Read Never Tell for Free Online

them, ‘I don’t mind if I do.’
    I had meant to discuss my plans with James that evening, though secretly I was dreading it. He was happy with me doing one day at the local paper: returning to a national would be entirely different.
    But by the time the children were fed and bathed and I’d thought of all the right things to appease him with, James’s partner in crime, Liam, had arrived for the night. Unsurprisingly, he had a new girlfriend in tow, a tiny jolly redhead with see-through skin and an over-inflated bosom.
    Lord Higham was being interviewed on Radio Four when they arrived. I was desperate to listen but turned it down hurriedly as James walked into the kitchen. I knew he’d freak if he so much as heard the name.
    ‘Hey, babe,’ Liam kissed me. ‘This is Star.’
    ‘Wow.’ I suppressed a smile. ‘Hi, Star.’
    ‘That’s a funny name,’ Alicia said. ‘It’s like being called Moon.’
    ‘Or Bum-bum,’ said Freddie with a joyful snigger.
    ‘No it’s not, silly,’ said Alicia. ‘It’s not like Bum-bum is it, Mum?’
    ‘No it’s not,’ I said, trying to keep a straight face. ‘It’s very silly, Freddie.’
    ‘Bum-bum,’ Freddie repeated, his eyes round at his own daring.
    ‘Anyway you shouldn’t say that, should he, Mum? It’s rude.’
    ‘No, he shouldn’t,’ I agreed solemnly. ‘It is very silly, Freddie.’
    ‘Bum-bum!’
    ‘That’s enough, Fred,’ his father warned.
    ‘It’s not my real name actually – Star,’ Star offered in rather vacant Northern tones. ‘I wish it were, but it’s not.’
    ‘Oh.’ Alicia, disappointed, took a moment to absorb this. ‘What is it then?’
    ‘Sarah. But you don’t meet many film stars called Sarah, do you? It’s dead dull.’
    ‘Are you a film star then?’ Alicia’s eyes widened. ‘A real live one?’
    ‘No.’ Star shook her head sadly. ‘Not yet. I’m a podium dancer. But I will be one day.’
    ‘What’s a – a podion dancer?’
    ‘Well, my darling,’ Liam’s eyes lit up, ‘it’s a lady who—’
    ‘Alicia, have you finished your homework?’ I cut across James’s friend and partner, throwing him a warning glare. ‘We should do your reading, shouldn’t we? Do you need a hand?’
    Liam was now swinging Effie wildly over his shoulder to screams of huge delight.
    ‘My turn, my turn …’ Freddie hopped up and down like a small jumping bean. ‘My turn, Uncle Liam!’
    James pulled a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and three glasses out of the cupboard. ‘We’re going through to the studio.’ He winked at me. ‘All right, petal?’
    It wasn’t a question.
    ‘Come on, Liam, put her down. You’ve got to listen to this new mix. And Don’s sent the new plans through. They’re fucking wicked.’
    ‘James!’ I admonished, but he just gave me a look.
    ‘Why don’t you all have some dinner first?’ I offered hopefully. I could do with the company. I wanted to hear Liam’s news and Star’s views on podium fashion and world politics – anything, really, rather than be stranded high and dry with my own thoughts. The radio stared at me malevolently.
    ‘You must be hungry. Did you eat on the way? I could knock up some pasta, if you like.’
    ‘That’d be grand,’ Liam began, but James glowered at him.
    ‘No time to eat, mate,’ he said. ‘No rest for the wicked!’
    Liam shot me a look that said he wasn’t arguing. My heart sank. I knew this was the last I’d see of James till at least midday tomorrow. I made a final attempt.
    ‘Oh, come on, guys. You must be starving after your trek up the M40.’ I was almost pleading. ‘It’s no trouble. How about a nice carbonara?’
    ‘Rosie, love.’ James kissed me on the cheek, his voice dangerously low. I could smell whiskey on his breath. ‘I don’t think you need any more slap-up feeds right now. Know what I’m saying?’
    I turned away quickly before they caught the glint of tears, knocking my notebook off the counter by mistake. I used to be at ease