intrigued about his sister. She sounded like an interesting character. But I was scared to ask any more about her. Tom seemed as though he could get very wound up about his family.
‘Eat up, then, and I’ll drop you at work. I need to pick up a few bits from the supermarket,’ he said.
‘It’s fine, I’d really like to walk; I need the fresh air.’
‘Okay,’ Tom said flatly. He opened the paper on his iPad and began reading an article.
We finished our lunch, and I quietly went about cleaning the kitchen whilst he returned to his work post at the island.
Then I picked up my bag and was about to head to the door when he called loudly, ‘I love you, Kit.’ I stopped and my whole body froze as his words hit me. He had never said it before. He had spoken of babies and me moving in with him, but he had never told me that he loved me. Could you love someone after a few months? The seconds ticked past, and I was acutely aware that it was my cue to say something in return, to tell him the same, that I too loved him.
I dropped my bag and walked to the island and wrapped his head into my chest.
Then I kissed his hair, picked up my bag and left the flat.
I loved the walk to the restaurant from Tom’s apartment. The sea breeze always made me feel as if I was inhaling a whole load of nutrients before I arrived at a shift. I felt a particular need to be walking after what Tom had just said to me. It was as if the two of us had been skirting around those three words for months, and now he had finally spoken them, I wasn’t sure how I felt. I hadn’t even been expecting them or wanting to hear them. But there was a lighter spring in my step as I walked to the restaurant that afternoon. He was beginning to open up to me. It definitely changed things; maybe I could do it, maybe I could settle down with Tom and be a family.
I thought about the little girl, Lulu, and how sweet she was, how Ruby and Grant seemed so relaxed with her, despite the strain they were under to keep her safe. It made me think about how I would be as a mother; would I be that superhuman, be able to put on a brave face to keep my daughter happy? I imagined I would if the daughter was one like Lulu. She was so sweet. My stomach did a flip as I recalled her little face and the way she had asked for extra cucumber with her potato salad the other day. What was that, I thought to myself, some sort of mothering instinct?
Matt was at the front of the restaurant when I arrived. It was between shifts and the restaurant was closed, but the bar was open. He was smoking a cigarette and trying to do it slyly.
‘Why don’t you just smoke it out the back?’ I said to him as I stopped outside the front door.
‘I like to see a different view from time to time. Been stuck out the back all lunchtime.’
‘Was it a busy shift?’
‘Manic. Tonight is looking busy too.’
Matt stubbed out his cigarette on the side of the wall. ‘I’d better get back in there.’
‘See you in a sec.’ I didn’t go into the restaurant straight away. Instead, I watched him walk towards the far end of the restaurant but before he turned the corner, Courtney stepped out and grabbed him with both arms. At first, I thought she was just being over-friendly or messing around with him, but then they were both in an embrace and Matt wasn’t looking as if he wanted to go anywhere. He was stroking Courtney’s hair and whispering something in her ear. After a few seconds, I moved away, conscious I was observing something a bit too intimate.
