Page 36 of Pyg

21

PERSPECTIVE

U nder a threatening slate sky, Alice hesitated in the doorway of The Dog the night she found George and met Ash. That night Fran had ranted about living off soup and pecking up crumbs, and now the truth about Jeremy made sense of Fran’s change of heart.

What was it Truscote had said? ‘ In the end, Jeremy won, or should I say, his trust fund won.’ Money and status were Francesca Dalton’s true loves, and nothing would ever come before them.

Fran sniffed and nodded to Alice’s empty glass. “Shall we have another?”

Alice glanced at her watch. “No, I think I should?—”

“Can’t we just go back to how we were before? You and me, and all our wonderful weekends spent escaping to lovely places and enjoying each other.”

Alice considered Fran’s proposal for a moment, rolling it around in her mind like a hard-boiled sweet, until it cracked and she could digest the pieces. Sweet at first, but ultimately it left a sour aftertaste. It would never be enough, not now.

“Thank you, but no. I was happy with that once, but I feel like I’ve been shaken awake. I need more from someone than you’re prepared to give.”

“I thought once you’d had a taste of the finer things you’d be reluctant to give them up.”

Alice smiled politely. “I’ve realised that you and I have vastly different definitions of the finer things .” Her mind flashed with the thought of being curled up on her couch with Ash, eating Chinese takeaway straight from the cartons, or tucking into buckets of tea and bacon butties at Porky’s.

She looked back to Fran, pity overriding her other emotions. This woman who’d once held so much power over her would never be truly rich, but Alice could be. She stood and struggled to pull her coat sleeve over the plaster cast as Fran looked on, bewildered.

“Well, thanks for?—”

Fran slid a key card across the table towards her.

“What’s this?” Alice asked.

“I’m staying at the usual. I didn’t know if you’d fancy… you know, for old times’ sake?”

“Fran—”

“No strings, Alice. One for the road… if you like.” Fran cocked her head.

Alice considered the key card for a moment. “Thank you, but no.”

“Right, well. That’s that then.”

“You’ll be okay, won’t you?”

Fran’s cold, dark eyes set a hard stare on Alice. “Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Alice smiled and shook her head.

* * *

At some point during the rendezvous with Fran, the storm had blown over, and vast patches of blue sky yawned between fluffy white clouds. Alice hailed an Uber with the app and walked out to the main road and out of view of the pub, to avoid any possibility of a Francesca Dalton epilogue. She had nothing left to say. They were officially done, and Alice felt… relieved. Fran could move on to her next lover, as she’d put it, and Alice could move on with her life.

Alice leaned against a wooden post. Overhead, the hand-painted sign for The Dog & Duck creaked on its hinges in the light breeze. The Uber app showed the car on its way with a six-minute wait, so she dialled Maggie.

“Sister dearest,” Maggie answered in a droll tone.

Alice laughed. “Just wanted to let you know you were right again.”

“Of course I was. What was I right about this time?”

“Fran. I met her, like you said. It was good closure. And I didn’t sleep with her, even though the offer was there.”

“Well, thanks for sharing that.”

“Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“After the little mix-up with Markus and the flowers?”

“Ah, that was nothing. He doesn’t think sometimes. The silly bastard sent an enormous bouquet to me at work this morning. Bloody mortifying.”

“Ah, at least he’s trying, Mags. Give him a chance.”

“Hmm, since when did you join his cheerleading squad?”

Alice puffed out a laugh. “I haven’t, but he actually does love you, you know? He might be a clueless, toffy twat… and in my unqualified opinion, you could’ve done much better for yourself. But you chose him for a reason, and he’s hanging in there, fighting for you, despite all your prickliness. That has to be worth something, right?”

Maggie mock-gasped. “Oi! You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I am and I always will be. But, you know… perspective.”

Alice let the words land, watching as her torn coat strap flapped in the breeze.

Maggie cleared her throat and changed the subject. “So, are you going to tell that cute doctor how you feel about her?”

A grin stretched across Alice’s lips. “You think she’s cute, too?”

Maggie’s eye-roll was almost audible. “Yes, Alice. She’s hot. And single, right?”

“Yeah, she’s single.”

“Well, go for it, if that’s what you want.”

“But what if she doesn’t want that and I blow the chance of having an actual friend?”

Maggie chuckled. “You’re going to blow the friendship part if you keep drooling over her when you think she’s not looking anyway, so you may as well tell her how you feel.”

“Okay, I will. Maybe at the weekend. Like you said, emotions are heightened at these events. Oooh, talking of the party?—”

Maggie groaned. “Oh, here it comes.”

“Don’t, Mags, you know I’m going to be good for the money. I’ve signed that settlement and I’m on my way to drop it off to Truscote now. Then I was going to look for something to wear. Please, just a little loan until the money comes through.”

“Christ, you’re bloody hopeless, but alright. I’ll transfer some money now.”

“Thank you, darling sis. You’re the best. I’ll pay back everything, I promise. Now I just have to find something that either goes with or goes over this bloody cast.”

“I’m sure a sparkly pink number will do the job, Barbie.”

“Shut up, you. Ooh, my Uber is here, gotta go.” Alice pinned the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she opened the rear door of the white car that pulled up alongside her. “Love you, bye… and don’t forget the money,” she added before hanging up.

Through the tinted window, Alice looked back at the pub, imagining Fran seated inside, scowling into a glass of red wine.

“Goodbye, Fran,” she said under her breath as the Uber sped off.