*
The cafe was heaving when Jake arrived, and it took a few seconds before he located Sally at a table in the corner. She was staring down into her cup, and her shoulders were slumped as if she had the weight of the world bearing down on her. With her matted extensions and the black smudges around her eyes, Jake thought she looked like a neglected doll that had been dragged out from the back of the cupboard.
‘Sorry I’m late, I got held up,’ he said when he reached her. ‘Can I get you a coffee?’
‘Tea.’ Sally pushed her cup across the greasy tabletop. ‘The coffee tastes like piss in here.’
When Jake brought the drinks back a couple of minutes later, she waited until he’d taken his seat before saying, ‘Go on, then.’
‘Go on what?’ He gave her a questioning look.
‘You said you wanted to talk, so talk.’
Jake was irritated by her snappy tone, but he reminded himself why he was here and forced a contrite smile.
‘I wanted to apologize again about what happened earlier. It wasn’t like me to go off like that – and if it’s any consolation, Ben gave me a right bollocking after you’d gone.’
‘That’s because he’s a decent man who knows how to treat women with respect,’ Sally sniped. ‘You should try taking a leaf out of his book sometime.’
‘Okay, point taken.’ Jake held up his hands. ‘I was a bastard, but it’ll never happen again, so can we just forget about it and start over?’
Sally reached for her cup and took a sip of tea before answering. She quite liked making Jake grovel, but she needed a favour, so she couldn’t afford to push it too far.
‘Did you mean what you said earlier about doing right by the baby?’ she asked.
‘If it’s mine,’ said Jake, letting her know that he still wasn’t completely convinced. ‘Why?’
‘I’m in a bit of a tricky situation,’ Sally explained. ‘My mum and dad aren’t too happy about me being pregnant. I told them you were going to help, but I don’t think they believed me.’
‘You didn’t tell them I’m the dad, did you?’ Jake frowned.
‘No.’ Sally shook her head. ‘I haven’t told anyone.’
‘So what’s the problem?’
‘They’ve made it clear that they don’t want a baby in the house, so I’m going to need a place of my own,’ said Sally. ‘I called in at the estate agent’s on the way here, but the deposits they’re asking for are outrageous, so I was wondering if you might be able to help me out?’
Jake took a sip of his tea and gazed at her over the rim of his cup. How times had changed. Back in the day, Sally Walker’s parents had been loaded, and she’d looked down her nose at the poor kids like Jake. Now he had money and she was on her uppers, and he couldn’t deny that it gave him a certain level of satisfaction.
‘Okay, I’ll help you,’ he said after a moment. ‘But not with a deposit.’
‘But that’s all I need.’ Sally frowned. ‘And it’s for your baby, don’t forget.’
Jake sat forward and rested his elbows on the table. ‘I’ve just bought a house, and I’m doing it up to get it ready for tenants,’ he said. ‘But if you need a place, you might as well move in there.’
‘Are you serious?’ Sally narrowed her eyes, waiting for the catch.
‘Absolutely,’ said Jake. ‘It’s split into three flats, and I reckon the ground-floor one would be perfect for you. You’d have the backyard to yourself, and you wouldn’t have to worry about lugging a pram up the stairs.’
‘I’m not sharing a house,’ Sally protested. ‘What if one of the other tenants is a paedophile and they take a liking to the baby? No, I’m sorry, I can’t do it. You’ll either have to help me out with a deposit, or . . .’ She paused, and then shrugged, before adding, ‘I’ll go back to my original plan and take you to court.’
Jake kept his expression neutral as he studied her. Not only had she thrown his offer in his face, she was now threatening him with court again – and that pissed him off big time, considering the effort he was making to be nice. If they hadn’t been surrounded by people right now, he would happily have throttled her. But she had him over a barrel, and she knew it.
‘Okay, fine,’ he said after a moment. ‘If you want it, it’s yours.’
Sally hadn’t expected him to give in so easily, and suspicion flashed in her eyes. ‘You’re giving me a house?’
‘No, I’m not giving it to you,’ Jake corrected her. ‘But you can live there until you find somewhere more suitable. And I won’t put any other tenants in until you’ve gone. What do you think?’
