How Not to Shop (31 page)

'This is all such a bad time Annah! Terrible!' Svetlana complained. 'Igor is making me nervous. He lose so much money on the stock market, I think he somehow try to get my house back.'

'I thought the house was yours?' Annie asked, 'I thought you got it in the divorce settlement.'

'Oh yes, but so many conditions. This not good time for trouble. Not for any trouble at all. And Elena is trouble. I can see it. Harry alvays fight for me, but Igor he has more lawyers, more money and anyway, Harry honest man. Igor: crook!'

'Have you spoken to Harry about it?'

'Ya, about Igor of courrrrse. But he keeps asking me: are you being totally honest with me? Is there anything else I should know?'

'You've told Harry about Elena, though?' Annie asked.

There was a pause before Svetlana confided: 'No Annah. Not yet. Is not a good time.'

'But Harry needs to know,' Annie tried to persuade her. 'What if Igor finds out and Harry doesn't know?'

'You know, I vorry that Igor already find out about Elena. Maybe this is how he is going to convince me to give up the house.' There was real anxiety in Svetlana's voice now. 'Maybe Igor bring Elena over in the first place. He is doing something secret. There is going to be a surprise, I know it, I vill be cheated.'

Annie understood Svetlana's fear. When Igor had first moved for divorce, he had tried to take his sons and leave his wife with nothing. This had been her third divorce and with the kind of wealthy men she was up against, Svetlana knew you had to fight for every penny. They did not take kindly to the women they'd finished with demanding a slice of their fortune.

'Have you heard from Uri again?' Annie asked, hoping that Svetlana had at least let this other source of trouble alone.

'Ah yes, but I put him off. Is good for me though to have another man in the background, if ever there is problem with Harry, I can click my fingers, call on Uri, make Harry jealous. Simple.'

'So we keep Elena for a bit longer?'

'Yes please, my darlink friend. I thank you so much for this.'

Annie could hear the call waiting beep so she finished up with Svetlana and clicked over to this new caller.

'Hello Annie? Hello . . . this is Cath – you remember, you came round with the TV . . .'

'Cath! Yes, of course I remember, how are you?' Annie asked.

'I'm fine,' Cath told her.

'Did you cope with being on TV?'

'Nearly . . .' came the reply, but it sounded as if it came with a smile.

'Have you been wearing your foxy black dress?' Annie asked.

'Yes, it's lovely.'

'Glad to hear it.'

'That's why I was phoning. You know you gave me your card and said if I ever wanted to go shopping with you . . . I mean, if you're still offering the service . . . I mean now that you're on television, you might not have the time and you might have put your prices up . . .'

'No, no, no,' Annie interrupted, feeling a surge of enthusiasm, 'if you're ready for the Annie Valentine personal shopping service, then I am more than ready for you, babes!'

As Annie listened to Cath talking about what she wanted to buy and when she'd be available, she was sure she could hear a strange scratching sound. A bit of scrabbling, then a definite scratching. She stood up, phone at her ear, and began to look around the room. No . . . nothing.

It seemed to be coming from her bedroom. Walking quickly in there, she found Dave growling and vigorously shaking something that flashed grey and silver in his mouth. His teeth had a firm grasp on the object and one paw was holding it down and determinedly scratching it into submission. The dog had its prey, it was gripping and chewing, certain that the Miu Miu handbag wasn't going to make a break for it and get away.

'No!' Annie shrieked and began to run towards the filthy little animal, 'NO! Put that down. DOWN!'

Ed scrubbed up:

New jeans (Gap)
New white T-shirt (same)
Navy cashmere V-neck (Annie)
Blue and white trainers (Puma)
Total est. cost: £170

'I'm a generous man.'

'Pls be hm soon. Packing. Have new gadgts just for you.'

Annie had just finished up at Bettina's and climbed into her Jeep when she got Ed's text.

It made her smile.

Now all she wanted was to be back with him. They would load up the car and drive off into the countryside for peace and quiet. With sex toys.

She giggled. Sex toys . . . and contraception? She ran the thought over in her mind several times. Then she heard Dinah's urgent words about having a baby and felt a rush of love for Ed. He was a lovely man. He'd been so willing to take on the responsibility of caring deeply for Owen and Lana – even Elena and bloody Dave. Who else would bring the ugly, deaf dog home from the animal shelter? He was a kind, grounded person, who wanted children of his own. Hadn't Dinah warned her that people break up over children all the time?

What would Annie do without him?

Well, she knew. She had been alone before him. Life would be OK, but it would be quiet, lonelier, more child-obsessed, not nearly so much fun . . . and definitely not nearly so fruity.

This made her think of the gadgets again, with a smile. Apparently they were to keep her very happy.

A baby. That was what would make Ed very happy.

