Page 59 of You Spin Me Round

‘Which is what?’ Erin asked.

‘She’s going to try and bribe her way into a bunch of awards.’

‘She is? How do you know that?’ Erin asked.

‘I got an invite to the bribe party.’

‘Are you going?’

Leigh smiled to herself. ‘Damn right. Someone’s got to be there to witness the vile display. If only so I can plan my next move,’ she said.

That was true, but it wasn’t the only reason she wanted to go. However, Leigh wasn’t quite ready to deal withthatjust yet.

Twenty-Five

‘But you’redefinitelyOK?’ Alex asked her mother over the phone a few days later. She’d never gotten back in to see her at the hospital because she’d been put on a list and banned from the premises. But Alex had called them a lot. To the extent that she knew not only the moment her mother was revived but the full details of her every waking moment, including anything she ate and every time she pooped.

‘Yes. Got home this morning,’ her mother said. ‘I feel well rested from the coma. Best night’s sleep I’ve had in years.’

‘And Rick’s taking care of you?’

‘Yes, he is.’

‘Is he standing in the room?’ Alex checked.

‘He’s nipped out to the shops for tea bags.’

‘Great, so your new husband is not going to hear me when I ask what the hell is going on with your old one?’ Alex asked casually.

There was a silence, and then her mother said, ‘Maybe I’m notthatwell.’

‘Mother…’

‘Look, I know this is hard for you to understand.’

‘That’s true,’ Alex responded.

‘I made a mistake, OK?’

‘Why? What is it about him that’s just so fucking irresistible to you?’ Alex demanded.

‘You don’t quit loving someone because the marriage ends,’ her mother said. ‘Love doesn’t work that way.’

‘You cheated on your current husband. What aboutthatlove?’

‘Oh, Alex! You couldn’t understand it,’ her mother cried.

‘Why not? I’m an adult. Lay it out for me. Why would you sleep with that scumbag?’ Alex asked evenly.

‘You’re talking about your own father,’ her mother said, appalled.

‘That’s exactlywhyI get to talk about him like that,’ Alex reasoned. ‘Because he fucked me up.’

‘He didn’t fuck you up,’ her mother retorted angrily. ‘You’re fine. You’re good.’

‘I’m not fineorgood,’ Alex spat angrily.

‘Why? What’s wrong?’ her mother asked.

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