Free Topspin by W. Soliman Page B

father he was! Her beloved son was a really good looking boy, and popular too. He could have anyone he wanted, but he was so lacking in self-confidence that someone of Sheba’s ilk would run rings round him.
    “Sheba’s just testing you, darling. The best thing you can do is pretend you don’t care and go off to play with someone else the next time she does turn up.”
    “I’m not good at those sorts of games, Mum.”
    Claire, seeing a fat tear running down her son’s face, instinctively sat up to comfort him. “Darling, whatever’s wrong? It can’t be that bad.”
    But Chris wasn’t listening anymore. Instead he was staring incredulously, his eyes riveted on his mother’s ravaged breasts. In her concern for him she’d forgotten all about concealing her injuries. Chris let out a strangled cry, leapt up, and headed for the door.
    “Chris, come back, darling. We need to talk about this.”
    “Forget it! Dad didn’t do that to you, that’s for sure, and I don’t want to know who did.” She could hear his feet pounding back down the stairs and almost missed his final comment which preceded the slamming of the front door. “I hate you!”
     
    “Hello, Angie.” Rod smiled lazily at his wife.
    “Isn’t it brilliant, Mum!” Sheba’s eyes were shining. “Dad was waiting outside of school for us. I didn’t know he was coming.”
    “No, nor did I.” Angela ground her teeth. “He must have forgotten to mention it.”
    Malik looked at his mother with concern in his eyes.
    “Well, isn’t this nice?” Rod said. “All together again like a proper family.”
    “Kids, go to your rooms for a while. I need to have a few words with your dad.”
    “No chance! Dad said he’d take us all into Newport for a pizza.” Sheba, suddenly the model daughter, snuggled closer to her father. “We were just waiting for you.”
    Still Malik didn’t speak, but Angela barely noticed. She was too intent upon containing her fury at Rod, who clearly didn’t know how to stick to a bargain. Her mind went into overdrive. After looking at Sheba’s face, she knew she couldn’t just throw him out on his ear as her every instinct screamed at her to do. They’d go for a pizza, then she’d pack the kids off to bed and have it out with him once and for all. It would be better that way, and with the children in the house there was no way she’d be able to weaken when he attempted to work his charm on her, as he inevitably would. Right now he had one arm draped around Sheba’s shoulders, and the fingers of his other hand were drumming innocently enough on his thigh. To an outsider his actions might appear non-contrived, but Angela knew him too well to be deceived.
    He wanted something from her and knew precisely how to go about softening her up in order to get it. But she’d changed in the years they’d been apart and had no intention of playing into his hands.
    “All right,” she said. “What are we waiting for?”
    “Don’t you want to change first, Mum?” Sheba offered her a butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-the-mouth smile. “You never go straight out from work without changing.”
    “Well, there’s a first time for everything.” She swung her bag back over her shoulder and headed for the door.
    “Your mum always looks gorgeous.” Rod smiled directly at Angela, appearing not to notice when she narrowed her eyes at him.
    Whatever had happened to make him break their agreement and intrude upon the life she was struggling to make for herself and the kids, it couldn’t be good news. It wasn’t anything as basic as wanting to see them again, as Sheba appeared to think. With Rod there always had to be an angle. Not for the first time, he’d probably backed himself into a corner and needed to lay low for a while. If he thought she’d stand by and let him bring trouble knocking at her door, when she’d sacrificed so much to make a new start, then he had another think coming. She’d turn him in herself before she’d let