Read Bet Your Life for Free Online

the pavement and felt sick.
    “He’s an idiot.”
    “He’s one of Ryan’s friends.” I said it without thinking and Hugo’s eyebrows shot up.
    “So if he’s one of Ryan’s friends you’re worried about him, is that it?”
    “No. Obviously not.”
    “Hugo, I’ve got to go,” Mum said. “Do you mind?”
    “Let’s do it.” He followed her out of the kitchen, putting his head back in with a parting shot. “By the way, Jess, Petra found your coat.”
    *   *   *
    My joy at getting my coat back was short-lived. What Hugo hadn’t said was that Petra had found it in a muddy ditch. It was saturated, and reeked of stagnant water, and every inch of it was filthy. Petra had hung it over the bath and it was still seeping, hours later.
    “I’m sorry.” She was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, staring up at it with huge, woebegone eyes.
    I opened the window before I sat down beside her to let out the ditch smell. “Why are you sorry? You rescued it.”
    “I’m not sure it’s going to recover.”
    “Me neither,” I sighed. “Annoying.”
    “It’s more than annoying. Who do you think did it? One of Natasha’s friends?”
    “Doesn’t matter,” I said easily. “Someone’s idea of a joke, probably. I’ll get the coat cleaned once it’s dried out. And if it doesn’t survive, I’ll buy another one.”
    “You’ll never get one like it.”
    “I’ll find something. Have you seen Fine Feathers recently? We’ve got more stock than space.”
    “Yeah, but that was a one-off. You could try on every coat in the shop and not find one that fitted you as well as this coat. It was made for you.”
    “It’s a tragedy,” I agreed.
    “Aren’t you upset?”
    I was livid, but I shrugged. “It’s stupid. Pathetic. At least I got the coat back, though. And that’s thanks to you.”
    She had carried it all the way from the recreation ground, heavy and dripping though it was. I’d almost have been tempted to leave it in the ditch, myself.
    “It was nothing.”
    “I don’t think that.”
    She gave me a faint smile, but she still looked troubled. I sat down on the floor beside her and put my arm around her shoulders.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Beth’s brother.”
    I frowned, trying to remember if I’d known that Petra’s best friend even had a brother. “What about him? Did he say something to you? Do you want me to have a word with him?”
    “No. Nothing like that. He’s in hospital.”
    “What happened?”
    “I don’t know. Beth called me this morning. She was so upset, I couldn’t really understand what she was saying. She said he’d been run over.”
    “Wait. What’s Beth’s brother called?”
    “Sebastian.”
    “Seb Dawson?”
    “Yeah.”
    I leaned back against the wall. “I would never have guessed that in a million years. They don’t look anything like one another.” Beth was small and wore thick glasses that overwhelmed her face. She had the sweetest smile, but it was nothing like her brother’s wide grin.
    “Different mothers. Sebastian’s mum is French.”
    Port Sentinel seemed to specialize in complicated families. Wealthy people weren’t any better at being happy than ordinary ones, it transpired.
    “That sort of makes sense. Seb looks French.”
    “And Beth doesn’t. Seb used to live with his mum, until he was sixteen. She moved to the south of France and Seb moved back in with his dad. Beth and her mum hadn’t even met him until then because Seb’s mum had wanted him to stay away from his dad’s new family. Imagine how awkward that must have been.”
    “Horrendous,” I agreed.
    “Beth said Seb’s mum is coming over.” The tears brimmed in Petra’s eyes. “It must be serious, mustn’t it? If she’s coming all the way from France?”
    “Well, she’s his mum. I’d want my mum if I was in hospital.”
    Petra’s voice was a whisper. “Beth asked me what it was like. After Freya.”
    After Freya died, she meant. I squeezed her shoulders, wishing I