She knelt beside the velvet armchair and watched as Margot scrolled back to yesterday’s photos of Patrick and Jade outside the apartment. There was Patrick with his tousled hair, beaming smile and favourite baggy green corduroy trousers. And there was Jade in a neat fitted pink sundress and pretty flower-print ballet shoes, her hair tied back in a glossy ponytail. Not the most obviously matched couple, but they were visibly happy together.
‘Fingers crossed it’ll work out for them,’ said Margot. ‘He deserves it.’
‘He really does.’
‘And how about you and your lovely man? All going well?’
‘Very well.’ Flo smiled, because there had been no more visits from Lena, which had to be a good thing. With a bit of luck, she’d decided to give in gracefully and accept the situation. Well, you could always hope.
‘Excellent. Looks like I could be buying myself a new hat, then. Maybe even two.’ Margot’s dark eyes flashed with mischief. ‘I love a good wedding, me.’
Ten hours later, back in her own flat, Flo was lying in the bath when she heard the bathroom door begin to slowly creak open. For a split second she thought of a horror film she’d seen years ago, when a demented-with-jealousy woman had broken into her ex-husband’s house and crept into the bathroom where the new wife lay, happily oblivious that the next few moments would be her last.
Goosebumps sprang up on her thighs; what if it was Lena with a bread knife? The next moment, Jeremy’s furry face poked around the door and he padded into the bathroom, tail swishing and green eyes gleaming as he met her gaze.
He wasn’t carrying a bread knife.
Flo exhaled and shook her head at him as he jumped up and made himself comfortable on the padded lid of the laundry basket. ‘You gave me a start. I thought you were Lena.’
Jeremy twitched first one ear then the other, and gave her one of those disdainful looks that said, For goodness’ sake, how can you be so stupid?
He was right, of course. Lena wouldn’t really do something like that. Fingers crossed, she’d had time now to get used to the idea that Flo and Zander were a couple and weren’t going to stop seeing each other just because she didn’t approve.
You never could tell: as the weeks and months went by, she might even realise that she’d been wrong, that her brother had fallen in love with a nice person. They didn’t need to be enemies . . . they could become friends, meet up for girlie lunches, go shopping together . . .
OK, that was taking weird fantasies too far. Dismissing the idea, Flo returned to cheerier thoughts of Patrick and Jade and their blossoming relationship. She was genuinely happy for Patrick. You never knew, did you, when a couple might hit it off?
The doorbell rang twenty minutes later. As luck would have it, Flo was out of the bath and wearing her dressing gown. As luck wouldn’t have it, she’d just applied a thick layer of moisturiser to her feet, which necessitated waddling like a duck across the wooden floorboards and doing her best to stay upright.
Pressing the intercom, she said, ‘Yes?’
‘Hello, my name’s Julia. I wonder if I could speak with you about Zander Travis?’
Taken aback, Flo said, ‘Zander? What about him?’
‘Please. I just need a quick word. Or if you don’t want to let me in, we could meet in the coffee shop on the corner.’
The coffee shop on the corner would mean getting dressed, drying her hair and putting on at least a modicum of make-up. She would also have to wipe all the moisturiser off her feet. After a brief hesitation, Flo pressed the button to buzz open the door downstairs and said, ‘Come on up.’
Julia was slim, pretty, possibly a couple of years younger than herself. She was wearing an expensive blue shirt, cream trousers and a tan suede gilet. Her streaked blond hair swung past her shoulders. She had good teeth.
She also looked slightly – very slightly – familiar.
Were they meant to be shaking hands? Unsure, Flo waited for Julia to make the first move.
OK, they weren’t going to shake hands.
‘Thanks for seeing me,’ said Julia. And waited.
‘I don’t know why I am seeing you.’ Flo shoved her hands deep into the fluffy pockets of her dressing gown.
‘Well . . . you might not want to hear this, but it’s only fair that you know.’ Lifting her chin, Julia said, ‘The thing is, Zander’s been cheating on you.’
‘He has? Who with?’
‘Me.’
‘Oh.’
‘Sorry. But it’s true.’
Flo’s heart was racing as she experienced an odd mixture of emotions. On the one hand, this was shocking news, devastating even. On the other hand, a little voice was nudging at her subconscious, whispering that something wasn’t quite adding up.