The Boys' Club Read Free Page A

unnaturally quiet in the back of the car as Rosie turned up
the radio and waited for the gossip news to come on at 7.45 am as
usual. To save time, she took the back streets, going the wrong way
up a one-way street – local's knowledge – to avoid two sets of lights.
    'Bugger,' she hissed as she pulled up at the Little Darlings Daycare
entrance. Snag Dad, as Rosie called him, was making his way to
the gate with his son Elroy, a good friend of Leon's. Rosie wasn't
sure why Snag Dad flustered her so much. Maybe it was because he
was always with his boy, getting him to preschool on time, picking
him up as soon as the day ended – basically being everything Leon's
father was not. The guy was positively Ned Flanders from The
Simpsons as far as she was concerned, all 'hidey-hodey and have a
nice day'. How could someone be that happy and organised all the
time? She wanted to punch him. Hell, he's coming over. 'Hi there, Leon's mum,' Snag Dad said, leaning into her car
window. 'Bit late today, I see.'
    Tell me something I don't know, sunshine. Don't you have somewhere
better to be than lingering outside daycare? Shoo! Even as she thought
it, Rosie chastised herself for being so intolerant.
    'Yes, I am late, so I haven't really got time to stop and chat,' she
said apologetically. As she got out of the car and unstrapped Leon
from his seat, she noticed Snag Dad was still hovering beside her.
    'You know, your boy and mine are pretty close,' he continued, as
Rosie made her way to the gate. 'I was thinking it would be nice if
they could hang out together out of school sometime.'
    Rosie wasn't listening. She was looking at that coded lock and
realising that yet again she had forgotten the combination. Every
day, without fail, she forgot the four-number sequence she needed to
open that pesky gate. When she did finally remember, it was usually
the day the place changed the combo. She was sure she had written
the latest code down somewhere . . .
    She grabbed her handbag, found her purse and started rifling
through the dark recesses of her once sleek Prada wallet, which was
now so stuffed full of receipts and other assorted bits of crap it looked
like a badly wrapped kebab. As she opened it, several business cards
flew out, including one she knew she would need later. She was about
to run after it when she noted, with gratitude, her boy darting to pick
up the wayward gilt-embossed card.
    'Thanks, sweetpea,' she yelled as Leon returned with the card held
triumphantly high. Rosie then turned to the infernal lock and was
just about to kick the fencepost with her stiletto when she heard, 'It's
one-three-two-one.'
    Turning to face her saviour, Rosie was taken aback as she noticed
for the first time that Snag Dad was actually a bit of a sort. Dark,
tall, with blue-green eyes and sideburns, he reminded her of her
all-time crush, Tex Perkins, right down to the Celtic tattoo she saw
peeking from under the rolled-up sleeve of his loose chambray shirt. How desperate am I for sex when Snag Dad at daycare looks like a
sort? she thought to herself. How long has it been anyway? Too long to
remember, that's for sure, and too pathetic to acknowledge .
    Rosie was so engrossed in her internal monologue that she
completely missed what Snag Dad was saying. It would be impolite
to ignore someone who had just done her a favour, but unfortunately
she had no time to wait around while he repeated himself.
    'Look, I have to be honest with you—'
    'It's Daniel.'
    'Yes, of course, Daniel. It's just that, well, I didn't hear a word you
said. I'm sorry about that and I would love to hang around and hear
whatever it is you have to say but I'm stressed out of my mind at the
moment. My boy is sick. I hate my job. My ex is a first-class bastard
and I have no life.' Why are you saying this? Rosie wondered . Shut up,
woman, that is way too much information .
    'Yeah, it's hard,' Snag Dad answered sympathetically. 'I see you
racing here with your kid each day and you always seem