The Pleasures of Spring Read Online Free PDF Page A

smiling when she saw how much it held.
    ‘Shower, then shopping,’ she said, her voice loud in the silence.
    Roz switched on the television and listened to the news report of the aborted robbery in Lewisham. No mention of a pregnant woman, but a blonde with a black eye raved about the man who had saved her from the robbers. The management of the shopping centre were offering a reward for the mysterious hero if he would come back to claim it. The photo-fit looked more like David Tennant than Andy, she decided.
    She had first-hand evidence that the body concealed by that expensive coat was far better built than any actor. And he smelled better. Roz stamped on that line of thought and, even though the water wasn’t fully heated up, she forced herself under it. A cold shower was what she needed to keep her mind on business.
    An hour later, she was clean and dressed in dark leggings and a colourful top which concealed her slender figure.
    She riffled through Andy’s wallet and found he had been carrying a lot of cash. A thousand pounds. Plus three platinum credit cards and a slim smartphone. She switched it on, impressed by the quality of the graphics and the speed of response. Andy clearly had money to burn. Niall Moore must pay a lot more than minimum wage.
    She knew that Moore Enterprises was the best privatesecurity company in Europe, known for providing bodyguards for the rich and famous. It was less well-known that the company specialized in hostage rescue and provided security for medical staff in war zones around the world. She had heard that everyone who worked for Moore’s was the best of the best. If Andy was an example, she could well believe it.
    Roz ran her eye down the call log and took down a few interesting numbers. Oh look, Andy even had her sister’s number in his phone. And contact details for her Irish relatives. How interesting. She removed the battery and SIM card, and set off for work.
    The food bank was as busy as usual. Olyenka, terrifyingly efficient and refusing to be slowed by the baby at her breast, was manning the office when Roz arrived.
    ‘Hi Oly, got a few things you might be able to help me with.’
    Roz handed over the Benefit cards she had ‘liberated’ from Sunny Money. ‘I thought you might be able to return them to their rightful owners.’
    Olyenka leafed through the cards, her eyebrows rising when she saw names she recognized. She kept her hair cropped ruthlessly short, so her expression was visible. ‘I won’t ask how you got hold of these, but I know their owners will be glad to have them back.’
    Roz tickled baby Benjamin’s smooth, dark cheek. He smiled back at her without letting the nipple go.
    ‘And I have another donation for you.’
    She pulled out the thousand pounds she had takenfrom Andy’s wallet. After a moment’s thought, she pocketed a twenty. A girl had to eat, and he owed her dinner. She handed over the rest.
    ‘Roz, you can’t keep giving us this sort of money,’ Olyenka protested, even while she took the notes and put them into the cash box.
    ‘Hey, it’s nothing to do with me. It’s from an anonymous well-wisher, who knows what amazing work you do here.’ Well, Andy would have donated it if he knew, she told herself.
    ‘Need a hand packing parcels?’
    Her father would shit a brick if he could see her, Roz knew, but there was something therapeutic about packing boxes of pasta while chatting with the other women about their disastrous dates. Briefly, she had a sense of belonging.

3
    Roz was gone. The room was empty and there was no sign of her. Andy dropped his armful of sheets and towels, picked up the room phone and found the number for reception.
    ‘Yes, sir,’ the concierge reassured him. His guest had left and no, she hadn’t ordered a taxi.
    What the hell was wrong with him? Okay, it had been a while since he’d kissed a woman, other than in the line of duty, but Roz Spring. Pregnant Roz Spring! He must have been out of his mind.
    He