Page 105 of Friend of the Family

Karen stood up and grabbed her bag. ‘You were always the clever one, Amy. I’m sure you’ll work it out.’

She walked towards the door, then turned.

‘You can have this one for free: maybe you should start by asking Josie herself.’

Chapter 34

It was almost eleven o’clock by the time she got home, and drizzling with rain. As the taxi dropped her at the house, she took a moment to take in its prettiness; golden windows winked back at her like amber eyes behind the thin sheen of rain so it looked like a snow globe.

She thought of her daughter, tucked up safely in her cosy bedroom, and tried to push Josie Price out of her mind. She understood her now, but just needed to accept that it was all over.

She slid her key into the lock, but David was already standing at the door as it swung open.

‘I was worried sick about you,’ he said as the warm air seemed to suck her in.

‘Did you not get my texts?’ she asked, wiping her shoes on the mat.

‘Yes, but Max and Pog both called me to say what had happened. When you texted to say you’d be late, I started to think all sorts.’

As he put his arms around her, she felt conflicted. She couldn’t get the image of David and Karen in some remote corner of the ball out of her head, and yet she was glad to be back home, glad she could just move on.

They went into the living room. David had lit the fire, and the newspapers and a tumbler of Scotch were on the ottoman.

‘I’ve been to Bristol,’ she said finally.

‘What for?’ he asked, in the tone of someone who already knew.

‘I went to see Karen.’

‘You’ve just lost your job, and instead of telling your husband, you go chasing off after your old friend. I can only imagine why.’

‘And what do you imagine, David?’ she said, challenging him. Perhaps he had just realised that he had been caught out. ‘Josie has been out to get me from the minute she turned up in this house,’ she added, trying to keep her voice low. ‘I knew it, and Karen basically confirmed it.’

‘So she’s a damaged young woman, but she’s not part of our lives any more.’

‘Really?’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

She took a deep breath. She wanted to let it go, but she couldn’t.

‘Why did you never tell me about you and Karen? That something happened between you? You were my friend, David. My best friend. You never told me then. Never mentioned it once in all the time we’ve been together.’

‘I didn’t lie to you, Amy. It just never came up.’

‘What’s the difference?’

‘It was pointless to tell you. It would have hurt you.’

‘Well guess how I feel right now. Really, really stupid, thinking my husband might have had sex with my oldest school friend.’

‘We didn’t have sex.’

‘That’s what Karen said,’ she admitted.

‘We didn’t.’

‘It’s just as well.’