‘What, you think it’s better your way?’ she said, a sneer crossing her lovely face. The children looked worried then at the bad feeling, and Carmen turned to leave, her heart beating fast.
‘Don’t know,’ said Carmen as she got up to leave the room and she wouldn’t have done it if she hadn’t been tired and jealous, and had a tendency to shoot her mouth off when she was disappointed, and she was to deeply, deeply regret it very, very soon.
‘Oh, by the way, Blair says hi,’ she said.
‘Really?’ said Skylar sweetly. ‘Because I was just speaking to him, and he didn’t mention you at all. Bye!’
The dream came again, creeping up on her: the train, the woman, the tunnel, the scream.
She sat bolt upright in bed, waiting for her breathing to calm down. There was no possibility of sleep now.
Miserably, she grabbed her phone, even though she knew it wasn’t good for her. Ugh – Skylar was so pretty and perfect and smug all the fricking time – and she couldn’t even moan to Sofia about it. In fact, if it came to it she wasn’t sure Sofia wouldn’t pick Skylar over her any day of the week.
But she didn’t want to leave, didn’t want go home. She liked her job, she realised. She was good at it. The shop was doing well and it looked beautiful. And she liked the children. Very much. But what else did she have? After Christmas, when everything would disappear?
She clasped her phone like it was a teddy bear or a security blanket. At least Blair provided a little excitement, she thought.
‘Put your T-shirt on or you’ll burn,’ she typed.
‘I’m naturally tanned,’ was his response.
She smiled to herself.
‘You massive liar. I bet you have your own tent and everything.’
‘Why are you the only person in the world that doesn’t think I’m amazing? Everyone in LA thinks I am FABULOUS.’
‘Well, they do.’
‘Well, they don’t. It’s just Hollywood BS.’
‘How on EARTH would you know that? Have you ever even left that tiny place you live in?’
‘You mean one of the great and ancient beautiful cities in the whole of history? Or do you mean Billericay, where you’re from?’
‘You read my book!’
‘Durr no. Just the blurb.’
‘Send me a pic. I’m lonely.’
She took a picture of the teddy bear one of the kids had left at the end of the bed. It was wearing a nurse’s uniform.
‘Saucy.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You should probably shave.’
‘Sexist.’
‘It wasn’t the bear bum I had in mind.’
Carmen smiled, hugged her phone closer in her cold hands.
‘Go on, send me a real pic.’
Carmen frowned to herself. No. This definitely – No. She thought about it. Angling, good lighting. No.
