Doing the Right Thing

by Barbara Elsborg

  As her mother’s scornful sniping continued, with David and middle brother Hugh egging her on, Addie grew incensed with the injustice of it. No one stood up for her, not even Finn, who usually did, or her housemate Lisa, who occasionally did when she felt brave enough to provoke her boyfriend’s mother.

  “What are you thinking?” Will asked, snapping Addie out of her thoughts.

  “I got pushed too far. I said your mother had died and next Sunday you’d be there for lunch.”

  Addie had been faced with one week in which to find Noah, and since she’d not managed to find Mr Perfect so far in her miserable existence, there was little chance of digging him up inside seven days. Particularly since she needed to come up with someone who matched the guy she’d spent weeks raving about.

  Noah had to be taller than she was, dark-haired, handsome and pass for thirty-five. He also had to have a bit of a tan because a month ago, in an attempt to impress her mother, Addie and Noah flew to the Caribbean. Or in Addie’s case, a trip to a tanning booth in Wolverhampton, followed by more lies—a broken camera so no photos and a few tacky souvenirs courtesy of a local charity shop. Addie had also boasted about Noah’s body, mainly to make David jealous, so flabby stomachs were out.

  “I looked for you everywhere,” Addie whispered. “I devoted every spare moment of the week to finding you. I had to. If no one ever met you, it would be as good as admitting I’d lied and for once, I wanted to appear to be in the right even though I was in the wrong.”

  Now her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she could see him better. Even as a grey shadow he made her pulse spike.

  Addie sighed. “I even checked into hiring an actor, but the agency wanted five hundred pounds. Yesterday morning, Noah was still ‘Noah-where’ to be seen. Hence the gym.”

  “And there I was,” Will said.

  Addie smiled. She’d never realized how easy it was to talk in the dark.

  “You looked a bit pissed off. I figured if you were already annoyed, I wasn’t going to ruin your evening,” she said.

  He laughed.

  Mr Perfect. Addie sighed. Oh God, had she said that out loud?

  “So it wasn’t the T-shirt?” he asked.

  “To be honest, if it had said, ‘Don’t come near me. I’m a complete bastard’, I’d still have launched myself at your water bottle.”

  The bed shook as he laughed. “I’ve never heard it called that.”

  “What?” Addie asked in bewilderment. As she realized what he meant, she was sure she turned the colour of an embarrassed beetroot. Thank God it was dark.

  “So how are you going to explain the fact that I don’t come for lunch?”

  Addie’s heart snapped in two. “You’re going to dump me.”

  “Why would I do that?” His husky voice sent an arrow of hope into her heart. “I could come to your mother’s.”

  The last word killed the hope. Addie sighed. “No, you can’t. She’d strangle the truth out of you within minutes. In fact, you’d confess the moment the front door opened. ‘I’m not Noah. Addie made me do it. It’s her fault.’ The Gestapo missed out there, neglecting the use of overbearing mothers as interrogators.”

  He chuckled.

  “Plus, all three of my brothers are policemen, though you’d probably fool David. He’s mentally challenged. Since you’re going to meet him tomorrow, you have to fool him, but Hugh and Finn are nowhere near as gullible. Once David’s convinced you’re Noah, you can dump me and jet off to Qatar.”

  “Qatar? So did you have a plan B?”

  He’d shuffled slightly closer. Addie breathed in Lisa’s lemon soap.

  “I had thought of arranging your tragic demise, but my church-going mother would insist on going to the funeral, creating an even greater problem.” Addie had chased the idea around her head for a while. “I wondered if I could find a stranger’s funeral to attend, but then I’d have to tell my mother I’d lied about your name. Although I could pretend you’d been stalked by a psychotic ex-girlfriend who’d eventually killed you.” She wished she hadn’t told him that.

  Will went quiet. “Qatar then.”

  Plan C had involved killing her mother, except with all three of her brothers in the police force she wouldn’t get away with it. How inconvenient was that? Plan D involved being beamed up into a UFO by good-looking aliens. Plan E was ugly aliens.

