BooksBarbecue
Back With or Without You Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Chapter one
  2. Chapter two
  3. Chapter three
  4. Chapter four
  5. Chapter five
  6. Chapter six
  7. Chapter seven
  8. Chapter eight
  9. Chapter nine
  10. Chapter ten
  11. Chapter eleven
  12. Chapter twelve
  13. Chapter thirteen
  14. Chapter fourteen
  15. Chapter fifteen
  16. Chapter sixteen
  17. Chapter seventeen
  18. Chapter eighteen
  19. Chapter nineteen
  20. Chapter twenty
  21. Chapter twenty-one
  22. Chapter twenty-two
  23. Chapter twenty-three
  24. Chapter twenty-four
  25. Chapter twenty-five
  26. Chapter twenty-six
  27. Chapter twenty-seven
  28. Chapter twenty-eight
  29. Chapter twenty-nine
  30. Chapter thirty
  31. Chapter thirty-one
  32. Chapter thirty-two
  33. Chapter thirty-three
  34. Chapter thirty-four
  35. Chapter thirty-five
  36. Chapter thirty-six
  37. Chapter thirty-seven
  38. Chapter thirty-eight
  39. Chapter thirty-nine
  40. Chapter forty
  41. Chapter forty-one
  42. Chapter forty-two
  43. Chapter forty-three
  44. Chapter forty-four
  45. Chapter forty-five
  46. Chapter forty-six
  47. Chapter forty-seven
  48. Chapter forty-eight
  49. Chapter forty-nine
  50. Chapter fifty
  51. Chapter fifty-one
  52. Chapter fifty-two
  53. Chapter fifty-three
  54. Chapter fifty-four
  55. Chapter fifty-five
  56. Chapter fifty-six
  57. Chapter fifty-seven
  58. Chapter fifty-eight
  59. Chapter fifty-nine
  60. Chapter sixty
  61. Chapter sixty-one
  62. Chapter sixty-two
  63. Chapter sixty-three
  64. Chapter sixty-four
  65. Chapter sixty-five
  66. Chapter sixty-six
  67. Chapter sixty-seven
  68. Chapter sixty-eight
  69. Chapter sixty-nine
  70. Chapter seventy
  71. Chapter seventy-one
  72. Chapter seventy-two
  73. Chapter seventy-three
  74. Chapter seventy-four
  75. Chapter seventy-five
  76. Chapter seventy-six
  77. Chapter seventy-seven
  78. Chapter seventy-eight
  79. Chapter seventy-nine
  80. Chapter eighty
  81. Chapter eighty-one
  82. Chapter eighty-two
  83. Chapter eighty-three
  84. Chapter eighty-four

As well as no running water, these villages have no electricity and consequently no television, no phones, no internet. I haven’t heard a single mobile phone ring since I got here. It feels like a kind of sensory deprivation and it certainly takes a bit of getting used to. There’s no traffic either—because there are no roads. The only noise is the sound of the river, the occasional dog barking in one of the villages and the murmur of my companions. I have no idea who Ulrika Jonsson is sleeping with, I don’t know if Madonna has bought another house and I’m surprised how easy it’s been to wean myself off my weekly dose of 24. Jack Bauer will save the world—it’s a forgone conclusion. Are they really going to kill off Keifer Sutherland when he looks so fab when he’s angst-ridden and knee-deep in terrorists? I don’t think so.

I also have no idea what Jake is doing, and that’s what feels most peculiar. Whatever he’s doing though, I’m sure he’s having a high old time without me.

Chapter thirty-three

Chapter thirty-three

Jake put his head round the door of Alec’s office. ‘You wanted to see me?’

Alec was looking out of his corner-office window at his fabulous view across London. He turned and bared his teeth at Jake, which in other circumstances might have been considered a smile. ‘Jake,’ he said in a welcoming tone. ‘Come in. Sit down.’

Jake sat down. Alec returned to his desk, lowered himself into his executive leather swivel chair and spread his hands wide. ‘How are things going?’ There was a slight wink in Alec’s eye that Jake assumed meant he was feeling chummy. Alec was at his most terrifying when he was being chummy.

Jake nodded emphatically. ‘Fine.’

Alec nodded in unison with him.

‘Fine,’ Jake repeated.

Alec made a steeple of his hands and rubbed them together. ‘Except a little bird tells me that it’s not, is it?’

Jake wondered which little bird that might be. ‘I’ve been having some personal problems,’ he admitted reluctantly. ‘But they’re sorted. I’m getting them sorted.’

‘It’s affecting your work, Jake,’ Alec said, his worried frown underlining the seriousness of his words. ‘I’m concerned.’

You’re all heart, Jake felt like saying, but kept quiet. ‘This egg project has been a nightmare,’ he agreed. ‘I just could not find it in my heart to make eggs sexy.’ Honesty, he’d discovered a little too late, might be as good a policy as any. ‘They just didn’t get my blood stirring.’

Alec looked at him levelly. ‘They stirred some people’s blood.’