‘Accusing her of what?’
‘I dunno, something to do with money, a deal they had. I thought maybe Jade had borrowed money and hadn’t paid it back – or vice versa, although Jade never seems to have anything. Last I heard from Peggy, Lucy had sent her a Christmas card from Scotland, so it looks like she moved back home. Anyway, Jade was then all friendly to me again, trying to invite herself over all the time, wanting to know what I had heard, if Lucy had said anything. None of my business though, is it? Better off out of it all.’
Maddie felt a bit deflated. She had wanted more, but she wasn’t exactly sure what.
‘Well, thanks for telling me. I’d better get back downstairs. Thanks for the beer too.’
‘Any time,’ he said without looking at her. He was still gazing at the view, can in hand, occasionally raising it to his lips, the picture of relaxation.
She walked over to the heavy metal door, which still stood ajar, and heard him say behind her, ‘You remind me a lot of Lucy – you seem nice. I’d be careful of Jade, though. She can get right nasty when she wants to be. Just saying. Peggy would appreciate you checking on her though. I think Jade gives her a hard time. Borderline bullying in my opinion.’
Maddie paused, waiting to see if there would be anything else forthcoming.
‘And you don’t have to go if you don’t want to?’ he added, gesticulating at the deckchair.
Maddie thought about it and then lowered herself back into the deckchair and picked up the beer again. Jade could wait.
*
An hour and two beers later, Maddie knocked on Jade’s door, her knuckles slapping against the wood. Seconds later, the door opened on the chain.
‘Oh, hello!’ The glee was plainly evident in Jade’s voice. She unhooked the chain and flung the door open wide.
‘Hi.’ Maddie felt the flush creep over her skin as she remembered why she was here in the first place.
‘Well, well, well! You dark horse,’ Jade said with a wide grin. ‘Wouldn’t have expected that from you.’
Maddie closed the door behind her and went to lean against the kitchen counter. It looked like every plate and cup in the kitchen had been used and discarded. Crumbs littered the countertop and cupboard doors stood open.
‘I’ll put the kettle on and you can tell me all about it,’ she said, the grin feline. ‘Or would you like something stronger?’
‘Tea is fine, thanks. I’ve had a couple of beers already.’
The noise of the tap running gave Maddie a moment to wonder how she was going to explain herself – or even if she needed to. Instead, she said, ‘Who’s Lucy?’
Jade’s hands stilled on the kettle. ‘Why?’
‘I was just sitting with Luke, chatting and having a drink, and he mentioned her, said I reminded him of her.’
Jade snapped off the tap just before the kettle overflowed. ‘She lived downstairs before you. She was nice enough, but I didn’t know her that well. Since when are you friends with Luke?’ She looked almost jealous.
‘Oh, we just got chatting. He’s really nice, got a really good sense of humour once he starts talking. He’s asked me to do some bookkeeping work for him.’ Maddie had enjoyed herself in the end. Once he opened up, they had chatted easily, joking and laughing about all sorts. It reminded her a little of when she first met Greg, but in a gentler and more mature way without the trappings of adolescence. ‘He’s a really nice guy.’
‘You’ve said that already.’ Jade’s voice was clipped. She loudly washed a couple of mugs. ‘Luke was keen on her, I reckon. He was always talking to her, offering to do things for her, stuff like that. I think he fancied her, but she knocked him into the friend zone.’ Jade paused, like she was letting her revelation about Luke sink in. ‘Anyway, that’s not important. Let’s talk about what went on with you and Greg!’
‘It was a one-off, that’s all. Like a goodbye – well, that’s what it felt like to me, anyway.’
‘A goodbye? Why?’
‘I don’t know. I think I’m just ready to put it all behind me and move on. Get my life in order.’
‘Woah, hang on, what happened to helping me out? Asking him for a loan? You did ask him after I left, didn’t you?’ Desperation hung like a vapour around her.
Maddie shifted her feet, tracked a crack in the floor tile with her toe. ‘Well, I mentioned it, but he wasn’t really… he said he couldn’t right now, what with Jemima and the business is tight at the moment and they’re trying for another baby…’
‘Fuck’s sake!’ Jade launched her mug across the room. It skimmed past Maddie to shatter against the wall. The handle flew off and landed, spinning, on the counter. ‘What the fuck am I going to do now?’
‘Woah, calm down!’ Maddie backed away towards the door.
Jade spun at her, her finger pointing like a sharp stick. ‘You said he would help. It was your idea!’
‘I know and I should’ve checked with him first before I said anything.’ Maddie took another step away. ‘But that doesn’t mea—’
‘You’re all the same, aren’t you?’ she spat at Maddie, advancing on her, her finger still pointing and jabbing in the narrowing space between them. ‘All promises to help and great ideas, but when it comes down to it, none of you actually want to do anything to help me. Well, we had a deal and I will see it through. And if I help you, you will help me.’
Maddie stepped away from the vitriol on Jade’s face until she was backed
