Time After Time Read Free Page A

bedroom and into Danny’s room. He lay higgledy-piggledy in his bed, arms flung out like a starfish, his dinosaur pyjama-top halfway up his belly. Hayley covered him with his
SpongeBob SquarePants
duvet and kissed him. She lingered at the doorway.
    I should have ‘Crap Mum’ tattooed on my forehead.
    ‘Hey.’ Rick smiled when she walked into the kitchen in a fresh T-shirt. ‘Good day?’ He ran a hand over his stubble and through his greying hair. ‘Did you speak to Isamu?’
    ‘The job fell through.’
    ‘What? Why?’
    ‘Said they’d filled it internally. Isamu reckons I should sit tight for a few months.’
    Rick shook his head. ‘Oh fuck, that sucks, big time. I’m sorry. Maybe it’s for the best though – you didn’t seem that keen –’
    ‘That’s not the point, Rick, I …’ She sighed as she rubbed her face.
    He looked at her. ‘You want to talk about it?’
    She shook her head.
    Rick looked away, then finally said, ‘Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?’
    ‘No, thanks. Food’s the last thing on my mind right now. But did you get the Halloween costumes?’ Her imaginary pen was poised, ready to check a ‘Done’ box on her virtual to-do list.
    ‘Oh shit.’ Rick scrunched up his face and snapped his fingers. ‘I knew I should’ve done something else.’
    She put her head down and her palms over her eyes. ‘Rick, I put a note on the fridge.’ She looked up and tried a smile which, she imagined, looked more like an unhinged grimace. ‘Never mind. Go tomorrow.’
    He shook his head. ‘Sorry love, I can’t. I have to go over the website with the culinary school.’
    ‘Tomorrow?’
    He nodded. ‘I’m seeing them in the morning. The site looks great, even if I do say so myself. I’ll show you later if you like? Anyway, glass of wine? How was the rest of your day?’
    ‘Utter bollocks. The Berger offer went tits up,’ Hayley said, tears prickling her eyes and she turned away.
    Get a grip.
    She couldn’t stand crying in front of people, not even Rick. If she lost control she didn’t think she’d ever regain it.
    ‘Shit.’ Rick’s brow furrowed. ‘What happened?’
    ‘I don’t know. But now I don’t have a job offer and I’ve lost another client.’ She swallowed. ‘I’m going to get reprimanded. Or fired.’
    He snorted. ‘That’s a bit dramatic. There’s no way you’ll get fired.’
    ‘Rick –’
    He waved a hand at her. ‘Charles couldn’t cope without you. Man, I was really looking forward to his reaction when you quit … Something else will come up. You could always tell him to –’
    ‘Shove it?’ Hayley let out a sarcastic laugh. ‘You’ve said that a hundred times. I can’t quit without a job to go to.’
    ‘You’ll find something. And you’d be a damn sight happier, that’s for sure.’
    ‘Would I? How? What would we live on?’ She waved an arm around. ‘Do you want to call Mum and tell her we can’t afford to support them anymore or shall I?’
    Rick’s bright blue eyes narrowed. ‘Is that a dig at me again?’
    ‘What? No. I didn’t mean –’
    ‘I’m doing the best I can. And we agreed. Remember?’
    How could she not? Six months before her dad’s stroke, Rick had come home one evening, pale and red-eyed. ‘They’re wiping out the entire department,’ he said, shaking his head and running his fingers through his greying hair. ‘All one hundred and twenty-six of us.’
    He’d applied for jobs and she watched Rick’s confidence take a hit with every rejection letter he received, even more so when he didn’t hear from prospective employers at all.
    ‘Start the web-design business you’ve always dreamed of,’ she said one night. He protested, said it wouldn’t be fair on her. ‘I’ll support us,’ she replied. ‘Besides, I’ll be a partner soon. You should do it. We’ll manage.’
    Now Hayley looked at Rick, took a deep breath. ‘I know what I said, but –’
    ‘I just don’t get how you can work for that stupid