Free The Girls in the Woods by Helen Phifer Page A

We’ve survived some scary shit but we’ve come out the other side. Bloody hell, we should be drinking champagne not…’ He took a sip from the tall glass filled with ice and juice that she passed him. ‘What is this?’
    ‘A non-alcoholic Pimm’s.’
    Jake spat an ice cube down the front of his shirt.
    ‘Since when did you drink Pimm’s?’
    ‘See, you don’t know everything about me. I do have some secrets.’
    ‘You’re a dark horse, Annie Graham – I mean Ashworth. I can’t get used to calling you that, by the way. You know you will always be Annie Graham to me, don’t you.’
    She nodded.
    ‘I know.’
    ‘Good, I love my plain old Annie.’
    ‘And I love my red hot Jake.’
    ‘Calm it down, woman – you know I’m a married man now.’
    But he winked at her, relieved to see that for once she had a lovely golden glow, wasn’t missing half of her hair, didn’t have any black eyes or bruises and wasn’t being stalked by a serial killer or a scary ghost. He just hoped that he wasn’t jinxing things by being so happy for her. She’d had such a rough couple of years he was amazed she wasn’t hooked on vodka and anti-depressants. Annie led them into the living room and flopped down onto the sofa.
    ‘You may have to haul me off this thing before you go or, if you can’t, hire a crane. I’m so tired all the time. I had no idea it would feel like this.’
    ‘I could haul you off there with one hand. You’re not that big.’
    ‘Really, because I feel as if I’m the size of a house. I’m scared to look in the mirror sideways or have a bath when Will isn’t here in case I get stuck and can’t get out – I don’t fancy sitting in a bath tub for hours on end.’
    He laughed. Alice was sitting on the soft cream rug by his feet playing with an assortment of toys Annie had brought in from the cupboard under the stairs. They both watched her play and Annie had to stop herself from sighing out loud. She couldn’t wait to watch their baby playing with Alice. The ball, which had rolled away from Alice and was too far out of her reach, began to roll back towards her. Annie watched it and smiled. Jake grabbed her arm.
    ‘Did you see that? Jesus, look – it’s moving on its own!’
    ‘It’s a ball, Jake. They’re circular and are known for rolling around.’
    He shook his head.
    ‘Not like that.’
    It reached Alice and she chuckled, pushing it back away again. Once more it began to roll towards her.
    ‘Should I be worried? Annie, I thought you said it was okay here now. What’s going on?’
    ‘No, you definitely don’t need to worry – it’s only Sophie. She’s come to play with Alice. Hello, Sophie, where have you been? It’s been ever so quiet without you.’
    Jake’s tanned face turned white, but there was no reply. The room was chillier than before but it didn’t feel menacing. A voice whispered into Annie’s ear.
    ‘Hello, Annie, I just brought our Alice to meet Jake’s Alice. She’s in love with her. You can tell him that his little Alice now has her very own guardian angel because she’s besotted.’
    ‘That’s lovely. I can’t see either of you but I miss you both.’
    Jake stared at her. He couldn’t hear anyone but Annie. ‘Who are you talking to?’
    ‘Don’t worry, Annie, we’re still around but you haven’t needed us as much so we’ve been keeping an eye on you from afar.’
    Annie felt an ice-cold squeeze as Sophie wrapped her arms around her and hugged her. Annie tried her best to hug her back but it was hard to hug someone that you couldn’t always see. The baby began to cry and Annie realised that her ghostly friends had left – it made her wonder if little Alice already had a sixth sense because there was no reason for her to be crying. Jake was staring at Annie, who had scooped Alice into her arms. ‘Did you like playing with Sophie and Alice. They liked playing with you.’
    ‘What just happened? Was it Sophie? Because I can cope if it’s a ghost I