BooksBarbecue
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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

Jake sat back and folded his arms. ‘I’m just lulling you into a false sense of security.’ But he knew in his heart that he wasn’t playing properly—that he hadn’t been playing properly for a very long time.

By the time they stopped for another beer and pee break, Jake was £3.20 down and feeling very morose. He had been dealt crap cards and had folded in every single hand they’d played. It was fair to say he was not on a winning streak. He felt it was a due reflection of his life. Pip pulled him to one side. ‘You’ve got to snap out of this, mate,’ his friend said quietly. ‘It’s doing no one any good.’

‘I can’t help it,’ Jake whispered. ‘I can’t do this anymore. I can’t concentrate on anything.’

Pip leaned against the lawnmower. ‘Things aren’t getting any better at home?’

‘Worse, if anything.’ Jake admitted. He grabbed his friend by the arm. ‘Talk to her, Pip.’

‘No, no, no.’

‘Yes, yes, yes.’ Jake felt himself brighten. ‘She’ll listen to you. She respects you. She adores you.’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘She does.’

‘Don’t ask me to do this, my friend,’ Pip begged. ‘I am not the right man. Not by a long chalk.’

‘You are. You’ll know what to say, Pip,’ Jake said. ‘You always do.’

‘There’s something I should tell you….’

‘What?’

‘I…’

‘What?’ Jake was shocked. What else could there be? ‘If I can’t win Lyssa back, I haven’t a clue what I’ll do. You have to help me. I don’t know if I can cope with anything else, Pip.’

‘It’s nothing.’ Pip shook his head. ‘Forget I said anything.’

His friend buried his face in his big cigar, concentrating intensely. Jake didn’t know what to say—and that clearly made two of them. And he was relying on his friend to talk Lyssa round.

The other guys were shuffling in their garden chairs, fidgeting impatiently. ‘We’d better get back to the table,’ Pip offered.

Jake trailed after his friend. For a man who always said the right thing, inspiring words seemed to be eluding him.

Chapter seventy

Chapter seventy

Going back to work is a huge shock. No one brought me black tea in bed this morning to gently cajole me into life. I had to make my own breakfast—which consisted of two measly Weetabix rather than the sumptuous spread of pancakes, porridge and creamy rice pudding that I and my growling stomach have grown accustomed to.