BooksBarbecue
Back The Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (69)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. Acknowledgements
  66. Reading Group Questions
  67. Read More
  68. I
  69. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘You didn’t ruin anything, sweetheart,’ Finch replied, with all honesty. None of this was Grace’s fault. Michael was to blame for it all … and maybe himself, too, for being so aggressive towards Romy and pushing her into a corner with her contemptible husband.

Because he still wanted to believe in her. He still waited for the phone call that would be Romy telling him she’d been utterly wrong to side with Michael Claire. But in the end it wouldn’t make any difference, he knew. Grace would always come between them.

Penguin Walking Logo

37

Leo found his father sitting at the kitchen table when he arrived, his weak hand covered with a large, bright blue mitt – like a wicket-keeper’s glove – with Velcro straps round the wrist, and a pile of coloured ping-pong balls in a box. Michael was slowly picking up the balls from the box and transferring them into an empty one a foot away. Leo watched in silence, his father barely glancing up at him, his concentration so focused on the task.

‘Is that bionic?’ Leo asked, when a ball skittered out of his father’s grasp and went bouncing across the table, then the kitchen tiles. Leo bent to pick it up and return it to the box.

His father’s face cleared and he smiled at Leo. ‘Sodding thing.’ He glared at his hand, as if it offended him, as if it wasn’t part of him at all, just an irritating intrusion into his life.

‘You couldn’t have done that a few weeks ago,’ Leo observed.

‘That’s because I didn’t have what Imogen likes to call an “ assisted device ”. She says it’s the first stage. Apparently it’s opening my hand and forcing it to do normal movements.’ His dad started to laugh. ‘Christ, Leo, what am I like? Sitting here like a big kid, shifting balls from one box to another. You were better at it when you were two!’

Leo couldn’t help laughing with him: there was a comical side. ‘Keep that up and you’ll be playing for the county in no time,’ he said, which was a poor joke, but it seemed to make his dad laugh even harder.

‘Eat your heart out, Jimmy Anderson. Trouble with these balls is they don’t have a seam. How’s a chap to fast bowl if there’s no seam?’

Leo gawped. ‘Wait a minute! You’ve started watching cricket, Dad?’ He loved the game, but he’d never known his father to be interested in any sport, ever.