I fall back onto the sofa in shock.
Did that really just happen?
I lift my hand to my cheek. It’s stinging like mad. It definitely happened.
But why? All things considered, I thought Frankie and I had been getting on pretty well tonight.
‘Someone’s not happy.’
I glance up. Reece is smirking at me.
‘Lovers’ tiff, is it?’ he adds a little too eagerly.
I shake my head and stagger to my feet. Frankie is nowhere to be seen.
‘Which way did she go?’ I ask. ‘Did you see?’
‘Out the front,’ Reece replies, pointing towards the automatic doors.
I run out onto the pavement and look in both directions. The street is deserted.
‘Frankie!’ I yell. ‘Frankie!’ 209
No response.
I walk to the corner and look down the next street. Once more, it’s empty. Where are all the people? Then I remember – it’s after one in the morning. Anyone sensible is in bed. I jog back, past the hotel entrance, to the road where we parked. No Frankie.
I take out my phone and call her. She picks up after a couple of rings.
‘What?’ she barks.
She’s walking. I can hear the soles of her flip-flops slapping against the pavement.
‘Frankie, what the hell was that?’ I ask.
She lets out a laugh.
‘Seriously,’ I say. ‘What did I do?’
‘What did you do?’ she repeats. ‘What did you do?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Why don’t you ask Jojo?’ She spits out the words, each one dripping with anger.
‘What do you mean?’
She doesn’t reply.
‘Frankie, what do—?’
She hangs up before I can finish my question.
Why don’t you ask Jojo?
What on earth is she talking about?
Unless …
Shit.
But Jojo wouldn’t tell Frankie about any of that? Would she? She was the one who was adamant Frankie should never ever find out, the one who made me promise never to bring it up.
I try Frankie again. This time it goes straight to voicemail. There’s no point in leaving a message. Frankie famously doesn’t listen to them. 210
I swear under my breath and walk back to the hotel. Although it’s still boiling, the wind is picking up. It isn’t the least bit refreshing, more like having a giant hairdryer blasted at your face. I glance up. Clouds roll overhead. They’re moving so fast it almost looks like they’re chasing one another.
‘You didn’t find her, then?’ Reece asks as I stride back into the foyer.
‘Does it look like it?’ I snap.
Reece raises his eyebrows and puffs out his cheeks. ‘Listen, I didn’t have to help you out before,’ he says sulkily.
‘I know, I know,’ I say, raking my hands through my hair. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just … under a bit of stress right now.’
‘Still. There’s no need to take it out on me.’
‘I know. Like I said, I’m really sorry.’ I head towards the lift. I need to find out what Jojo said to make Frankie fly off the handle like that. ‘It was room four-two-six, right?’ I say.
Reece doesn’t answer.
‘Please, mate. I’m sorry I snapped before. It’s just that it’s important.’
Reece lets out a heavy sigh. ‘Yes, it’s four-two-six.’
‘Thank you, mate,’ I say, jabbing at the lift button. ‘Thank you.’
As the lift rattles upwards. I study my reflection in the mirrored panel. My cheek is still red from Frankie’s powerhouse slap.
Her words keep echoing in my head: Why don’t you ask Jojo?
Ask Jojo what?
Unless you count the time I saw her sail past me on the number 88 bus a few months back, I haven’t actually seen her in the flesh since New Year’s Day. A few times I’ve thought about ringing her or turning up at her house, but every time I’ve been tempted I’ve 211remembered the promise I made and forced myself to keep my distance.
The lift doors stutter open and I step out onto the fourth floor. I take a right and head down the corridor. As I get closer to room 426, my nerves build. It’s just Jojo, I remind myself. Even after everything that happened, she’s still your mate. There’s no need to be nervous.
My pep talk doesn’t work. By the time I reach room 426, I’m sweating like mad. I wipe my clammy palms on my shorts and rap on the door. It flies open almost immediately, making me jump.
Jojo’s eyes balloon at the sight of me. Her mouth quivers as if attempting to make words, but no sound comes out. I don’t need to do much reading between the lines to figure out she wasn’t expecting to find me at the door.
She looks pale. Pale and thin.
And beautiful.
After all this time, all I want to do is hold her and make everything OK.
‘You thought I was Frankie,’ I say.
The horror and confusion in her eyes answers my question. ‘What are you doing here, Ram?’ she asks, backing away from me into the dimly lit room. Her voice is shaking.
‘You mean you didn’t know I was here at all?’ I ask. ‘Frankie didn’t say?’
She shakes her head.
‘Frankie needed a lift down here,’ I explain. ‘I was the only person she could think of with a car.’
My words are overlapped out by the high-pitched cry of what sounds like a baby.
I blink.
But Olivia has been found. It was on the news literally a few minutes ago. I saw it with my own eyes. 212
Then I remember what Reece said about Jojo checking in with a baby. We just assumed it was Olivia, no questions asked. It never dawned on me that there might be another baby in the mix. Why would it? It makes literally no sense.
I look at Jojo. She stares back at me, her eyes full of fear.
‘You need to go, Ram,’ she says, her voice low.
‘Why? What’s going on?’ I ask.
‘Please,’ Jojo says, trying to push me out into the corridor.
I stand my ground. I’ve driven all this way and all I’ve got for it so far is a slap round the face and a whole lot of confusion and mixed messages. I’ve had enough of being kept in the dark. It’s time for someone to tell me what the hell is going on.
‘Please, Ram,’ Jojo says, continuing to attempt to push me away. ‘I’m begging you. Just wait downstairs.’
‘Not until someone explains what’s happening.’
The baby is crying louder now.
‘I need to see to him,’ Jojo says, dropping her hands from my chest. She peels away from me and heads towards the cot by the window, bending over it and scooping up the crying child. As if by magic, it shuts up. Very slowly, she turns to face me.
I blink, my eyes struggling to adjust to the gloom after the harsh brightness of the corridor.
The baby is tiny. Not quite brand-new but close, I reckon. It also has a ton of hair. Thick and inky black. It reminds me of Roxy as a baby. And Laleh before her. And the photo of me as a newborn that sits in a silver frame on Mum’s bedside table …
Blood rushes to my face.
Frantically, I count back the months. August, July, June, May, April, March, February, January, December …
‘Is it? It’s not. Is it?’ The words fall clumsily from my mouth.213
Jojo holds my gaze, her chin raised, her lips pressed together.
There’s a beat where no one says a word. We just stare at each other, our eyes locked together.
A single tear trickles down Jojo’s cheek.
And that’s when I know for sure.
The baby in her arms is mine.