I Have No Secrets. Penny Joelson

      

      First published in Great Britain in 2017

      by Electric Monkey, an imprint of Egmont UK Limited

      The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN

      Text copyright © 2017 Penny Joelson

      First e-book edition 2017

      ISBN 978 1 7803 1783 0

      Ebook ISBN 978 1 4052 8615 2

      The moral rights of the author have been asserted

       www.egmont.co.uk

      A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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      For Michael and Zoe

      CONTENTS

       Cover

       Title Page

       Copyright

       Dedication

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

       13

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       53

       54

       55

       AUTHOR’S NOTE

       ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1

      I tense as soon as I hear the doorbell. I know it’s him. I know it’s Dan. Sarah’s still upstairs getting ready and I hope she comes down soon. I don’t want him coming in here.

      Mum calls up to Sarah and I hear her say she’ll be down in a tick. ‘We’ve been keeping her busy, I’m afraid,’ Mum tells Dan, ‘so she hasn’t had much time to get ready!’

      ‘Ah, I know she wouldn’t have it any other way,’ says Dan. ‘She’s a diamond – and you too. What you do for these kids.’

      I listen to them chatting away and Mum laughing at Dan’s jokes. Everyone loves Dan. Then Mum says she must get back to the kitchen, she’s left things on the stove and she’s sure Sarah won’t be long.

      It’s quiet for a moment. I hear the distant clattering of pans in the kitchen. Then I hear Dan’s voice, coming closer as he speaks.

      ‘What are you watching, then? Ah – Pointless !’

      I can hear him breathing. Then he whispers, ‘Bit like your life, eh, Jemma?’

      He’s standing behind me now, but I can’t see him because my wheelchair is facing the TV. I try to focus on the quiz questions and forget he’s there, but he gives a long, dramatic sigh.

      ‘Don’t know how you can bear it.’ His voice is low, not loud enough to be overheard. ‘Watching the telly must be the most excitement you get.’ He only speaks like this when no one else is around. He used to ignore me completely, but not any more.

      He