Tough Love (20 page)

Leanne grabbed her bag. ‘You're the one making a show of yourself, shouting the odds, telling people who they can and can't see. Who do you think you are, Markie? God?'

‘I'm your brother and your new boss, so get home and don't come back until your head's screwed on right.'

Leanne fled and Markie remained seated, staring after her. What the bloody hell was she thinking? A soft arse like Tony? He rolled the newspaper into a ball and stuffed it into the bin. When he found Tony he'd let him know exactly what he thought.

*

Leanne was sitting in her car, parked outside a new housing development in Manchester, wearing shades and hoping to God that no more photographers
were lurking about. She had driven there erratically from the office, feeling sick and angry that her not-very-interesting private life had been dragged once again through the papers.

Tony came out to her. When he saw she had been crying he marched around to check that no one was watching, then jumped into the passenger seat. ‘I saw it this morning when I got in. The lads have been ripping into me …'

‘I'm sorry you've got involved,' Leanne said.

‘Eh? Come here. I'm big enough and ugly enough to look after myself. I'm only bothered about you.'

‘Everyone's going to think I'm some sort of marriage wrecker.'

‘Listen, no one's going to think that. Monica's gone off her head,' he said, referring to his ‘wife', ‘but that's just tough shit. She was getting on my nerves anyway, cluttering up my flat.'

‘I bet she wants to kill me.'

‘Will you stop stressing about her? She was a very savvy girl. She'd saved up a pot of money and was always moaning that she hated England and couldn't wait to get back to Russia.'

Leanne didn't feel any better for Tony's reassurances.

‘I don't like you having to read that crap about yourself,' Tony went on.

‘All I'm bothered about is Markie.' She wondered
if she should have said that, considering the bad blood between Tony and her brother.

‘What's it got to do with him?'

‘He's just told me to go home and sort my head out. He thinks we've started seeing each other to kick him when he's down.'

Tony exploded. ‘Fuck him! What's he got to gripe about? His life's fucking hunky-dory. Me and you have never done anything but bend over for your Markie, so we don't upset him, so he doesn't get pissed off, and for what? So he can upset you and sack you? So that I'm not allowed in a three-mile radius of a Bradington club? Well, fuck him. I'm fed up with worrying about what Markie thinks, because he sure as shit doesn't care what I think.'

Leanne was worried – Tony was really angry. ‘What are you going to do?'

‘I'm going to tell Markie to stop taking the piss out of me.'

Leanne grabbed his arm. ‘Please don't. Not today. Can we have a couple of days to cool off and think about it? If you do that and anything happens, some paper will make a story out of it and I'll end up as the home-wrecking psycho.'

Tony leant back against the head-rest. ‘OK, Leanne, but only a couple of days. If I still feel like this at the end of the week I'll go to see Markie, have it out once and for all. I don't want him thinking he can run our lives for ever.'

Leanne kissed him. ‘Neither do I,' she said.

As Tony walked away from the car, Leanne felt relieved. Even though she knew that a considerable percentage of the country was waking up to the story of her latest fling, she had never seen Tony like that. He had always been so careful to keep quiet where Markie was concerned. Not that Leanne wanted an all-out fight in the street, far from it, but she wanted to see Tony stand up for himself and for what he believed in. Because as much as Markie was her brother and she loved him, she knew he was a bully and always got away with it.

Leanne had decided not to waste the week moping in front of the TV, wondering if Markie would call and tell her he'd made a mistake. She knew it wouldn't happen.

She had booked herself and Jodie onto a train to London the following morning after Kia had gone to school. She had asked for her mother to pick the little girl up afterwards. Tracy was acting as if she'd been asked to look after Kia's entire class for a month.

Leanne was in the spare room she and Kia were sharing, sorting out what to wear the next day, and Kia was downstairs watching TV. It was great that they could stay here for the time being but she knew it was time she and Kia moved on. Finding the deposit for somewhere half decent was the sticking-point. She didn't want to ask anyone for it and she didn't have anywhere near the thousand pounds she needed. Leanne berated herself yet
again. That amount had come and gone many times when she'd lived in London. She'd never thought about money when she'd had it, which was why she didn't have any now. She'd spent it all.

