Doing the Right Thing (18 page)

“Not really.”

He gave her a wolfish grin and Addie saw a hint of Will in his smile.

“Can I get you something to eat?” she asked. “Are you hungry? Do you like beef stroganoff?”

His eyes sparkled. “You bought enough for two?”

“No, it’s my own. I’ll cook you dinner as a thank-you for bringing me home.”

Ed followed her into the kitchen and leaned on the counter watching as Addie worked. She set the rice on to boil, chopped onions and while they fried, sliced the beef and mushrooms. She lined up paprika, salt, pepper and sour cream.

“It smells great,” Ed said.

Addie opened her mouth to reply and then closed it again. She cleaned up as she went along so finally just two pans sat on top of the stove with two plates warming.

She’d thought of lots of topics of conversation and not been able to bring herself to start any of them. So much for acting as though everything was normal.

“Addie?” Ed paused. “For once in my life, I’m lost for words. I don’t know what to say to you. Maybe if you ask me—”

“How tall is she?” Addie put the plates on the table.

She saw from the look on his face, that hadn’t been the question he’d expected.

“About five-five.”

Addie bit the inside of her cheek. So Will lied about liking tall women.

“Would you like something to drink? There’s beer in the fridge.”

Ed helped himself to a Dos Equis. “You want one?”

“No, thank you.”

For a few moments they ate in silence.

“This is delicious,” Ed said, forking the beef into his mouth.

“I like cooking. I’m good at cooking.” But no good at anything else. Addie knew she sounded inane.

She pushed the food around on her plate, designing a simple maze with the rice, driving a strip of beef along the path, then destroying what she’d created, starting again, not eating a thing.

Don’t ask anything else about Vee,
she told herself.
You don’t need to know how long
they’ve been going out, what she looks like, what she does. You don’t need to know she’s far more
beautiful and delicate than you, that she sits on Will’s lap without arguing, without crushing
him, that no one ever mistakes her for a man.

Whatever she learned would not make her feel better.

Ed finished eating. “That was very good, Addie,” he said. “If I didn’t have better manners, I’d lick the plate.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” She continued to play with her food. She’d not eaten one mouthful.

“Addie?”

She raised her eyes to his.

“I’m sorry—”

“No, it’s fine.” Addie made a lightning-fast interruption. “It’s just never happened to me before. Isn’t it guys who have to shin down drainpipes when husbands turn up?

At least that’s what happens in the movies. I’m okay, really. No problem.”
Too much
protesting you’re fine. Shut up.

“You didn’t need to drop out of an upstairs window. God, you could have broken your neck.”

“You seemed desperate that she didn’t know I was there. Besides, I was worried she might be bigger than me and beat me up.” Addie made an attempt at a smile, but doubted she’d succeeded.

“She’s like a puff of wind,” Ed said.

A black cloud enveloped Addie’s heart. How could he know that wasn’t what she wanted to hear?

“I didn’t know about her,” Addie said. “Will didn’t say he was in a relationship. I should have asked. I— So how about you? Have you ever had to escape down a drainpipe?”

“I once hid in a wardrobe. I knew the guy was bigger than me and he’d have definitely beaten me up. I spent two hours in there, sitting naked on a pile of uncomfortable pointy-toed shoes waiting for him to go to sleep.”

She gave a little grin. Then the front door slammed and Addie jolted like she’d been hit by lightning. Lisa stormed into the kitchen and came to an abrupt halt.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“The person you share your house with,” Addie said.

“Very funny. God, Addie, I can’t believe you’ve brought home another strange man. This is getting to be a habit.”

“Ed, this is Lisa. Lisa, meet Ed. Before you say anything else, he’s Will’s brother.”

Lisa slumped at the table and stared at Addie’s plate.

“Beef stroganoff. You lucky bastard. Is there any left? I didn’t get the meal I expected.”

“I’ll heat mine up in the microwave. I only played with it. Is David on duty?”

“No, I finished with him.”

Addie’s head shot round.

“I think dinner at Yo! Sushi was because he was going to ask me to marry him, so I pulled the plug beforehand in Revolution.”

“I have three older brothers. David’s the youngest,” Addie told Ed.

She put the warm stroganoff in front of Lisa.

“Is he upset?” Addie asked.

