Chapter Text
Three days had passed since Carla's ill-advised pass at her friend and she'd heard nothing from Lisa all weekend. She'd caved and left a brief voicemail last night, pleading with the other woman to meet up with her and give her a chance to explain. So far, though, she hadn't had a response.
Having had a few restless nights, Carla found herself dragging her sleep-deprived body towards Underworld for another fun Monday morning. She had a 9 o'clock meeting, so she'd felt obliged to make a bit more effort with her appearance, choosing a grey woollen dress, black leggings and boots.
Nipping into Roy's for a caffeine hit before work, she stopped abruptly at the sight of Lisa, stood at the counter waiting for her coffee. As if there was a magnetic charge between them, Lisa's head turned and Carla saw her eyes glance down at her outfit. It made her feel pleased that she'd bothered to make the effort for her client. Or maybe there had been a subconscious part of her that hoped to run into the detective.
"Hi." Carla's voice was tentative. She didn't want to scare her away.
"Hi." Lisa's response was short, inviting no conversation. She didn't meet Carla's eye.
"Lisa -"
Carla was cut off by Lisa receiving her coffee and turning quickly towards the door. Although she knew that anyone witnessing this encounter would have second-hand embarassment, Carla still chased Lisa out of the door and shouted after her.
Initially she didn't think the detective was even going to turn around, but eventually she did.
"I need to get to work, Carla."
With that, Lisa slid into her car and drove off, leaving Carla stood alone on the street, uncaffeinated and disappointed. Would they ever be able to get past this?
It was the end of the week before Carla and Lisa's paths crossed again. After nipping into The Kabin for a bottle of sparkling water, Carla's stomach flipped when she stepped onto the street and heard the sound of the detective's voice. It was clear that the blonde and her daughter were having a slightly heated exchange. Carla knew she shouldn't listen in when neither of them could see her, but she couldn't help herself. As with many things when it came to Lisa, Carla had no willpower.
"Look, Mum, I don't know why you're biting my head off. This past week you've been a right mardy cow!"
"Don't speak to me like that!" Lisa's tone was cutting and, not for the first time, Carla wondered how Betsy ever dared to speak to her mum the way she did.
"All I said was that I wasn't going to be home for dinner. It's not a crime. I do have a life."
"And I said I wanted to cook us a risotto before the mushrooms get so old they have to go in the bin."
"Can't you just invite Carla round, or something? Risotto seems far more her thing than mine."
"No, Betsy."
"Why not? You've not fallen out, have you?" Betsy paused and, even from a slight distance, Carla could see the cogs whirring in her head. "Oh god, Mum...you didn't try it on with her, did you?"
Carla's skin bristled, as she waited to hear Lisa's reply.
There was a slight pause before Lisa spoke. "No, I didn't. Now get in there. Carla will be wondering where you are."
"You did, didn't you?!" Betsy could clearly sense her mum's unease. "God, you're desperate!"
"No, Betsy, I did NOT try it on with Carla." It was obvious that Lisa was trying to keep her cool, although Carla could sense it wavering. "Get to work. I'll see you later for dinner. I want you home by 6 at the latest."
With that, Lisa turned and heading towards Dev's. Carla waited to see what Betsy would do and, as she expected, the teenager wasn't ready to let this go. The young blonde ran after her mum, any ongoing discussion now inaudible to Carla. She debated following them in, but knew there was a chance it would only make things worse. Reluctantly she headed towards the steps of the factory.
Carla barely had her coat off and computer turned on when her phone buzzed. Looking down at it, her heart skipped suddenly at the name on the screen. A name she'd been desperate to see there for over a week. But, opening the message, her heart sank.
[Lisa] Betsy knows you made a move on me last week. She got it into her head I'd embarrassed myself, trying to get you into bed. I didn't like being told I was sad and desperate when none of it was my fault. I'm sorry if she gives you shit. I thought I'd better warn you.