A baby? Would she really be able to give Ed a baby? Do this just for his sake?

She tried for a moment to imagine Ed's baby and pictured a gurgling thing with wild hair, little glasses and a tweedy jacket. That was ridiculous.

Then she imagined Ed holding a baby and that was much clearer. She saw his face so full of love he could barely tear his eyes from the little person in his arms.

Maybe she could begin to think about doing this for him.

Maybe?

Annie had barely made it through the front door when she was hit by a volley of complaints.

Her mother's voice rang out from the sitting room: 'Is that you, Annie? When are we going to Dinah's? For heaven's sake, will someone at least tell me when we're going, so that I can be prepared? I just want to know when we're going.'

Before Annie could drop her bags and head in her mum's direction, Owen bounded up to her.

'Why do
you
get to have Dave for the weekend?' he asked angrily. 'It's
so
unfair. Dinah won't have to do anything, I'll look after him. I'll look after him all the time. I'll take him out and feed him and he won't be any trouble at all. He's just settling in, he shouldn't be moved again . . . pleeeeeeeease, Mum,' Owen protested, looking up into her face with the most earnest, most pleading, most mother-heart-melting expression he could possibly muster.

'Hello to you too, Owen, nice to see you,' Annie responded grumpily, 'Look, I'll have to ask Ed.'

Personally, she couldn't think of anything she'd like better than for Dave not to come with them. But she had to think about what would be best for Dinah.

Owen wasn't happy with this answer: 'It's not fair! Well, if you're going to take him all the way to some boring hotel in the car, then I'm going to the shop to get him some chews!'

And with that, he clipped the lead to the dog's collar, grabbed his anorak and made for the front door, giving it a good, hard slam on the way out.

'That's a bit of an over-reaction, Owen!' Annie shouted after him.

'We're taking the dog and that's final!' Ed called from the upstairs bedroom, sounding unusually harassed himself.

'When are we leaving for Dinah's?' her mother's voice rang out again.

'All right, keep your hair on!' Annie headed for the sitting room where she found her mother standing by the window, peering out with anxiety.

'What's the matter, Mum?' she asked her. 'There's no need to get your knickers in a twist. You're not going to Dinah's. Dinah is coming here. She's leaving Billie with Bryan and she's going to stay here for two nights and look after everyone. You can stay on here if you like, but didn't you say you wanted to go back home tomorrow?'

'Oh yes,' Fern replied, as if she'd just remembered.

'Is our Ukrainian friend in?' Annie asked.

'She left with a big bag under her arms . . . that's why I thought we were all going to Dinah's,' Fern replied, 'and Lana, she's packed up to go to Dinah's too. I saw her leaving with a bulging schoolbag this morning.'

'No, no!' Annie assured her, 'Lana's got a study date after school and Elena . . . maybe she has friends to see or something, I'll give her a call.'

'So Dinah's coming here?' Fern asked again, still looking out of the window, as if she was waiting for someone.

'Yes,' Annie answered trying to control her exasperation. 'Please sit down and let me get you a cup of tea. Are you looking for Owen?'

'Owen?' her mother turned to her in some confusion.

'He's just gone out of the house with Dave to get some dog treats from the corner shop . . . I didn't even know they sold that kind of thing,' she added, 'Now sit down,' she ordered her mother, 'I'll bring tea.'

'Dog treats,' Fern began, 'that dog doesn't deserve treats. I found him eating one of my shoes. Got it off him just in time.'

'No!' Annie was horrified, she'd already lost one Miu Miu bag . . . what if Dave decided to attack her shoes? She'd have to move them to a safe cupboard, maybe start keeping them under lock and key.

'I'll get the tea,' Annie said again, but first she took the stairs two at a time to see how Ed was getting on with the packing.

'I don't want the dog to come,' she whined as soon as she set foot in the bedroom.

Ed turned his attention from the overnight bag on the bed to her. 'Not even a hello?'

She went up and kissed him on the lips. Felt his arms close in round her back.

'No . . . still don't want the dog to come,' she said afterwards, but with a smile now.

'I'm sorry, he has to come. Dinah shouldn't have to mop up dog pee as well as everything else this weekend.'

'Why didn't you get a house-trained dog?' Annie complained.

'He is! He's just not on familiar territory yet.'

Annie decided to stop talking and start packing. She examined the things lying on the bed in front of Ed's bag.

'Is that a present?' She picked up a package carefully wrapped in colourful paper and tied with a ribbon.

'Uh-huh,' he added with a little wiggle of his eyebrows.

'For me?' She smiled at Ed.

'Hey, for all you know that might be a bone to keep the dog happy.'

'A bone? A bone, huh?' She read the playful look on his face. 'I'm looking forward to the bone.'

'Me too.'

'But it's your birthday,' she protested, 'you're the one who should be getting presents.'