Lisa gave a short laugh. “I told him at 8:30. He went through shock, denial, anger and acceptance, and at 8:35 asked if he could have a goodbye shag.”

Addie saw Ed biting his lip so he didn’t laugh, but his eyes crinkled at the edges.

“So he’s okay?” Addie asked.

“Well, yeah after I said yes to the shag.”

“Lisa, you’re terrible.”

“But he’s good in bed or in this case, the gents’ toilet and who knows when I’ll get laid again.” Her eyes flicked toward Ed. “So what’s Will’s brother doing here eating your fabulous stroganoff?”

“I gave Addie a lift.”

“Oh God, you can speak. I’ve gone off you now.” Lisa laughed. “Pity because you’re not bad looking. Don’t tell me that’s your Porsche outside?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. Good plan, cooking for him, Addie. It must be serious. I never cooked for David.”

“If you had, he’d have finished with you ages ago. You can’t even cut the bread straight.”

“I wish he had finished with me. It’s much harder to dump than be dumped.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Addie said in a quiet voice.

“How would you know?” Lisa retorted. “You’ve never dumped anyone. You remember how upset I was at uni, when I dumped Max?”

Addie drew in her breath. For two weeks Addie had imagined she was Max’s girlfriend. They lived in the same hall of residence and had an owner-pet relationship—

he whistled and Addie came running. She also came running when he didn’t whistle.

She sat near him at dinner, stood behind him in the bar and followed him to the campus. She’d been continually under his feet, desperate to please him, when all he wanted was for her to fuck off. It was only later Addie realized, in those two weeks they were supposed to be a couple, Max didn’t take her anywhere. It was Lisa he wanted.

“I need a drink. Do you two want a glass of wine?” Lisa asked.

“No, thanks. I have to go.” Ed got to his feet.

Addie went with him to the door.

“Thanks again for the meal,” he said.

“You’re welcome. Thank you for driving me home.”

“I’m sorry about what happened.”

“It really doesn’t matter,” Addie muttered.

Ed moved toward her and she thought for a moment he was going to kiss her, but instead he hugged her.

“You’re lying,” Ed whispered in her ear. “And Will’s an idiot.”

Finishing with David had been such a distraction to Lisa, she missed the fact that Addie was not her normal self, until a single tear gave her away. Lisa poured her a large glass of wine and took her into the lounge.

“All right, I give in,” Lisa said. “Tell me everything.”

“If you’re giving in, aren’t you supposed to tell me everything?”

“I’m begging here, Addie. Where did you find him? He is so gorgeous.”

Minds on different roads
. “I told you. He’s Will’s brother.”

Lisa raised her eyebrows. “Are you making up for lost time or something? Working your way through the family? Are there any more?”

“Just two brothers, and there’s nothing going on between me and Ed.”

“Well, he looked concerned about you.”

“He’s a nice guy.”

“Only nice? How about Will? He was very insistent I let him in last night.”

“Turns out he already has a girlfriend.”

“Oops. Does Ed?”

“No idea,” Addie said.

“Cooking for him was such a smart move. He’ll be back.”

“I don’t think so.”

It hadn’t escaped Addie’s notice Lisa made no reference to David. Her brother and housemate’s relationship was not just over, but buried under six feet of concrete. One fumbled coupling on Will’s bed had scarred Addie for life.

“So what’s really the matter?” Lisa pressed.

“I was with Will when his girlfriend turned up.”

“With him where?”

Addie twisted her wineglass by the stem. “His bed.”

Lisa winced. “What happened?”

“I left. She stayed.”

“Bastard. So what was he like? As good as your imaginary Noah?” she teased.

Addie took a deep breath. “He was the first man I’ve ever slept with.”

Lisa started to laugh and Addie burst into tears.

* * * * *

Will made it clear to Vee she could only stay temporarily and she was not sleeping with him but in the third bedroom. He lost part of that deal as soon as Vee saw the size of the room.

“There’s nowhere for my clothes.”

That was true and Will realized if he gave her his bedroom she’d have her own bathroom which might stop Ed strangling her within the first few hours or stop Ed killing him for giving in to her. So Will moved into the smallest room and made up the single bed with a spare set of sheets and his coat. He’d have to buy another duvet unless Vee left quickly. Well, he’d buy another duvet.

