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Back on target. Addie s personal guided missile.
I ll have to change my Christmas letter. I d put in a whole paragraph about how
you d finally found a lovely man, Joan said. I despair of you. What do you have to
show for yourself? No career, husband, children. No house of your own, not like Lisa.
Addie wished someone would stand up for her. Her brothers had their faces down.
Even Finn stayed silent and he was the only one who ever tried to defend her. Lisa
flashed her a sympathetic look but kept her mouth shut.
Addie clenched her fists. I liked Noah, but he said I was hopeless in bed. Maybe I
should sleep with as many men as I can to get more experience. What do you think?
Any tips for me about that?
There was a shocked silence and then Addie was sent to wash the dishes.
David waited until everyone was engrossed in the movie and then sidled off to
speak to Finn in the dining room. Harry looked up at him from his potty.
Not finished yet, Harry? You re missing sweeties, said David.
Harry screwed up his face and then smiled at his dad.
Done, he announced.
He stood up and the potty stayed stuck to his bottom. Finn dropped the newspaper
and leapt to his feet. David started to laugh until Finn sent him a warning look.
Clever boy. Let s sort you out and then you can go and watch TV.
Takes after you, David said.
What s that supposed to mean? Finn asked.
You used to spend hours in the toilet.
I still do. It s the only place to get any peace. And don t tell Sally you bribed Harry
with sweets. She ll blow a fuse.
You d have been in here all afternoon.
You say that like it s a bad thing. Finn grinned.
I wanted to ask you to do something.
What?
The guy that s dumped Addie, there s something not right. I don t think he s off to
Qatar. I think they made that up between them. I got his car registration.
So why don t you check up on him?
I m not supposed to.
And I am? Finn laughed.
Well, no, but I d get into more trouble than you.
Finn shook his head. Why bother?
I still think he s married and they haven t broken up. You should have seen them
kissing. They were like teenagers.
His brother looked at him for a few moments. Is this about proving you re right or
protecting Addie?
Protecting Addie.
Finn sighed. For a policeman, you re a hopeless liar. Okay, give me the number.
What are you two plotting? Joan demanded as she came into the room.
Nothing, Finn said.
David, a word. His mother beckoned him with one curl of her finger.
Behind his mother s back, David saw Finn stare hard at him and zip his mouth.
They both knew he was wasting his time.
Adelina. Kitchen. Now, Joan roared.
Addie had just sat down after doing all the washing up. When Finn got up too, her
heart thudded.
So he is married, Joan said with a smug smile. All that rubbish about Qatar. You
should be ashamed, lying to us. Think of his wife. The poor woman. His children will
be damaged forever by this. It s no good telling me it s his fault as much as yours. It
isn t. Men can t help themselves. It s their penises.
Addie heard Finn disguising a laugh behind her. She wondered if it was worth
speaking. As soon as she opened her mouth her mother leapt in again.
I hope you used protection. It would be terrible if he passed some disease on to his
wife.
Mum, that s a bit harsh, Finn said.
I told you he s not married, Addie said. But what does it matter anyway?
Of course it matters if you re still seeing him. Joan glared at her.
Addie looked to Finn for help, but he shrugged.
If you had half the brains of your brothers&
And that was it. I m going home.
I ll drive you back, Finn said.
No, you won t. I only get to see you for a few hours each week. If she wants to go,
she can go on her own. And take that bag of clippings, Addie. You forgot it last week.
Addie hadn t forgotten. The clipped out articles started the day she went to
university. Whilst scouring newspapers and magazines for competitions, her mother
came across items Addie needed to read to improve her life, so she cut them out to post
to her. No note or letter, just large recycled envelopes full of pages on what to do if you
have big feet, long legs, short hair, no bust, no dress sense, a lisp (she hadn t), no idea
how to apply makeup, low self-esteem, webbed feet and a beak. Every time an envelope
arrived, a black cloud enveloped Addie s heart because even at a distance her mother
still wanted to control her.
As she left the house, she dropped the bag in next door s wheelie bin. She caught a
bus to the multi-screen cinema in Kirkstall and watched two crappy films to ensure she
got home after Lisa and David had gone to bed. Addie knew she should never have
come back to Leeds. She should have stayed as far away as she could.
Chapter Seven
Addie waved to Fred as she hurried across the yard to the office. He waved back,
but her favorite coach driver had a grim look on his face. Already in danger of being
late, she hadn t time to ask why. Addie saw the Booth s Travel sign lying on the ground
and wondered if it had fallen off in the night. Maybe Fred had the job of putting it back.
Bob Booth had built up his business from a single travel agency, established in 1975,
to a swarm of them now strategically placed in major towns in the north. Booth s Travel
also ran a fleet of coaches and when Royal Ascot had temporarily moved to York, Bob
expanded in a small way into corporate hospitality. Addie had worked part-time for
Booth s for just over a year, in a sales and admin role she could have done straight from
school. The lingering dream that Bob would one day recognize her worth and appoint
her managing director had made it difficult to leave.
As Addie rounded the corner, she saw two men on ladders fastening a board in
place. Magelan s. She slammed to a halt. Magelan s were a large leisure company based
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