BooksBarbecue
Back Again, Rachel
Chapters (98)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. 93
  97. 94
  98. Acknowledgements

She squirmed. ‘There was a…moment, with her boyfriend. It was nothing. Just a…Seriously, it was nothing. But Naaz didn’t see it that way. She’s hella possessive of him.’

‘And Boyd’s reasons?’

Her discomfort worsened. ‘Boyd…I think he had…Sorry if this sounds whatever, but I think he wanted to be with me. And when I…wouldn’t, he decided to come after me.’

‘So he sexually harassed you at work? Because that’s a serious allegation.’

‘No,’ she gasped. ‘I wouldn’t say that. I just think he liked me—then he didn’t.’

‘Were you sleeping with Boyd?’

‘No!’

‘No?’

Better get him in here, get them all in.

While I’d been quizzing Ella, Trassa had started to cry. Giles’s chair was the nearest to the tissues and fistfuls were being passed from hand to hand like buckets of water in a medieval-town-on-fire drama.

‘Trassa, why are you crying?’

‘Because…because…I’m a very bad person. I can’t believe that I’ve saddled Ronan with a second mortgage and him with a young family.’

‘Okaaay?’

‘I did it to Keith too. And Michael, my eldest, he lent me fifteen grand to pay Collie Byrne another time and I never paid him back. It’s so much money,’ she gasped. ‘How did I not see?’

Michael, my eldest. Something twanged in me—I’d have to come back to it.

‘Did you not know how much Ronan had to borrow?’ Ella asked.

‘I did!’ Trassa turned a tear-stained face to Ella. ‘I did! But it didn’t bother me. I don’t know how it didn’t.’

When people emerged from denial, it wasn’t as if they suddenly remembered things they’d conveniently forgotten. The facts had always been there in plain sight, but the addict had managed to blur their importance. The details of Trassa’s addiction were the same as they’d always been, but for the first time she was seeing them for what they actually were. She was in shock.

‘I knew it was a lot of money,’ she said. ‘But my lads are educated, they have opportunities that I’d never had, they own their own houses. I knew they could afford it.’

‘But they can’t afford it,’ I said. ‘Ronan’s had to take out a second mortgage. So has Keith.’

Her eyes pleaded with me. ‘Maybe I just decided they could afford it?’

‘Why would you do that?’

‘I don’t know. It must be because it suited me to? Because they were the only people who could get the money for me.’

‘Why did you think they should help you?’ I asked.