Wish You Were Here by Nicola Monaghan

Author:Nicola Monaghan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oldcastle Books
Published: 2023-05-12T07:42:27+00:00

NINE

Bexhill-on-Sea was an odd little place. There were a lot of grand houses and bungalows. Then there was the De La Warr Pavilion, a big Art Deco building that was an arts centre, and where Sian was meeting Mandy Johnson. Sian ordered coffee and examined the menu. Courtney’s aunt had agreed to meet with Sian, finally, after all the phone calls, emails and begging, with the insistence that whatever passed between them must remain strictly confidential. Mandy’s ‘team’ had even sent a non-disclosure agreement, which Sian had had to sign electronically and return before the appointment could be confirmed. Quite the machine.

Her phone buzzed as she sat down. A WhatsApp notification from one of her karate groups. She regretted giving them her number and downloading the app as they’d asked her to. It was all far too sociable. How was she supposed to go and hit people effectively if she got to know them too well? She muted the conversation and then turned her phone to silent. She looked around the room, checking again that she hadn’t missed Mandy somehow. She was pretty sure that the woman wasn’t here yet. She wished Kris were there, but he’d not been able to come after his shift was changed at the last minute, and Sian hadn’t dared try to change the date or time in case Mandy used it as an excuse to cancel.

A few minutes later, Mandy appeared in the doorway. She looked smaller than she did on TV. Sian found that people often did. Mandy looked around, skittish, and then saw Sian and headed over. Sian had sent her a picture so that she would know who she was looking for.

‘Hi,’ Mandy said, smiling and holding out a hand as she approached.

Sian stood up and took her hand.

‘Oh,’ Mandy said, ‘you’re very tall.’

People often said this to Sian, surprised to meet a woman of her height. It had used to make her slouch and make apologies, but she no longer responded to any comment. ‘Thanks for coming,’ she told Mandy, and they both sat down. ‘Can I get you a coffee?’

‘A cappuccino, please,’ Mandy said.

Sian got up and ordered it. She paid and the barista said he’d bring it over, so she went back and told Mandy. Then she pulled Ana Renaux’s folder from her rucksack and placed it on the table between them. ‘As I mentioned on the phone, I really don’t think this client is your niece. But I do feel I wouldn’t be acting properly without bringing this to your attention and asking you what you thought.’ Sian paused, checking herself before continuing, knowing she needed to find the right words here. ‘There is a resemblance,’ she said, ‘more than a passing one. But I’ve spoken to my client’s mother and she has all of the documents and photographs from my client’s early life. I’m fairly certain that the child belongs to her.’

‘OK,’ Mandy said.

The barista arrived with the cappuccino, placed it down. Both women looked up and smiled, quietly waiting for him to leave before continuing their conversation.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.