‘You’re not expecting me to pay rent, are you?’ Sally asked. ‘Only I haven’t got much money, and it’s going to cost me a fortune to get stuff for the baby.’
‘You’ll have to claim housing benefit,’ said Jake. ‘It’s not about the money, I just can’t risk anyone finding out that I’m letting you live there rent free, so we’ll do this by the book.’
‘Anyone’ being your girlfriend, no doubt, thought Sally.
‘I’ll pay the bills and give you an allowance for the baby,’ Jake went on. ‘But there’s a condition. No one, and I mean no one, not even your family, can ever know that I’m the father.’
‘Ben already knows,’ Sally reminded him. ‘What if he tells someone?’
‘He’d never betray me,’ Jake said with certainty. ‘So, do we have a deal?’
Sally took another sip of tea and mulled it over. She’d lived with several boyfriends in the past, but it had always been their place so she was the one who’d had to leave and go running home to her parents when the relationship came to an end. Now, for the first time ever, she’d be able to do whatever she liked without having to ask someone else’s permission, follow their rules, or pretend that she enjoyed having sex with them. And she wouldn’t have to worry about money, because Jake was going to take care of everything. It was better than she could ever have hoped for, and she was sure that she could get a whole lot more than he was offering now if she played her cards right.
‘Where is it?’ she asked. ‘And when can I move in?’
‘It’s not too far from here,’ Jake said evasively. ‘And it should be ready in a couple of weeks.’
‘What if I don’t like it?’ Sally asked, hedging her bets in case it was disgusting.
‘Then you’ll have to stay where you are until we find something else,’ Jake said, glancing at his watch. ‘Look, I have to get moving. I’ll try to speed things up at the house so you’re not waiting too long. And, here . . .’ He pulled a wad of notes out of his wallet and handed them to her. ‘Take this to tide you over in the meantime.’
Sally looked at the money and then gaped at him. ‘These are all fifties.’
‘I know.’ He smiled. ‘So are we all right now?’
‘I suppose so,’ she agreed, quickly stuffing the money into her handbag before he changed his mind. ‘As long as you don’t start messing me around.’
‘I won’t,’ he assured her. ‘As long as you stick to your side of the bargain and keep your mouth shut.’
‘My lips are sealed,’ Sally promised, already mentally spending the money on a trip to the salon to get her hair and nails sorted out. And maybe she’d get a spray tan and a facial while she was at it.
Jake pushed his chair back. ‘I’ll ring you when the house is ready. Take care.’
‘You, too,’ said Sally, smiling to herself as she watched him leave. He could deny it as much as he liked, but there was definitely a spark between them. Girlfriend or no girlfriend, that man would soon be hers.
18
Leanne and Chrissie were sharing a bottle of wine in the living room when Jake got home that evening.
‘Do you have to?’ Chrissie complained when he leaned over and planted a kiss on her friend’s lips.
‘Ignore her, she’s just jealous,’ Leanne said tipsily, resting her cheek on the back of his hand. ‘Mmmm, you smell nice.’
‘It’ll be
the soap from the pub toilets,’ Jake told her.
‘You’ve been to the pub without me?’ She gave him a mock-sulky look.
‘It was business, so you’d have been bored stiff,’ he said, slipping his jacket off and lighting a cigarette. ‘Anyway, it looks like you’ve had enough already,’ he added as he looked around for an ashtray. This was one of the drawbacks of living with a nonsmoker – Leanne was constantly moving and washing his ashtrays, and never remembered to put them back where she’d taken them from.
‘I keep meaning to ask what it is that you actually do,’ Chrissie said curiously. ‘I know you’ve started dabbling in property, but what’s the security business about? Do you fit burglar alarms, or is it one of those outfits that hire out teams of bouncers, and what have you?’
‘A bit of everything,’ Jake said cagily, pulling his mobile out of his pocket when it began to ring.
‘Proper little man of mystery, isn’t he?’ Chrissie whispered when he excused himself and went into the kitchen to take his call in private. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he was some kind of spy. The name’s Pearsh . . . Jake Pearsh.’
