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Back What I Never Told you Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Dawn Goodwin
  3. WHAT I NEVER TOLD YOU
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. Dedication
  7. Prologue
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. Acknowledgements
  55. About the Author
  56. An Invitation from the Publisher

I wanted to be supportive, to listen to Tracey like she listened to me, but I struggled to focus on her voice because I’d just taken a pill and my brain was fogging up. I told her that the party would make her feel better, that some time away, dancing, drinking, would help, but she seemed annoyed and said that it would all still be there when she got home. The bruise will still be there when she takes the make-up off. I know that.

I hung up soon after, telling her that Martha was calling me, but in fact Martha had already turned in for the night and I was on my own in bed with a bottle of vodka and trash on TV.

I’m now really looking forward to the party. I have raided my parents’ alcohol stash in the cellar and already put boxes of vodka and wine, and some random bottles of Kahlua and Baileys, in the storeroom at the back of the pool house. I don’t think Arthur, the caretaker, will be going in there any time soon as it is just full of lounger cushions and towels. Martha has planned the food and I have asked her to find some tropical decorations in the village. Club Tropicana it is, just like El wants.

I’ll ask Arthur to set up the music system on Friday and make sure the pool is ready. Then all I have to do is decorate and get myself ready on Saturday. Tracey has said she will come early to help set up and that’s fine because when I asked El, Steph and Emily to come and help, they moaned about needing time to get themselves ready. Selfish cows.

Since Tracey is staying over, it makes sense that she comes earlier anyway. I just hope she isn’t too much of a prude about the booze and boys, but I think she’ll be ok after the other night when she threw up everywhere. She is still claiming she won’t drink after that, but we’ll see.

I’ve also made sure I have plenty of film for my Polaroid camera so that I can take photos of the night. This could be the last party we have before things change forever, before my parents return and exams take over.

I intend to do it right.

35

NOW

The house was quiet. Helen stood at the top of the stairs, looking down, listening. Hugh was still in the bedroom. She had no idea where the kids were. She needed to search their rooms and would rather not have to come up with a plausible excuse if she was caught, but there was nothing to hear except the inhales and exhales of the house, the walls and floors creaking, the pipes stretching and settling.