I woke to an SOS message from Mel. No other details, just SOS. I dropped the phone and rolled away, groaning. Burying my head in the pillow, I willed it to delete itself.
Of course, it didn’t.
With a burning resignation, I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. I didn’t dawdle; no matter how much I dreaded the cause of it, my best friend needed me.
I arrived at Mel’s building in Cardiff Bay to find Sophie, arms crossed, staring at the buzzer with a pained expression.
“What’s that look for?” I stopped at her side.
“Do we have to go up there?”
I sighed. “She needs us. I don’t think I’m capable of ignoring her.”
“I know, but remember the last time?”
I shuddered. “Don’t remind me.”
“I scrubbed Phoebe’s vomit out of the sofa,” Sophie muttered, her face scrunched up in disgust. “There isn’t a bar of chocolate big enough to make me forget that.”
“The wine helped.”
“Yeah, but it still took a week before either of us could set foot in her flat again.”
I pursed my lips as I considered the door.
“What if it’s worse?” Sophie whispered.
“I hope not!” I swallowed hard against the bile that rose in my throat.
“But what if it is?”
Before either of us could chicken out, I swiped my key fob across the sensor and wrenched the door open.
“After you.” I gestured for Sophie to go first.
She glared at me. “You want me to go first so you can run if it’s bad.”
“I would never,” I said, feigning shock. Okay, so I might.
Squaring my shoulders, I led the way. With grim expressions, we loaded into the elevator, our eyes fixed to the numbers ticking up. When the doors opened, neither of us moved.
“There’s still time,” Sophie whispered.
“She knows about Dan, right?”
Sophie turned to me, frowning. “I didn’t tell her.”
“But you told her not to come yesterday?”
“I told her I wasn’t feeling great and you were working early.”
The tension climbing my muscles relaxed a fraction. “Okay, good. This is good. This crisis we can manage.”
“Do we have to manage it today?” Sophie’s voice squeaked.
The doors began to close, and I threw myself through the opening before we could get trapped inside for a return to the ground floor. No use avoiding the inevitable.
“She’s going to find out sooner rather than later, Soph.”
I led a swearing Sophie to Mel’s door. We each fixed sunny, calm smiles on our lips and with a deep breath, I pressed the bell.
It rang for less than a bar before the door flew open to reveal Mel’s panic-stricken face. She’d scraped her brown locks into a messy ponytail, missing a chunk. It hung limp and greasy against her angular face. Judging by her bloodshot brown eyes, she was either in the throes of sleep deprivation or she’d been crying. Both were highly likely.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me they were back?” Mel whisper shouted.
My smile fell. So much for getting out in front of the problem.
Taking a firm grip on our arms, Mel tugged us into the flat. Then she held the handle until the door clicked shut behind us, cutting off any escape.
“I only found out on Friday,” I said. It earned me a scowl.
Okay, I should have texted her. I was a bit too fixated on seeing James again. Bad friend.
“When did you last shower?” Sophie’s nose wrinkled as she pushed past Mel to take in the state of her flat.
It was a small two-bed with the kitchen and living room combined in one space. Ordinarily, a great choice for a single woman. Not so great for Mel. Stuff was scattered across the counters and the sink overflowed with unwashed dishes and empty jars. Phoebe’s toys that Sophie and I had meticulously tidied away only two weeks ago plastered the living room.
Mel stared at Sophie with a hopeless expression, her face crumpled and she shrugged.
“Okay! Why don’t you go shower while Soph and I whip this place into shape?” I guided her towards her bedroom and the ensuite.
“But what if she wakes up?”
“Then we’ll deal with her.”
“But she’s sick.”
I pushed her towards her room again. “This isn’t our first rodeo. Go.”
Appeased, she shut the bedroom door and left us to it. This was becoming a regular problem. Not just because Mel was a single parent juggling a pretty full-on social media marketing job. Phoebe had experienced her first bought of tonsillitis nearly a year ago. Each time it recurred, we kept hoping it would be the last time. Thus far, it showed no signs of fading, and with Mel’s mother out of the country, full time help was in short supply.
Sophie handed me a pair of rubber gloves and we surveyed the room. Someone had walked jam into the kitchen floor so we’d have to get the mop out. The dishes in the rack needed to go away before we could wash the ones climbing out of the sink. We needed to wipe the toys down and return them to their boxes. And we had to do it all in virtual silence lest we wake the sleeping three-and-a-half-year-old.
“Maybe we should tell him,” Sophie said.
Mel would disown us. “If anyone’s letting this cat out of the bag, it’s Mel.”
“She needs help, Nia! This is getting beyond.”
“We’ll talk to her.”
“He’s going to find out. There’s no way he’ll stay away from her.” Sophie swiped at a rather stubborn pile of goo coating the cooktop. “Now that they’re back, really back, it’s inevitable.”
Her exasperation and fear for Mel had taken over, and when Sophie got lost in hard situations she couldn’t control, she snapped at anyone who had the misfortune to get too close. Today, that unlucky soul was me.
“I’m not disagreeing with you here, Sophie.”
Using my wrists, I turned her to face me. I’d freak out if someone touched me with the fingers of a pair of messy rubber gloves, and I would not inflict that on my best friend. She frowned at me, annoyance clouding her face.
“We’ll talk to her.”
“Today?”
“Let’s get this place clean, get her clean, and then we’ll talk to her.”
