Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Collection: The Schemer, The Trap, Payback. Kimberley Chambers

Dannielle asked, hugging at the leg of Barry’s trousers.

      Barry was pleased to have the distraction. He crouched down, picked Dannielle up, and swung her around in his arms. ‘You, my little sweetheart, are the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world.’

      CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

      Upset that she was seeing less and less of Linda as every week passed, Pam had taken Cathy’s advice and invited her younger sister to bring her boyfriend around for dinner. ‘Now who wants what for dessert? Strawberry trifle or black forest gateau?’ Pam asked, cleaning away the dinner plates.

      ‘I’ll have the gateau, mate. What do you want Michael?’ Cathy asked, nudging her son. She had only managed to entice him out of his bedroom by telling him how much he had in common with Keith.

      ‘I’m full up, thanks,’ Michael replied.

      ‘I haven’t got a sweet tooth, but I’d love another bottle of Pils,’ Keith said, cheekily grinning at Pam.

      ‘I’ll just have a beer an’ all,’ Lin chipped in.

      ‘So, what bands you into?’ Michael asked, turning to Keith.

      Thrilled that her usually depressed son seemed so chirpy, Cathy followed Pam out into the kitchen.

      Pam shut the door behind them. ‘I can’t take to that Keith, Cath, I really can’t. He’s so skinny, he looks like a bleedin’ beanpole, and he don’t smell very wholesome either. Have you seen the state of his fingers? Bright yellow, they are, where he chain-smokes, and his teeth are gammy and look too big for his mouth.’

      Cathy shrugged. ‘He’s no oil painting, mate, but he seems to be making your Lin happy. Surely that’s all that matters?’

      ‘My Lin’s been drinking too much again. I can tell by her eyes and her complexion. Keith’s no good for her, Cath. He’s only been here an hour and he’s already drunk six bottles of lager. I knew they’d been to the pub before they arrived an’ all, I could smell it on the pair of ’em’s breath.’

      ‘Where’s the beers then?’ Lin asked, opening the kitchen door.

      When Pam handed her sister three bottles of Pils, Linda smiled. ‘I’ve got something really exciting to tell you.’

      ‘What?’ Pam and Cathy asked in unison.

      ‘Keith’s asked me to move in with him permanently and I said yes.’

      Pam’s heart lurched. ‘That’s not a very nice area where Keith lives, love, and what about getting up for work and stuff? Surely you’re better to stay round Keith’s of a weekend and here in the week. You know you’re not very organized of a morning without me helping you.’

      Linda’s expression turned from happy to sheepish. She had got sacked from her factory job two weeks ago for taking too much time off sick. ‘I don’t work there any more,’ she mumbled, awkwardly.

      ‘What do you mean you don’t work there any more?’ Pam asked, angrily.

      ‘They had to lay people off and because I was one of the new girls, I got the bullet. It weren’t just me, four others got made redundant as well,’ Linda lied.

      ‘Just take the beers in the other room, Lin.’

      ‘She’s fucking lying! Made redundant, my arse! Got the sack for lying in bed all day with that pisshead more like,’ Pam said to Cath, when Linda took the beers in the other room.

      ‘She’s a grown woman, Pam. You can’t rule her life for her, she has to learn by her own mistakes, mate.’

      The doorbell rang before Pam could reply. ‘That must be Angie bringing Aidan back. Turned up out the blue this morning to take him out for the day,’ Pam said, marching up the hallway.

      ‘Look what I got, Nanna,’ Aidan said, thrusting an enormous shiny toy car her way.

      ‘That’s lovely. Did you have a nice time, boy?’

      ‘Yeah! I got loads of toys and I ate a whole pizza by myself.’

      ‘All his other toys are in that bag, Mum. I’d better go, because Roxy’s waiting in the motor.’

      Pam had met Angela’s friend, Roxy, when she turned up to collect Aidan earlier, and had been rather surprised at how nice the girl seemed. Angela had only ever had one real friend in her life before, and that had been Chloe, who Pam had disliked immensely. ‘Why don’t you bring Roxy in for a glass of wine? Lin and her boyfriend are here and so is Cathy and Michael.’

      Angela sneered and shook her head. Whenever she bumped into Michael he had a habit of leering at her breasts. He gave her the creeps. She kissed her mum on the cheek, then bent down to hug her son. ‘Get Aidan ready earlier next Saturday, Mum. Me and Roxy are going to take him to the zoo.’

      Pam couldn’t help but smile as she shut the front door. For years she had wished that Angela would become a better mother to her son, and finally it seemed as though her wish might have been granted.

      Clocking Stephanie frantically gesticulating at her, Tammy followed her friend out into the kitchen. ‘Tricky Dicky’s gorgeous, Tam. No wonder you’re all loved-up, mate. He seems a really nice guy as well. Good for you, you deserve to be happy.’

      ‘Thanks, babe. Sod me though, let’s talk about you. How does it feel seeing Barry again after all these years? He looks well, don’t he? ‘

      ‘I felt a bit awkward at first, but I’m OK now I’ve had a few drinks. Yeah, he does still look good, but he looks more like John Travolta now than Matt Dillon. Don’t get me wrong, I still think he’s good looking, but he ain’t a patch on my Wayne, is he?’

      ‘I think Barry and Wayne are both really nice-looking blokes, mate, but neither are as handsome as my Richard, of course.’

      Stephanie punched her friend playfully. ‘Dannielle’s took a right shine to Barry, hasn’t she? Tyler hates him though. He went ballistic when Barry tried to pick him up, didn’t he? I wanted to laugh when he started kicking him, but I daren’t in case Wayne got the hump.’

      ‘Yep, Danni is certainly besotted by Barry. And are you sure you don’t still just fancy him an eenie-weenie bit?’

      ‘I swear, Tam, on my kiddies’ lives, I don’t fancy Barry at all.’

      Barry Franklin smirked as Wayne Jackman cracked open yet another bottle of vintage champagne. Like himself, Wayne seemed to have an exquisite taste in bubbly. If he treated all his guests as well as he had him, no wonder the poor man was skint.

      ‘Not for me, thank you,’ Richard said as Wayne tried to top up his empty glass.

      ‘You’ve only had two drinks since you arrived. Go on, have another one,’ Wayne urged.

      ‘No honestly, I’m fine. I’m not much of a drinker now, although I was in my younger days. Tammy, are you coming to meet my friends with me? Or would you rather stay here?’

      ‘You’re not going yet, are you?’ Stephanie asked, hopefully. It was only 9.30 and she didn’t want to spend the rest of the evening with only Wayne and Barry for company.

      Tammy stood up. ‘We’ve got to go, Steph. I told Wayne when he rang me earlier that we couldn’t stay all night. We’d already made arrangements to meet some of Richard’s friends up town.’

      ‘Do you want me to call you a cab?’ Wayne asked Richard.

      ‘No, it’s OK. We passed a train station on the way here. Grange Hill, I think it was called. The Central Line takes us exactly where we need to go, so we might as well jump on that.’

      ‘No probs. Well thanks for coming, Tam, and it was really nice to meet you, Richard,’ Wayne said, shaking his hand.

      ‘Likewise,’