BooksBarbecue
Back Cut to the Bone
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Cut to the Bone
  3. About the Author
  4. Also by Roz Watkins
  5. Note to Readers
  6. Dedication
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. Extract
  67. Prologue
  68. Chapter 1
  69. Author’s note
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the Publisher

It somehow felt like Bex had been in Gritton forever but also as if she’d only just arrived. She’d done okay bonding with her dad, especially when they were training the pigs, and she’d tried hard with Kirsty, but there was still a distance there. It was like Kirsty was a foreigner, an alien even. She wondered if it was because their mother had been foreign, but that made no sense because she was Bex’s mother too.

Smoke drifted up from the fire. Anna was beside Bex. The boys were opposite and Kirsty slightly apart from everyone. They weighed each other up over the shifting flames.

Bex had drunk too much. She was new to drink but she sure as hell liked it. Drink toned down her anxieties, made her feel detached from them. So what if she was all messed up inside? Maybe everyone was messed up and it wasn’t just her. Why did she worry so much about everything? Why did she feel guilty about things that had happened when she was only three? What did it matter if Daniel had been taking photos of her? She should be flattered.

It was late. The empty bottles were piling up by the fire. The stories were getting more raucous. Bex was laughing too loudly at the boys’ jokes. She rarely felt attractive, but that night, all three men were looking at her as if she was a magnet that was drawing them in. She sensed Anna could see it too, but Bex couldn’t work out Anna’s reaction. Was she jealous or was it something else?

Daniel shouted over the blaze of the fire. ‘Get us another beer would you, Anna?’

Anna stood and walked to the pile of beers under the trees. She should have told him to get his own beer. Even Bex had realised you didn’t make them like you by being nice to them.

Daniel put a hand on the ground and pushed himself up, skirted around the fire, and plonked himself next to Bex, where Anna had been. She saw Gary mouth, ‘Wanker,’ to Daniel through the smoke before turning to whisper to Lucas.

Bex knew Daniel shouldn’t have stolen Anna’s place, but she was too drunk to care. ‘Come sit here, Anna.’ She patted the ground on the other side of her. Anna folded down and chucked the beer at Daniel, narrowly missing his head. His shoulder jerked back when he caught it.

Bex took a sip of beer. She had to stare into the fire to stop it spinning away from her. Daniel was too close, letting his leg fall against hers.