With a firm nod, Sophie relaxed, and we turned our attention to pulling off a small miracle. Thirty minutes later, Mel stepped out of her bedroom, fresh faced with her wet hair tied back, and wearing clean clothes. She looked far more relaxed than she had when we’d arrived. She surveyed the space with a sad smile.
“What would I do without you both?”
“Roll around in filth?” Sophie said just as the kettle clicked off and the toaster released.
“What Sophie meant to say is you won’t have to find out. Ever.”
Catching Sophie’s eye, I tilted my head towards the toaster and started making us all tea. She pulled a plate from the drainer and scooped the potato waffles from the toaster. Then she placed the plate, fork, and a bottle of ketchup in front of a surprised Mel.
“You cooked for me?” Awe filled her face.
“I wouldn’t call putting potato waffles in a toaster cooking, but sure.” Sophie shrugged.
“We figured you might not have eaten in a while.”
“I kind of forgot.” Mel dug into the potatoes. “Phoebe’s had a fever the last few days. It wasn’t the only thing to slip my mind.” Her gaze roamed over the now clean space.
“Why didn’t you tell one of us? We’d have come over and helped you.”
“I wouldn’t have grumbled much,” Sophie muttered.
“Thank you, but you both had to work, and really, what could three of us do that I couldn’t?”
Sophie and I remained silent.
“Other than keep the house clean, that is,” Mel said, a rueful smile curving up the edges of her lips.
“And keep you sane?” I slid a mug across the counter to her.
“I’m not sure I have any sanity left to save.”
I matched Sophie’s frown with one of my own. She tilted her head towards Mel, mouthing “go ahead” at me. When had we decided it was my job to make Melanie Griffiths see reason?
“You need help, Mel.”
“I know.” Her shoulders sank, and her eyes fell to her tea.
“Is your Mam still away?” Sophie asked, helping me along.
Mel nodded. “She’s not back for another month.”
Alright for some. None of us could hold it against her mother, though, she’d worked hard for her retirement.
With a soft tone, I let the words out slowly. “Maybe it’s time you considered telling him?”
“I can’t do that!” Mel shook her head with enough force to crack her neck.
“Why can’t you?”
She fixed wide panicked eyes on me. In a hushed tone, she said: “What if I told him about Phoebe and he still left?” She sucked in a lungful of air that did nothing to ease her wild energy. “What if I told him, and he stayed, out of obligation?”
Something about her fear ignited a kindred worry in my heart. It was a genuine concern. Just because he — they said they were making Cardiff their home base, it meant nothing. They were musicians and they could make music anywhere. What if they got bored being home six months from now and took off? They’d abandoned us before, why would that change now?
“Okay, we’ll scratch that idea.”
Mel relaxed back against her seat.
“Wait! What? That is not what we discussed,” Sophie shrieked, forgetting the tiny human in the next room.
“What if I move in until your mother gets back?” I ignored Sophie’s incredulous stare. Mel’s face softened but I could see the no waiting to trip off her tongue.
“That’s a terrible idea!” Sophie shook her head, slamming her mug against the counter.
“Shh!” Mel’s eyes darted to Phoebe’s bedroom. When no cries came, her shoulders sagged.
“Sorry,” Sophie whispered. “James is tailing you. That’s the best way to force her hand.” Her eyes widened and she tilted her head, her eyes questioning whether that had been my intention the entire time. It hadn’t.
“What do you mean James is tailing me?”
“Okay so tailing is the wrong word.” Sophie held her hands out, warding me off. “He’s determined to get you back, Nia. You should have heard him after you left yesterday.”
“What happened yesterday?” Mel asked, her eyes darting between the two of us with pinched brows.
“James and Dan hijacked our wine date,” I said, eyeing Sophie critically.
Mel’s gaze jumped to Sophie. “You weren’t sick?”
Sophie shook her head. “Didn’t think you’d want Dan ambushing you.”
“Thank you.” Moisture glistened in Mel’s eyes as she leaned over to squeeze Sophie’s hand.
“Now wait a minute! I didn’t put this together yesterday, but you texted Mel, and you couldn’t warn me off?”
“I was going to. James snatched my phone when I was at breakfast with my mam. I’d just got Mel’s text off.” Sophie’s sad eyes begged me to understand. Unfortunately, I did.
“It’s fine. Back to the tailing thing.” I gestured for her to carry on.
Sophie sighed. “I was exaggerating. He spent half an hour talking my ear off about his mistakes. He’s not giving up.”
“Giving up on what? Me?” My voice rose as the ridiculousness of the situation settled in. “He let that ship sail a very long time ago.”
Although, did his revelation about my father’s involvement change that?
“I said as much, didn’t help.” Sophie frowned into her tea. If it were even possible, the mood in the flat took a deeper nose dive.
“Why do I get the feeling I missed some things?” Mel asked, glancing between the two of us with narrowed eyes.
“One problem at a time.” I turned my attention to Mel. “Forget about my issues for the moment. Do you have any leave to use up?” I tipped Mel’s chin until she had no choice but to meet my eager gaze. She nodded. “Good. How fast will they let you take it? Can you get two weeks from tomorrow?”
“I can try,” Mel said.
Pulling a face, she fired off a text to her boss on a decidedly sticky phone. Sophie had the wet wipes out and on the counter before I could so much as twitch. Great minds.
“Okay, I’ve asked. Explain the rest.” With a grateful smile, Mel wiped down her phone with her curious eyes fixed on me.