Broke by Mandasue Heller Read Free Book Online Page B

for you,’ Katie chipped in. ‘Best friends for life.’
    Both girls stuck out their little fingers and waited for Jenny to add hers to do the pinkie friendship pledge. But Jenny just smiled secretively and reached for her glass.
    ‘You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl now.’
    And you two are even more stupid than you look if you think I’m going to carry on hanging around with you after tonight.
    Mark Taylor was the only one who could fill the so-called void in her life. And now that she had reconnected with him, the girls were as good as dead to her.
    The house was dark when Mark let himself in, and he hoped that Amy had given up on him and gone to bed. But she was huddled on the couch when he walked into the living room, and he felt guilty when he heard her sniffing softly. He reached out to switch the light on and felt like the world’s biggest bastard when she said, ‘Don’t bother. The electric’s gone.’
    ‘Sorry.’ He shuffled his feet and gave her a hangdog look from the shadows.
    ‘Your dinner’s in the oven,’ she murmured. ‘It might still be a bit warm, if you’re lucky.’
    ‘Don’t worry about it – I’m not hungry.’ He sat beside her and held out his arms. ‘Hug?’
    Amy hesitated for a moment. Then, sighing, she leaned towards him.
    ‘Sorry for kicking off,’ Mark said softly, kissing her hair. ‘I was wound up, but I shouldn’t have took it out on you.’
    ‘I didn’t mean to make you feel worse.’ Amy laid her head on his chest. ‘I’m just worried how we’re going to manage without your wages.’
    ‘We’ll be all right,’ he assured her. ‘I’ve been thinking about it, and I reckon Stan might give me my job back if I go and talk to him.’
    Amy shook her head. ‘He won’t. He rang after you went out, said your P45’s in the post.’
    Mark’s immediate response was anger at Stan for being so unreasonable. But it quickly changed to acceptance, and he gave a resigned shrug. ‘Oh, well, I never liked it there anyhow. I’ll just find another job, with better hours and pay.’
    ‘What if you can’t?’ Amy gazed up at him. ‘The electric’s already gone, and I’ve got no money to put on the card. The rent’s due on Monday, and I was expecting to do a big shop next week so I let the freezer run down. And I’ve got the phone bill to pay, and Sky, and the gas bill will be in any day.’
    ‘I’ll look for another job first thing,’ Mark promised. ‘And if I can’t get one I’ll sign on.’ He raised her chin with his finger now and gazed down into her tearful eyes. ‘I said I’d look after you, and I will.’
    Amy squeezed her eyes shut and held onto him. She knew that he meant what he was saying, but she doubted it was going to be as easy as that. It had been hard enough for him to get this job after having been sacked so many times before, and she didn’t hold out much hope of anyone giving him another chance now that it had happened again. It wouldn’t even be easy to sign on, because there would be a whole load of forms to fill out and hoops to jump through before they saw any money. And what was she supposed to do in the meantime? The child benefit might just about cover their food, but there was no way it would cover the rent, or the other bills that were stacking up. And that was without the kids’ school dinners, and all the other day-to-day expenses they incurred.
    As he held her, Mark stared worriedly off into the darkness. He’d really blown it this time, and he didn’t know how he was going to make it right. But Amy and the kids were depending on him, so he would have to try.

5
    Steve cursed when he nicked his face with the razor, and splashed cold water onto the cut to wash away the blood. He was meeting his new girlfriend’s parents for the first time tonight and he was already nervous, so the last thing he needed was to greet them with little bits of toilet paper stuck to his face.
    Almost taking another chunk out of