Page 160 of Love ad Lib
Lucas’s eyes lit up. He read it out and Henry added the number to his contacts.
‘Cheers, Foxy.’
Henry nodded again, desperate to get away before he obeyed the call of his fists.
‘Er,’ Lucas began. ‘Are things cool with Libby?’
‘She’ll be fine. Just give her some space, eh?’
He nodded and held out his hand. ‘See you at the studio next week?’
Henry took it, forcing himself not to crush it to dust. ‘I’ll be in touch.’
Henry didn’t pauseto collect his thoughts as he strode back to the drawing room. The flurry of voices competing for airtime ceased the moment he entered.
‘Is Libby with you?’ Estelle demanded.
He shook his head.
‘Fuck’s sake! I thought you were going after her?’
‘I did. But I can’t force her to stay.’
His sister crossed her arms, her silence acknowledging the truth in his words, whilst her body language argued that he should have brought her back flung over his shoulder.
‘Honey,’ Vivienne said. ‘Please tell us what’s going on.’
‘Isn’t it clear enough?’ he replied bitterly. ‘I had to pay someone to pretend to be my girlfriend to get you all off my back.’
‘But…’ Arthur looked utterly confused. ‘You were intimate with her. We all thought it was a fox on Midsummer’s eve making all that noise before we put two and two together.’
‘Dad!’ he yelled as Willow and Summer put their hands over their ears.
‘What? It’s clear how much you love each other.’
Henry shook his head. ‘I love her, and she might have grown to love me if I hadn’t utterly fucked it up.’
‘Honey, you haven’t, I promise,’ said Vivienne.
‘And shedoeslove you,’ Dervla added. ‘It’s as clear as the nose on the end of my face.’
‘Howhave you fucked it up?’ Estelle asked. ‘Unlike our parents, I’m positive you’ve fucked it up, but unless you tell us what you’ve done, we can’t help you fix it.’
* * *
From:Libby Fletcher
To: Jack Newton
Subject: Apologies
Hi Jack,
I’ve just found out Henry’s been giving you money so you can pay me to live in your flat. I’ve also discovered you’re seriously allergic to cats so I presume Mr Pussy does not belong to you?
Please send me your bank details so I can refund what you’ve sent. I’ll find somewhere else to live in the next couple of days.
I’m so sorry,
