“I’m fine.” Carmen smiled at her; Ash looked mortified at having nearly sent her flying. “Nothing damaged.”
“Thank God.” Ash exhaled loudly.
Standing next to Ash was a tall, attractive woman, maybe in her early thirties, with short, bleached blonde hair and stunning blue eyes.
“Oh, hey, this is Hayley.”
“Nice to meet you.” Carmen shook hands with the woman.
“And you.” Hayley smiled.
“You heading out or home?” Ash asked.
“Home. Just been to a client party a few streets that way.” Carmen gestured over her shoulder. “You?”
“We’re just off out.”
They stared at each other for a few moments. Carmen couldn’t help drinking in Ash’s features; her hair, in particular, looked amazing, and her entire demeanour was relaxed and carefree. Lucky her .
Hayley tugged on Ash’s arm and leaned in to whisper something in her ear.
“Oh, yeah. True,” Ash said to her, then looked back at Carmen. “Sorry, we need to go.”
“Oh, of course! Sorry.” Carmen stepped back. “It was nice to see you again. And nice to meet you,” she offered to Hayley.
“Same. Have a nice rest of the evening.”
Carmen watched them go, her curiosity piqued. Was that Ash’s partner? They weren’t holding hands, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Many couples didn’t, especially gay ones, even in these allegedly enlightened times. Somehow, though, she didn’t think they were together, but she had no idea how she knew that.
She realised she’d been standing on the same spot for at least a minute, watching the two women, and gave herself a mental slap. You’re acting like a stalker. So Ash is out with someone tonight. So what?
Walking on, she tried hard not to think about how Hayley had Ash’s company all to herself for the evening. Lucky her.
Chapter 8
Ash spent the train journey out to her sister’s bracing herself for the reaction she might receive when she got there. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing Courtney, knowing it would probably involve a lot of harsh words and maybe some shouting.
She gazed out the window as the train neared Courtney’s station. What a shitty weekend this was turning out to be. Her date with Hayley last night had been a waste of time, with each of them realising only an hour in that they had very little in common. Weirdly, bumping into Carmen had been one of the highlights of the night. Strange how that happened. She laughed softly to herself. I’d have been better off taking her to that bar, not Hayley. Carmen was easy to talk to and fun to spend time with. She wondered if she should give Carmen a call. They could be friends, couldn’t they? Even if Ash did find her attractive, she could keep it under control. Couldn’t she?
The walk from the station took only a couple of minutes, and she took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.
“I told you, I don’t want to talk to you.” Courtney’s greeting and the pissed-off look on her face was, unfortunately, just what Ash had expected.
“I know you did, but I’m here anyway.” Ash shrugged. “So how about you invite me in for a cup of tea?”
Courtney scowled before walking away down the hallway—but she left the front door open.
Taking that as the best invitation she was going to get, Ash stepped into the house.
As usual, a myriad of smells assaulted her nose. Cigarette smoke was paramount—it seemed as if Courtney was back on them after trying to quit for about the fifth time. Bacon had been fried for breakfast, Ash would guess, and beneath that smell lurked the general odour of a house that wasn’t properly looked after. Ash’s sister had never been much of a fan of housework.
Ash peeked into the front room. Yep, all the windows shut tight even though it was a gorgeous day outside. She cast a glance over her shoulder. When she found herself unobserved, she ducked into the room and opened the top window a notch. She’d close it again before she left, but at least some air would circulate for however long she was in the house.
As she left the room, Sophie appeared on the stairs. Her eyes went wide when she saw Ash. “You came.”
“Of course.” Ash met her at the bottom of the stairs for a quick hug. “Said I would.”
“Thanks.”
“How’s it been?”
By unspoken agreement they were keeping their voices low.
Sophie shrugged. “Okay, actually. She ignored me when I got home yesterday afternoon. I did my homework in my room, then listened to some music. Her friends came round, and after they’d gone, she asked if I was all right, then went to bed.”
“So no more shouting?”
“No.” Sophie frowned. “She kept looking at me kind of funny, though.”
“Funny?”
“Yeah. Like she, I don’t know, like she didn’t know who I was.”
Ash nodded. “She’s found out something about you that’s got her thinking, that’s all.” She patted Sophie’s shoulder. “It’ll be all right. Don’t worry.” God, I hope I’m not making a false promise.
“Okay.” Sophie turned and went back up the stairs.
“Are you having this tea or what?” Courtney yelled from the kitchen.
With a heavy sigh, Ash made her way to the back of the house.
To Ash’s surprise, the kitchen looked clean and tidy. Three empty wine bottles stood on the end of one counter, but other than that you’d never know Courtney had hosted her friends the night before. It even smelled a little fresher than the rest of the house; the back door had been propped open with a chair. Thankful for small mercies, she walked further into the room and helped herself to one of the chairs at the small table in the corner.
“Make yourself at home,” Courtney said sarcastically. She grabbed two steaming mugs from next to the kettle, carried them to the table, and set them down before throwing herself into the chair opposite Ash’s.
Courtney looked the same as always: a little rough around the edges. Her dyed blonde hair needed its roots doing, her eyes had dark smudges
