just fine without you.'
She saw the pain cut through his eyes, but was in no mood to back down now. He knew damned well she hadn't misled Dan on purpose, and though she blamed herself too, to lay into her like this was going too far.
In the end he was the first to turn away. 'I'm not going to let you screw up my children,' he snarled, and tore open the door.
'Our children!' she shouted.
Turning back, he slammed the door closed and took a step towards her. 'Then I suggest you start behaving like someone who gives a damn about anyone other than yourself,' he said coldly.
'How dare you? I've given everything to this family, and the problems I seem to be having now aren't going to go away just because you don't like them.'
'No, they won't go away until you start facing up to what your father was, and what happened back then.'
Her eyes were bright with fury and despair. 'That's easy for you to say, Mr Perfect Son from perfect parents,' she cried. 'You've never known a moment's doubt or insecurity in your life ...'
'Try standing where I am right now.'
'It's not the same thing, and you know it.'
He was staring at her so hard she could almost feel herself backing away, then quite suddenly he seemed to let go, and looking at her with something close to contempt, he said, 'I don't know why
I bother,' and pulling open the door he walked out of the room.
A few minutes later she heard the front door close, and looking down into the street she saw him getting into the Porsche with Shannon. She guessed they'd go to his mother's, as they often did on a Sunday, usually with Dan, though not her if she could avoid it. She wondered how much of what had happened this morning he'd confide in his mother. With a horrible sinking feeling she realised how much easier he would find it to cope without her, thanks to Emma, than she would without him. There was probably nothing her mother-in-law would relish more than to step into Julia's shoes to take proper care of Josh and his children - which would happen over her dead body, Julia was thinking, as she went off to check again on Dan again.
She found him ransacking his bedroom, looking for a lost CD-Rom. How easily children forgot, she couldn't help thinking, and felt only relief for it. 'I can't find the wrestling one Dad gave me,' he exclaimed as she came in. 'It was in my computer, but it's gone.'
'Was it with the ones you took over to Tim's?' she asked, catching a flying trainer.
He stopped. 'Oh yes, I didn't think of that,' She looked down at his handsome little face and smiled. 'How are you feeling?' she asked. 'OK. Can I go over to Tim's this afternoon?' Not wanting to let him out of her sight, never mind the house, she said, 'Why don't you invite him round here?'
He shrugged. 'All right.'
'You need to get dressed and have something to eat first though,' she told him, going into his bathroom to turn on the shower. At the threshold she came to an abrupt stop. 'Daniel Thayne, how do you manage to make such a mess?' she demanded, taking in the upturned linen basket with clothes all over the floor, toilet rolls heaped in one corner, shoes half-tucked under rugs, a wet flannel hanging over the bath, a bar of soap on the floor, while the bath itself was littered with toys, shampoo bottles and the trainer that matched the one she'd caught.
'It's hard work,' he informed her chirpily as he came in behind her.
Laughing, she stooped to plant a resounding kiss on his cheek, and began the clearing up. Today he could get away with anything, which Shannon would probably proclaim was much like any other day, but then Shannon would.
'It scared me witless,' she confessed to Sylvia on the phone later. 'Fortunately it was only a mild attack, and he seems perfectly all right now ...' 'Where is he?' Sylvia asked, 'in his room with a friend, playing on the computer.' 'And Josh?'
'At his mother's, I think. We had the most awful row. He was absolutely furious. He even said if it weren't for the
She saw the pain cut through his eyes, but was in no mood to back down now. He knew damned well she hadn't misled Dan on purpose, and though she blamed herself too, to lay into her like this was going too far.
In the end he was the first to turn away. 'I'm not going to let you screw up my children,' he snarled, and tore open the door.
'Our children!' she shouted.
Turning back, he slammed the door closed and took a step towards her. 'Then I suggest you start behaving like someone who gives a damn about anyone other than yourself,' he said coldly.
'How dare you? I've given everything to this family, and the problems I seem to be having now aren't going to go away just because you don't like them.'
'No, they won't go away until you start facing up to what your father was, and what happened back then.'
Her eyes were bright with fury and despair. 'That's easy for you to say, Mr Perfect Son from perfect parents,' she cried. 'You've never known a moment's doubt or insecurity in your life ...'
'Try standing where I am right now.'
'It's not the same thing, and you know it.'
He was staring at her so hard she could almost feel herself backing away, then quite suddenly he seemed to let go, and looking at her with something close to contempt, he said, 'I don't know why
I bother,' and pulling open the door he walked out of the room.
A few minutes later she heard the front door close, and looking down into the street she saw him getting into the Porsche with Shannon. She guessed they'd go to his mother's, as they often did on a Sunday, usually with Dan, though not her if she could avoid it. She wondered how much of what had happened this morning he'd confide in his mother. With a horrible sinking feeling she realised how much easier he would find it to cope without her, thanks to Emma, than she would without him. There was probably nothing her mother-in-law would relish more than to step into Julia's shoes to take proper care of Josh and his children - which would happen over her dead body, Julia was thinking, as she went off to check again on Dan again.
She found him ransacking his bedroom, looking for a lost CD-Rom. How easily children forgot, she couldn't help thinking, and felt only relief for it. 'I can't find the wrestling one Dad gave me,' he exclaimed as she came in. 'It was in my computer, but it's gone.'
'Was it with the ones you took over to Tim's?' she asked, catching a flying trainer.
He stopped. 'Oh yes, I didn't think of that,' She looked down at his handsome little face and smiled. 'How are you feeling?' she asked. 'OK. Can I go over to Tim's this afternoon?' Not wanting to let him out of her sight, never mind the house, she said, 'Why don't you invite him round here?'
He shrugged. 'All right.'
'You need to get dressed and have something to eat first though,' she told him, going into his bathroom to turn on the shower. At the threshold she came to an abrupt stop. 'Daniel Thayne, how do you manage to make such a mess?' she demanded, taking in the upturned linen basket with clothes all over the floor, toilet rolls heaped in one corner, shoes half-tucked under rugs, a wet flannel hanging over the bath, a bar of soap on the floor, while the bath itself was littered with toys, shampoo bottles and the trainer that matched the one she'd caught.
'It's hard work,' he informed her chirpily as he came in behind her.
Laughing, she stooped to plant a resounding kiss on his cheek, and began the clearing up. Today he could get away with anything, which Shannon would probably proclaim was much like any other day, but then Shannon would.
'It scared me witless,' she confessed to Sylvia on the phone later. 'Fortunately it was only a mild attack, and he seems perfectly all right now ...' 'Where is he?' Sylvia asked, 'in his room with a friend, playing on the computer.' 'And Josh?'
'At his mother's, I think. We had the most awful row. He was absolutely furious. He even said if it weren't for the
Similar Books