‘Stop it!’ Leanne laughed, reaching for the wine to refill their glasses.
‘Sorry about this, but I’ve got to go out again,’ Jake apologized when he came back into the room.
‘Do you have to?’ Leanne moaned. ‘I haven’t seen you all day.’
‘Can’t be helped, I’m afraid.’ Jake slipped his jacket on.
‘Oh, I meant to tell you, Chrissie’s staying tonight. That’s okay, isn’t it?’
‘Course it is.’
‘When will you be home?’ Leanne asked, getting up.
‘Not sure.’ He shrugged and headed for the door. ‘I’ve been trying to set something up with this guy for months but he’s really hard to pin down, so I can’t afford to miss this opportunity.’
‘Okay,’ Leanne said resignedly, following him out into the hall. ‘Me and Chrissie will just have to amuse ourselves. We’ll probably watch some films, have a few drinks . . . go out on the balcony and moon the pervy old man next door.’
‘You will not!’ Jake gave her a mock-stern look as he pulled her forcefully into his arms. ‘No one sees that body except me. Got it?’
‘Spoilsport,’ she chuckled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
In the living room, Chrissie made a gagging sound when she heard them kissing again. Finishing her drink, she’d refilled both of their glasses by the time Leanne came in with a dreamy look on her face.
‘Can’t you keep your flaming hands off him?’
‘No.’ Leanne grinned and flopped down on to the couch. ‘He’s been working so hard lately, I’ve hardly seen him, so I’ve got to take whatever I can get.’
‘Don’t you mind him taking off like that without telling you where he’s going?’
‘It’s business, so why would I worry about it?’ Leanne asked, reaching for her glass. ‘It’s not like he’s going out clubbing and picking up women, is it?’
‘I’m sorry, but if I had a man who looked like him, I’d want to know exactly who he was seeing and where,’ said Chrissie. ‘And then I’d probably follow him to make sure he was telling the truth.’
‘I used to check up on Dean, but it didn’t stop him cheating on me, did it?’ Leanne reminded her. ‘Anyway, it’s different with Jake. He’s loved me for ever, so why would he play around?’
‘He’d be an idiot if he ever did,’ said Chrissie. ‘’Cos he ain’t gonna find another woman as good as you in a hurry, and that’s a fact.’
Touched, because she knew Chrissie genuinely meant it, Leanne leaned over to pick up the house phone when it started ringing.
‘Hi, Leanne, it’s Ben. Sorry for disturbing you, but I’ve been trying to reach Jake and his phone keeps going to voicemail. Is he there, by any chance?’
‘He was, but he’s had to go out again. Can I help?’
‘No, it’s okay; I was only checking in because I noticed I’d missed a couple of calls off him earlier. No worries. I’ll try him again in a bit. Everything all right with you?’
‘Everything’s fine,’ Leanne said, smiling slyly as she added, ‘Chrissie’s here. I’ll pass you over so you can say hello.’
‘Well, hello there, stranger,’ Chrissie greeted him playfully. ‘How you doing?’
‘Good, thanks,’ Ben replied shyly. He hadn’t seen her in ages, and the sound of her voice made his stomach feel a little weird. ‘So, um, how’s it going at your end? Is your mum feeling any better?’
‘She’s getting there,’ said Chrissie. Then, changing the subject, because she knew that he was likely to ask if there had been any word from her sister, and she didn’t even want to think about that bitch, she said, ‘I saw you outside yours this morning. You look like a proper little Bob the Builder in your overalls. I didn’t realize you were working on one of Jake’s places till Leanne told me this afternoon. How’s it going?’
‘I, um . . . yeah, it’s coming along fine,’ Ben replied evasively. ‘Sorry, but I’ve got another call coming through, so I’m going to have to go.’
‘Oh, okay. It was nice to speak to you. Take it easy.’
Smiling when Chrissie handed the phone back to her, Leanne said, ‘Such a nice man.’
‘Yes, he is,’ Chrissie agreed. ‘But if you’d heard how desperate he was to get off the phone, you’d know he isn’t interested, so please stop trying to matchmake.’
