I need awoman-friend for a few days. About the Author Title Page CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT Copyright
I need awoman-friend for a few days.
Elyss knew that there was more behind it than he was stating. Whats the matter, Pendleton, your charm failing?
Totally serious, he went on. In return for you giving me five days of your time, I am prepared to cancel all present and future debts in relation to repairs to your vehicle and mine.
Elyss stared at him dumbstruck. There had to be a catch! Whats the snagaccepting that Id have to put up with you for five days? she queried warily.
She saw his mouth move almost imperceptibly, as though she made him want to smile. He didnt smile though. I said I needed a woman-friend, I didnt mean enemy.
I can be a friend, she said. To be free of a debt that big, I can be a jolly good friend.
Jessica Steele lives in a friendly English village with her super husband, Peter, and a boisterous, manic but adorable Staffordshire bull terrier dog called Florence. It was Peter who first prompted Jessica to try writing, and after the first rejection, encouraged her to keep on trying. Luckilywith the exception of Uruguayshe has so far managed to research inside all the countries in which she has set her books, traveling to places as far apart as Siberia and Egypt Her thanks go to Peter for his help and encouragement.
Temporary Girlfriend
Jessica Steele
www.millsandboon.co.uk
CHAPTER ONE
ELYSS drove into the forecourt of the well maintained block of flats where she lived. A smile touched the corners of her lovely mouth as she parked in her usual place and thought of the contrast between where she had driven from and where she had arrived.
She let herself in through the main door of the building, musing: forget the quiet, forget the serenity of the weekend she had just spent with her parents in their Devon cottage; her forty-eight hours of peace and tranquillity were over.
Not that she mindednow. Up until five months ago, though, she had been living on the outskirts of London with her parents in a household where raised voices were seldom heard. Which was why, when she had started sharing the flat, she had at first been constantly startled by the top-of-the-range squeals that had assaulted her ears as an outraged Victoria would demand of Nikki, Have you got my hairdryer? and Nikki would retaliate at high pitch, Have you borrowed my black shoes again?
Elyss had adjustednow. But she guessed that her bewilderment, her fear that she might have made the wrong decision when she had answered the Fourth wanted to share flat advertisement must have shown. Because Louise, the eldest of her flatmates and, Elyss was to discover, the more steady of the three, had told her not to worry and that the other two would calm down in a few minutes.
Which was true. In no time at all Victoria and Nikki would forget all hostility and, as suddenly as they had flared up, they were the best of friends again.
Elyss took the stairs to their second-floor flat feeling lucky to be part of the group. The flat was intended to be a three-bedroomed apartment, but when Nikki, who seemed to lurch from crisis to crisis, had lost her job over her poor time-keeping, she could not pay her share of the rent in full.
Louise, Victoria and Nikki had a conference where Victoria confessed that she was struggling financially, and Louise owned to being stretched money-wise on account of her twelve-year-old son. Her ex-husband paid Thomass boarding school fees, but it seemed that never a month went by when the growing boy wasnt in urgent need of something. It was her ex-husbands view that in paying his sons school fees he was already doing far more than he shouldanything extra was down to Louise.
The upshot of the conference was that having a fourth flatmate to pay a share of the rent and service bills would help them all out. What did they need with a separate dining room anyway? It would make an ideal fourth bedroom.
All this Elyss had learned later. At that time her family were having to make tough decisions as her father could ignore no longer that his failing business was past saving. It was time to stop throwing good money after bad.
But that was then, and Elyss did not want to dwell on a time that had been so heart-rending for her family.
She inserted her key into the door of the flat and wondered instead how her flatmates had fared that weekend. By now she was used to the weekly disasters that seemed to befall Nikki, and, though she had blonde hair herself, Elyss reflected that blondes didnt come any dizzier than Nikki.
Anyone home? she called as she let herself in.
Hi! Louise, a pretty, brown-haired woman who, at thirty-two, was ten years older than Elyss, appeared from the kitchen. Had a good weekend?
Its always good to see my parents. Elyss smiled, dropping her weekend bag down for a minute or two. Anything happened here?
Victorias out with some new man, and Nikkis still being messed about by Dave.
Oh, grief! She was supposed to be going out with him last night. Didnt...?
He didnt show. Shes gone over to his place now. I know, I know. Ive told her if you want a man to chase you, you have to run in the opposite directionin my case I didnt run fast enough and got caught, Louise inserted drily, but she wont listen. I think its the real thing this timewith Dave, I mean. I think shes in love with him.
They fell to commiserating about Nikki; for all that she was the youngest, Elyss, like Victoria and Louise, had soon fallen into feeling protective about her. Theres nothing we can do to help, I suppose.
Short of dropping something unpleasant on Daves head from a great height, not a thing, Louise answered. Fancy a cup of tea?
While Louise was making the tea Elyss rang her parents to let them know, as theyd requested, that she had made it to London without mishap. Then she took her weekend bag to her room. She emptied it, feeling for Nikki because she was going through such a bad time over the man she was in love with. Elyss had never been in love herself, or remotely anywhere near it, and with Dave giving Nikki the run-around, she didnt know that she wanted to be.
She and Louise were finishing their tea when Nikki, fretful and unsmiling, arrived home.
He wasnt in? Louise enquired gently.
He wasnt in? Louise enquired gently.
Nikki shook her head. I waited around for ages. In the end, what with neighbours curtains twitching and everything else, I expected the police to arrive any minute in answer to someones call reporting a stranger casing the area. I decided to catch a bus homehave you ever tried catching the bus you want on a Sunday?
Elyss had forgottenNikki, after another financial crisis, had sold her car. Would you like some tea? Elyss offered sympathetically.
