Perfect Timing Read Free Page A

much-loved only child.
    In the first unbearable months following the accident, Poppy had secretly wondered why the lorry couldn’t have suffered brake failure in front of her father instead. It was shameful to even think it, but at twelve years old, you couldn’t always control your thoughts. And it would have been so much easier to lose the withdrawn, humorless, silent parent who didn’t even seem to like her that much anyway.
    But it hadn’t happened that way. Laura had been the one to die and Mervyn Dunbar had never made any attempts to replace her. Gradually, Poppy had grown used to the fact that from now on there would be just the two of them. Poppy had made heroic attempts to learn to cook. A cleaning woman came in twice a week to keep the place hygienic.
    Despite Poppy’s best efforts, her father had continued to treat her as more of a stranger in the house than a daughter. In turn, she had taken to going out a great deal. He was her father but Poppy wasn’t sure she loved him. It was hard to love someone who so plainly didn’t love you back.
    Now, having knocked on his bedroom door, she waited downstairs in the kitchen. Ten minutes later he appeared, fully dressed, in the doorway.
    â€˜Dad, I can’t do it. I’m going to have to call the wedding off.’
    Poppy watched him heave a sigh before reaching slowly for his cup of tea. When he had taken the first sip he would pull a face. She knew this because it was what he always did when she had made the tea.
    â€˜Why?’ her father said at last when he had swallowed and grimaced. ‘What’s he done wrong?’
    â€˜Nothing. Rob hasn’t done anything wrong.’ Poppy pushed her fingers through her wet hair, wincing as a strand of it caught up in her engagement ring. The small diamond twinkled in the sunlight. She would have to give it back. ‘It’s me. I just can’t go through with it.’
    â€˜And it’s taken you until now to realize this?’
    â€˜I know, I know.’
    â€˜Do you enjoy it?’ her father said bitterly. ‘Causing trouble?’
    She stared at him, appalled. ‘Of course I don’t!’
    â€˜You’ve always caused trouble.’
    â€˜I have not ,’ Poppy almost shouted, outraged by the lie. If there was one thing she’d never been, it was a troublemaker.
    â€˜You’re like your mother.’ Mervyn Dunbar’s voice dropped to a hoarse undertone. With her red-gold hair pushed away from her forehead like that, Poppy so resembled her mother it was unnerving. And she was twenty-two now; the same age Laura had been when he had first met her.
    How he had loved Laura, he thought wearily. And how she had hurt him in return.
    â€˜What do you mean?’ Poppy began to feel sick. She had never heard him say anything like this before. Her mother wasn’t a subject he had ever seemed to want to discuss.
    Mervyn Dunbar finished drinking his tea. ‘Nothing. I’m just saying you like a bit of drama, that’s all. So what happens after you’ve called the wedding off? Have you thought about that?’
    â€˜Not really—’
    â€˜And where will you live? Or,’ said Mervyn heavily, ‘does this mean you’ll be staying on here?’
    It was ironic, thought Poppy, that she should ever have worried about having to leave her father to fend for himself. Not normally slow, it had taken her until now to realize he would actually prefer her out of his way.
    â€˜It’s all right, I’ll move out.’ She spoke jerkily, not having had time yet to think things through. ‘I don’t know where. Maybe out of Bristol. At least that way I won’t keep bumping into Rob and his family. And all his friends—’
    Poppy jumped as out in the hall the newspaper clattered through the letter box. She looked up at the clock on the kitchen wall. Ten to seven. Oh dear, she’d better get a move on. Poor Rob. He