He pulled the chest of drawers across the door to stop her coming in and make it difficult for him to get out. Will lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. Guilt surged round his bloodstream like fast-acting poison. He kept thinking about Addie, how he’d ruined what should have been something special for her. Her first time and she’d been bundled out like she didn’t matter. How had he turned out to be the bad guy? That was supposed to be Ed.

“Will?”

Vee knocked at the door. The handle turned. Will pulled the pillow over his head.

Ed sat in the kitchen eating breakfast when Vee walked in wearing one of Will’s shirts. Only two buttons were fastened. She slumped at the table.

“Is there any orange juice?” she asked.

“Get up and look, you lazy cow.”

Vee sighed, but got up and opened the fridge.

“How long are you staying?” he asked.

Vee turned and pouted. “You say that as though you don’t like having me around.”

“So you do have one brain cell?”

“You’re not funny, Ed.”

She slammed the carton of juice on the table, splashing Ed’s cereal. He moved his bowl.

“I wasn’t trying to be. I thought you’d gone to see your parents.”

“My grandmother is ill. They went to visit her.”

“Why didn’t you go?” Ed asked. “Does she hate you too?”

“She smells.”

Ed raised his eyes from his breakfast and realized she was serious.

“I had the chance of a few weeks’ work in Leeds, so I decided to come and stay with my husband. What’s wrong with that?”

“Let’s see…you don’t have a husband, you’re divorced, you don’t like working and you should have asked first. Is that enough?” He gave her a broad smile.

“Fuck off, Ed. I don’t care what you think. You’re wrong anyway. Will and I are still married. The divorce hasn’t gone through.”

The smug look made Ed’s heart sink. “What does Will have to say about that?”

“We’re going to try again.”

Ed tried to keep his face neutral, but his mouth twitched and his cereal sat like cannon balls in his stomach.

“I know what you’re thinking. Men are so transparent. Stay out of our lives or I’ll tell Will about Susie Burton.”

Ed made certain his face showed nothing this time. “What are you talking about?”

Vee smiled. She lifted her finger in the air and waved it in front of his nose. He was tempted to bite it.

“If you’d married her, she wouldn’t have wanted the abortion. You forced her into it.”

Ed had no idea how Vee had found out about Susie. As usual, she twisted the truth to suit her purpose. Will didn’t know about the abortion. It had happened after Vee had lost her baby and it hadn’t been something Ed wanted to share.

Will walked in yawning and Vee jumped to her feet, throwing her arms around him. Ed couldn’t tell from his brother’s expression whether he was happy or not. Will looked deathly in the morning.

“I’ve been telling Ed I’m going to be staying here until Christmas,” Vee said, turning to grin at Ed.

“That’s not what I said, Vee.” Will pushed her away. “You can stay here until you’ve found somewhere of your own. I’ll help you look.”

“But Ed doesn’t mind if I stay. You don’t mind, do you Ed?”

Ed tipped the rest of his breakfast down the sink and walked out before he strangled her.

* * * * *

Will didn’t get to Magelan’s until ten thirty. He scanned the office, but when he saw Addie’s empty chair, his gaze faltered. Her other job. He’d forgotten. Will muttered a greeting to Daisy and Genghis and slumped at his desk. He was reaching for the phone when the door slammed and Ed strode in.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“She was supposed to be in Paris. How did I know she’d take it into her head to come to Leeds? I don’t even know how she found out where we were. When I do, someone’s going to get fired.”

“I wasn’t talking about her. I don’t give a shit about Vee. I’m talking about Addie.”

Will bristled. “That has nothing to do with you.” He picked up a file, opened it and pretended to read the contents.

Ed leaned on Will’s desk. “Vee says you’re still married.”

Will winced. If he’d been a hermit crab, he’d have backed into his shell.

“The French lawyer fucked up the paperwork. I rang to check. I’ll sort it out.”

“So you’re not getting back together?”

Will raised his eyes. “Do you even have to ask?”

“Yes.” Ed stood up and paced round. “Will, you have to stop her slinking back every few weeks and screwing up your life.”

“How? I thought coming to Leeds was far enough, but she’s even managed to get a bloody part-time job here.”