Somewhere to Hide (The Estate, Book 1) Read Free Page B

worry,’ said Josie, noticing her distress. ‘Let me do the rounds with the hostels again.’
    But Cathy shook her head. ‘There’s no need. I’ll be fine. Besides, have I ever let down a sister in distress?’
    ‘I’m sure Liz will be grateful.’
    ‘I meant helping you out, you dope,’ Cathy smiled.
     
    ‘Shit!’
    Cathy ended the phone call and sighed in spectacular fashion. Not only was Josie’s request about to end her peace and quiet, but it seemed there was a sixteen-year-old girl in need of her help too. Jess was going to be furious.
    Seventeen-year-old Jess Myatt had been with Cathy for near on a year now. She’d managed to keep her at school for the last few months of her final year but since then Jess had been reluctant to get a job. Cathy kept encouraging her to enrol for college in September but Jess wasn’t keen. Well, what chance did she stand nowadays with so many skilled workers on the dole? She’d come away from school without an exam to her name, in steep competition with a lot of her friends who had achieved nothing either. And, as she rightly said over and over, who would take her on? There were only so many small back street shops and factories that would employ cheap labour.
    To Cathy’s mind, someone older than Jess coming to the house, and with a young child, would take away the top spot she’d gained due to the length of time she’d been here. Cathy had to be prepared mentally for the inevitable ructions that the next few days would bring. She had to prepare Jess too. It wouldn’t be fair to blame everything on her, despite her big woman attitude.
    ‘Jess.’ Cathy knocked on the bedroom door before entering. ‘I need to talk to you.’
    ‘Jesus, Cath. It’s only quarter to ten,’ a voice could be heard from beneath the duvet. ‘What do you want?’
    Cathy drew back the bedroom curtains, staring out onto the street for a second before turning back. ‘I’ve had a couple of calls today. One from PC Baxter and one from –’
    ‘There’s someone coming to stay, isn’t there?’ The duvet was pulled back to reveal her scowl.
    ‘Yes,’ Cathy replied. ‘But it’s not someone. There are three people.’
    ‘Three!’
    Jess had the face of a cherub, innocent and fresh, but the temper of a devil. She sat up in bed, short, red hair sticking up everywhere.
    ‘I’ve had more than this before, and I’ll do it again if I have to,’ said Cathy.
    ‘But –’
    She sat down on the edge of the bed. ‘There are no buts. We have other people coming to stay. You don’t have the monopoly on me, even though it seems like you’ve been here forever now.’
    ‘If things carry on the way they are,’ Jess retorted, getting out of bed, ‘it looks like I’ll be moving out anyway.’ She pushed past Cathy. Moments later, the bathroom door slammed.
    Cathy flinched at the bang and sighed. She wasn’t really worried. They’d been in this situation many times over the months: Jess always came around eventually. But it wasn’t pleasant to witness her reaction.
    When it was clear that she wasn’t going to run back and put her point across more poignantly, Cathy pulled the duvet from the floor and back onto the bed. Not yet ten o’clock and already she could feel a headache coming on. No wonder she felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders at times. And if past experiences were anything to go by, three people arriving at the same time meant a whole raft of problems coming with them. Life wasn’t going to be quiet for the foreseeable future.
     
    ‘Hi, Cathy!’ Josie’s voice rang out with false brightness as she stood on the doorstep less than three hours after her last visit. ‘I’m so sorry to put pressure on you, but you know this game by now. Like buses: there isn’t one for ages and then two at the same time – or rather, three. This is Becky Ward. Please say that Andy has warned you to expect her.’
    ‘Yes, he rang about an hour ago. Hi, Becky.’
    Cathy held