BooksBarbecue
Back Where The Story Starts
Chapters (65)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  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. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘Well, how the hell did she wind up being your friend?’ asked Eddie.

I could have bristled at that one, but this was Eddie so I just let it go. ‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you one day, but what do you think, Ed? Would you take her on, just for a couple of weeks? You can sack her if she’s crap.’

Eddie took a deep breath, blowing it out between his lips. ‘Well, one of my regular girls is off at the moment. Sciatica. Can you believe that? I’ve told her she should take up running,’ he added, as if running were a panacea for all ills. ‘So, okay. This mate of yours can start with some lunchtime shifts. If she copes all right with that, then I’ll try her out at night, but if she won’t wipe a table or frets if she breaks a fingernail then she’s out, okay? I’m not running a charity here.’

I reached across and kissed him on the cheek. ‘Thanks, Eddie. I owe you one.’

Then I went back into the brightness of the day to retrieve the kids feeling pretty pleased with myself. Poppy was sitting sideways on the swing, her back leaning against the chain, as Noah ran up and down the slide.

‘You should climb up and slide down,’ I told him for the hundredth time, but Noah was having none of it.

‘Sorted?’ asked Poppy.

‘Yep.’ I nodded.

As we walked back home for lunch, I had that fizzy feeling you get in your stomach when something fabulous is about to happen.

37

37

LEAH – NOW

A disconcerting side effect of thinking about Clio appeared to be that it made me think about Marlon, too. Despite his corny sense of humour and his ginger hair and his milk-bottle legs, I couldn’t seem to get him out of my mind. He wasn’t a bit like my usual type. I generally fell for the ones that were attractive in a more magaziney kind of way and with that cocksure confidence that good-looking blokes often cultivate. Exhibit one – Craig. He was your typical handsome bad boy, the kind that your mother always tells you to avoid. Well, my mother had abandoned me before she’d carried out that particular maternal duty, so I had to find it out for myself, and look how that had turned out.