Guilty Innocence (40 page)

I wondered how things would pan out. Mum’s boss as hotter than a backyard barbecue, but married. Although with many men having a wife didn’t make much difference. He probably wanted a little casual fun dabbling on the wild side of life, and with Toby's past as a player, I couldn’t see that being too much of a problem. They'd probably have a brief fling and end up going their separate ways. None of my business. Apart from Charlotte getting hurt, but she’d almost certainly never find out anyway.

‘Definitely got the vibe from him tonight.’

Toby’s voice cut across my thoughts towards the end of the evening. James had just left, brushing Chloe aside as she tried to engage him in conversation, my mother’s eyes practically stapled to his back as he moved through the bar. Toby’s voice was too low to reach Chloe. She wouldn’t like her former boyfriend having a thing for James Matthews, although Toby and Chloe hadn’t been together long enough to be considered a couple. A few weeks didn’t constitute a relationship in my view.

‘Just a vibe? Nothing more concrete?’

‘Not sure what his game is, to be honest, Megan. You might be right. Perhaps he doesn’t want to take things any further.’

Chloe’s voice sounded behind me. Obviously, now James had gone, Grapes held nothing of interest for her. ‘Let’s go, for God’s sake, Mum. Isn’t it bad enough you dragged me here in the first place? If you drove like every other normal person does, I wouldn’t need to chauffeur you everywhere.’

About all you do to earn the money she keeps slipping your way, I thought. My sister seemed incapable of holding down a job for more than a couple of months. Either she ended up sacked or else she walked out, claiming she deserved something more suited to her talents. Prostitution came to mind whenever I heard her trot out that line.

I was glad to leave. Much as I’d loved catching up with Toby again, I needed space to sort out my head. The man I’d always had a thing for wanted to get it on with my mother’s boss, who also had my mother and half-sister competing for him.

Nobody, to my knowledge, had ever competed for me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Maggie James is a British author who lives in

Bristol. Guilty Innocence is her third novel.

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