the turnstile. Catching what Tiffany had said, he turned round and winked at her.
She rolled her eyes. ‘To clarify … this will be dinner as friends. And I don’t mean friends with extras.’
‘Sure, just friends,’ Billy replied, hardly able to contain his smile. Leaning over the counter, he kissed her on the cheek. ‘I’ll pick you up around eight.’
By half-past ten, Billy and Tiffany had worked their way through onion bhajis, poppadoms, chicken tikka masala, a lamb rogan josh, nan breads, pilau rice, and one and a half pints of Kingfisher beer.
‘Oh my God, I’m so full!’ Tiffany groaned, pushing her plate away. She leant back against the burgundy mock-velvet booth. The Indian scored nul points for interior design, but the food was divine.
Billy waved the last remaining poppadom in her face. ‘Sure I can’t interest you in this, madam?’
‘No way! I need to go and lie on my sofa.’
‘You could come and lie on mine,’ Billy said cheekily. ‘The boys are out, and I tidied up.’
‘I already told you, this is us as friends, not friends with extras,’ Tiffany said. But she was weakening. It had been a while and Billy did look especially fit and she’d had a stressful couple of weeks … Would it be so bad to go back to his, one last time?
‘Of course just as friends.’ He tried unsuccessfully to hide his pleasure that she was going to come back with him. ‘And you can tell me what’s on your mind.’
When Billy had picked her up, she had hinted that she was worried about something, meaning the situation with Angel, and as soon as she had said it, had regretted it. ‘Oh, it was nothing,’ she muttered now, forgetting that he knew her better than that.
‘Have you met someone else?’ he asked quietly.
‘Why would I be out having a curry with you on a Friday night if I’d met someone else?’
‘You’ve got a new job?’
‘Marie’s having a baby.’ Phew, that surely let her off the hook!
Billy had always got on well with her dad and Marie. ‘That’s great news, Tiff, but I don’t see why it is such a big secret?’ Damn, he wasn’t going to be put off so easily. It probably wouldn’t do any harm to tell him about Angel. She trusted him not to tell anyone. Besides, the way things were going, it seemed as if nothing was going to happen anyway.
‘You remember I met my real mum a couple of months ago?’
‘Oh, yeah, it didn’t go too well from what you said?’
Tiffany sighed. That was an understatement. ‘It was a total disaster. But she wrote to her social worker so that she could tell me …’ She paused. It was going to sound completely mad. There they were, sitting in their local Indian, surrounded by people having a Friday-night curry, a treat at the end of a long week, and she was going to come out with this revelation. She fleetingly looked away from Billy and her attention was caught by a man sitting alone. He was staring at her, and Tiffany had a funny feeling that she had seen him before, but she couldn’t think from where. He was striking-looking, with short brown hair in a buzz cut and deep brown eyes.
‘Tell you what?’ Billy urged her, and she looked away from the man.
‘OK, you’ve got to promise not to tell anyone – not any of the lads.’ Billy shared his student house with three other trainee teachers.
‘Sure.’
Tiffany sneaked another glance at the brown-eyed man. He was reading his book now; perhaps she had imagined seeing him somewhere before.
‘Tanya said that I had a half-sister.’
‘Yeah? I guess it can’t be that much of a surprise that you’ve got siblings. Your mum sounded pretty dysfunctional.’
‘It’s who it is. Tanya claims that my half-sister is Angel Summer.’
Billy looked suitably shocked. ‘What! The Angel Summer who’s married to Cal Bailey?’ Cal was one of Billy’s all-time sporting heroes. He had raised his voice in surprise and Tiffany immediately shushed him. She looked around anxiously but none of
She rolled her eyes. ‘To clarify … this will be dinner as friends. And I don’t mean friends with extras.’
‘Sure, just friends,’ Billy replied, hardly able to contain his smile. Leaning over the counter, he kissed her on the cheek. ‘I’ll pick you up around eight.’
By half-past ten, Billy and Tiffany had worked their way through onion bhajis, poppadoms, chicken tikka masala, a lamb rogan josh, nan breads, pilau rice, and one and a half pints of Kingfisher beer.
‘Oh my God, I’m so full!’ Tiffany groaned, pushing her plate away. She leant back against the burgundy mock-velvet booth. The Indian scored nul points for interior design, but the food was divine.
Billy waved the last remaining poppadom in her face. ‘Sure I can’t interest you in this, madam?’
‘No way! I need to go and lie on my sofa.’
‘You could come and lie on mine,’ Billy said cheekily. ‘The boys are out, and I tidied up.’
‘I already told you, this is us as friends, not friends with extras,’ Tiffany said. But she was weakening. It had been a while and Billy did look especially fit and she’d had a stressful couple of weeks … Would it be so bad to go back to his, one last time?
‘Of course just as friends.’ He tried unsuccessfully to hide his pleasure that she was going to come back with him. ‘And you can tell me what’s on your mind.’
When Billy had picked her up, she had hinted that she was worried about something, meaning the situation with Angel, and as soon as she had said it, had regretted it. ‘Oh, it was nothing,’ she muttered now, forgetting that he knew her better than that.
‘Have you met someone else?’ he asked quietly.
‘Why would I be out having a curry with you on a Friday night if I’d met someone else?’
‘You’ve got a new job?’
‘Marie’s having a baby.’ Phew, that surely let her off the hook!
Billy had always got on well with her dad and Marie. ‘That’s great news, Tiff, but I don’t see why it is such a big secret?’ Damn, he wasn’t going to be put off so easily. It probably wouldn’t do any harm to tell him about Angel. She trusted him not to tell anyone. Besides, the way things were going, it seemed as if nothing was going to happen anyway.
‘You remember I met my real mum a couple of months ago?’
‘Oh, yeah, it didn’t go too well from what you said?’
Tiffany sighed. That was an understatement. ‘It was a total disaster. But she wrote to her social worker so that she could tell me …’ She paused. It was going to sound completely mad. There they were, sitting in their local Indian, surrounded by people having a Friday-night curry, a treat at the end of a long week, and she was going to come out with this revelation. She fleetingly looked away from Billy and her attention was caught by a man sitting alone. He was staring at her, and Tiffany had a funny feeling that she had seen him before, but she couldn’t think from where. He was striking-looking, with short brown hair in a buzz cut and deep brown eyes.
‘Tell you what?’ Billy urged her, and she looked away from the man.
‘OK, you’ve got to promise not to tell anyone – not any of the lads.’ Billy shared his student house with three other trainee teachers.
‘Sure.’
Tiffany sneaked another glance at the brown-eyed man. He was reading his book now; perhaps she had imagined seeing him somewhere before.
‘Tanya said that I had a half-sister.’
‘Yeah? I guess it can’t be that much of a surprise that you’ve got siblings. Your mum sounded pretty dysfunctional.’
‘It’s who it is. Tanya claims that my half-sister is Angel Summer.’
Billy looked suitably shocked. ‘What! The Angel Summer who’s married to Cal Bailey?’ Cal was one of Billy’s all-time sporting heroes. He had raised his voice in surprise and Tiffany immediately shushed him. She looked around anxiously but none of
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