Page 67 of Beg, Borrow or Steal
‘Thank you,’ Libby whispered as Jamie straightened up from the floor.
‘I won’t contradict you in front of her. But that doesn’t change how I feel. I want you to stay.’
‘I can’t.’
They stood staring at each other. A couple more tears slipped down Libby’s cheeks but she didn’t say any more. After a long moment Jamie sighed and looked down at his feet.
‘She’s right,’ Libby said. ‘Mr Tullyisa gwumpy fastard – I had better pack up and get back there before it gets too late, or he’ll complain about “late-night comings and goings”. It’s happened before when Kira laughed in the corridor after nine at night. To be fair to Mr Tully, Kira’s laugh is probably louder than most environmental health hazard noise pollution.’ She gave him a weak smile. He didn’t have it in him to reciprocate.
‘Okay, you go and separate the woodlice from my pants and I’ll go and get the suitcases I hid.’
‘Right,’ Libby said, and pressed her lips together, clenching her jaw. Jamie’s feet took him over to her of their own accord and he laid his hands on her shoulders just as he had her daughter. She looked up at him with those wide ice-blue eyes, and he sucked in a sharp breath at just how stunning she was. That was the strange thing about Libby – you’d think you’d adjusted to her appearance but every so often the sheer intensity of it would hit you like a sledgehammer out of nowhere.
‘Stay,’ he whispered, not above begging. She reached up to his face and slid her hand from his hairline down to his neck, then pressed a small kiss on his cheek. Before he could move she had backed away, out of his range. She gave him one last, long look, shook her head, and then started opening drawers, removing all trace of their presence from his home.
Jamie watched her for a moment, then turned to leave. Whatever she said, it wasn’t over. So he’d let them go for now, if that’s what she needed.
But he wasn’t giving up. Not by a long way.
Chapter 30
There’ll be a riot
‘Mummy. Muuuummmy! Mummy?’
‘I … uh … what … ?’ Libby tried to focus on her daughter’s voice but her brain had temporarily stalled. All she seemed to be able to take in were the words swimming in front of her eyes.
‘I’ve called youthreetimes, Mummy,’ Rosie told her with supreme four-year-old indignation at being ignored. ‘I do not want to have to repeat myself.’
‘Okay, Little Louse,’ Libby muttered, clutching the paper she was reading in two hands, her head not lifting from her frantic re-reading of its contents.
‘Mummy!’ Rosie’s latest shout caused Libby to jump in her seat and she managed to tear her eyes away from the letter.
‘Right, yes – what is it, honey?’
‘Ineeda dog.’
Libby rolled her eyes. ‘You don’t need a dog. You need to eat your lunch and you need to put your knickers on … but you don’t need a dog. We’re not allowed pets here, darling.’
‘Ugh!’ Rosie huffed out a disgusted breath. ‘Idoneed one. My tummy hurts without a dog.’ Libby put the paper down and moved out of her chair to drop down in front of Rosie and cup her small face. She was smiling. She couldn’t stop smiling. Five years of struggle. Five years of worry and difficulty and she was finally, finally getting her lucky break. The words swam up into her brain again:
Dear Miss Penny,
We have reviewed your application for a grant covering the clinical portion of your study. Given the demands of the course and your academic record at the school we are pleased to be able to offer you a more robust package of financial aid ...
They were going to help her. The people in charge at the Deanery who’d signed this letter were finally going to help her. No more beg, borrow or steal. No more sleepless nights. She pulled Rosie in for a fierce hug and swung her from side to side. ‘I love you, gorgeous, funny girl.’
‘Mummy!’ Rosie said, pushing back and squeezing Libby’s face between her small hands. ‘You’re still not listening.’
‘I am,’ Libby said, pulling Rosie back in for another hug. ‘I’m sorry your tummy aches without a dog. As soon as we get back from Granny and Bumpa’s we’ll go and see Beauty, okay?’
At the mention of Beauty, Rosie’s body went from being stiff with anger to melting into Libby, and Libby felt a pang of guilt that she hadn’t let Rosie go back to Jamie’s house since they moved out two weeks ago.
She’d been avoiding him. To be honest she had thought it was probably for the best. She hadn’t been able see a way to make it work. But now … now, with this money, she wouldn’t have to dance anymore. Well, she’d still do some choreography, still coach the girls, but that would be enough. Finally she could concentrate on her studies and Rosie. And maybe, with this obstacle out of the way between her and Jamie, maybe if they could sort out the Educational Director stuff, there was a chance for them too.
Once Rosie had pulled away to eat her sandwich Libby began to hunt for her phone. For some bizarre reason it was in the bread bin. She smiled as she remembered Jamie’s anal little shelf in his entryway for his keys, wallet and phone. The two of them must have driven him nuts when they lived there.
For a moment she paused before she hit the green button to dial his number. His frequent phone calls had stopped three days ago. A shiver of worry went down her spine. He couldn’t have forgotten about her that quickly, could he? She shook her head – this was Jamie, her Jamie. Of course he wouldn’t have forgotten about her already. She tapped the screen and waited whilst it rang. Her shoulders sagged when the answerphone kicked in. She didn’t want to leave a message – she wanted to scream and shout with him over the phone; hear his reaction to her news for herself. She straightened her shoulders and pressed again. On the ninth ring he answered.
