Free Just Say Yes by Phillipa Ashley

ten million people.”
    “Ten point six, actually,” said Fiona. “Says here on page four, look.”
    Lucy felt a warm, wet, and heavy presence on her knee. Two huge brown eyes stared dolefully up at her.
    “See, Hengist loves you,” said Fiona proudly.
    Lucy looked at Hengist. “You too, boy,” she whispered, patting the dog’s huge head. He gave a tiny growl of pleasure.
    The Rice Krispies were uneaten and soggy when they heard Lucy’s phone ringing.
    “Not already,” she groaned.
    “Shall I answer it?” Fiona asked as Lucy hunted for her cell phone.
    “No. If there’s any music to be faced, I’ll face it.”
    She found the phone on top of her collection of Cosmo centerfolds in her room, and her face brightened as she set eyes on the display. “Hello, Mum.”
    Five minutes later she was back in the kitchen, shaking her head. “That’s it. That’s the last straw. I don’t mind what they do to me but they can leave my mum alone. Gah!” she cried, dropping the phone on the countertop.
    “Hey, calm down,” said Fiona. “Tell Aunty Fi what’s happened now.”
    “I know you think I’m being paranoid, but you don’t know what lengths they’ll go to. You wouldn’t believe it. One of them has been hiding out in my mum’s coal bunker.”
    “I thought your mum had a gas fire.”
    “She does now, but she kept the bunker to store her gardening tools and one of them—a great big Australian bloke—jumped out on her and took a picture. Mum said she nearly had a heart attack.” Lucy collapsed into a chair.
    “Was he naked or something?”
    “No. He had some kind of funny hat thing, though, according to Mum.”
    “With corks on it?” Fiona erupted into a huge guffaw.
    “Fiona, it’s not funny. He jumped out when Mum went to peg some washing out and asked her if commitment issues ran in the family.”
    “That’s below the belt. Especially with your dad’s track record and all that. They haven’t managed to track him down, have they?”
    “No. Not yet, but he’s been mentioned. Some columnist was asking if that’s why he walked out. They didn’t bother to say that he’d had God knows how many affairs, just that he’d left us and we’d refused ever to speak to him again.”
    “How the hell did they find that out?”
    “It said they’d spoken to a close family friend.”
    “Some bloody friend!” declared Fiona.
    “Mum thinks it might have been that Brenda Thingy from the horticultural society. She never did like the fact that Mum’s sweet peas beat hers in the last Grimeton Show.”
    “This Brenda sounds like a deeply vengeful woman.”
    “I know, I know, Fi. It’s ridiculous. I’m paranoid after all this, but what can you do?”
    “Has Nick spoken to the press yet?” said Fiona gently.
    “No. He’s refused to comment, which I’m grateful for,” she added.
    “Have you spoken to him yet?”
    Lucy sighed. “I’ve tried a couple of times but only got the voice mail. I spoke to his sister, Hattie, and she said he never wanted to talk to me again.”
    The phone rang again. The screen showed a London number and Lucy pressed it to her ear cautiously. “Hello?”
    “Is that Lucy Gibson?”
    “Yes…”
    “You’re live on Sleaze FM, the station that leaves nothing to the imagination! Tell us, Lucy, what was Nick Laurentis like in bed? Is it true you made him get down on all fours and howl like a wolf?”
    Lucy stabbed the red button, breathless with shock. “Sleaze FM. No idea how they got my cell phone number.” She caught sight of the time on the radio. “Oh flip. I’ve got to get into work. Can you let yourself out?”
    “Sure,” said Fiona, “Call me anytime if you need me, but not for the next hour. I’m doing some research on lethal substances with a very well-built toxicologist. I could almost break my IQ rule for him. Almost.”
    As Lucy was hunting for a clean blouse, the phone rang again. She didn’t recognize the number.
    “Is that Lucinda Gibson?” asked