The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (6 page)

‘Leave her alone, you animal.’
Cathy shoved him back onto the chair. ‘You’re disgusting, Eddie Mellor. I don’t
know how Angie puts up with you. I would divorce you if I was her.’

‘Well thank Christ you’re not!’
He turned on Cathy with a growl. ‘I wouldn’t touch
you
with somebody else’s never mind my own. Ever wondered why it
was always Angie got the lads when you were out together? Why no one looked
twice at you?
 
Shall I tell you why?
You’re chalk and cheese. She’s a moody bitch, but she’s got style. But
you,
with your greasy hair, no tits to speak of and your fat arse, you’re hardly the
belle of the ball!’

Angie raised her hand and smacked
him soundly across the face. ‘How dare you speak to Cathy like that? You’re a
complete bastard.’

Without stopping to think he
slapped her back, knocking her into the door. ‘At least I’m fucking honest!’

‘Right, that does it, I’m leaving
you,’ she yelled as Cathy stepped between the pair, tears streaming down her
face.

‘Good! I was gonna tell you I
want a divorce anyway. Oh, and by the way, I got the sack today,
and
we’ve got mice!’

***

Angie stared open mouthed as the
reality of Eddie’s announcement sank in. Cathy shot him a venomous look, put
her arms around her shoulders and led her away to the bedroom, where, in spite
of all the noise, Jonny still slept soundly.

‘What will we do?’ Angie choked
on a sob. ‘We won’t have the money to pay the rent or put food on the table.
And mice! Oh God, I hate this dump.’

‘Calm down and get ready for
bed,’ Cathy said. ‘I’ll stay with you tonight. Tomorrow you can pack some
things and I’ll drive you and Jonny to your mother’s. I can’t leave you here
with Eddie after all that.’

‘I don’t want to go back to my
mother’s. It’s worse than prison. I want a new house. Jonny deserves somewhere
nicer than this bloody dump to grow up in.’

‘For crying out loud, Angie,
Eddie told you he's lost his job.
You
just announced you’re leaving him. A new house is out of the question. Anyway,
how can you stay with a bloke who slaps you?’

‘He’s never raised a finger to me
before. I’m sorry he said all those awful things. I feel so embarrassed. Wedge
a chair behind the door in case he tries to come in.’

***

Eddie sat down on the kitchen
chair and put his head in his hands. What the hell had he been thinking? He’d
hit a woman, his wife. No matter how much she’d provoked him he shouldn’t have
done that. How the hell had she managed to turn him into a wife beater? And
he’d insulted Cathy something terrible. Then to announce his job loss like that
had been uncalled for, too. He should have told Angie in private. He walked to
the bedroom door and tapped lightly. ‘Angie, I’m sorry. Can we talk on our own?’

‘Get lost, Eddie. I’ll talk to
you tomorrow.’

‘No, we need to sort this out
now.’

‘I’ve nothing to say to you.
Leave it until the morning when you’re sober.’

‘I’m sober now. I didn’t mean to
hurt you. I’m sorry I insulted Cathy.’

‘Go away, Ed, please.’

He stumbled into the sitting room
and flopped down on the shabby sofa. He choked back tears of anger and
frustration mixed with sorrow and wondered how the hell he’d managed to make
such a mess of his life. He curled himself into a tight ball and slipped into a
drunken stupor.

***

CHAPTER
FIVE

Jane picked her way carefully
across the icy cobbles of Pickford High Street, shivering against the biting
wind. Flanagan and Grey’s Record Emporium came into view and junior assistant,
Carl was already there, sheltering in the doorway. If she looked as miserable
as she felt, there would be a million questions from him. She broke a big
smile.

‘Morning, Carl.’ She fished in
her bag for the keys.

‘Hurry up and open the door, I’m
frozen.’ Carl stamped his feet as she fumbled with the lock.

‘Put the kettle on for coffee
while I get the shop warmed up,’ she said and switched on the lights.

‘I’ll pop across the road and get
some milk while the kettle boils. Fancy a Mars bar, my treat?’

‘I’d love one. It might buck me
up a bit.’

‘John Grey said you weren’t too
well yesterday when you didn’t come in to work. You’ve got dark circles under
your eyes.’

