Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered by Kerry Barrett Page A

me the questions I knew I should really have asked myself. Did I want Dom to leave Rebecca? Did I love him? I wasn’t sure, I realised as I quietly let myself into the sleeping house and crept up the stairs to my room. And if I wasn’t sure, what did that mean? Did our relationship have no future? Did I really want to spend the rest of my life sharing the man I (possibly) loved?
    Longing for reassurance, I pulled out my phone and sent Dom a text.
    ‘Night darling,’ I typed. ‘Call when U can.’
    Straightaway my phone bleeped in reply.
    ‘Love U,’ Dom sent.
    Overjoyed and feeling much better about things, I walked over to the window to shut the curtains. Down below me, on the street, a dark shadow caught my eye. I paused and strained my eyes through the night to see what it was.
    ‘Strange,’ I said thoughtfully. It was a man, standing still He seemed to be staring at our house though it was hard to tell exactly in the moonlight. I couldn’t decide what to do. In London I’d have grabbed my phone and called the police but things were different here. Maybe it was just a tourist who’d got lost so I didn’t want to be too hasty. I watched from behind the curtain as the man turned and began to walk back down the hill. As he passed under a street lamp he moved his head to look back at our house and I gasped in surprise. It was Brent Portland – the man I’d met on the beach earlier. What was he doing up here so late? There wasn’t much to see up here – it wasn’t a great location for a midnight stroll.
    Feeling uneasy, I let the curtain drop and snuggled into bed wondering if there was more to Brent than a nice smile.

Chapter 12
    ‘What happens if you’re late?’ I asked Suky, turning the ignition key again.
    ‘They’re not going to turn me away,’ she said. ‘It’s radiotherapy – you don’t need a ticket.’
    She was bundled up in the passenger seat wearing a duffle coat like Paddington’s and an enormous furry hat. I turned the key again. This time the battered 2CV Mum and Suky shared made a small noise like a cough and stopped again. There was an expectant pause. Suky looked at me.
    ‘Go on then,’ she said. ‘I can’t help I’m afraid – even a tiny bit of magic wipes me out at the moment.’
    ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘You want me to start the car? With magic?’
    Suky looked at me as though I were simple.
    ‘Yes please,’ she said.
    I took a deep breath.
    ‘OK,’ I said to myself. ‘Start the car with magic. How hard can it be?’
    I waggled my fingers in the direction I thought the engine should be in. Nothing happened. I did it again. This time there was a pop, and a small column of smoke spiralled up from beneath the bonnet. Suky raised her eyebrows at me from beneath her furry hat. Embarrassed, I opened my door and got out of the car.
    ‘I’ll, erm, just go and sort it out,’ I said. I opened the bonnet – after a couple of attempts – wafted away smoke and peered inside. I couldn’t decide if it was riskier to try and mend it with magic or without.
    ‘Can I give you ladies a hand?’ I jumped in surprise and banged my head. Brent had pulled up alongside me in a Range Rover. He was leaning out of the driver’s window with a cheery smile.
    ‘We’re having a bit of car trouble,’ Suky said. ‘Unfortunate timing as I’ve got a hospital appointment to get to.’
    ‘Suky,’ I said crossly. I hated people knowing what I considered to be our business.
    ‘Esme had a hire car until yesterday but it’s gone back now,’ she carried on. I sighed.Once Suky started sharing there was no stopping her. I just hoped she didn’t mention that I’d not returned the car to the airport – instead I’d come downstairs yesterday morning and found the car gone and the paperwork neatly stacked at the front door. Mum had sorted it out for me.
    ‘I’m no mechanic,’ Brent said. ‘But I am at a loose end. How about I give you guys a lift?’
    I opened my mouth to say he was very kind,