early-morning cuddles as much
as she did.
Beside her, Jamie stirred and reached his arm over so that he was embracing both her and Tom. ‘Morning, champ,’ he said, his voice thick and croaky.
‘Morning, Dad,’ Tom replied, lifting his head to peer at Jamie over the top of Martha’s body. ‘Will you come and play on my Xbox?’
‘It’s a bit early . . .’ Jamie sighed, throwing back the duvet and rolling out of bed nevertheless. ‘But go on then!’
Martha watched as Jamie threw on his t-shirt and jeans and signalled to Tom to follow him. ‘Let Mum have another half-hour’s sleep,’ he said.
Tom squeezed himself into Martha for one more hug before climbing out of bed and following Jamie downstairs. Martha snuggled back down under the duvet and was just dozing off again when her
mobile phone, which was plugged into a charger on the bedside table, beeped.
Sighing, Martha reached out and unplugged the handset. She rolled onto her back and looked at the screen. The message was from her best friend, Lindsay.
OMG!! What u doing leaving hotel with
Charlie Simmons??? X
Martha’s senses tingled.
Eh? What u on abt? x
she hurriedly texted back.
A few seconds later, her phone beeped again.
Photo of u together on MailOnline! U wearing his clothes???? WTF???
Martha sat up in shock. Immediately, she clicked on Lindsay’s number to call her.
‘Well, good morning!’ Lindsay answered in her broad, northern accent. ‘You have got some explaining to do, young lady!’
Martha laughed, despite her concern. ‘I really haven’t. But I have got probably the most embarrassing story ever to tell you . . .’
She regaled Lindsay with the details of her encounter with Charlie Simmons the day before, to be met with howls of laughter from her friend and former colleague. Lindsay and Martha had worked on
the same newspaper together before going in different directions. Martha had focused on doing in-depth celebrity interviews, while Lindsay gave up journalism altogether and went into teaching. But
her background meant that she still read all the papers online every morning, which was why she had been the first to spot the paparazzi picture of Martha and Charlie.
‘Well, you could be a bit more sympathetic!’ Martha spluttered indignantly, as Lindsay continued to laugh loudly at her misfortune. ‘Jamie!’ she called out, putting her
hand over the speaker for a second, ‘I’d love a cup of tea!’
‘No need to shout!’ came the answer, as Jamie entered the bedroom carrying a cup of tea.
‘Aah, thanks, babe.’ She smiled, and blew him a kiss as he put the cup down on her bedside table, before returning to her phone call. ‘My lovely husband just brought me a cup
of tea.’
‘Tell him I want one too!’ Lindsay said.
‘Lindsay says she wants one too,’ Martha relayed to Jamie’s retreating back.
‘What, me or the tea?’ Jamie replied cheekily, closing the bedroom door behind him.
‘I heard that!’ said Lindsay. ‘Tell him both.’
Martha laughed. Lindsay adored Jamie, as did all of her friends. Lindsay was divorced after her ex-husband had cheated on her, and often told Martha that whenever she got fed up with Jamie, she
would happily take him off her hands.
‘Anyway,’ Martha said, ‘I need to go and have a look at this bloody newspaper story. I can’t believe they photographed us and made it look as though I’d spent the
night with him!’
‘Are you absolutely sure you didn’t? And then came up with that cock-and-bull story to cover your tracks?’ Lindsay’s voice had taken on a mischievous air. ‘No-one
would blame you.’
‘Bugger off!’ Martha cried good-naturedly. ‘As if! I don’t have the imagination to make up a story like that anyway. And I’m far too old and far too dull for him.
By the way, how do I look in the picture?’
There was a pause and she could hear the clicking of a keyboard as Lindsay looked again at the photo. ‘Good,’ she said at last. ‘Kind
as she did.
Beside her, Jamie stirred and reached his arm over so that he was embracing both her and Tom. ‘Morning, champ,’ he said, his voice thick and croaky.
‘Morning, Dad,’ Tom replied, lifting his head to peer at Jamie over the top of Martha’s body. ‘Will you come and play on my Xbox?’
‘It’s a bit early . . .’ Jamie sighed, throwing back the duvet and rolling out of bed nevertheless. ‘But go on then!’
Martha watched as Jamie threw on his t-shirt and jeans and signalled to Tom to follow him. ‘Let Mum have another half-hour’s sleep,’ he said.
Tom squeezed himself into Martha for one more hug before climbing out of bed and following Jamie downstairs. Martha snuggled back down under the duvet and was just dozing off again when her
mobile phone, which was plugged into a charger on the bedside table, beeped.
Sighing, Martha reached out and unplugged the handset. She rolled onto her back and looked at the screen. The message was from her best friend, Lindsay.
OMG!! What u doing leaving hotel with
Charlie Simmons??? X
Martha’s senses tingled.
Eh? What u on abt? x
she hurriedly texted back.
A few seconds later, her phone beeped again.
Photo of u together on MailOnline! U wearing his clothes???? WTF???
Martha sat up in shock. Immediately, she clicked on Lindsay’s number to call her.
‘Well, good morning!’ Lindsay answered in her broad, northern accent. ‘You have got some explaining to do, young lady!’
Martha laughed, despite her concern. ‘I really haven’t. But I have got probably the most embarrassing story ever to tell you . . .’
She regaled Lindsay with the details of her encounter with Charlie Simmons the day before, to be met with howls of laughter from her friend and former colleague. Lindsay and Martha had worked on
the same newspaper together before going in different directions. Martha had focused on doing in-depth celebrity interviews, while Lindsay gave up journalism altogether and went into teaching. But
her background meant that she still read all the papers online every morning, which was why she had been the first to spot the paparazzi picture of Martha and Charlie.
‘Well, you could be a bit more sympathetic!’ Martha spluttered indignantly, as Lindsay continued to laugh loudly at her misfortune. ‘Jamie!’ she called out, putting her
hand over the speaker for a second, ‘I’d love a cup of tea!’
‘No need to shout!’ came the answer, as Jamie entered the bedroom carrying a cup of tea.
‘Aah, thanks, babe.’ She smiled, and blew him a kiss as he put the cup down on her bedside table, before returning to her phone call. ‘My lovely husband just brought me a cup
of tea.’
‘Tell him I want one too!’ Lindsay said.
‘Lindsay says she wants one too,’ Martha relayed to Jamie’s retreating back.
‘What, me or the tea?’ Jamie replied cheekily, closing the bedroom door behind him.
‘I heard that!’ said Lindsay. ‘Tell him both.’
Martha laughed. Lindsay adored Jamie, as did all of her friends. Lindsay was divorced after her ex-husband had cheated on her, and often told Martha that whenever she got fed up with Jamie, she
would happily take him off her hands.
‘Anyway,’ Martha said, ‘I need to go and have a look at this bloody newspaper story. I can’t believe they photographed us and made it look as though I’d spent the
night with him!’
‘Are you absolutely sure you didn’t? And then came up with that cock-and-bull story to cover your tracks?’ Lindsay’s voice had taken on a mischievous air. ‘No-one
would blame you.’
‘Bugger off!’ Martha cried good-naturedly. ‘As if! I don’t have the imagination to make up a story like that anyway. And I’m far too old and far too dull for him.
By the way, how do I look in the picture?’
There was a pause and she could hear the clicking of a keyboard as Lindsay looked again at the photo. ‘Good,’ she said at last. ‘Kind
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