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

This sounds like a deeply dangerous thing to do. I’d probably set the house on fire, knowing my luck. ‘I don’t think I’ll risk that.’

He shrugs again. ‘Try it tomorrow. It might be dry by then. All you’ll do is blow a fuse.’

‘Right.’

He looks at me with disdain. ‘You do know how to change a fuse?’

‘Er…’ We trail back to the fuse box and he makes a great performance of showing me how to pull out one little thing and plug in another. How hard can that be? If I’d known it was so easy, I’d have taken charge of the fuse-changing years ago.

Easy or not, Sparky charges me one hundred and fifty quid for services rendered and I’m too shocked to quibble about it and simply pay up in stunned silence. This is an expensive lesson in how not to be a pathetic prat. At least I have the sense to give him a cheque and not cash, so that he’ll have to put it through his books instead of diddling the Inland Revenue. Ha! Not quite so stupid as I look. Although I admit it’s marginal.

A disgruntled Sparky hands me a receipt. ‘Phone me again if you can’t manage,’ he tosses behind him as he departs.

‘I can manage,’ I say. And I can manage. From now on, it looks as if I’ll have to.

Chapter eight

Chapter eight

Neve sat straddled across Jake’s lap as he lay in bed. It was not quite seven o’clock and Jake fought to open his eyes against the light that was streaming into the bedroom. Neve leaned down and kissed him full on the lips. ‘See you later,’ she said.

Jake was suddenly awake. ‘Later?’

‘I’m going to the gym, sweetie.’

‘Gym?’ This was news. ‘Do you have to?’

‘I’m training for my trek to Everest base camp. I can’t afford to miss a session.’

‘Oh.’ This was also news. ‘And when’s all this taking place?’

‘Soon,’ Neve said, and bent down to kiss him again. ‘After I’ve been to the gym I’m seeing a couple of girlfriends for lunch.’

‘Lunch?’

Neve swung off the bed. She was already fully dressed in one of those stylish fruit-coloured tracksuits favoured by Madonna and Britney Spears. ‘Have you got any plans for today?’

‘Plans?’ His brain was reeling and seemed incapable of making sentences. ‘Er…no.’

‘I’m out tonight too. Clubbing.’