the inability to relax.’ And she smiled. Christie suspected that Grace hadn’t truly unwound for a long time, not even through the medium of yoga.
‘I totally agree,’ said Christie. ‘Milk, no sugar, you said? Same as me. I manage, at least, to avoid sugar in my drinks.’
‘Yes, thank you,’ said Grace. A boss had never volunteered to fetch a drink for her in all her working life. But then, like half the building, she suspected Christie Somers was very far from the norm.
Dawn had bought presents in town in her lunch hour. Gold earrings for her bridesmaids – Denise and Demi, Calum’s sisters – and a tie-pin for the best man – Rod, otherwise known as Killer, Calum’s best friend, although she couldn’t imagine he’d ever use it. Maybe it would come in useful for his appearances in court. He was electronically tagged and on a curfew, so he would be leaving the celebrations early. She’d buy Muriel some flowers. Calum’s dad, Ronnie, was giving her away. She had said that she would walk down the aisle herself because her dad wasn’t there to do the deed and there were no uncles or anyone to ask on her side, but Muriel had said that was stupid and volunteered Ronnie to do it. Ronnie hadn’t objected. The Crooke men tended to do what the Crooke women said. She wondered if Calum would take any notice of what she said once she became a Crooke woman.
She was hiring penguin suits for him and Ronnie and Killer. The amount of money she had spent so far was starting to wake her up in the middle of the night, sweating. She hadn’t a clue where the rest was going to come from.
Chapter 11
‘Ta daaahhh,’ said Ben at exactly half past nine on the Tuesday night. ‘Finished one room at least, thank goodness.’
‘Brilliant,’ said Ray, drawing the last brushful of paint across the wall. ‘Only two more rooms to go.’
‘Ah, man, we’ll have it done by the weekend. It’s worth it though, isn’t it? A free month’s rent for a few evenings of this?’
‘Well, I don’t know. These ceilings are high. There’s a lot of wall to paint.’
‘The house looks twice bigger in this colour.’
‘Remind me not to wear magnolia trousers then,’ said Raychel.
‘Give over, you’ve hardly got a bottom,’ said Ben.
‘“Give over?” You’re turning into a Yorkshireman!’
‘Aaarrghh!’ screamed Ben, as if that was a fate worse than death. But in truth he didn’t miss his roots in Newcastle. Sometimes it was as if there was no life before he and Raychel moved to Barnsley and rented this small terraced house in the Old Town district. He felt settled here. He had a good job and Ray seemed to enjoy hers. And if she was happy, he was happy.
‘That four hundred quid we’ve saved will go towards the first mortgage payment.’
They both started to grin at each other.
‘Our first mortgage. Can you believe it?’
‘I can’t believe we’re actually excited about paying out a big wodge of money every month. How sad are we?’
‘Very.’
‘You OK anchoring yourself permanently to a life in Barnsley?’ said Raychel, the smile suddenly sliding from her face.
‘Where you go, I go,’ said Ben, resting his great arms on her shoulders.
‘I like it here. Isn’t that odd?’
‘Why is it odd?’ said Ben, giving her a tiny kiss on her head.
‘Because of all places to come, we end up here. Where my parents came from.’
‘Well, you never knew the place. It’s not as if you have bad memories here, is it?’
‘I suppose not,’ Raychel mused.
‘There’s loads of work around for me, Raychel. I’ve never felt as settled as I do here.’ Ben squeezed his wife. ‘Maybe we’re growing up at last.’ He nudged her playfully but she wasn’t smiling. He knew where her thoughts were. The past was always waiting for their minds to slip back to like a muddy slope with little grip on the sides.
He slapped her bottom lightly to break her out of her reverie. ‘You go and have the first bath. I’ll
‘I totally agree,’ said Christie. ‘Milk, no sugar, you said? Same as me. I manage, at least, to avoid sugar in my drinks.’
‘Yes, thank you,’ said Grace. A boss had never volunteered to fetch a drink for her in all her working life. But then, like half the building, she suspected Christie Somers was very far from the norm.
Dawn had bought presents in town in her lunch hour. Gold earrings for her bridesmaids – Denise and Demi, Calum’s sisters – and a tie-pin for the best man – Rod, otherwise known as Killer, Calum’s best friend, although she couldn’t imagine he’d ever use it. Maybe it would come in useful for his appearances in court. He was electronically tagged and on a curfew, so he would be leaving the celebrations early. She’d buy Muriel some flowers. Calum’s dad, Ronnie, was giving her away. She had said that she would walk down the aisle herself because her dad wasn’t there to do the deed and there were no uncles or anyone to ask on her side, but Muriel had said that was stupid and volunteered Ronnie to do it. Ronnie hadn’t objected. The Crooke men tended to do what the Crooke women said. She wondered if Calum would take any notice of what she said once she became a Crooke woman.
She was hiring penguin suits for him and Ronnie and Killer. The amount of money she had spent so far was starting to wake her up in the middle of the night, sweating. She hadn’t a clue where the rest was going to come from.
Chapter 11
‘Ta daaahhh,’ said Ben at exactly half past nine on the Tuesday night. ‘Finished one room at least, thank goodness.’
‘Brilliant,’ said Ray, drawing the last brushful of paint across the wall. ‘Only two more rooms to go.’
‘Ah, man, we’ll have it done by the weekend. It’s worth it though, isn’t it? A free month’s rent for a few evenings of this?’
‘Well, I don’t know. These ceilings are high. There’s a lot of wall to paint.’
‘The house looks twice bigger in this colour.’
‘Remind me not to wear magnolia trousers then,’ said Raychel.
‘Give over, you’ve hardly got a bottom,’ said Ben.
‘“Give over?” You’re turning into a Yorkshireman!’
‘Aaarrghh!’ screamed Ben, as if that was a fate worse than death. But in truth he didn’t miss his roots in Newcastle. Sometimes it was as if there was no life before he and Raychel moved to Barnsley and rented this small terraced house in the Old Town district. He felt settled here. He had a good job and Ray seemed to enjoy hers. And if she was happy, he was happy.
‘That four hundred quid we’ve saved will go towards the first mortgage payment.’
They both started to grin at each other.
‘Our first mortgage. Can you believe it?’
‘I can’t believe we’re actually excited about paying out a big wodge of money every month. How sad are we?’
‘Very.’
‘You OK anchoring yourself permanently to a life in Barnsley?’ said Raychel, the smile suddenly sliding from her face.
‘Where you go, I go,’ said Ben, resting his great arms on her shoulders.
‘I like it here. Isn’t that odd?’
‘Why is it odd?’ said Ben, giving her a tiny kiss on her head.
‘Because of all places to come, we end up here. Where my parents came from.’
‘Well, you never knew the place. It’s not as if you have bad memories here, is it?’
‘I suppose not,’ Raychel mused.
‘There’s loads of work around for me, Raychel. I’ve never felt as settled as I do here.’ Ben squeezed his wife. ‘Maybe we’re growing up at last.’ He nudged her playfully but she wasn’t smiling. He knew where her thoughts were. The past was always waiting for their minds to slip back to like a muddy slope with little grip on the sides.
He slapped her bottom lightly to break her out of her reverie. ‘You go and have the first bath. I’ll
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