Doing the Right Thing (12 page)

“Are you all right?” Will asked.

“No,” Addie muttered, putting her hand over her mouth and sprinting out of his office.

Pregnant,
Will thought in alarm. Had he been right all along? Going out with a married man and pregnant. He should never have had that drink with her. The woman was a liability. He’d had a lucky escape. So why didn’t he feel lucky?

* * * * *

Addie found Finn waiting when she got home. Lisa had let him in.

He stared at her. “What did you do to your hair?”

“Wanted something different.” Addie slumped on the couch.

“Looks nice.”

“Thanks, Finn. What have I done now?”

“What’s wrong with your mobile, Addie? I’ve been trying to call you all day.”

“Not sure.” She wasn’t about to tell him it had died in a car accident.

“I have something to tell you.” Finn sat beside her. “You’ve been lied to. The man you’ve been seeing, his name’s not Noah, it’s Will Mansell.”

Addie closed her eyes for a moment. She should have known this would come back to bite her. “Noah was a nickname.”

“And the surname Davies was a nickname too?”

Ooops
. She needed to think fast, but her brain was moving at koala speed.

“How do you know his real name?” she asked.

“David took his car reg. I checked it out.”

Bloody David. He was so dead.

“The car’s registered to an address in Blackheath, London, not Manchester. I don’t know what web he was spinning, Addie, but I hope you’re not seeing him again.

Would you like me to get someone to go and have a word with him?”

“No.”

“If he’s hurt you—”

“He hasn’t hurt me. Just let it go, Finn. It’s not what you think. I didn’t want anyone to know his real name because I thought one of you would check up on him. He’s been in trouble and I knew you’d have a fit if you knew my boyfriend had a record.”

“Christ, Addie. You don’t go out with anyone for ages and then pick a crook?”

She cringed. “He’s not a crook. It was a mistake.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “You know that’s the first thing most of them say when they get picked up. It’s a mistake. It wasn’t me.”

“Leave it, Finn. Don’t go looking into his background. I told you he dumped me.”

“You sure?”

Addie nodded. “Absolutely.”

Her brother looked her straight in the eyes. “Are you still seeing him?”

“I swear to you, I’m not going out with him.”

Finn stared at her for a moment with his policeman look and Addie held his gaze.

Years of practice paid off. Finn nodded.

“Are you all right, Addie? You look a bit battered.”

“Fell over in the parking lot this morning and banged my head. You know me. I can trip over a pattern in a carpet. I’m fine.”

But she wasn’t fine. As soon as he’d gone, she went to bed.

* * * * *

Will was working on his laptop when Ed arrived back at the house with a Thai takeout. His eyes still fixed on the screen, Will took the container from Ed and carried on working.

“Did you notice anything odd about Addie today?” Ed asked, a fork in one hand and the remote in the other.

“Apart from the fact that she’s from an entirely different planet?”

“Apart from that.”

“No.”

“Not even her hair?” Ed asked.

“It suited her.”

“Is that all?” Ed asked. “You didn’t think she looked…knocked about?”

“She did look a bit untidy. What’s your point?”

“You didn’t notice anything else?”

“What?” Will turned to look at him. “The fact that she managed to annoy me yet again?”

“Why the fuck have you spent the last two days picking on her?” Ed snapped.

“I haven’t.”

“Yeah, you have.”

Will stopped eating. “She was late for work. She looked a mess. She added her own little gems to the press release. I accept she was joking, but thank God the company had the sense to check. She issued invoices without authorization. I had a complaint about her and she raced out of my office while I was still talking. She’s been asking to be picked on.”

“Did you ask her why she was late?”

“She was late. There’s no excuse.” Will dug his chopsticks into the carton.

“She was late and looked a mess because you knocked her over.”

Will gave a short laugh. “What are you talking about? I didn’t touch her.”

“In the car park this morning, you hit her with your car.”

Will froze with the chopsticks at his lips. The lump of chicken dropped back in the container and splashed his shirt.

“You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you truly shocked,” Ed said.

“That wasn’t funny.”

“Addie didn’t think so.”