The door flew open and Tracy stuck her head in. ‘You've got a visitor,' she snapped.

‘Hi,' Charly said.

‘Hi,' Leanne replied.

Tracy stood in the doorway, waiting to hear what the woman who'd got her claws into her son wanted with her daughter.

Charly looked at Tracy. Tracy stared back. ‘Don't give me that you're-dismissed look in my own house. You're lucky I let you in without our Scott with you.'

‘Mum!' Leanne remonstrated.

‘Bloody hell.' Tracy stomped off down the stairs.

‘Sorry about that. How are you?' Leanne asked. She knew Charly must be there for a reason because they didn't catch up on a social level. She was Scott's girlfriend and that was that.

‘I'm good,' Charly said. ‘Listen, Leanne, tell me if I've got completely the wrong end of the stick but Scott was saying you're representing Jodie for page-three stuff.'

Leanne wasn't sure how Scott had heard about it but probably from Jodie. She nodded. ‘That's right. Why?'

‘Well …' Charly began, then looked at the floor
as if she was unsure what to say next. ‘I was wondering if you'd think about taking me on.' She flushed.

Leanne was surprised. Charly was usually so self-assured, and she'd never thought for a moment that she would be interested in modelling – Charly liked lording it around Bradington. Suddenly, though, it made sense. And, looking at her now, Leanne thought she'd be perfect. Charly had an innate confidence in herself – so much so that she wasn't scared of Tracy, even though Tracy had made it known to everyone that she couldn't stand the girl. She was pretty and cocky, a good combination.

Leanne had never mastered cocky. Her look was more wide-eyed or smiley, but the girls who pulled off cocky got the sexier bookings.

‘I'd be delighted to,' Leanne said.

‘Really?' Charly asked, sounding genuinely shocked. ‘I thought I might need a boob job first.'

‘Don't do that. Natural's big at the moment. Anyway, that's way off. I'd have to take a couple of pictures of you.'

‘Well, er, Scott took some. I don't know if they're good enough though.' Charly produced them from her bag.

‘Bloody hell – you've come prepared!' Leanne exclaimed. Charly smiled, and Leanne was willing to bet that she'd run Scott ragged trying to get the perfect picture.

‘He got a new camera specially,' Charly added proudly.

The pictures were a bit readers'-wives, and Leanne felt a little embarrassed to look at them, but once she'd got past that, she saw that Charly knew how to work the camera. She sorted through the pictures and handed back the ones in which Scott had been concentrating on her breasts. ‘I'm going to London tomorrow with Jodie so I'll take these with me and see what they think.'

‘Really?'

‘I can't guarantee anything, but you look good, so we'll see.' One thing she had learnt from years of having Jenny as a manager was not to promise too much. It only came back to bite you. Let people be pleasantly surprised by the outcome rather than banking on it.

Charly kissed her. ‘You're a star! I owe you big-time for this, Leanne.'

‘Just buy me a drink, yeah?' Leanne was glad to be of service.

*

The next morning, Leanne and Jodie were running through Manchester Piccadilly to make the eight forty-five train. They jumped on at eight forty-four. Leanne had completely misjudged the rush-hour traffic.

‘Jesus!' Jodie plonked herself down next to a businessman, who obviously wasn't in the mood for being interrupted. He rustled his newspaper and threw her a look of disdain. ‘I'm sorry, are we bothering you?' she asked.

‘No, not at all.'

‘Good,' Jodie said, and made herself comfortable.

Leanne giggled. Jodie was a law unto herself, especially when she was out of Bradington. It was as if she'd been given a new lease on life.

The businessman got up. ‘Would you two like to sit next to each other?'

‘Too right. Thanks,' Jodie said, smiling at him. He ran off down the train like a startled rabbit as they pulled out of the station.

‘Get in here, then,' Jodie said.

As Leanne was sitting down a voice behind them said, ‘That's that slag.'

Leanne's blood ran cold.

