Page 179 of Checkmate
“I don’t understand that,” Lottie admitted. “I’d be going crazy.”
Erica shrugged and took a drink.
She didn’t enjoy Sophie staying with them. But after the hotel debacle and Sophie refusing to seek help, Erica felt somewhat obligated to help her. Even Marcus questioned her sanity.
“I don’t know, Lottie. It’s not quite as easy as giving her the boot.” She took another drink, letting the warmth of the coffee spread through her frozen body. “If she wasn’t pregnant, maybe I’d tell her to fuck off. But she is, so…” She trailed off, shrugging again.
“You know, there’s such a thing as being too nice, sis.”
Erica was more than aware of that. She’d gone over and over the same arguments the past few days. Why did she owe this woman anything? Never mind opening her home to her and keeping her safe. Winter had hit the city hard this year. The winds were biting, and they carried with them the kind of coldness that made bones ache in protest. When Sophie annoyed her, and Erica wanted her gone, all she had to imagine was a poor baby born on those streets. The guilt placated her long enough to get over her irritation.
“She’s only twenty-five. Maybe twenty-six,” Erica continued. “I feel bad, I guess.”
“I’m twenty-four, Eri. That’s no excuse.”
“I know,” she agreed. “But she’s a young twenty-six. You just have to listen to her for five minutes and you realise what a fucking idiot she is.”
“How vicious!” Lottie laughed. “I didn’t realise you had such a mean streak.”
“That’s the thing, Lottie. I’m not even trying to be mean. The girl just does not have a grip on reality. I remember Alex telling me she was certifiable. I see why he thought so, but honestly, it’s just immaturity. She lives with her head in the clouds.”
“I wonder why she’s that way,” Lottie asked, swirling her cinnamon stick.
“Oh, who fucking cares?” Erica shrugged. “I’m not interested in why. It’s just the reason I have a bit more empathy for her than I should. She’s so clearly out of her depth with the pregnancy and everything. It’s pitiful. Didn’t I tell you about the hotel?”
“No? When was this?”
“The day after she arrived at our place,” Erica said, rolling her eyes. They’d come downstairs the next morning to find Sophie sitting on the sofa, hands clasped in her lap. She had thrown her blankets on the floor in a messy pile, and the sofa cushion lay on the coffee table. “She went on this big rant about how she was going to be independent now and didn’t need anyone.”
“I’m sure that went well,” Lottie said.
“She tried to put the hotel on Alex’s business card. They basically told her to fuck off.”
“Her first act of independence was to use someone else’s money to fund her life?” Lottie raised an eyebrow and exhaled a slow breath. “Yeah, okay. She’s an idiot.”
“We got a call from the hotel management,” Erica continued. “God knows why she asked them to contact us. But I went to collect her myself and brought her back. Marcus wanted nothing to do with it.”
“I can’t blame him.” Lottie wrinkled her nose distastefully. “It’s really fucking weird.”
“I know!” Erica ran her hand through her hair, sighing heavily. “Look, you, Marcus, Mum and Dad... You all say the same thing - throw her out on her home-wrecking ass. And you’re all right! But something inside me tells me I cannot do that.
“Haven’t you been watching the news? Call it a gut feeling or sheer stupidity, but I cannot, in good conscience, leave her alone.”
“Okay, Eri. I get it. You’re too nice for your own good, though.” Finishing her coffee, Lottie sighed. “What did Marcus ever see in her?”
“Come on, Lottie, you’ve seen the girl.”
“Yeah?” She shrugged. “And?”
“And she’s stunningly beautiful.” Erica laughed, hearing the bell above the door of the coffee shop. “We don’t have to pretend otherwise because we don’t like her.”
“Fine. But beauty is only skin deep. A pretty face can’t hide an ugly heart.”
“I agree, but—” Widening her eyes, Erica’s words escaped her. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Don’t cause a scene,” Alex begged, running his hand through his hair. “Charlotte, nice to see you.”
“Bite me. What the fuck are you doing here?” Lottie spat. “Seriously. Are you stalking her? How are you here?”