Ooh, Id love a cup, Nikki accepted gratefully, but seemed unable to settle, Illerjust take the phone to my room and make a call while youre brewing up.
Elyss went to make a fresh pot of tea, knowing, as did Louise, that by the look of her Nikki was going to try to reach her errant boyfriend by phone.
Elyss returned with three cups and saucers on a tray, noticing as she went into the sitting room that the phone was back on its station. One glance at Nikkis face was sufficient to tell her that Dave must still be out.
I thought wed join you, Elyss said brightly, explaining the extra cups and saucers.
What a good idea, Louise remarked cheerfullybut Nikki was not impressed by either girls brightness or cheerfulness.
Its no good. I shall have to go over again. I...
Nikki! Louise cried in alarm. Hes not worth it.
I know, Nikki answered. Hes a snake, a slug, but I shant be at rest until Ive had it out with him. And, tea forgotten in her haste to be away, she turned to Elyss, I dont suppose, buses being what they are on a Sunday, youd lend me your car, would you?
Elyss stared at her, uncertain how to reply. She was unsure if her car insurance allowed Nikki to drive her carand immediately felt small-minded. Nikki had an unblemished driving licence, and Victoria was always letting her use her car. Victoria would have done so now, Elyss knew, so she guessed there must be some insurance clause that covered the situation.
Of course, she smiled, still wanting to help, though she was uncertain if Nikki going to confront her boyfriend would truly help.
Nikki didnt waste any time once she had Elysss car keys and went hurrying from the flat. Tea? Elyss offered Louise with a sigh, picking up the pot.
Why not? Louise grinned.
Elyss spent the evening doing some laundry, watching a half-hour of television and generally chatting to Louise. Victoria came home around eleven, but there was no sign of Nikki when they decided, tomorrow being a work day, it was time for bed.
Somehow, as Elyss saw in her minds eye Nikki sitting in the car outside Daves flat waiting for him to come home, she found sleep elusive. Oh, she did so hope Dave returned alone.
Elyss adjusted her position in her comfortable bed. She fleetingly recalled it was her bed from her old home, an elegant Georgian house that was gone now, like her fathers business.
She had worked in the company, had done so ever since she had left school. Her father had trained her in administration, and the more she had learned the more she had enjoyed the work she did. Being the bosss daughter, however, had allowed her to be privy to the most confidential matters. Which was all to the good while the wholesale fruit importing business was doing wellbut exceedingly worrying when it started to fail.
Elyss had seen the crash coming, and had tentatively broached the subject to her hard-working father. But he had only teased her for being a worrier over nothing. Its not unnatural for a company as large as ours to experience the occasional hiccup, hed smiled. Things will work themselves out, youll see. Ermeantime, not a word to your mother.
Her fathers obvious confidence had quietened her worries. He had been in this business all his life, for goodness sake. What did she know!
So she waited, and waited for things to work themselves out, only they didnt. And loath though she was to bring the subject up again, after a year had gone by and not only was business not picking up, but they were getting deeper and deeper into debt with the bank, she plucked up courage to question her father if there was anything they could do about it.
Well have to try and ride it out, her father had repliedonly there was no confident smile this time.
They had not been able to ride it out. Month after month had gone by as the company had limped along. Their bank manager had tried to help all he could, but it seemed there were limits to his powers.
Elyss would never forget the afternoon when, his face grey, her father had returned from a meeting with the bank manager, and told her that the company was folding.
Folding! shed echoed, leading him to a chair and sitting him down. Hed looked on the point of collapse when for the next half-hour they discussed the ending of what had been lifes blood to him.
Theyd said nothing to the workforce. Shaken herself, but seeing that her father still didnt look any better, Elyss had insisted on driving him home.
Because he was essentially a very private man, she made herself scarce while he went and revealed the truth to her mother. Elyss knew it would be a most humbling experience for him.
Her mother, though, like the wonderful person she was, was marvellous. Elyss, fretful in her room, was relieved no end to hear her father leave the drawing room and come out into the hall and call, his tone sounding much firmer than it had: Come down, Elyss. Your mothererand I, want a family conference.
Her mother had apparently sensed for some while that something was wrong. But when all her approaches to her husband to find out what had been brushed aside as pure imagination, she had started to consider all sorts of possibilities.
Although the news that the business had gone under was a fairly devastating shock, it was a tremendous relief that her husband had neither a mistress, nor some dreadful terminal illness he was trying to hide from her.
Well, the first essential is to try to see to it that we come out of this with as much honour as we can salvage, she stated proudly, and they were all agreed on that.
As they agreed about almost everything else to do with winding up the company. The only point on which they had a disagreement was whentheir creditors by now baying to be paidElyss determined that the money settled on her by her parents on her eighteenth birthday should go into the family kitty.
Oh, no, Im not taking that. Its yours, its
Its ours, Dad, Elyss interrupted him gently. The house is going, and anything else of value. Im part of this family. I shall take it as a personal insult if you dont allow me to contribute.
He huffed, he puffed, but the pride of not owing his creditors anything finally won. You wretched child, he called her lovingly, Come and give your old Dad a kiss.
So they had settled all their accounts, and were left with nothing over; their only assets were three cars, not new but purchased in better times, and a small amount of jewellery, the value of which was mainly sentimental.
With the house sold and the purchasers wanting completion within six weeks, all that remained was for Elyss and her father to find jobs and somewhere for them all to live.
It was then, after having had so much go wrong in their lives, that their luck began to turn. Quite out of the blue her mother had a letter from a firm of solicitors informing her of an inheritance from a distant relative.