‘Don’t be daft, of course he’s interested,’ Leanne argued. ‘He fancies the arse off you. It’s obvious.’
‘He might have done once, but I reckon I’ve put him right off,’ said Chrissie. ‘The way he clammed up when I told him I’d seen him outside his place this morning, anyone would think I was some kind of crazy stalker. And then he lied about another call coming through, just so he could get off the phone.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘Yes, I do, but hey-ho . . .’ Chrissie sighed. ‘I don’t even like him that way, so who cares if he’s gone off me?’
Leanne drew her head back and gazed at Chrissie through narrowed eyes. ‘You do like him.’
‘Shut up and pass me the wine,’ Chrissie ordered.
*
Ben was annoyed with himself for reacting badly when Chrissie had mentioned seeing him this morning, but he’d panicked, scared that if she’d seen him she might also have seen Sally. And, God forbid, Jake, because Leanne was sure to be suspicious if she heard that those two had been in the same place at the same time.
Jumping when his phone rang, he was relieved to see that it was Jake, and not Leanne ringing to demand to know what was going on.
‘What took you so long?’ Jake said when he answered. ‘I’ve been trying to get hold of you since this afternoon.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t realize till I got home and saw your missed calls,’ Ben apologized. ‘The signal’s really bad in that house.’
‘Yeah, well, it’s the house I wanted to talk to you about,’ said Jake. ‘I’ve got a tenant lined up, so I need you to get a move on.’
‘That was quick. I didn’t even know you’d started advertising yet.’
‘I haven’t. Sally’s taking it.’
‘Are you serious?’ Ben frowned. ‘Don’t you think Leanne might have something to say about that?’
‘If she finds out – which she won’t – I’ll tell her the letting agent is handling the tenancies and I didn’t know,’ said Jake. ‘But Sally needs a place for her and the baby, and I need her where I can keep an eye on her, so it makes sense to do it this way.’
‘Sounds a bit risky to me, mate.’
‘Sally’s not stupid; she knows she’ll gain more from this if she plays by my rules.’
‘I hope you’re right,’ Ben said doubtfully. ‘But you’d best know that I just spoke to Chrissie, and she said she saw me outside mine this morning.’
‘So?’
‘So I don’t know if that was before or after Sally t
urned up.’
‘Makes no odds either way,’ Jake said, unconcerned. ‘If you were outside, I wasn’t there yet, so she can’t read anything into it. Anyway, I’ve got a meeting so I’ll have to get off. I’ll pop round tomorrow to see how you’re getting on.’
Ben sighed when the phone went dead in his hand. In his opinion, Jake was playing with fire, letting Sally move into the house. But it sounded like a done deal, so there was no point trying to talk him out of it.
19
Sally had to wait three tortuously long weeks before she heard from Jake again. Though she’d been seriously tempted to ring him to ask what was going on, she had managed to resist the urge, scared that he might think she was being pushy and call the deal off.
She still hadn’t told a soul that he was the father of her baby, and she hadn’t told anyone about the house either – not even her parents, who had no clue that she was getting ready to leave home again. Although, she doubted they’d have tried to dissuade her if they had known, given the hints they both kept dropping about everybody needing to tighten their belts.
When, at last, Jake did call and arranged to pick her up on the corner that evening, she made an extra special effort with her appearance; brushing her new platinum extensions until they shone, carefully applying false lashes, and dressing in the skin-tight jeans, leather bomber jacket and high-heeled boots she’d bought with the money he’d given her. She looked a million dollars, and thought for sure that Jake would regret dumping her when he saw her. So she was disappointed when he barely glanced at her as she climbed into his car.
Consoling herself with the knowledge that she’d have plenty of opportunities to work on him in the future, she settled back in her seat to enjoy the ride, her stomach already bubbling with excitement to see the house that would soon be hers.
The fantasy house she’d created in her mind while she’d been waiting for this day was detached, with a large living room, a dining room with patio doors leading on to a huge back garden, and an amazing kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment. Upstairs, there were three bedrooms, of which the master was en-suite, of course; and a family bathroom, complete with walk-in power shower and spa bath.
Run Page 15