Here come the questions, she
thought. Smile mustn’t have been big enough. ‘I didn’t sleep much last night.’

‘How did the weekend in The Lakes
go?’

‘Get the Mars bars, make the
coffee and I’ll tell you later.’

***

Jane went downstairs into the
cellar-like record department. The cream painted walls, plastered with music
posters and album sleeves, the subdued lighting and the permanently smoky
atmosphere, implied the feeling of being in a small club. She sat on a stool
behind the counter, took off her boots, placed her feet on top of the nearest
fan heater, flicked the switch, and wriggled her frozen toes, sighing
blissfully.

A record sat on the nearby
turntable and she placed the needle on it. The harmonious voices of
The Ronettes
spilled from one of the
wall-mounted listening booths. She smiled as they serenaded her with
Baby I
Love You.
A quick root in her handbag for her compact and a cursory glance
in the mirror told her Carl was right; she had eyes like a bloody panda.
‘Nothing that a good night’s sleep won’t put right,’ she muttered and touched
up her lipstick.

She dragged a brush through her
hair, flinching as it caught in the tangles. The bell rang out and someone
entered the shop. She threw her beauty aids back into her bag and looked up to
see the deliveryman from EMI struggling down the stairs with a large carton.

‘Morning, Jane.’ He placed the
carton on the floor and handed her an invoice. ‘Sign that, my love. It’s bloody
brass monkeys out there today.
You
look as beautiful as ever though,
even with your little red nose.’

‘Flattery will get you
everywhere, Paddy.’ She signed the invoice. ‘Fancy a coffee?’

‘Thanks all the same, but I’ll be
on my way. Everyone’s sold out of
With the Beatles
. The van’s full.
They’ll all be waiting for me.’

Jane glanced behind her at the
nearly empty shelf. ‘We’re almost out, too. Hardly surprising, it’s a brilliant
LP.’

‘You’ve fifty in that carton.
Should keep you going until Friday.’

‘No doubt. Bye, Paddy,’ she
called as he left.

Carl carried two mugs of steaming
coffee downstairs and placed them on the counter with the Mars bars. 'So come
on, tell me about your weekend then.’

Jane sipped at the coffee and
sighed. ‘Not much to tell really.’ She explained what had happened. ‘Mark’s
devastated. Keeps phoning to try and persuade me to change my mind.’

‘Blimey! I wasn’t expecting that.
I thought you and Mark were dead happy?’

She nibbled the corner off her
Mars bar. ‘So did I, once. Let’s just say he’s the wrong man. I’m still in love
with my ex, Eddie Mellor.’

‘But Eddie’s married.’

‘I know.' She wrapped her hands
around her mug. 'He’s not happy.’

‘What you gonna do then?’

‘Not much I can do where Eddie’s
concerned. I intend to enjoy my freedom and have some fun. That’ll do for
starters.’

‘If you ever fancy going to the
flicks or dancing, erm, I’d be happy to take you,’ Carl stammered.

‘Carl, you’re a sweetie. I don’t
think your mum would approve of you asking me out. I’m older than you.’

‘Only three years.’ He blushed
and changed the subject. ‘John Grey told me yesterday that his dad’s opening
another shop in Westlow this spring. He said he might transfer me there, make
me up to Junior Manager.’

‘Blimey! Well I’m pleased you’ll
be getting a well-earned promotion. On the other hand - you make the best
coffee in the world and I’ll really miss you.’

‘Thanks, Jane. I’ll miss you
too.’

‘By the way, if Mark phones tell
him I’m busy. I don’t want to talk to him.’ She drained her mug and shrugged
out of her coat. ‘Right, when you’ve finished, take the mugs and my coat up to
the staffroom while I make a start on unpacking this order before the Decca and
Philips deliveries arrive.’

***

Jane knelt on the floor and tore
the sticky tape from the carton. As she unpacked the stock, her mind went back
to the weekend. She felt bad for hurting Mark, but also a huge sense of relief
that the relationship was over.

‘He was a controlling weirdo,’
she muttered. ‘I’ve definitely done the right thing. And I couldn’t have stood
Maude Fisher as my mother-in-law, interfering old bag!’

