‘I can’t leave them to it,’ Suzie said. ‘It’s a mess, and Holly’s—’
‘Her mum’s problem, not yours,’ Rob said firmly. ‘You did your best, but this isn’t your fight, and you need to walk away before you get dragged down by it.’
Suzie closed her eyes and breathed in slowly to calm her jangling nerves. Rob was right: Holly wasn’t her problem, and she didn’t need the stress this was causing her. But she was the only friend Holly had right now, and she couldn’t just abandon her in her hour of need.
‘It’s time you stopped worrying about other people and started thinking about yourself,’ Rob said, walking to her and pulling her into his arms. ‘This is their problem, not yours, so let them deal with it.’
Biting her lip when a shiver ran through her, Suzie rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. Josie was upset, but she wouldn’t really leave Holly. She just needed to rest and recover from her ordeal, then she would come back and sort everything out.
After a few blissful seconds, a floorboard creaked overhead and Suzie reluctantly broke free of the embrace, murmuring, ‘Oh, God, I forgot Holly was still here.’
‘Didn’t she go with her mum?’ Rob frowned.
‘No. They needed time to sort their heads out, so I said Holly could stay the night,’ Suzie told him. ‘I know you probably don’t agree,’ she went on when she saw the disapproving look in his eye. ‘But it’s complicated.’
‘It’s quite simple from where I’m standing,’ Rob argued. ‘Her mum needs looking after, and you should have made her go with her.’
Suzie glanced up the stairs to make sure Holly wasn’t listening before gesturing for him to come into the kitchen with her. She took a seat at the table after closing the door, and said, ‘Look, I promised Holly I wouldn’t tell you, so you’ve got to promise you won’t say anything to her.’
‘Course I won’t,’ Rob said, lighting a cigarette.
‘Holly’s been coming over a lot since you left,’ Suzie started.
‘I didn’t leave,’ Rob interrupted. ‘You kicked me out.’
Suzie gave him a look that clearly said, And you know exactly why I did that, so don’t even go there.
‘Sorry,’ he said, holding up his hand. ‘Go on.’
Brushing her irritation aside, Suzie said, ‘As you probably gathered from that row just now, they’ve got a weird relationship. Holly’s cagey when it comes to talking about her mum, so I don’t know the full extent of it, but Josie’s really secretive, and she doesn’t let Holly talk to the neighbours or answer the door when she’s out.’
‘Can’t blame her for that,’ Rob said, blowing smoke into the air. ‘There’s a lot of freaks round here.’
‘I think it goes deeper than that,’ Suzie said quietly, unsure if she fully understood it herself. ‘I think her mum’s paranoid. And I don’t mean a bit, I mean the full-on conspiracy theory kind of paranoid that people end up getting sectioned for. She’s a drinker, as well.’
‘Nothing wrong with that,’ Rob grinned, waving a hand at the bottles of wine he’d bought, which were standing on the counter behind her. ‘I was going to make you a brew, but you look like you could use something stronger.’
‘It’s too early for that,’ Suzie said, waving for him to stay put. ‘Thing is, something happened last night, and—’
A tap came at the door before she could finish and Suzie whispered, ‘Don’t say anything,’ to Rob, before calling: ‘Come in, hon.’
The door opened and Holly shuffled in. Her eyes were swollen and red, and she was wringing a sodden strip of toilet tissue between her hands.
‘Feeling any better?’ Suzie asked. Smiling when Holly nodded, she patted the chair next to hers, and said, ‘Come and sit down.’
‘Has my mum gone?’ Holly asked, casting a wary glance at Rob, who was peering at her through narrowed eyes.
Suzie flashed a hooded look at Rob. Holly caught it and frowned.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing,’ Suzie said innocently. ‘I think the attack must have hit her harder than she realized, that’s all. I’m sure she’ll be fine when she’s had a rest.’
‘You should probably go home,’ Rob said, his gaze still fixed on Holly. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be looking after her?’
Holly’s chin wobbled and she gazed up at Suzie. ‘You said I could stay.’
‘And you can,’ Suzie assured her. ‘But she’s your mum, and Rob’s right: you should be with her.’
‘I don’t want to go back’ Holly gulped, as the tears began to fall. ‘You don’t know what she’s like when she gets mad. She scares me.’
‘Oh, hon, don’t get upset again.’ Suzie hugged her. ‘I told her you could stay here tonight, so why don’t you go and have a lie-down? I’ll go over with you later and we’ll talk to her together. OK.’
Frowning when Holly nodded her agreement, Rob said, ‘I’m not being funny, love, but this isn’t Suzie’s problem, and you shouldn’t be putting it on her like this.’
‘Rob!’ Suzie hissed. ‘I told you I could handle this.’
‘And I’m sure you think you can,’ he replied smoothly. ‘But I know you better than anyone, and I can see what it’s doing to you. It’s not right.’
‘Holly’s my friend and I offered to help,’ said Suzie. ‘You don’t know what she’s been through, so please don’t interfere.’
Rob’s eyes stayed locked on hers for several long moments. Then, shrugging, he said, ‘My mistake,’ and pushed himself up to his feet. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
Suzie gave a curt nod and watched as he left the room. She had assumed he would go into the living room to give them privacy but, seconds later, she heard him come back out into the hall and pull his jacket on before leaving the house, slamming the door behind him.
‘I’m sorry,’ Holly sniffed.
‘Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault.’ Suzie sighed. ‘He shouldn’t have waded in like that. Anyway, come on . . .’