Carla inhaled slowly, her eyes closed. She might've known Lisa would be all about being honest with Betsy, even if the teenager was bound to take it badly. Carla smiled ruefully at the thought of what Betsy would've done if they actually had slept together.
There was no time to think about what she was going to say to Betsy because, with that, the teenager stormed into the factory, her jaw set in a way which reminded Carla of her mother. Most of the machinists had already settled down to work at their stations, but the general hubub quietened quickly at the sight of Betsy's rage. Stopping just outside Carla's office, Betsy turned so she was half facing her boss, but projecting mainly onto the factory floor.
"Is it true you tried to shag my mum?"
"Betsy. Come in here, will you?"
"Why? Am I embarassing you?"
"No, but I'd rather talk to you properly than have you shouting the odds at me from a distance."
Carla could see the staff's interest piqued. Sally and Fiz, in particular, looked like they fancied grabbing some popcorn to enjoy the entertainment with.
"So...is it? Is it true you tried to sleep with her, the day after my dead mum's birthday? You got her drunk and brought her back to yours and tried to sleep with her the next day, when she'd sobered up enough."
"Woah, hang on a minute. I had nothing to do with getting her drunk. She did that all by herself. I brought her back to mine for a coffee and she fell asleep on the sofa. That's all, Betsy."
"And then, what? You didn't try it on with her?"
Carla conceded defeat, knowing she'd have to outright lie to get out of this situation. This clearly wasn't the approach Lisa took to parenting and she didn't think her friend would appreciate Carla insinuating that she'd lied to her own daughter.
"Look, Betsy...yes I told your mum I like her, OK? It's not a crime. I'm not the first person in the world to get let down gently and I won't be the last."
Sally's eyebrows were threatening to climb off the top of her head. Carla couldn't wait for the interrogation her staff were going to give her, once she'd managed to shut Betsy up.
"Oh classy. Trying to sleep with your hungover grieving friend. I'd heard that you'd slept with half the men in Weatherfield, so now you thought you'd try your luck with the women, and all?" Betsy was on a roll now. "I don't know why you ever thought mum would look twice at you. Becky was far better than you. Better looking and a better person. And not a desperate slapper."
Carla felt like she'd been slapped. Even the factory lot looked stunned, waiting with baited breath to see what Carla would do next.
"Get out!" She kept her voice calm, trying desperately to keep a modicum of control over the situation, whilst the rage burned inside her.
Give Betsy her dues, she realised she'd gone too far. She looked like she was about to say something else, but Carla didn't want to hear it. She wasn't going to stand in her own factory and be called a slapper. Making a move on Lisa may not have been her finest move, but it wasn't a crime. She certainly didn't deserve to be hauled over the coals in front of all of her staff.
"Carla -"
"GET...OUT!" Carla's voice was raised, but still controlled, and she was proud of herself for not losing her shit with the teenager. "Don't come back for the rest of the day. And no, I'm not paying you. If you can come back and do your job, and can do me the courtesy of showing me a bit of respect as your boss, then I'll see you tomorrow. Now, get out of my sight."
Clearly pondering whether to say anything further, Betsy thought better of it and flounced out. Carla sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tried to process what had just happened.
"Right, you lot." Carla looked around at the sea of incredulous faces. "I'll give you an hour to gossip as much as you like. But, after 10 o'clock, I want to hear no more about it. Anyone I hear talking about me after that will be given the same treatment as Betsy, do you hear?"
"Yes, Mrs Connor." Sean's eyes glinted with the excitement of an hour of freedom to gossip.
Carla retreated into her office and closed the door. Sinking into her chair, she picked up her phone. She clicked on Lisa's message. This was the one person who she trusted to confide in. The one person who she could have relied on for support. But that connection had been severed now. Debating whether to still message her, she decided it was probably wise to at least let Lisa know that she'd sent Betsy away.