  “You’ve still not told me why I’d dump you,” Will whispered. “How about I invite you to Qatar with me? You decline because you can’t leave your mother.”

  Addie was sure his hand lay her side of the sleeping bag.

  “She’d never believe that,” she said.

  “Why don’t you dump me?”

  “Because no one would believe it, particularly my mother. I’ve spent six months raving about you, your fabulous job, your amazing penthouse, your wonderful personality, your incredible body and your devotion to your sick mother. You send me flowers and champagne, you took me on an exotic holiday. Why would I dump you? You’re the most wonderful boyfriend in the whole universe—charming, thoughtful, kind and considerate.”

  “You’re amazingly astute.” There was a long pause. “Hey, it’s not too dark to see you smiling,” he said. “At least say it wasn’t all lies.”

  “No.”

  She was sure he’d moved a little closer.

  “Which part’s true?” he asked.

  “Er…you’ve got a lovely body.” Addie inched backward.

  “It was incredible a moment ago.”

  “It still is,” she said in a strangled voice.

  He sighed.

  “So what have you been doing while you should have been with me?”

  “Potholing, canyoning and whitewater canoeing. A bit weird really because I wasn’t the least bit sporty at school. The PE teachers gave me a spoof prize at speech day for the pupil who’d come up with the most extravagant excuses to get out of games.”

  “What was your best one?”

  “That my dad had been arrested for spying. Since he was a senior police officer and the story appeared in The Yorkshire Post, he was furious.”

  Will laughed. Addie could feel the warmth of his body, smell the mixture of beer and toothpaste on his breath.

  “Is my father still alive?” he asked.

  “No, and you have no siblings. You’ll only need to chat to Lisa and David for a few minutes, maybe not even that if we pretend to have a row. Then you can storm off, leaving me broken-hearted.”

  Will stretched in the bed and put his arm under his head. He couldn’t see her very well, but he could smell her—no overpowering, expensive perfume, just a sweet, clean soapy smell. He’d had a surge of blood to his groin when she’d hopped around the bedroom. With that long rangy body in those little red shorts and strappy top, she’d sent him into an instant state of arousal. And now he lay wondering if he dare reach across the few inches of padded nylon lying between them. One touch. If she pulled away he’d pretend it was an accident. Maybe he should try a compliment first.

  “You’re not wearing any perfume,” he heard himself say and winced.

  “I don’t use it.”

  “You don’t need it. You smell lovely.” Better.

  Silence hung between them.

  “Are you going out with a married man? Do you already have a boyfriend called Noah?”

  “No,” Addie said, turned and fell out of bed, dragging the duvet with her.

  Will put on the light and leaned over to look at her lying in a tangled heap.

  “I’m not going to touch you, Addie. I’ll sleep down there.”

  “No, it’s okay, really.”

  She threw the duvet on the bed and climbed back in.

  Will stared at her for a moment. “Sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Goodnight, Addie.”

  “Night.”

  There was no way she could sleep. She didn’t even know his last name. She could have asked, but didn’t want to break the spell. Her first time
in bed with a man and she only knew his first name. Addie liked the sound of that because it was wild and crazy, and nothing like her. She longed to be bad, hoping a sexy demon lurked inside her waiting to be unleashed, but she suspected she was the good girl her parents had always wanted, otherwise she’d have rolled the other way and kissed him. She couldn’t make the first move, but if Will reached for her, she wouldn’t resist.

  Addie wasn’t completely innocent sexually, not if she counted the cinema groper whose hand she’d allowed to slide from knee to thigh because she was part frozen in horror and part excited. Plus there was the Australian surfer she’d met at a party who’d kissed her and made her head spin before he’d thrown up all over her, after which she’d thrown up too. And Max at university, who’d introduced her to the pain of unrequited love. There had also been offers of sex, elegantly phrased “give us a shag” requests, mainly from drunks and short Turkish men who for some reason found her irresistible, but she’d never dated anyone.

