A French Affair Read Online Free PDF Page A

him and she wants to snog him, you know, like they’re going to eat each other all up, the way you and Dad do . . .’
    â€˜I’ve got to be out of my mind ever to tell you anything,’ Nikki declared, coming in behind him. ‘You are totally incapable of keeping a secret.’
    â€˜I know,’ he answered cheerily.
    Nikki’s smile suddenly drained as her eyes moved from her mother to her father and back again. Then grabbing her phone from the table she stalked past them, heading for the stairs.
    â€˜Nikki, what’s the matter? Where are you going?’ Jessica demanded.
    â€˜It’s you!’ Nikki cried, spinning round. ‘You think I’m stupid, don’t you? Well, I know what’s going on here. You can’t hide it from me, so you’re wasting your time trying.’
    â€˜Darling, don’t talk to your mother like that,’ Charlie said. ‘No-one’s trying to hide anything from you . . .’
    â€˜She is!’ Nikki shouted, pointing at Jessica. ‘She thinks I don’t know what’s going on in her head, well you’re wrong, Mummy dearest, because I do. You’re planning to go back to work, aren’t you?’
    Jessica’s eyes darted to Charlie.
    â€˜I didn’t say anything,’ he assured her.
    â€˜He didn’t have to. It’s all over the studios, and now you’re blaming him because they don’t want to give you a job. Well, it’s not his fault. It was your decision to give up your own programme, and now you’re trying to push your way into his and you shouldn’t be doing it, because we all know what happened the last time you were working.
Don’t
we?’
    As Jessica’s face paled, Nikki pounded up the stairs,leaving a stunned silence behind her. Jessica started after her, but Charlie pulled her back.
    â€˜I’ll go,’ he said. ‘She’s obviously got hold of the wrong end of the stick, so it’s for me to straighten her out.’
    Still shaken by the outburst Jessica stood aside, then seeing Harry’s bewildered expression she put on a smile and went to fold him in her arms. ‘It’s all right,’ she soothed, as he hugged her back. ‘Nikki’s just a bit overwrought. Like Dad said, she’s misunderstood something . . .’
    â€˜Yes, she always does that,’ Harry said, clearly wanting to cheer his mother up. ‘You mustn’t take any notice when she gets angry. It’s probably the time of the month.’
    Jessica had to laugh. ‘Who on earth told you about that?’ she asked, tilting him back to look into his cheeky face.
    â€˜You did,’ he reminded her. ‘Remember the little chat you had with Natalie, before, well,’ a flush spread under his freckles, ‘you know before . . . You let me join in too, remember, even though I’m a boy, because you said it was important for me to know about girls.’
    As a lump formed in Jessica’s throat she said, ‘You’re right, I’d forgotten about that.’
    â€˜So what I want to know,’ Harry said, ‘is if I can have a time of the month too.’
    Again Jessica laughed. ‘You, my darling,’ she told him, ‘can have anything you like.’
    â€˜Oh cool! Can I make a list?’
    â€˜As long as it only covers one sheet of paper.’
    In a flash he was back at the table, and as he opened up his A3 drawing pad Jessica stood smiling down at him, watching him write as fast as his clumsy little fistwould allow. She was barely registering the words, however, for her mind was still full of Nikki’s outburst, and the shock of finding out that her job application had been turned down. She hadn’t mentioned it to Nikki, because she’d judged it wiser to break it to her once she knew what she’d be doing. That way she’d be in a much better position to calm Nikki’s