This Is How It Ends by Kathleen MacMahon Read Free Book Online Page A

cheerful face, a face a small child would draw. A perfect circle, huge round eyes, and bright pink cheeks.
    Bruno took an instant liking to her. Afterwards it would seem to him that he loved her from the moment he first saw her face.
     
    SHE WAS AWARE THAT he was watching her. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.
    She was walking with her head down to avoid looking at him. She had her head down and she was looking at her runners as she walked.
    She tried to concentrate on the music. She kept having to remind herself not to sing along. Even this far out, it wasn’t safe. Sometimes the wind can carry sounds right into the shore.
    She was hopping from spot to spot on the sand, selecting her next move carefully so she would land on a razor-clam shell. She loved the satisfying crunch of them under her feet.
    A hundred yards from the promenade, she glanced up quickly to check his position. Then she charted her course. She would walk right down to the far end of the beach. She would take the steps by the Martello tower. She would cross the road at the traffic lights and double back along the footpath. That way she wouldn’t have to walk past him. She could avoid him entirely. She could slip back into the house without him ever having seen her.
    It was a bit mean but it had to be done.
    She slid the dog lead from where she had it draped around her neck, then she turned to see where Lola had got to. There was no sign of her. Addie whirled round full circle, scanning the beach to see if she was behind her, but she wasn’t. It was only when she turned back in towards the shore that she spotted her.
    Wouldn’t you know, she was right at the bottom of the steps. She was standing there with her tail wagging away as she waited for Addie to join her. There was no choice but to follow.
    Addie walked with her head right down, her hands deep in her pockets. She was aware of him watching her but she was determined not to look up. She would hook the dog onto the lead and she would walk straight past him. Even at this late stage she was dead set on avoiding him.
    Just as she approached the bottom of the steps, Lola began to spin round in a circle. The next thing she was squatting back on her hind legs, squeezing a big turd out onto the sand. Great, thought Addie, that’s just fucking great. For a moment she thought about leaving it there. But she couldn’t do that, not with him sitting there watching her.
    She fished around in her pocket for a bag, coming across her keys instead. She pulled them out and transferred them to her left hand. Fished around again until she found the roll of bags. She held the loose end of the roll in her teeth and tore, leaving one bag hanging from her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye she was watching him.
    Walking over to the spot where Lola had done her business, she bent down as gracefully as she could. Using the bag as a glove so she didn’t have to make direct contact, she picked up Lola’s mess. She doubled the bag over itself and tied a knot in it. Then she held it away from her delicately with two fingers.
    She looked up to see the steps right in front of her. A quick glance at the bench. She could see he was watching her intently.
    With her keys still in one hand and the bag dangling from the other, she walked slowly up the steps, mustering as much dignity as she could under the circumstances.
    When she got to the top, she straightened up. He was smiling at her with his eyes, as if she’d done something amusing. He raised his hand to greet her in a familiar gesture, as if he knew her.
    She smiled a wobbly little smile, inclining her head ever so slightly to acknowledge his greeting. Then she pulled her spine up tall and marched over to the poo bin to dump the bag. She let the lid fall back down with a clang. Without so much as looking at him again, she turned and swung her way along the promenade, calling to the little dog to follow her.
     
    SHE COULDN’T BELIEVE it when she heard him shouting