[Carla] Well she called me a desperate slapper in front of all my staff and I've sent her home. Her job's safe, if she still wants it, as long as she's not gonna shout the odds at me every day.
After a minute, she sent a follow-up text.
[Carla] I hope you're OK. I'd really like to talk to you, if you'll give me half an hour. Please.
A gentle knock on the door roused Carla from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw Sarah at the door, holding a cup of coffee in her hand with a question on her face. Carla nodded for her to come in.
"That was brutal." Sarah set the coffee down on a coaster. "If you want to talk, give me a shout. But I'll leave you alone if you want some time."
"Thanks, Sarah." Carla forced a smile onto her face. It was nice to think that someone could see the pain Betsy had caused, and not get distracted by the scandalous gossip of Carla propositioning a woman.
Taking a sip of her coffee, she opened her diary to review her list of tasks for the day. She couldn't afford to get distracted. There was too much to do.
Carla had given up at lunchtime, conceding that she wasn't going to be able to concentrate. She'd come home for a shower, changing into her joggers and a hoody and settling onto the sofa with a cup of tea and some trashy tv.
It was around 4 o'clock when Ryan came through the door, jumping out of his skin when he saw his auntie on the sofa when she should have been at work.
"Jesus! You gave me a fright."
"It is my flat, Ryan."
"Alright, face ache! What's wrong with you?"
Carla sighed. "Have you not heard?"
"Heard what?"
"I thought the jungle drums would have been gossiping round the street all day. Have you not spoken to any of the factory lot?"
"No? I went for a run and then I nipped to Freshcos this afternoon." He gestured to the shopping he'd brought home. "What's happened?"
"Oh Ryan, I've made a total tit of myself." Carla hid her face behind a cushion.
"Come on, tell me all about it." Ryan sat down on the sofa.
"That day you found Lisa here, moisturising her legs, and then you egged me on to tell her how I felt..." Carla sighed. "Let's just say, it didn't go well."
"She turned you down?" Ryan was clearly as surprised as she'd been. It was a small comfort to know that Ryan had seen something in Lisa's behaviour that had made him think she might harbour feelings for Carla.
"Yes. Spectacularly. She accused me of wanting a 'quick shag' and insinuated I'd prayed on her when she was vulnerable. That really hurt, Ryan. She's my best friend. I'd never do anything to hurt her. Not intentionally, anyway."
"What did you actually say to her, though? Did you tell her you had feelings for her?"
"Well...sort of. I'm an 'actions speak louder than words' kinda woman."
Ryan raised his eyebrows. "Oh yes...?"
"I was going to speak to her. I was! But, when I got here, she was stood in the kitchen, half dressed. My brain sort of short-circuited. I kind of...well, pounced on her!"
Carla hid her face in her hands, not wanting to witness Ryan's reaction. Feeling him poking at her side with the tv remote, she reluctantly looked up.
"Well you've got some guts, I'll give you that! I'm sorry she turned you down. For what it's worth, I do think she likes you."
"She clearly doesn't, does she! She turned me down. She really hurt me with what she said. And now she won't respond to my messages and won't meet up with me to talk. That's that, I guess. I've screwed it up."
"Give her time, Carla. Have faith. I've seen the way she looks at you. Maybe she's just scared."
"Well, between her accusing me of playing on her vulnerability and Betsy calling me a desperate slapper in front of the factory lot this morning, I'm suitably humiliated."
"Ouch! Betsy said that?"
"Oh yes. 'Is it true you tried to shag my mum?' was her opening line. But the desperate slapper bit was definitely the highlight."
"Right then, there's only one thing for it."
Carla looked at Ryan questioningly.
"Deep pan quattro stagioni? Washed down with the alcoholic beverage of your choosing."
Carla smiled at her nephew. She was glad she'd told him. He'd been supportive, right from the off. Although, if he hadn't have encouraged her, perhaps she wouldn't be in this predicament. Maybe she'd still be pining. At this stage, Carla wasn't sure what was worse.