  She could hear Will breathing, feel the soft draught of his breath on her shoulder. Addie moved a few inches nearer. He might be dumping her tomorrow, but he’d live on in her dreams. She wondered what he’d do if she turned and moved her arm to his side of the sleeping bag. Would he believe it was an accident? Maybe he’d reach out and kiss her fingers. Addie sighed in happiness. Her fingers, then her mouth. She imagined herself kissing him and was enveloped by a warm glow. That night, it was going to be so much easier to pretend someone loved her.

  Chapter Five

  When Will woke on Sunday morning, he and Addie lay face to face. Judging by the peculiar lump under his feet, the sleeping bag had migrated in the night. Will hadn’t been able to look at her properly before, she always seemed to be moving. Now he had time to study her, he saw a sexy mouth with a plump bottom lip and an upturned upper lip. A mouth aching to be kissed.

  Will already sported a morning erection and as he stared at her mouth, he grew harder. He stifled a groan, closed his eyes and tried to think of something other than sex. Jack Magelan and all the work to be done tomorrow. There would be people to upset, people might lose their jobs, though not immediately…then he’d be Mr Unpopular, not Mr Perfect at all. He smiled when he remembered Addie muttering that the night before. He knew she hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but he was glad she had.

  Will knew she was looking at him. “Quit staring.”

  “I’m not staring.”

  He opened one eye, caught Addie doing the same and they laughed. Will figured pressing his lips against hers would be a huge mistake. She’d probably break her neck falling out of bed. Still, he was going to try. Pity to waste his hard-on.

  As he moved, Addie jumped up. “Would you like breakfast?”

  Will sighed. “I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea.”

  She almost danced to the kitchen because he wasn’t racing to leave. How many times had she dreamt of waking next to a man? Her imagination hadn’t even come close to bringing the joy she currently felt. She’d wanted to touch his face and stroke the stubble that had appeared on his chin to see if it was rough or soft. He looked younger when he slept and a lot less cross and stressed. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted to kiss every part of his face, his eyes, his nose, his cheeks. She wanted to kiss more than his face. She wanted to nibble his shoulder blades and make him squirm. And he wasn’t racing to leave! Addie’s brain turned into a fruit smoothie.

  You haven’t paid him yet, her head reminded her and her shoulders slumped. She was behaving like a fool.

  Since David was already in the kitchen making a drink, Addie made a point of banging two mugs on the work surface.

  David smirked. “Noah turn up then?”

  “Of course.”

  “So why’s he not coming to lunch?”

  Addie’s stomach twisted itself into a complicated pretzel.

  “Who said he’s not?” Damn, she was an idiot. She hardly waited for the tea to brew before she fished the bags out of the mugs and poured in the milk.

  “Likes drinking cat piss, does he?” David laughed.

  Addie was desperate to get out of the kitchen.

  “Going to drink both of those?” he called after her.

  She stamped up the stairs, pushed the door open with her shoulder and then kicked it shut behind her. The tea sloshed in the mugs.

  “What’s the matter?” Will asked and the scowl dropped from Addie’s mouth.

  She handed him a mug and didn’t miss the look on his face when he saw the state of the tea. “Sorry,” she muttered.

  “It’s okay. Hot water and milk is fine. So what’s the matter?”

  “They still think you’re a figment of my imagination.” She thought for a moment. “Make a noise.”

  “What?”

  “Just make a noise loud enough for them to hear.”

  “What sort of noise?”

  Addie flailed around. “Er…a happy noise.” He raised his eyebrows and she blushed.

  “Why don’t you make a noise?” He leaned back and sipped his drink.

  Addie had a quiet seethe, tempted to remind him she was paying for his part in all this. Instead, she sat on the bed and went for a loud moan. “Ohhh.” Then watched him trying to suppress his mirth.

  “Ohhhh. Yessss,” she tried again and now he did laugh.

  Addie wanted to hit him. Instead she moaned several times, getting louder and louder. She had to make them believe this. “Ohh. Ohhhh. Ohhhh.” There was a knock on the door and she froze in mid-moan.

  “Are you okay, Addie?” David called. “You sound like you’re giving birth.”