‘That Leanne thingy.'

Leanne wanted to be sick, she wanted to run off the train, but most of all she wanted Jodie not to have heard.

Too late. Jodie was out of her seat and staring at the woman and her friend. ‘What did you just say?'

‘I didn't say anything to you.'

‘That's not what I asked. What did you just say?' Jodie repeated.

From where Leanne was sitting she could only see Jodie's legs and stomach, but she guessed her sister's head was waggling from side to side and her finger jabbing in the air.

‘I was just saying that the woman sitting next to you is a slag.' The words hung in the air. Then Jodie grabbed the woman by the scruff of the neck.

‘Get off me!' she screamed. Her friend pressed the emergency button and the train ground to a halt as Jodie whacked the offender.

Leanne was on her feet now, trying to drag her sister off, as the train manager piled towards them.

‘Look, I'm sorry, there's been a misunderstanding,' Leanne said. They were drawing disapproving stares from the entire carriage. The train manager gave her the double-look to which she was accustomed. The first look is the look anyone would receive in such circumstances, the second is the look of recognition.

‘She attacked me!' the woman screamed.

‘You were being a bitch about my sister,' Jodie said.

‘She was goading her,' a weary passenger said from behind.

‘Could you come with me, please?' the train manager said to Leanne and Jodie.

Brilliant, Leanne thought. I've just been called a slag, everyone's staring at me and, to top it all, we're about to be slung off the train.

‘That's right. Chuck 'em off,' the woman shouted.

‘I'll be back to ask you and your friend some questions once the train is moving again.'

As Leanne and Jodie walked quickly along the carriage, Leanne's head bowed, Jodie's held aloft – so that if anyone else wanted to chip in she could put them back in their box – Leanne knew they would be unceremoniously ejected at the next station. They would miss their meeting and she'd have to strangle Jodie for sabotaging their chances. They walked through two more carriages to first class.

‘Here you are, ladies. You shouldn't have any more bother,' the train manager said, pointing at an empty table.

‘We can sit in here?' Leanne was dumbfounded.

‘Course you can. Someone will be along in a while to get you some breakfast and a drink.'

‘Yeees! Check it out,' Jodie said gleefully.

‘Thank you,' Leanne said.

He smiled. ‘No problem, Ms Crompton. Might be along in a bit for your autograph, though, if you don't mind. My son thinks you're great.'

‘No problem.' Leanne beamed. He smiled back shyly, then walked away.

‘Son? Get lost! It's for him,' Jodie said.

Once the man was out of earshot Leanne said, ‘Right. Rule number one.' Jodie looked at her to
see if she was joking. Leanne was never usually stern with her. ‘You need to keep that –' She pointed at Jodie's mouth ‘– buttoned. Another train manager would have slung us off.'

‘But she was calling you a slag! I was sticking up for you!'

‘Well, let me fight my own battles. You need to keep a low profile for the time being. Rule number two, be polite to everyone.'

‘I know, I know. You've already said.'

‘Well, do it, then.'

‘OK,' Jodie said. ‘Is there a number three?'

‘Yes. If you start to get some decent work, and I'm not promising anything, you've got to save some money.'

‘Boring!' Jodie said, leafing through the free paper in front of her.

The train jerked into life.

‘Well, it might be, but the alternative is that you end up working for Markie and living at Mum's when you could have your own place and a nice little nest egg.'

‘Right. I'll do whatever you tell me.'

Leanne assessed her sister, sure she had only agreed for the sake of an easy life. ‘I know you will, because I'm your manager,' she said, and pulled the breakfast menu towards her.

*

The train drew into Euston station at ten past eleven, which gave them plenty of time to get to Canary Wharf for half past twelve.

‘I need the loo,' Jodie said.

‘You've been about seven times on the train,' Leanne said, gazing around to check that the woman who had caused the altercation wasn't nearby. It felt weird to be back in London, but she had a purpose, which made her less anxious than she might otherwise have been.

‘Weak bladder.' Jodie marched off to find the toilet. Leanne put her twenty-pence piece in the slot and then went through the barrier.