Perfect on Paper Gillian Harvey (free romance novels .txt) 📖

hung them up; instantly feeling a little bit better. Walking through to the living room, she found Toby, sitting on a sofa that had been half cleared – evidently he was learning to troubleshoot enough to find somewhere to rest his bottom.

It wasn’t much, but she clocked it up as progress anyway.

‘Where’re the kids?’ she asked.

‘Upstairs doing homework,’ he replied. ‘Or that’s what they said, at least.’

‘Right.’

‘We cooked a pizza,’ he said, looking at her as if for approval.

‘That’s … that’s great.’

‘There’s a slice for you through there.’

‘Oh! Thank you!’

‘You’re welcome.’ He shifted slightly in his seat. ‘How was your meeting?’

‘Oh, OK.’

‘And that Camberwaddle guy – still in hospital?’

‘Yeah, but he’s going to be OK, I think.’

‘That’s good.’

‘Are you OK?’ she asked, noticing his downbeat tone.

‘Yeah. Well, kind of. It’s not been the best day,’ he replied.

‘No?’

‘No. Let’s just say there was an incident in the loos.’

‘Knickers?’

‘Knickers.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yeah, and then when we went into the studio, Hatty saw the top of them poking out of my trousers and decided to, um, ping my elastic.’

‘She didn’t!’

‘Yep.’

‘What did you say?’

‘I didn’t know what to say. She’s kind of my boss; I guess I’m going to have to put up with some of it.’

‘You shouldn’t …’

‘Anyway,’ he said, ‘that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. After work I was walking to my car and, well, I’d taken my jacket off, and there were paparazzi …’

‘Right?’

‘And, you know. I bent to get in and … well, the knickers. Cameras.’

She nodded. ‘Online?’

‘Yeah,’ he said, ‘I daren’t even go on social media right now.’

‘Oh, Toby. But how about you make a joke of it – face up to it? It could make for a fun discussion? Gender roles, that kind of thing.’

His brow furrowed. ‘You know,’ he said as if astonished, ‘that’s actually not a bad idea.’

‘Thank you.’

‘And you’re OK, you know – physically?’ she prompted.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I don’t know – I guess you’ve been looking a bit pale recently. I thought maybe you were overdoing it or I don’t know, a bit too stressed?’

‘I suppose I am, a bit,’ he said.

‘Work stuff?’

‘No. Well, yes that. But also … it’s us.’

‘Us?’ She felt suddenly afraid. ‘I mean I know things haven’t been ideal, but …?’

‘I just wondered – is there something you want to tell me?’

She felt slightly sick. Had he recognised her on TV? She thought frantically of her Martha B. outfit, crammed into a carrier bag in her wardrobe. Maybe he’d found it. Maybe he’d put two and two together. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

‘You just … well, you’re late again. And I know you left work on time, I rang in and you’d already gone.’

‘Oh!’ She felt herself relax. He was worried she was having an affair. Not starring in her own rap group.

‘Is there … is there something I need to know about?’

This was a difficult question to answer honestly. There was something she probably ought to tell him. But it wouldn’t be what he expected. ‘No, not really.’

‘What do you mean, not really?’ he paled.

‘No, no,’ she said. ‘Seriously, nothing like that. I’m not having an affair.’ She sat down next to him, the sofa crinkling with plastic packets. ‘Nothing like that.’

‘Oh. So, what?’

‘I’m not sure if I’m ready to tell you yet.’

He looked at her alarmed. ‘Are you … are you ill or something?’

It was time. ‘Look, I wasn’t going to say anything – I suppose I sort of wondered whether you’d put two and two together after the TV thing. But I’m Martha.’

He looked at her with complete confusion.

‘What?’

She couldn’t do it, she realised. Not until she knew what she wanted to do about it. He’d think she was completely mad.

‘I mean … I’m like Martha – you know, Martha B. I want to … I’m just trying to do something for myself. Something … well, different.’

‘And you can’t tell me about it?’

‘Not yet. I will. It’s just …’

‘And you’re not having an affair?’

‘I am absolutely not having an affair,’ she said, her mind suddenly darting to a picture of Dan, his lips pressed to her cheek.

‘Then I guess I’ll have to trust you,’ Toby said, kissing her gently.

‘Thank you.’

‘Now, let’s get this sofa cleared off shall we? I think I got a paper cut on my arse from that empty Pringle packet.’

Chapter Thirty-Two

‘So you’re sure you can’t make the quiz tonight?’ Ann asked as they sat together on a bench munching a lunch of shop-bought sandwiches.

One benefit – if there could be such a thing – of having a cupboard office that stank to high heaven was that she was breaking the habit of eating her lunch over her computer, Clare thought. Instead, she’d been out twice for a proper lunch this week, and today – to celebrate a rare moment of sun – she had chosen to hit the park with Ann.

‘Not this time,’ she said, her cheeks reddening. She wondered why she hadn’t told Ann the truth about her busy evening. It wasn’t as if her friend would misjudge her or laugh at her – hopefully. And she wasn’t exactly going to ring up the clients and spill the beans.

‘And you’re sure everything’s OK?’

Clare nodded, then said, ‘Look, I can trust you right?’

‘Of course!’ Ann’s brow furrowed with concern. ‘I knew … I mean, I felt there was something up. Is it the office stuff? You’re not feeling depressed? Look,’ she reached and grabbed Clare’s hand, ‘whatever it is, we’re in it together, OK?’

‘Oh God, it’s nothing … I mean, you don’t have to worry about me,’ Clare said, quickly. ‘There’s … I’m perfectly well, all things considered.’ She felt a pang of guilt – had her economy with the truth made her friend worried? ‘I … well, you know a few weeks ago, I took the day off sick?’

‘Oh, the underpants day!’ Ann grinned.

‘That’s the one! Well, I wasn’t … it wasn’t strictly true, I didn’t have a sickness bug; I was so fed up