did offer to help out with the kids, but I told him to take it easy and chill out in the bedroom, as he’ll be leaving soon for his evening shift at the pub.
‘Hey, Tee, want a hand?’ He comes over and kisses me on the lips. I get another cold sweep of fear at the thought of what might happen if he sees those photos. How will I be able to justify them when I can’t even remember what happened that night?
‘No, that’s okay. You’ve got work soon. Sit down and take it easy while you can.’
‘Are you sure?’ He leans his elbows on the newly cleaned countertop. ‘That sounded like a full-on afternoon. How many kids were here?’
‘Our two, plus two of Rosie’s friends and little Milo.’
‘Sounded like you had the whole school round.’
‘Most of the noise and mess was caused by your son.’
‘Love the use of the word “your”.’
I grin, knowing full well that Leo gets his energy from me. According to my parents, I was also a handful at that age, while Ed was supposedly a mellow, easy-going child. ‘How long have you got before you leave?’
Ed looks up at the kitchen clock. ‘Half an hour max.’
‘Got time for a sit down and a cuppa while the kids are occupied? I’ll clean the rest up later.’
‘Yeah, go on then. Just a quick one.’ I make us both a drink while Ed gives the table a wipe over. He stops for a moment. ‘I love the smell of baking. D’you reckon we could have one of those cupcakes with our tea? Or are they strictly for the regatta?’
‘I think we could sneak a couple without Rosie finding out. She was acting like the cake police earlier, making sure that Leo didn’t eat too many.’ I bring two over to the table along with our drinks.
‘These look amazing, Tee.’ He examines the little cakes with their perfect blue-and-red sailing boats iced on the top.
‘They’re cool, aren’t they? I used stencils.’
‘These will go down really well on Saturday.’
‘You think?’
‘Definitely.’
Ed’s phone buzzes in his pocket and he takes it out and stares at the screen, his forehead wrinkling.
‘What’s up?’
‘Not sure. I just got a text. What are they talking about?’ He passes me the phone.
As I take it from him and start reading the words on the screen, I get a sick, tingling feeling in my stomach. The words are stark:
Ask Tia about the photos.
My heart begins to pound, and my throat goes dry. There’s no name attached to the text, and it just shows up as an unknown number. I have to make it look like I’m calm, even though my insides are churning. I can’t give Ed any reason to think this is anything sinister.
‘Hm.’ I frown and hope my voice remains steady. ‘Could be about the school photos. I asked Mrs Lovatt to let me know how to order them, but I’m not sure why she would have texted you?’ I pass the phone back to him quickly so he can’t see my trembling fingers. ‘She probably got your number off the parents contact list.’
‘Doesn’t make much sense though,’ Ed persists. ‘Why would she be asking me to ask you about the photos when it was you who asked the school?’
‘No idea.’ I shrug. ‘It must be a mix-up. I wouldn’t worry about it.’
‘You’re right.’ He shakes his head and shoves his phone back into his pocket.
‘The communication at school has always been useless,’ I add.
‘Didn’t we already have school photos this year?’ Ed asks.
Right this moment I’m cursing having such an involved husband. Why can’t he just shrug and move on? ‘This was about the sports day photos,’ I say, marvelling at my new-found ability to lie so easily.
Thankfully, Ed doesn’t question the message any further. We drink our tea and I listen to him talk about work, trying to latch on to his words and act interested. Trying to pretend that my mind isn’t in turmoil about who could be sending me disturbing photos and texting my husband. Are they trying to ruin my marriage? Is that it? How did they even get Ed’s mobile number? Maybe it’s someone we know. A friend, or someone he works with. Could it perhaps be another woman? Someone who wants Ed for herself. Maybe an ex-girlfriend?
Or perhaps it isn’t personal at all. Maybe it’s someone who wants to blackmail me? Good luck with that. I have no money to speak of. Ed and I live month to month.