Mikey McKenzie?  But that meant…

The name affected her physically. She felt light‑headed and nauseous.

‘Take a seat in the family lounge, please, and I’ll tell him you’re here.’

She lurched to the seats the woman pointed to and sat down. She wanted to get to the door, to get away, but if she moved that far, something might break. Nobody took any notice of her – the customers in the other seats were chatting to each other, or staring blankly at the TV screen. Her world had shifted and nobody knew it but her.

The manager came back. ‘He’s on his way, and you can tell him from me that if he spends one minute longer than his regulation half‑hour with you, he can consider himself sacked.’

She smiled to show she didn’t really mean it, but Ellie didn’t smile back. She couldn’t. She could barely breathe.

He came over slowly, with a strange reluctant walk. He said, ‘What are you doing here?’

She squinted at him, as if the mist was in the bar, as if she’d brought it in with her. She could see the resemblance now – the same dark hair and eyes. Why hadn’t she seen it before? It was all so obvious and terrible – he was Karyn McKenzie’s brother.

He sat down, frowning. ‘How did you know where I worked?’

‘You said a pub by the harbour.’

‘I didn’t say which one.’

‘Well, I was just passing this one and thought I’d check it out.’

‘Just passing?’

She felt such an idiot. She’d been out in the mist and got hold of some stupid fantasy that he’d be pleased to see her, that she meant something to him. Her face was burning with shame as she stood up. ‘You know what? I’m going to go.’

‘What’s the matter?’

‘Nothing.’

He shook his head. ‘Something is.’

How could he read her better than anyone she knew? Better than her own brother?

‘I’m fine. I had an argument with someone, that’s all.’

‘You want to talk about it?’

‘Not really.’

‘I’m a good listener.’

Her heart lurched. That was sweet. Maybe he didn’t know who she was after all. Maybe it was all some amazing coincidence that meant they were destined to be together for ever.

But then she noticed his name badge. ‘So, you’re called Tyler?’

He looked down at himself and frowned. ‘It’s not my real name.’

Tom said Karyn McKenzie was a liar. Obviously the whole family was, since everything about this boy was fake. He’d targeted the party, rather than stumbled across it, he’d deliberately chatted her up because he knew who she was. Even now, as he looked her up and down, his eyes warm and flirtatious, it was only an act.

‘You look nice,’ he said. ‘Windswept, but pretty.’

She didn’t even blush, didn’t say something dumb, like, Oh no, I don’t,  because she knew he didn’t mean it, he was trying to manipulate her.

‘I’m going now,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you around.’

‘You’ll see me around? You came all this way and now you’re going?’

‘I’m sorry. It was a stupid idea.’

‘It wasn’t. Don’t go, I’ve got a break now. Let me get my jacket and we can sit outside.’

‘It’s cold out there.’

‘Then we’ll have to sit very close together.’

He smiled, and she couldn’t help it, she smiled back. She was pathetic. Even when she knew he was trying to trick her, she still liked him. She was like some brainless girl in a horror movie, the kind of girl you scream at from the sofa because she can’t see that she should leave right now  or she’ll be turned into mince.

‘I’ll just be a minute,’ he said. ‘Don’t go away.’

She stood outside the main door, running the choices through her head. She could get the bus back into town and never see him again. Or she could stay and find out what he was up to.

The McKenzies were liars, which meant Tom was telling the truth. And if Tom was telling the truth, then she needed to put aside her stupid doubts about what happened that night and help him, as any sister should.

If she asked Mikey the right questions, if she flirted and got him to let his guard down, she might find out stuff which could get the case thrown out of court. She’d end up a hero and Dad and Tom would be grateful for ever.

She took a breath and switched on a smile. It was too good an opportunity to miss.

Nineteen

Something had changed in her by the time he came back with his jacket, because she took his hand, actually took his hand, and led him across the car park to the sea wall.

‘There’s a bench over there,’ she said. ‘Come on.’

The tide was out and a stretch of sand had opened up. Mikey looked in both directions, up and down the beach, but apart from a bloke with a dog, and another bloke fishing, there were no people about.

‘I think we should go down,’ he said. ‘It’ll be less windy.’

‘No, let’s stay here. It’s a better view.’

She sat on the bench and patted the space next to her. She really was very pretty. It was like it was dawning on him, like she got prettier and prettier the longer he looked. Her skin was so smooth and she had the most amazing eyes – blue with splashes of grey in them.

He cast a quick look around. Did it matter if they sat up here? It was more exposed, but apart from Jacko, no one round here would know who she was. He yanked his hood up just to be safe and sat down.

She shuffled close and leaned in to him.

‘Look at that,’ she said. ‘So much water just for us.’

Mikey had seen people do this plenty of times, just sitting watching the sea doing its thing – in and out. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the wind, or the smell of the beach or the way the waves never gave up, it was that he’d never seen the point of it. But today was different. Today he was with Ellie.

He had to do things right, treat her right. What was it his mum always said? If you want a girl to like you, you have to listen like a woman and love like a man. She reckoned that men hardly ever ask questions and when they do, they never listen to the answers.

He’d start with something simple, to get into the swing of things.

‘So, why aren’t you at school?’ he said.

‘I bunked it.’

‘Second time in five days, eh?’

‘Oh, I’ve got no shame.’

That sent a thrill of something through him. He wanted to touch her, especially her hair. It was loose and snapping in the wind. Seaside hair with strands of blonde among the gold. He coughed, shuffled about on the bench and adjusted his jacket, tried to concentrate.

‘How did you get here?’ he said. ‘Did you walk or get the bus?’

‘My brother gave me a lift.’ A pause, then, ‘You met my brother, didn’t you?’

He nodded, fumbled in his pocket for his tobacco. ‘Yeah, at the party. Just for a minute, near the end.’

‘Ah, yes,’ she said, ‘the party. The one you gatecrashed.’

He pinched tobacco into a paper and rolled it, aware she was looking at him. ‘You sound like a cop.’

‘Which makes you the criminal.’ She was so quick at answers. She glittered with cleverness.

He offered her the finished rollie. ‘You want this?’

‘I don’t smoke.’

‘Sensible.’

Still she was watching him. He lit up and took a drag, pulled it down hard. ‘So,’ he said, ‘tell me about this argument, who was it with?’

‘It’s too long to tell.’

‘I’ve got time.’

‘I’d rather talk about you.’

That wasn’t what was meant to happen next. What was the point of asking girls questions if they refused to answer? And what were you supposed to do when they turned it round and asked you stuff?

‘Tell me a secret,’ she said. ‘Tell me something about you that I don’t know.’

What was she expecting? A confession that he was married or gay or something? He took a drag of his cigarette, then another, before he thought of the perfect thing.

‘OK,’ he said. ‘I don’t really go to college.’