LITMIR.BIZ

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I’ll just get ready then and we’ll go shall we?’

      ‘Great. You don’t mind if I switch on the telly while I’m waiting, do you?’

      ‘No. You go ahead,’ I said, backing out of the room as I watched Jimmy join my sister on the sofa. What she’d think about having an almost naked sex idol rubbing thighs with her, I didn’t want to imagine.

      ‘She looks nothing like you, does she?’ he called, throwing a glance my way.

      I shrugged and threw a glare back. What did he expect me to say?

      ‘Won’t be long!’ Even I could hear the note of hysterical desperation in my voice.

      To be honest, I couldn’t wait to get out of the flat. Less than sixteen hours ago Jimmy and I had been strangers. And now we were in the unenviable position of being stuck with each other for goodness knows how long. Like being fixed up on a blind date and knowing from the off that it was a non-starter, but still having to sit through the entire evening making polite conversation.

      I was in and out of the shower in a jiffy, threw on some jeans and my favourite pink jersey top and applied a quick covering of brown mascara to my lashes, a dab of bronzer to my cheeks and a lick of gloss to my lips.

      ‘OK, let’s go,’ I said, grabbing my handbag, but it seemed Lexie wasn’t about to go anywhere.

      ‘God, it’s unbelievable, isn’t it?’ she said, zapping the TV off with the remote control and sighing exaggeratedly.

      I was beginning to think, uncharitably, that Jimmy was revelling in all this attention. He looked across at me, a smug look upon his face and shrugged his shoulders.

      ‘What?’ I said, not really needing to ask the question.

      ‘Jimmy Mack. Dying like that. So suddenly. Who’d have thought it?’

      ‘Hmm, I know, it’s very sad,’ I sighed, trying my best to muster up some sympathy, but to be frank I was all sympathied out. Especially when the object of my sister’s sympathy was sitting right next to her wearing next to nothing, seemingly enjoying the fact that we were deep in discussion about him.

      ‘You just wonder what really happened, don’t you?’

      ‘It doesn’t bear thinking about really.’ I sighed. ‘He probably just lost control at the wheel.’

      ‘Hmm, it’s a bit odd though, isn’t it? I mean the road and weather conditions were perfect so what caused him to come off the road like that? We probably don’t know the half of it yet. Maybe he was into drink or drugs.’

      ‘Oh pleeaaase,’ Jimmy said so vehemently I was sure Lexie would hear.

      ‘I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘He didn’t seem the type.’

      Jimmy nodded approvingly.

      ‘A lot of those celebrities are, you know. Perhaps he’d been at some drink and drugs-fuelled orgy and it sent him over the edge. Or maybe he was involved in some sordid sex scandal that was about to be exposed to the world and he topped himself.’

      ‘Good grief, does your sister make a habit of slagging off poor unsuspecting celebrities? I’ve never touched drugs in my life. OK, so maybe I like the odd glass of champagne. Who doesn’t? But I certainly hadn’t been drinking that day. Really!’ He chewed on the inside of his lip, shaking his head at Lexie. ‘Put her straight, would you, before I do her for defamation of character.’

      I smiled, feeling thankful now that Lexie wasn’t aware of Jimmy’s overpowering near-naked presence after all.

      ‘Jimmy was the real housewives’ favourite. He couldn’t be seen to be doing anything dodgy. Besides, he always seemed to me to be a true gentleman. Honest and caring. No, I can’t imagine there were any skeletons in his cupboards.’

      ‘Aw, that’s such a nice thing to say.’ Jimmy beamed under the weight of my compliment. ‘Thanks, Alice.’

      ‘Huh, and when did you become such a fan of JM anyway?’ Lexie said, spoiling the moment. ‘You always said he was a bit too smooth, a bit too squeaky-clean. I don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but honestly, I’d rather have Barney Roberts any time of the day.’

      I paused, suddenly aware of Jimmy’s laser-like stare bearing down on me. Lexie took my hesitation for complicit agreement.

      ‘Come on, you have to admit Barney has something special going on.’

      An awkward silence punctured the air as I searched for something to say.

      ‘You have a thing for Barney Roberts?’ Jimmy spat the words out as he ran his hands through his hair, looking indignant. ‘Please tell me it isn’t true. Really Alice, if you knew him, you’d never think that way. The guy’s a complete loser. What on earth would you see in him?’

      I shrugged helplessly, giving up the search for something placatory to say.

      Lexie though was in full-on swooning mode, as she examined her fingernails, deep in thought.

      ‘Oh yes. He’s hot. Mmm, mmm. Young and sexy. A bit dangerous too. I like that in a man. You know, that whole bad boy unpredictable thing.’ She shivered exaggeratedly as if imagining unimaginable things with Barney.

      Jimmy shook his head, tutting.

      ‘What is this? The Barney Roberts Appreciation Society?’

      ‘Come on,’ I said, finding my voice at last, eager to separate the pair of them and lower the sizzling temperature within the flat, ‘let’s get going, before it gets too busy out there.’

      I gave Jimmy a furtive little wave, then slammed the door shut on him and the flat for a few hours, grateful for a little respite from the huge problem that had bulldozed into my life. I took a deep breath. I would deal with it all later. Maybe by the time I got home, Jimmy would have received a communication from the powers upstairs.

      Chapter Four

      Three hours, a lot of walking and four carrier bags, all belonging to Lexie, later, we settled at a pavement table outside a bustling cafe on the High Street. It was bright and the cold pinched my skin, but as the sun was making such a valiant attempt at breaking through the clouds, the least we felt we could do was make the most of the uncharacteristically good weather.

      ‘You sure you’re okay?’ She asked through narrowed eyes. ‘You seem, I don’t know, a bit distracted, that’s all.’

      I smiled wryly. The distractions were everywhere, but what could I possibly tell her?

      I’d been determined to forget about Jimmy for a few hours at least, but that was proving impossible. Every newsstand, every paper, every television shop we passed in the street served as a reminder that I hadn’t dreamt the whole mind-blowing episode up. Jimmy Mack was dead and for reasons that I couldn’t entirely fathom, he’d decided to make a detour on his way to the other side and camp out at my place for a while.

      ‘Well, you seem a bit on edge, a bit strung out. You need to relax. Get out and enjoy yourself a bit more.’

      I raised my eyebrows. She’d be strung out if her new lodger was a ghost. That sort of thing takes some getting used to.

      Besides, I knew from experience exactly what Lexie had in mind when she talked about me enjoying myself more. I braced myself.

      ‘I mean, how long has it been now, since Mike?’

      She knew just as well as I did, but I humoured her.

      ‘Oh about three years, I suppose.’ Three years, six months and four days to be precise. Not that I was counting.

      ‘Exactly! Far too long. You need to get out there, move on, make a life for yourself.’

      ‘I have a life, thank you very much,’ I said, lowering my voice

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