Jade tilted her head to the side, then shrugged. Maddie wasn’t sure what that meant.
They carried on walking. Maddie’s pulse tapped in her throat. What if Jade stopped her seeing Ben because of what that woman had said?
‘I think Ben’s dad is going to try and go for custody soon,’ Jade said.
‘Oh. That’s not good.’
‘I can’t compete with him. I don’t have a proper job or anything. I’m on benefits. He would win easily.’
‘You don’t know that. They usually award these things to the mother and you’ve been much more of a parent to Ben so far.’
Jade looked at the pavement as she walked, her voice mumbling. ‘They don’t always – and money talks. I think I need to start putting a different plan in place. You and I need to sort this before it gets to the courts.’ Jade reached out, stopping Maddie in her tracks, her fingers pincers on her forearm. A man walking behind them in a crumpled suit had to veer off sharply to avoid walking into them. ‘You’re my friend, right? You’ll help me?’
‘Sure, whatever I can do!’ At that point, Maddie would move heaven and earth for Jade if it meant she would let her carry on seeing Ben. ‘What are you thinking – character references, that kind of thing?’
Jade’s eyes were alight now. ‘We’re going to help each other. We both have a tricky situation that needs fixing. I just need to figure out the details. How we’re going to do it.’
Maddie frowned. ‘I don’t—’ Jade’s phone buzzed and she reached into her bag to check the message. She typed a quick reply before putting the phone away again. When she looked back at Maddie, her expression was neutral again, like someone had flicked a switch.
‘How far is this place?’
‘Not much further. Just a couple of streets down here on the left.’ They were walking into the more expensive side of Teddington, with its big houses behind high gates, neatly tiled pathways and white wooden shutters.
‘Must be nice to live in a house like this,’ Jade said, envy dripping from the words.
Maddie looked around, unimpressed. She’d been there, done it and it hadn’t made her happy. ‘They’re just houses. A big house won’t make you happy.’
‘I’d like to try and see. Can hardly swing a cat in our flats.’
‘Yeah, but houses like these need someone to clean them, don’t forget.’
She looked offended again and Maddie wanted to kick herself. ‘What are you trying to say? And don’t tell me you cleaned your own house? I bet you didn’t. You got someone in to do it for you while you sipped at an Earl Grey in your posh conservatory,’ she sneered.
Maddie felt chastised, mostly because she wasn’t far wrong.
Looking at the houses they were passing now, Maddie realised how all this must look to Jade, how extravagant. She wasn’t proud of it, but she also knew she probably wouldn’t have it any other way if it was all hers again. It’s easy to be selfish when you have everything you could ever want. It’s also easy to want more and not appreciate what you already have, like magpies chasing the next shiny new thing. Maddie only realised that when everything she had had was gone. None of it mattered or held any value in the end.
Jade scowled as they walked. Her feet dragged in the Uggs.
‘You know, I will help you if I can,’ Maddie said, partly to alleviate her own guilt and partly to bring the awkwardness to an end.
Jade stopped again and looked at her intensely. ‘Will you, though? Because… I know we’ve only just met, but I really like you, Maddie.’
She looked so vulnerable to Maddie and she felt wretched for her, her struggles as a single mum, trying to fight against the system to keep her son, trying to keep it all together. Such different problems to her own. So Jade played music too loud and wore cheap clothes. So she liked a drink (and possibly a joint). Who was she harming?
‘Me too. Honestly,’ Maddie said and pulled her into a stiff hug. She could feel Jade pat her on the back in return.
Maddie coughed and pulled away. ‘You know, I’m happy to take Ben any time you want. Maybe take him to the pool – I love swimming and he would probably love paddling around. If you trust me to, that is? I’ll keep him safe, I swear.’
Jade thought about it. Maddie held her breath. ‘Yeah, ok. Tomorrow. He can go with you tomorrow.’
Maddie was stunned at how quickly she’d agreed. ‘Great! Tomorrow it is!’ She wanted to hug her again, but smiled warmly at her instead. ‘Come on, it’s the next house down.’
Jade’s eyes widened.
‘Don’t judge, ok? I’ve changed a lot since I lived here,’ Maddie added hurriedly.
The large gates were open to the road and their feet crunched on the gravel as they approached the house. Maddie’s Fiat was still parked where she had left it, but the other cars were gone and the house had an air of abandonment, like it was sleeping.
‘Fuuuuck,’ said Jade under her breath as she peered up at the house.
‘I don’t think Gemma is here. Her car is gone,’ Maddie said, feeling surprisingly disappointed. She didn’t realise how much she really wanted Jade to meet Gemma. Was it because she wanted a partner in crime, someone who would hate Gemma as much as she did and therefore make her feel better about herself? Or was it to shock Greg and Gemma into realising how low Maddie had stooped to end up hanging out with the likes of Jade? No, that wasn’t fair. Sometimes Maddie didn’t like the thoughts that
