Black Girls and Bad Boys: Changing his Tune by Neneh J. Gordon Page B

and don’t let anyone drag you into
anything.” John would get him a new assistant. Noah was already doing better – he’d
improved in the short length of time she’d been there. If he’d managed to stay
in that party without taking anything – even after that taste of lager – he’d
be fine. Twenty-four hours ago he would have been glad to see the back of her.
    “I’ll talk to him. He’ll have calmed down by tomorrow. I’ll explain
what happened.”
    “What, that I let you have a booze-fuelled party even though I knew
it was a bad idea? That I turned down his offer of help out of stubbornness?”
    “You spoke to him?”
    She nodded. “I didn’t tell him about the party. I said I had
everything under control.” That was laughable. She hadn’t been in control of
anything since she set foot in Noah’s house.
    “You were just looking out for me. Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk
to him in the morning. You’ll see.” He looked so sure. So hopeful.
    Her eyes roamed his face, taking everything in – the slightly drawn
cheeks, the light dusting of stubble, the square jaw. His brown eyes looked
black in the low light outside. Then she looked at the lips she’d come so close
to kissing. What had she been thinking? What had either of them been thinking?
    She fixed every bit of his face in her memory and then she went
inside. If she was right, she might never see him in the flesh again.

CHAPTER 7
    ––––––––
    W hen Noah’s alarm went off, he almost flicked it to a stop and went
back to sleep, but then he remembered why he’d set it in the first place.
    Angie.
    He jumped out of bed, pulled on his dressing gown and burst out of
his room. She wasn’t next door. In fact, none of her lotions and potions were
out on the dressing table either. His heart sped up. She couldn’t have gone
already. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.
    He raced downstairs and started searching the rooms. No one in the
kitchen. No one in the conservatory. When he reached the first sitting room, he
found John drinking a cup of coffee.
    “You’re up early, aren’t you?”
    “Where is she?”
    “If you mean Angelique, I expect she’s gone home.”
    “Home? When?”
    “I don’t know. Late last night. Early this morning. The door to her
room was open when I checked first thing and all her stuff was gone.”
    Clutching at his dressing gown, he sank into a chair. “Then get her
back. Call her up and ask her to come back.”
    “Noah, she fucked up. She was supposed to keep your nose clean and
she let that bunch of losers in here.”
    “It wasn’t her fault.”
    “No? Whose was it then?”
    He wrapped his robe tighter around himself and lowered his head,
speaking almost into his chest. “Mine. It was my fault.” He should have
listened to her and sent them packing.
    “That’s all very noble and everything, but if she couldn’t control
you she shouldn’t have taken the job. No, I’ll find someone more capable to look
after you.”
    “But she needs this job.” He thought of her little boy and to his
shame he couldn’t even remember his name.
    “Not my problem. We can’t afford to have you giving in to
temptation.”
    “Please, John. Give her another chance. It was working.”
    “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I’ll start looking today and
hopefully have someone by the end of the week.”
    He could picture it already – some hulking great orderly type with a
shaved head who’d manhandle him if he got too close to the pub. Why hadn’t he
got rid of Dave when she’d asked him to?
    “Look, I know you liked her, but it was a bad idea getting a woman
in the first place.”
    “It wasn’t like that.”
    John smiled like he was humouring him. “Why don’t you get yourself
some breakfast?”
    “I’m not hungry.” He knew he sounded like a petulant teenager, but
he couldn’t stop himself.
    “How about doing some more work on the new tracks then? It’ll take
your mind off things.”
    That