A Sea Change Read Free Page B

He should respect her privacy.
    Jenna swallowed hard.
    ‘I’m really sorry,’ she stammered. ‘My boss wouldn’t pay me. I haven’t got the rent money. I’ll get it for you by Monday. I promise.’
    He made a clicking noise with his tongue behind his teeth.
    ‘You’re already behind. I’m going to have to start charging you interest.’
    ‘I can’t afford to pay you interest. I can’t afford the rent as it is.’
    He shrugged.
    ‘It’s not my problem.’
    He walked over towards the window and looked around, then nodded.
    ‘It’s a big room, this. Too big for one. I could probably get a family in here. Not waste it on someone who won’t pay up.’
    He was threatening her, Jenna realised. How did he expect her to find the money? There was no point in asking him for sympathy. Men like him didn’t care. How did he sleep at night, she wondered? Better than she did, probably.
    She looked at him, and her stomach turned. He must rake in a fortune with all the money he took. What did he spend it on? He certainly didn’t spend it on his clothes, or his hair, which needed a good cut, not to mention a wash. Or his car either – she’d seen him drive round in a battered old Ford Mondeo. She wondered where he lived, and if he had a wife, or any kids. She pitied them if he did.
    Sometimes Jenna wondered if there were any decent men in the world.
    He was walking towards her wardrobe, opening it up, looking through her stuff with that stupid grin on his face.
    ‘Get out of my wardrobe,’ Jenna told him.
    He looked up. His hands were mauling her clothes, all the vintage dresses she’d bought in charity shops and at jumble sales and fromeBay. ‘Just seeing if there’s anything I could take instead of cash . . .’
    She stepped towards him.
    ‘There isn’t anything. I’ve told you. I’ll get the rent money.’
    He raised an eyebrow.
    ‘Yeah?’ He looked her up and down. She shuddered as she felt his gaze undress her. She knew what he was thinking. She folded her arms across her chest. She didn’t have to take this unspoken threat. He was a bully.
    ‘Where do you get off, treating people like this?’
    The Prof took a step back, surprised by her outburst.
    ‘Like what?’
    ‘Bullying them. Not just me, either. I’ve seen you bully that woman downstairs – the one with the baby. Does it make you feel good?’
    He scowled, slamming the wardrobe door shut.
    ‘All I want is what’s owed to me. Nothing wrong with that.’
    He came towards her with a smile. He reached out his hand and ran the back of his fingers down her cheek. His breath was stale and sour.
    ‘Get me the rent. By Monday. And if I were you, I’d keep your opinions to yourself.’
    Jenna jerked her head away. She could see that she’d rattled him. Something she’d said had touched a nerve. At least he hadn’t mentioned interest. Even so, she still didn’t have the rent. She hadn’t got anything to sell. No jewellery, no nice watch, no computer, fancy phone or iPod. Those had all gone ages ago. At least she’d bought herself some time, though.
    He looked at her steadily. She could see the stubble starting to poke through on his chin.
    ‘I’ll be back first thing on Monday.’
    She thought he was probably enjoying torturing her. It’s not as if he needed the money that much. He owned several houses around the town. He must be coining in thousands a week. He could afford to wait. If she pointed out that fact, she knew what he’d say. ‘If I let you get away with it, they’ll all want to pay late.’
    At last he left the room. Jenna hadn’t thought that she was going to get rid of him that easily, but maybe he had someone else to pick on. Her landlord was scum. He wasn’t the only one of his kind around, though. There were quite a few ‘entrepreneurs’ in Tawcombe who’d bought up the big old Victorian houses that had been sosplendid in their heyday. Especially now the town was a run-down seaside resort filled with unemployed and