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‘They expired over a month ago. They weren’t open-ended,’ she told him. ‘So, assuming we do come back with you, are you going to fork out for the airfare?’
Troy didn’t say a word.
Annabelle carried on, ‘I thought not. You’ve not got the money for that either, have you? So just out of curiosity, where are you proposing we stay? In a tent in the hills? Borrow somebody’s boat?’
‘There’s no need to be like that.’ Troy was sullen. ‘I told you, I’m in the middle of getting a rental.’
‘Where? How many bedrooms does it have? Does it have a garden?’ She flung the questions at him like pebbles from a catapult.
‘I don’t know, do I?’
Annabelle threw her hands up in the air. ‘You’re in the middle of getting a rental and you don’t even know where it is or how many bedrooms it’s got? You, Troy, are a big fat liar and I want you gone now.’
‘What am I gonna do without you?’ Troy asked, looking hangdog.
‘You managed quite well without me before,’ she pointed out. ‘Oh, yes, that was when you had Sallie, wasn’t it? You don’t want me back at all – you just want someone to keep house for you. Even if I could live with that, I can’t live with the way you treated your own children. When you took a loan out on our house, you didn’t even have the decency to tell me so I could make sure they were OK. You didn’t think about them at all, did you?’
‘Is that true, Dad? Is it your fault?’ Jake demanded, and Annabelle jumped.
She hadn’t heard her son come in and she hastily turned to face him, seeing pale-faced Izzie by his side. The children had clearly heard everything, and she wished she could take the last few minutes back and spare them the knowledge that their dad was an arsehole.
‘It’s not all my fault.’ Troy protested. ‘It’s as much your mother’s as mine.’
‘Excuse me?’ Annabelle was astounded. How dare he!
‘It’s like this,’ Troy said. ‘Bella, you were so wrapped up in the kids that you didn’t have time for—’
‘Stop right there, mister, before you say something you regret. And don’t think you wouldn’t regret saying it, because I wouldmakeyou regret it. Of course your children came first; they were babies. They couldn’t open the fridge and help themselves to a drink; they couldn’t cook their meals, or do their own washing. Hang on a sec, neither could you, if I remember rightly. You’re like a kid yourself, just as helpless, expecting me to run around after you. More fool me that I did, so don’t you dare accuse me of being wrapped up in the kids. You got just as much attention.’
He continued to stare at her and slowly raised his eyebrows.
Annabelle pursed her lips, knowing exactly what sort of attention he was referring to. She’d given him plenty of that too, but clearly not enough, which was why he’d sought additional attention in the willing arms of Sallie. He was no better than a tomcat. But if he mentioned that in his children’s hearing, God help her she’d take his head off his shoulders.
Wisely for him, Troy didn’t say anything further.
‘Dad?’ Jake was still waiting for an explanation, one that he could understand.
‘What’s your mum been telling you? What lies has she been filling your head with?’ Troy was still belligerent.
Jake looked from his dad, to his mum, then back to his dad again. He licked his lips and swallowed. ‘She told us that sometimes grown-ups don’t love each other anymore, and sometimes it’s better if they live apart.’
‘She’s got that right! I bet she told you I didn’t love you, either,’ Troy crowed.
‘No, she didn’t say that,’ Jake said.
‘No need to stick up for her, son, you can tell me the truth.’
‘Thatisthe truth, Dad.’ Jake’s eyes glittered with tears and some of them spilled over to trickle down his face.
‘I don’t know whatyou’recrying about,’ Troy growled. ‘I’m the one she’s telling to piss off.’
‘Language!’ Helen shot Troy a ferocious glare.
‘Shut up, you old bat. Who are you anyway?’
Helen drew herself up to her full height and opened her mouth. However, she didn’t get a chance to say anything because Brett walked around the island and over to where Troy was sitting. His eyes were hard, his face set.
‘You’d better go,’ he said. His voice was deceptively mild.
