Cock & Bull - Laura Barnard Page 0,65

them all that I’d given her something precious from her mum and we snuck out while everyone cooed over it.

Clooney was full of questions on the drive back home. I had to lie and say that her dad had come into the pub when he wasn’t there and confessed everything.

‘I can’t believe you did that,’ he said, looking at me strangely. ‘Risked everyone thinking you’re mental just so she could have a letter from her mother.’

‘Wouldn’t you want that if it was your letter?’

His eyes droop downwards. ‘Yeah, you’re right.’

It makes me wonder about his mum. He never mentions her. I won’t ask though. I know by now that Clooney is not a sharer. If he wants to tell me, eventually he will.

This morning he had all of the details laid out for me to call and report his dad for buying stock from Costco, but I still haven’t done it yet. Nervous butterflies in my stomach tell me it’s not right, and my gut is never wrong.

‘I just don’t know if it’s the right thing to do,’ I admit on a sigh later that night.

Clooney rolls his eyes. I secretly love when he does. It’s so cute and funny that he finds me so exasperating.

‘Jeyses, Phoebe. You’re over-thinking this. Just call the number and do it.’

He’s so bossy. I bite my lip. ‘It’s just my moral compass or whatever. It’s stopping me. I mean, we could ruin him over this. I’ve never wanted to cause actual harm to him. Just have a fair chance.’

‘And did he stop to think about that before he went after you?’ he counters. ‘Before the rat in the kitchen? Before reporting you to environmental health?’

He does have a point, I know he does, but… it just still feels wrong. Like I’m sinking to his level. Plus all the other times I’ve done something back to him it’s just come round and smacked me ten times harder in the face. Karma my mum would say. Maybe I should just leave it and see how it plays out.

‘Look, I know the guys an arse, but…’

‘But what?’ he asks, his eyebrows furrowed together.

I can’t help but wonder why he hates his dad so much. He really seems to want to harm him.

‘But why do you want to see him fail so bad? I mean, he’s your dad. What happened between you?’

He looks towards the ceiling, his shoulders slumped. ‘To be frank, Phoebe, it’s none of your damn business.’

Wow. I can’t help but straighten my shoulders, shocked at his sudden change in tone. He can be a real bastard when he wants to be. It scares me how he can go from being so warm to cold so easily.

‘Well I’m sorry for giving a shit about your relationship.’ I fold my arms across my chest. ‘It’s not my fault you have a lump of coal where your heart should be.’

He scoffs, crossing his own arms over his chest.

‘Yeah, well not all of us are brought up by hippy parents full of so much love in their hearts it spills out to other women.’

My mouth falls to the floor, my stomach dropping as if taken by surprise on a rollercoaster. Oh no he didn’t! Talking about my father’s love affairs and using what I told him against me. That’s beyond shitty. Whatever crush I previously harboured for him is now dead. RIP my feelings.

‘You know what, Clooney?’ I snarl, looking over him in disgust. ‘Just because you’re good looking, it doesn’t give you the right to treat people like dirt whenever you fancy it.’

I spin on my heel and storm away from him into the back room. Ella is sat on the sofa watching a movie with Suki settled on her lap. She quickly grabs an invoice and pretends she’s scanning through it, doing some sort of work.

‘Woah, what blew up your arse?’ she asks.

I could punch a wall right now I’m so full of rage. It’s the betrayal of trust more than anything. More proof that he’s not to be trusted. All the signs were telling me to stay the hell away from him. Why couldn’t my body listen?

‘Clooney-fucking-Breen!’

Her eyes widen, but she grins, putting her palms up in surrender.

‘Calm down. What did he do?’

‘I’m just so sick of him,’ I start pacing the floor. ‘One minute he tricks me by being nice so I think I can trust him, the next minute he’s using something I said against me.’ Suki’s head turns to watch my pacing. ‘Being