The ringing phone disturbed her
thoughts and she went to answer it, hoping it wasn’t Mark. It was John Grey,
Area Manager, and only son of one of Flanagan and Grey’s founders. He was
calling to say he would be at the shop later and to send Carl out for chocolate
éclairs to have with their coffees. She smiled as she hung up. It was a wonder
she wasn’t the size of an elephant, the amount of cakes and chocolate she
consumed in this job.

***

When John Grey ran down the
stairs mid-afternoon he found the shop quiet and his staff singing along to
With
the Beatles.

‘Hi, kids, how’s it going?’ He
rubbed his hands together and manoeuvred Jane off the stool closest to the
heater. ‘Bit too cold for customers today. Come on, shove over and make room.
You’re warm as toast, and I’m bloody freezing!’

His Buddy Holly-style glasses
misted over. He wiped them on a hanky as Jane stood up and stretched her arms
above her head, yawning loudly. ‘You look knackered, Jane. Try getting some
sleep when you go to bed.’

She blushed at the implication
and sent Carl off to brew up while John chattered excitedly about his plans to
employ more staff for the proposed new store.

‘I need a junior to replace Carl
and a manager and junior for the new place. I’ll advertise this week. Anybody
suitable can train here until the new shop opens. I want a manager who knows
his stuff. I might ask Roy and Tim if any of their musical acquaintances are looking
for work. Unless…’ he paused, ‘I don’t suppose Mark would be interested, would
he?’

Jane held up her ring-less left
hand. ‘We’ve split up. I couldn’t work alongside him. Anyway, he’ll never leave
the bank in a month of Sundays. He’s too fond of his security.’

‘Just a thought. I had a feeling
there was something more when you called in sick yesterday. What went wrong?'

‘Poor lad,’ John said as she told
him the events of the weekend. ‘But you know your own mind. Would you give it
another try with Ed if he were free?’

‘Maybe. I’ll see how things go.’

‘Play the field a bit,’ John
advised. ‘You were far too young to be settling down.’

‘I was,’ she agreed as Carl came
downstairs with a tray of coffee and cakes.

John picked up an éclair and sank
his teeth into it, a look of bliss on his face as the cream oozed out. ‘Oh,
yum! By the way, talking of settling down, Margaret and I are getting engaged
in April. We’re throwing a party to celebrate,’ he added, sucking the sticky
chocolate icing from his fingers.

‘John, that’s wonderful.’ Jane
hugged him.

‘We’ve been together since
college, so it’s high time I made an honest woman of her. I suppose I’d better
be on my way,’ he said as the doorbell rang. ‘I want to catch the barber before
he closes. I’ve had some stick from Dad about the length of my hair.’

‘I’m not surprised,’ Sammy said,
strolling down the stairs, portfolio tucked under her arm. ‘Roy and I were
saying we’ll have to start calling you Shirley Temple with those curls.’

‘That’s what Margaret said. How’s
the course going, Sam?’

‘Great. I love it. They say I’ve
got a natural flair for dress design.’

‘Mary Quant eat your heart out,’
John said. ‘Thanks for the coffee and cake and I’ll see you all later in the
week. Good luck, Jane, if and when you meet up with Ed.’

‘Thanks,’ Jane said as he shot
off up the stairs.

***

‘Wash the mugs please, Carl,’
Jane said as Sammy took a pew on the coveted stool by the heater. ‘Fancy a
coffee, Sam?’

‘No thanks. It’s just a flying
visit to see how you’re feeling today.’

‘I’m okay. I felt really churned
up yesterday. I couldn’t think straight. I’d have been better off in work mind.
Mum bent my ear about Mark all day.’

‘She liked him a lot,’ Sammy
said. ‘But then again, surely she wouldn't expect you to spend the rest of your
life with someone you didn’t love. Not to mention his mother.’

‘Please, don’t.’ Jane rolled her
eyes. ‘Argumentative old cow! Anyway, there’s plenty going on here to take my
mind off things. John was in to discuss the new store his dad’s opening in
Westlow. Don’t suppose you know of anyone who might be interested in the job of
manager? They’ll need to know their musical instruments.’

