preferential treatment, with an extension built soon.
Her lip curled and she took her anger out on Steve, her husband. ‘I hear they're having a meeting at the yard. Why aren't you there?’
‘I wasn't invited. Anyway, it's my day off.’
‘Day off! Leave it out. The yard closes at one o'clock so it's only half a day. You're a mug to putup with it,’ Ivy said, shaking her head at her husband's stupidity. ‘Do you know what the meeting's about?’
‘No.’
Ivy bristled. Getting anything out of Steve was like trying to get blood out of a stone, but she wasn't ready to give up yet. ‘Are they planning a job?’
‘Leave it out. Your uncle hasn't touched a safe in years.’
‘They're up to something. I can feel it in me water. Come on, you must know what's going on.’
‘I don't, and even if I did, I know when to keep my mouth shut.’
‘Don't give me that. You don't like my relatives, so why the loyalty?’
‘It ain't loyalty, you silly cow. It's more like self-preservation.’
‘Bloody hell, Steve, you can tell me. I ain't about to blab.’
‘Blab about what? For Gawd's sake, Ivy, I've been working for your uncle for less than a year so I'm as much in the dark as you are. I prefer it that way too. I'm happy just working in the yard and doing deliveries.’
‘Yeah, but compared to the boys you get paid peanuts. It ain't right, Steve. You do twice as many shifts as them. In fact, they hardly show their faces at the yard, so what do they get up to?’
‘I dunno, but I ain't complaining.’
Ivy saw the shifty look in her husband's eyes and wasn't fooled. He knew something, she was sure of it. He'd been a totter when she met him and it had taken her years to persuade Uncle Dan to give him a job in the family firm. Steve should thank her, but instead of telling her what they were up to he'd become as secretive as the rest of the male members of the family. She knew that at only five feet tall Steve was the butt of their jokes and, like her, he was no oil painting. He was thickset, and his lack of neck made his head appear to sit on his wide shoulders. On top of that, his legs were slightly bowed, due to malnutrition as a child. He had nice eyes, though, deep green and fringed by long, dark lashes.
The sound of a ball banging repeatedly against the wall made Ivy's chin jut. She rushed to the back door, throwing it open. The culprit was Ernie, her elder son, seven years old and football mad.
‘Pack it in!’ she yelled. ‘If you want to play with that ball, go to the park.’
‘Can I go too, Mummy?’ five-year-old Harry pleaded.
‘Yeah, bugger off, the pair of you. And you, Ernie, make sure you hold your brother's hand when you cross the road.’
They scuttled off and Ivy heaved a sigh of relief, glad of the peace. But no sooner had the boys disappeared than there was a knock on the door. ‘Christ, what now?’ she complained.
Steve opened it. ‘Watcha, Linda, come on in.’
‘Hello, love, you look a bit rough,’ Ivy observed.
‘I'm sorry to bother you, Ivy, but do you know of anything that can ease this morning sickness?’
Before Ivy could answer Steve said, ‘I'm just popping down to your Aunt Joan's.’
‘What for?’
‘Dan wants me to fix a catch on one of their windows.’
‘Oh, so now you're his handyman too. Huh, so much for your day off. I wanted you down at the allotment. You ain't touched it for ages and it's running wild with weeds.’
‘Don't start. Fixing the catch won't take a minute.’
‘Oh, just bugger off,’ Ivy said, glad to see the back of him. No sooner had the door closed than she turned to Linda, her bad mood lifting at the thought of a good old gossip with the only person who seemed to like her in the alley. ‘Sit down, love. I'll make us a nice cup of tea.’
‘Thanks, Ivy, but I doubt I'll be able to keep it down.’
‘You poor cow. I was the same with my first pregnancy. There ain't much you can do about it, but don't worry, it usually only
Her lip curled and she took her anger out on Steve, her husband. ‘I hear they're having a meeting at the yard. Why aren't you there?’
‘I wasn't invited. Anyway, it's my day off.’
‘Day off! Leave it out. The yard closes at one o'clock so it's only half a day. You're a mug to putup with it,’ Ivy said, shaking her head at her husband's stupidity. ‘Do you know what the meeting's about?’
‘No.’
Ivy bristled. Getting anything out of Steve was like trying to get blood out of a stone, but she wasn't ready to give up yet. ‘Are they planning a job?’
‘Leave it out. Your uncle hasn't touched a safe in years.’
‘They're up to something. I can feel it in me water. Come on, you must know what's going on.’
‘I don't, and even if I did, I know when to keep my mouth shut.’
‘Don't give me that. You don't like my relatives, so why the loyalty?’
‘It ain't loyalty, you silly cow. It's more like self-preservation.’
‘Bloody hell, Steve, you can tell me. I ain't about to blab.’
‘Blab about what? For Gawd's sake, Ivy, I've been working for your uncle for less than a year so I'm as much in the dark as you are. I prefer it that way too. I'm happy just working in the yard and doing deliveries.’
‘Yeah, but compared to the boys you get paid peanuts. It ain't right, Steve. You do twice as many shifts as them. In fact, they hardly show their faces at the yard, so what do they get up to?’
‘I dunno, but I ain't complaining.’
Ivy saw the shifty look in her husband's eyes and wasn't fooled. He knew something, she was sure of it. He'd been a totter when she met him and it had taken her years to persuade Uncle Dan to give him a job in the family firm. Steve should thank her, but instead of telling her what they were up to he'd become as secretive as the rest of the male members of the family. She knew that at only five feet tall Steve was the butt of their jokes and, like her, he was no oil painting. He was thickset, and his lack of neck made his head appear to sit on his wide shoulders. On top of that, his legs were slightly bowed, due to malnutrition as a child. He had nice eyes, though, deep green and fringed by long, dark lashes.
The sound of a ball banging repeatedly against the wall made Ivy's chin jut. She rushed to the back door, throwing it open. The culprit was Ernie, her elder son, seven years old and football mad.
‘Pack it in!’ she yelled. ‘If you want to play with that ball, go to the park.’
‘Can I go too, Mummy?’ five-year-old Harry pleaded.
‘Yeah, bugger off, the pair of you. And you, Ernie, make sure you hold your brother's hand when you cross the road.’
They scuttled off and Ivy heaved a sigh of relief, glad of the peace. But no sooner had the boys disappeared than there was a knock on the door. ‘Christ, what now?’ she complained.
Steve opened it. ‘Watcha, Linda, come on in.’
‘Hello, love, you look a bit rough,’ Ivy observed.
‘I'm sorry to bother you, Ivy, but do you know of anything that can ease this morning sickness?’
Before Ivy could answer Steve said, ‘I'm just popping down to your Aunt Joan's.’
‘What for?’
‘Dan wants me to fix a catch on one of their windows.’
‘Oh, so now you're his handyman too. Huh, so much for your day off. I wanted you down at the allotment. You ain't touched it for ages and it's running wild with weeds.’
‘Don't start. Fixing the catch won't take a minute.’
‘Oh, just bugger off,’ Ivy said, glad to see the back of him. No sooner had the door closed than she turned to Linda, her bad mood lifting at the thought of a good old gossip with the only person who seemed to like her in the alley. ‘Sit down, love. I'll make us a nice cup of tea.’
‘Thanks, Ivy, but I doubt I'll be able to keep it down.’
‘You poor cow. I was the same with my first pregnancy. There ain't much you can do about it, but don't worry, it usually only
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