Read Online 11 The Teashop on the Corner by Milly Johnson - Free Book Online
Authors: Milly Johnson
Ads: Link
. . two thousand, eight hundred and sixty two pounds
exactly.’
Will sighed and moved his head slowly from side to side.
‘I only wish I could.’
‘Or I could put the car in our pound and you have twenty-four hours to claim it back.’
Will looked over at his pride and joy Jaguar sitting on the drive. He would be so sorry to see it go. But go it must.
Across the road in the seven-bedroomed detached with the stone lion sentries, he saw the lounge curtain twitch. Then Mr Roy ‘Koi-Carp-Pond’ Wright next door emerged from his house,
briefcase in hand, just in time to witness some more of Will’s humiliation.
‘If not, could I have your car key, sir,’ the man said with a
look, I feel for you mate so let’s make this as simple and pain-free as we can
tone to his voice.
Will foraged in his pocket and took out the car key. He hadn’t thought it would be repossessed quite so soon, but now the moment was here and he had no fight left to contest it.
Roy Wright was taking an age to get into his car. Will could see him over their adjoining low hedge, pretending to look through his briefcase but really eavesdropping on his poor unfortunate
business-failure of a neighbour.
‘Do you need anything out of the car, sir?’
‘No thanks,’ said Will. They could keep the windscreen sponge and the wine gums in the glove box.
‘Do you have spare keys, sir?’
‘Yeah, course.’ Will stepped back inside the house and took the two spare car keys from the hook behind the door. They were still on a Linton Roofing promotional keyring. He handed
them over with the MOT certificate and the service book.
‘Thank you, sir.’
Nicole was sitting silently on the stairs, her head in her perfectly manicured hands and hostile vibes missiling out from her every pore. After he had finished his business with the repossession
men, Will shut the door and hurried to comfort his wife. As soon as his arm fell around her shoulder, she erupted like a volcano. She pushed him violently away, lashing out at him, then jumped up,
her forehead as creased with fury as the Botox would allow.
‘Don’t fucking touch me,’ she said.
‘It’s just a car, love. A lump of metal . . .’
‘I have never been so ashamed. The neighbours watching—’
‘Sod them,’ said Will. ‘It doesn’t matter. There are greater men than me who have found themselves in this position. I don’t care what a few nosey neighbours think
. . .’
‘Well I do,’ screamed Nicole, thumping herself in her three-thousand-pound boob job with her fist. ‘I fucking do.’
‘Nicole . . . darling,’ he took one step towards her and she took a longer one back.
‘It’s the last straw, Will,’ she said. ‘The shame, the humiliation. I can’t live with it any more.’
He caught her arm as she turned up the stairs. ‘You can’t live with the humiliation or you can’t live with me?’
Her head swivelled slowly on a smooth arc to face him. He had the funniest feeling that if she had wanted to, she could have turned it through three hundred and sixty degrees. Like an owl. Or
the possessed kid from
The Exorcist
.
‘Okay then: you,’ she said, fixing him with her cold eyes. ‘You and the humiliation are one and the same. You’re a failure, Will Linton. And I don’t do
failures.’
‘For richer or poorer, remember those words?’ he reminded her, calmly, although his heart was thumping inside. She couldn’t abandon him as well. His life as he knew it was
landsliding away from him. ‘You married me, not my money, Nicole. Six years ago, you said your vows to William Benjamin Brian Linton, didn’t you? Not William’s bleedin’ bank
account.’
She didn’t answer; and then he knew. He didn’t want to let himself believe it because it would really hurt. She had never known him poor. He had owned a business, a big house and a
flash car when they met. Being married to Will Linton was not the main attraction of being Mrs William Linton.
‘I’m
exactly.’
Will sighed and moved his head slowly from side to side.
‘I only wish I could.’
‘Or I could put the car in our pound and you have twenty-four hours to claim it back.’
Will looked over at his pride and joy Jaguar sitting on the drive. He would be so sorry to see it go. But go it must.
Across the road in the seven-bedroomed detached with the stone lion sentries, he saw the lounge curtain twitch. Then Mr Roy ‘Koi-Carp-Pond’ Wright next door emerged from his house,
briefcase in hand, just in time to witness some more of Will’s humiliation.
‘If not, could I have your car key, sir,’ the man said with a
look, I feel for you mate so let’s make this as simple and pain-free as we can
tone to his voice.
Will foraged in his pocket and took out the car key. He hadn’t thought it would be repossessed quite so soon, but now the moment was here and he had no fight left to contest it.
Roy Wright was taking an age to get into his car. Will could see him over their adjoining low hedge, pretending to look through his briefcase but really eavesdropping on his poor unfortunate
business-failure of a neighbour.
‘Do you need anything out of the car, sir?’
‘No thanks,’ said Will. They could keep the windscreen sponge and the wine gums in the glove box.
‘Do you have spare keys, sir?’
‘Yeah, course.’ Will stepped back inside the house and took the two spare car keys from the hook behind the door. They were still on a Linton Roofing promotional keyring. He handed
them over with the MOT certificate and the service book.
‘Thank you, sir.’
Nicole was sitting silently on the stairs, her head in her perfectly manicured hands and hostile vibes missiling out from her every pore. After he had finished his business with the repossession
men, Will shut the door and hurried to comfort his wife. As soon as his arm fell around her shoulder, she erupted like a volcano. She pushed him violently away, lashing out at him, then jumped up,
her forehead as creased with fury as the Botox would allow.
‘Don’t fucking touch me,’ she said.
‘It’s just a car, love. A lump of metal . . .’
‘I have never been so ashamed. The neighbours watching—’
‘Sod them,’ said Will. ‘It doesn’t matter. There are greater men than me who have found themselves in this position. I don’t care what a few nosey neighbours think
. . .’
‘Well I do,’ screamed Nicole, thumping herself in her three-thousand-pound boob job with her fist. ‘I fucking do.’
‘Nicole . . . darling,’ he took one step towards her and she took a longer one back.
‘It’s the last straw, Will,’ she said. ‘The shame, the humiliation. I can’t live with it any more.’
He caught her arm as she turned up the stairs. ‘You can’t live with the humiliation or you can’t live with me?’
Her head swivelled slowly on a smooth arc to face him. He had the funniest feeling that if she had wanted to, she could have turned it through three hundred and sixty degrees. Like an owl. Or
the possessed kid from
The Exorcist
.
‘Okay then: you,’ she said, fixing him with her cold eyes. ‘You and the humiliation are one and the same. You’re a failure, Will Linton. And I don’t do
failures.’
‘For richer or poorer, remember those words?’ he reminded her, calmly, although his heart was thumping inside. She couldn’t abandon him as well. His life as he knew it was
landsliding away from him. ‘You married me, not my money, Nicole. Six years ago, you said your vows to William Benjamin Brian Linton, didn’t you? Not William’s bleedin’ bank
account.’
She didn’t answer; and then he knew. He didn’t want to let himself believe it because it would really hurt. She had never known him poor. He had owned a business, a big house and a
flash car when they met. Being married to Will Linton was not the main attraction of being Mrs William Linton.
‘I’m
Similar Books