‘Not off hand,’ Sammy replied.
‘But Roy might. I’ll ask him later.
The Ra
iders
don’t have a gig tonight. He and Tim are coming over
to our place. Join us if you want. By the way, has Eddie phoned you?’

‘No. Did you and Roy get a chance
to speak to him?'

‘We did,’ Sammy nodded. ‘We told
him about the weekend. He said he’d be in touch with you today. Ah, I’ve just
had a thought,’ she continued as Jane’s face lit up. ‘Ed got the sack from the
paint factory yesterday. He’s collecting his cards at four. Maybe he'll call in
to see you after that.
He’ll
be
looking for work. You could tell him about the job.’

‘I will,’ Jane said. ‘It'd be right
up his street.’

‘Roy’s
asked him to re-join
The Raiders.
He’s singing with the group on Saturday at The Roulette Club’s opening night.’

‘Really? Oh that’s brilliant,
Sam. I bet he’s dead pleased.’

‘He’s over the moon. But you be
careful, Jane. Angie will be gunning for the pair of you if she finds out he’s
been in touch with you again.’

Jane nodded.

‘I’d better go,’ Sammy said. ‘Mum
asked me to pick up some baking stuff from Redman’s. I’ll see you at the bus
stop in

***

Mark sighed as he looked at his
watch for the umpteenth time in as many minutes. Almost five-thirty, thank God.
It had been a long day. He’d been unable to concentrate on his job. He couldn’t
get Jane out of his mind. If she would give him the chance to apologise face to
face, he was sure they’d be able to sort things out.

He shouldn’t have called her a
slut. She’d only slept with that bastard once, or so she said. He’d do anything
to get her back, promise her anything at all. He said goodnight to his
colleagues, turned up his collar, and stepped out onto the icy street.

‘Hey, Mark, fancy a pint later?’
His colleague and fellow band member, Tony Collins followed him out.

‘Not tonight, Tony thanks all the
same.’

‘Still thinking about Jane?’ Tony
patted his shoulder.

The gesture brought a lump to
Mark’s throat and he swallowed hard. ‘Can’t think about anything else.’

‘What was the falling out over?
Thought you two had it made. How long was it, three years?’

‘Near enough. Turns out I didn’t
know her at all. She lied to me all that time.’

‘What about?’ Tony offered him an
Embassy and lit one himself.

‘Thanks.’ Mark took a long drag,
his hand shaking. ‘She slept with someone. But cracked on she was a virgin.’

‘You mean you and she never had a
shag?’ Tony exclaimed. ‘Christ, Mark! You a saint or something? She’s very
tasty is your Jane. I’m surprised you could keep your hands off her.’

‘Wasn’t easy. Said she was
waiting for the right time. I booked the bloody trip to get us back on track.
We had a fight then she drops it on my toes that she slept with Eddie fucking
Mellor.’

‘Oh, mate, I’m really sorry. I
remember her dating Mellor. But he’s married now anyway. Knocked up that
hairdresser bird.’

‘Exactly. So what the hell she
thinks is gonna happen there, I don't know.'

‘Listen, I’m gonna have to go,’
Tony said. ‘I’m meeting Sarah. Why don’t you wait for Jane finishing work? See
if she’ll talk to you. I mean, three years, it’s a lot to give up on.’

‘Suppose so, but I don’t think
Jane
would see it that way.’

Tony said goodbye. Mark watched
him stride off down the road and considered his suggestion. Jane would be
cashing up about now. Then she would be coming up the steps that led onto
Broadgate to deposit in the bank’s night safe. He decided to hang around; see
if she'd allow him to walk her to the bus stop. His mind made up he stepped
into the darkened doorway of Estelle Modes and waited.

***

Jane cashed up as Carl swept the
shop floor. Eddie hadn’t phoned and she felt really disappointed. Maybe he’d
changed his mind; after all, it was a big risk to take.

There were plenty of decent lads
who constantly asked her out. She wouldn’t be short of a date or a dancing
partner.
The Raiders
Phil Jackson had
made it clear that he fancied her, but she’d always turned him down. Any other
girl would give her right arm for a date with a sexy, blonde guitarist.