  “Go away,” Will shouted.

  Addie heard David say, “Fuck me!”

  Well, he believed her now. She directed a beam of pure delight at Will.

  “Great, I’ll go and cook your breakfast,” she said.

  “Hey, not so fast. You’ll wreck my reputation if you rush off after all that moaning. Wait a few minutes at least.” He flicked the duvet over her legs.

  Addie tried to gulp quietly. Her mind raced. Maybe making those sorts of noises had been a mistake. Noah was supposed to dump her, which would explain his nonappearance at lunch. They should have been quarrelling, not making love. Now what was she going to do?

  She couldn’t think with him lying there next to her. She jumped up again. “Left something on,” she said and fled.

  Addie had started to scramble the eggs when Will walked into the kitchen.

  “Smells delicious,” he said.

  “And I thought you were a recording,” David commented as he followed him in. He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m David. Addie’s favourite brother.”

  “Nowhere near,” Addie said.

  “Pleased to meet you, David.”

  Addie glared when she saw David checking the fingers of Will’s left hand.

  “Did you want something?” she asked her brother.

  “Lisa wants orange juice.”

  Addie doubted it. She’d never seen Lisa drink anything other than tea or alcohol. Addie gave the eggs a vicious stir.

  “That your BMW outside?” David asked.

  “No, I’ve got a Lexus.”

  David leaned against the fridge. “Sorry to hear about your mother.”

  “Thanks. It’s a hard way to lose your mum, bit by bit.”

  Addie glanced round in horror, but Will had a straight face. She hadn’t mentioned the flesh-eating virus last week to her mother. Lies had a habit of coming back to bite her.

  David continued, oblivious. “Well, our mum’s looking forward to meeting you. Addie’s gone on and on about her fabulous boyfriend. Mum thought you didn’t exist.”

  Addie opened the dishwasher and looked for the sharpest knife.

  “I’m afraid I’m not able to come.”

  “He witnessed a stabbing,” Addie blurted. “He has to go and give a statement.”

  They both stared at her.

  “And I’ve made arrangements to scatter my mother’s ashes
in the sea. I hope your mum will understand,” Will said.

  Oh God, that was a much better lie. Why had she mentioned a stabbing? She put the plates on the table.

  “This looks good, Addie.” Will smiled at her.

  “I’ll leave you to it, then.” David went back to Lisa without the orange juice.

  Addie wondered how he’d ever got into the police force. She put her finger against her lips to warn Will that David might be listening at the door and he nodded.

  She watched as Will tucked into scrambled eggs, lean smoked bacon grilled to a crisp, two links of thick herb sausage, fried field mushrooms, half a tomato and a wedge of crunchy fried bread. She only had one piece of bacon and a few mushrooms and was still pushing most of it around the plate as he finished.

  “Delicious,” he said, lining up his knife and fork.

  Addie gave a little smile.

  “A stabbing?” Will whispered.

  She winced. “Sorry. Your lie was much better.”

  He stared at her a moment before he spoke. “I suppose I’d better get dressed.” She nodded, hoping to be invited to the scattering of non-existent ashes.

  Will sat waiting for Addie to finish in the bathroom. She came in wearing tight jeans and a pale blue sweater, and clutching five twenty-pound notes.

  “Keep it,” Will said. “I haven’t had to pay for a hotel room and you fed me.”

  “No, we had a deal. You have to take it.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do,” Addie insisted.

  Will shook his head. “You dump me.”

  He picked up his bag and walked out of the room. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, a woman with long blonde hair stepped out of the lounge.

  “Hi, Noah. I’m Lisa. We meet at last. Addie’s gone on and on about you.”

  David appeared at her side. “So, how did you two meet?” he asked.

  All three spun around as Addie careered down the stairs behind them, making more noise than a herd of elephants after one ripe banana. She slipped on an invisible skin and Will caught her in his arms, saving her from a dive into the front door.

  “I was visiting Leeds and Addie picked me up in a gym,” Will said, as he set her back on her feet. He didn’t let her go. He couldn’t.