Page 19 of Loving Netta Wilde

POUTY SCOWLS AND A FROZEN SMILE

It was Tuesday afternoon and Netta was back home early because it was a foodbank day. The morning had started out cool and she’d gone out in jeans and a T-shirt but by the time she was on her way home, the sun had woken up and she was so warm she’d had to change into shorts and a strappy top as soon as she got in. The shorts were new, and she was still nervous about them, but Liza had assured her she had the legs to carry them off. She stood in front of the mirror chewing on her lip. She supposed they didn’t look too bad.

She did a bit of a prance around and practised a look she’d spend hours perfecting when she was a girl. It was a cross between a pout and a scowl. The result made her laugh out loud. How could she ever have thought that was sexy?

She stopped prancing and took herself in. She wasn’t normally the sort of person who spent too long studying her appearance. She had been when she was younger and more in love with herself, but Colin had put paid to that when he found out about her affair. Netta sometimes wondered if it had been anyone other than Doogie whether he’d have been so relentless in making her pay for it. But from the moment she met Colin,he seemed to know everything about her and Doogie and he’d always had this thing about being her second choice. As soon as they’d finished university, he couldn’t get them far enough away from anything to do with Doogie. That included her best friend, Claire. And Manchester. Actually, maybe he had a point about Manchester, because as soon as Netta went back there, she took up with Doogie again and look what happened then.

Even now the thought of Colin standing over her in that hospital room, her womb emptied of its precious cargo, made her shiver. And afterwards, his conditions. The way he insisted she toned down everything about her brash, vulgar, disgusting self. It marked her. It had been a long time before she could look at herself in the mirror with anything less than loathing.

She did the pouty scowl again. ‘Fuck you, Colin. I’m wearing these shorts whether you like it or not.’

She flipped the finger at an imaginary Colin, gave her tush a little shake and went down to the study to do some work. Pouty scowls and prancing around were all very well but she had invoices to send off.

When the house was originally built, the study had been a dining room, but the previous owners had changed its function long ago and that was how it had remained. Although now, it was more of an office come hideout when things got too noisy. Not that it occurred too often these days. When Will, Kelly and Liza were all here, it could be quite riotous. But Kelly wasn’t here anymore. Will and his girlfriend were about to take their relationship to the next level, and it was quite possible that Liza would be gone too at some point. She’d be on her own again. Except, this time she’d have Frank next door, her friends close by, and the dogs. She’d be all right. Probably.

Betty came in from the hall and growled at Maud who was curled up on the sofa. She was normally very soft and easy going.Although, on all accounts she’d been a bit snappy with Minnie too recently. She growled again.

‘Betty, behave. What’s up with you?’

Betty left Maud and stuck her head on Netta’s lap. Netta scratched the dog’s ears. ‘What’s the matter, darling? Are you feeling a bit out of sorts? Do we need to take you to the vet?’

Naturally, Betty didn’t answer, but a knock at the front door set both dogs barking.

Netta peeked through the window to see who it was, and her jaw dropped. Of all the people she might have expected to see on her doorstep, Doogie Chambers was not one of them. And just when she’d been thinking of him too. Sort of thinking of him anyway, in a roundabout way. They were friends now rather than lovers, but he’d never been to her house before, and he lived a long way off. Although his mum lived on the north side of Birmingham these days, so perhaps he was visiting her.

Doogie saw her and flashed a broad grin. A single butterfly made a long winding trip from her stomach to her chest. He still had that effect on her.

‘You gonna let me in then?’ he said when she opened the door.

She folded her arms but couldn’t stop a smile sneaking out. ‘Not sure. I’m a bit stunned, to be honest. What are you doing here? I didn’t think you even knew my address.’

‘I’ve got Spike in the car.’

His dog? He’d brought his dog with him? ‘I thought he never left Scotland.’

Doogie shrugged. ‘Don’t know how long I’m gonna be away. It didn’t seem fair on Grace.’

‘Uh huh. Go on then, go and get him. I’ll get the coffee on.’

Spike, the long, lean lurcher slinked through each room of the house, closely followed by Betty and Maud. At least Betty wasn’t snapping at him.

‘How come you don’t know how long you’ll be away? Has something happened?’ she said.

‘Nope. I just fancied a bit of time in the city.’

‘And you didn’t think to let me know you were coming?’

He gave her another of those grins she could never resist. ‘Sorry. It was a bit last minute. So much so, I forgot my mum and stepdad are on holiday.’

‘So where are you staying?’

‘Haven’t worked that out yet.’ Yes, he had. He absolutely had.

‘I suppose you’re expecting to stay here?’

‘If that’s not going to rock the boat with your man next door.’

He meant Frank but, of course, there was more than one man next door. Actually, now that she thought about it, having Doogie here could be the one thing that might trigger Colin into action. ‘Yeah, about that. Colin’s moved in with Frank. Temporarily.’

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