Will tossed the chopsticks onto the table and walked over to his brother. He still wasn’t sure whether Ed was serious. “You’re telling me I hit her with my car?”

“Yes.”

And when Ed looked at him, Will knew and his world tilted. He sank on to the couch, trying to swallow the lump in his throat and failing. It stayed there like a chunk of half-chewed bread, threatening to choke him.

“Oh God, why didn’t she say anything?”

“I have a feeling she was lying unconscious in the bushes.” Ed continued to fork coconut rice into his mouth.

Will stared at him in horror. “How do you know?”

“Because I notice things. I notice people. She spent the day in a daze. She had a cut by her ear, a blood stain on her skirt and a not-there look in her eyes. I persuaded her to tell me what happened and then she said it didn’t matter, it wasn’t important. She didn’t want to make a fuss.”

“Oh fuck. I have to go and see her.” Will grabbed his car keys and his jacket.

“She also told me not to tell you,” Ed called after him.

“But you did,” Will yelled back.

* * * * *

“She’s asleep.” Lisa kept the chain on the door. “She’s been in bed since she got back from work. I don’t think she’s feeling well.”

“I need to speak to her.”

“Just go away. You hurt her. Addie sobbed and sobbed, now leave her alone.”

Sobbed? Oh God.
“Look, please, let me in for a few minutes. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

Lisa wavered, then gave way. “Five minutes.”

The light was on in Addie’s room. She was asleep on top of her bed, wearing those shorts. Will swallowed. Her legs were so long. Then his eyes settled on the bruises and the scrapes on her thigh. He could have killed her. He’d hurt her yesterday when he pretended he didn’t know her, and he almost killed her this morning. He wanted to hug her and tell her he was sorry, but he didn’t want her to wake, so instead he pulled the duvet around her.

All this was his fault. He made her clumsy. How could he have even thought she was pregnant? She’d thrown up because she’d been concussed and it was his fault.

She’d probably been trying to hide because every time he saw her, he shouted at her.

The only reason he shouted was because if he didn’t, he’d have pulled her into his arms and kissed her. But Ed was right. He
had
picked on her. He had no idea what it was about Addie that made him behave in such a churlish way. Will swallowed. Yeah, he did. He liked her. More than liked her. So why was he scared?

Addie stood waiting in the pub car park in Meanwood when Fred pulled up in the coach. She ached. She’d fallen asleep early last night and slept through without waking, which was unusual. The bruises on her legs looked horrible and more marks had emerged overnight. The lump on her head had gone down, although it was tender when she touched it. At least the headache had vanished.

“Morning, gorgeous,” Fred called as the door hissed open.

“Morning, handsome,” Addie called back.

“Someone set fire to your hair?”

“Thanks, Fred.”

Addie yawned. She wasn’t looking forward to carting forty-five senior citizens on a trip to the seaside, but it was better than being stuck in the office all day with Will and Genghis taking it in turns to glare at her.

“Got your ear plugs?” Fred asked.

Addie smiled. “Keep any requests to yourself.”

The MADS liked to sing on the journey and for some reason, probably to torture her, they always wanted Addie on the coach.

Addie stood at the foot of the coach steps as several couples approached. She greeted most of them by name, ticking them off her list.

“Good morning, Mary, Geoff. Forecast is for blazing sunshine and no wind. Got your suntan lotion?”

The couple smiled. They were wrapped in thick coats with matching woolly hats and sheepskin mittens.

“Morning, Gordon. Remembered your sandwiches? I’ve brought peanut butter and marmalade if you want to share.”

“I’ll share anything with you, Addie. You can have some of my tongue. It’s ox.

Lovely and thick.”

Addie laughed and stepped on board. “Please move down the coach and take your seats, ladies and gentlemen. We won’t be moving until you’re all sitting down and have your belts fastened.”

“My belt’s already loose,” Stan said as he passed her, tugging at the waist of his trousers.

“Stop making me excited.” Addie fanned her face with her clipboard.

They were like puppies, she thought as every passenger stopped to chat at each seat they passed. Fred kept glancing at his watch. He was worse than Genghis for running things on time.

“Just ask the nearest good-looking man to help, if you have any problems,” Addie called. “Sit down, Gordon. I said a good-looking man.”

