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

‘I hope you’re right, bud. You’ve given up a lot to be here. Lyssa is a pretty fantastic woman.’

Was a pretty fantastic woman, Jake thought. In the days before she started to incorporate the word ‘baby’ into every sentence.

Pip looked around him. ‘What am I saying? You lucky bastard! You’ve dumped Lyssa and landed lightly on your feet. You’re like a cat with nine lives.’ Pip shook his head. ‘Neve’s fabulous too. She’s got a brain the size of a planet, she’s stacked and she’s loaded. Even if she blows you out, you’ll have great fun while it lasts.’

‘She’s not going to blow me out.’ Jake could hear the edge in his voice.

‘So what’s the catch?’

‘There isn’t one.’

‘Mate.’ Pip patted his arm. ‘With someone as gorgeous as Neve, there’s always going to be a catch.’

Chapter twelve

Chapter twelve

I’m woken by sticky, milky fingers prising my eyelids open and the weight of my four-year-old niece, Daisy, sitting on my chest.

‘Hello, Aunty Lytha.’

Daisy has blond curls, cornflower-blue eyes and a pronounced lisp. She sprays my face with the esses.

‘Are you awake?’ She gives my eyeball an exploratory prod, making me recoil into my pillow.

‘I am now.’

Edie follows her in, bearing a welcome cup of coffee. ‘Aunty Lyssa eats small children for breakfast,’ she says.

I grab my niece and tickle her under the arms as I growl menacingly. It has the desired effect and she runs screaming hysterically from the room.

‘Is that really the time?’ I ask, peering at the clock with my unpoked eye. The little hand has not yet reached nine and I very rarely see this time of the day on Sunday. This is normally our designated day of rest. A break from the bind of commuting and household chores. As a treat Jake and I have a long, late, lazy breakfast in bed with the newspapers—even though the ink gets all over the white duvet. Then we make love for hours…

‘Mum’s downstairs,’ Edie tells me with a grimace.

This stops my reverie in its tracks. I shrink back into my duvet. ‘Don’t let her know that I’m here,’ I beg.

‘Your car’s outside, lamebrain. She saw it at some ungodly hour this morning when she was on her way to church.’ My sister and I both direct our eyes heavenwards.