There was a roar of laugher. Several minutes later there were still people standing, Fred was gnawing the steering wheel, but everyone was on board. Addie switched on her microphone.

“Right, welcome everyone. I’d like to say a few words about the company you’re traveling with today. We’re now part of the magnificent, marvelous, magical Magelan Empire.” The alliteration was greeted by a chorus of boos. “It’s similar to the British Empire, but bigger.” Cheers. “According to the three well-dressed men in Armani suits who descended the day before yesterday, disappointingly not on camels and with no gifts at all,” boo, “we’re to be massaged, squeezed and pummeled into a more streamlined shape.”

“I could have done that for you,” Gordon shouted.

“You put your back out last time,” Addie shot back. “One of the changes Magelan’s have introduced, in accordance with their target of an impossible one hundred and ten percent punctuality, is to issue each coach with a special piece of equipment. This is to be used to help any slow passenger locate their behind on the seat they’ve paid for. I have in my hand, a fully-charged cattle prod and I’ve been trained to use it.”

There was another loud ripple of amusement.

“Everyone wearing their belt?”

“Come and check,” Gordon yelled back.

“I’m dying to try out this cattle prod. I just need a little thing to attach it to. Sure you want me to walk up there?”

“No little things up here, love.”

Fred set off and Addie twisted round to kneel on the seat.

“Right. Now we’re underway, good morning everyone.”

“Good morning, Addie,” they all called back.

“Magelan’s would like to welcome you all on this day trip to Bournemouth.”

The chattering ceased.

“Oh no, sorry, that was yesterday. Today we’re off to Robin Hood’s Bay. There’ll be some great views on the way of the Yorkshire Moors. Well, there would be if the sun was out, but since that only happens three times a year we may not be lucky.”

“I bet the prices are going to go up now,” Doreen
Wilberforce said.

Suspecting she hadn’t paid for this trip, Addie thought she had a nerve.

“Booth’s have always given value for money, and although our name has changed, our excellent service won’t,” Addie said.

“So what will change?” a male voice called from the rear. Addie didn’t see who it was.

“I’m hoping for smarter coaches with reclining beds, gourmet meals, wine and on-board masseurs,” she said.

“How soon?” Gordon asked.

“That’s just for me,” Addie called back. “And sit down, Gordon, or I’ll make Fred stop.”

He was worse than a child. They’d only gone a couple of miles and he was on his feet already.

“Can we have a singsong?” asked Rita, Stan’s diminutive wife.

Addie groaned. The singing drove her nuts.

“We’ll vote,” Addie said. “All those in favor of spoiling my day and frightening every animal within a ten-mile radius, hands up.”

Yes, that would be everyone,
Addie thought.

“Those against?” She put up her own arm as always, but this time saw one arm raised at the back, too. She couldn’t see the face it belonged to.

“Outnumbered again. Rita, they’re all yours.”

Addie twisted round, slumped in her seat and switched off her microphone. As Rita launched energetically into “Oklahoma”, Addie opened her book.

Will moved down the coach seat by seat, crouching in the aisle to speak to the passengers, asking them their opinion of Booth’s, whether they’d heard of Magelan’s, why they chose one firm over another. He already knew most of those on board were regulars, people who booked several times a year, both day trips and short breaks.

Nearly all were keen to tell him how much they loved Addie, that she made the journey almost as much fun as the destination. From the moment he’d seen her step onto the coach, Will could hardly believe she was the same person.

When Will dropped into the seat beside her, Addie felt as though she’d been tossed onto a hotplate.

“I have a lot of apologizing to do,” Will said.

“Fasten your seatbelt.” She wanted to bite off her tongue.

“I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that cattle prod.” He smiled. “And I haven’t got a little thing you can attach it to.”

Addie grew even hotter. He shifted in his seat as he reached for his belt and his thigh brushed hers. A flicker of lust licked between her legs and her nipples tightened.

“First of all, I’m so sorry for knocking you down yesterday. I’m appalled by what happened. I knew I’d hit something, but I thought it was the curb.”

“It was dark,” she mumbled.

“How’s your head, the cut on your leg?”