The Crime Writer by Diane Jeffrey

Author:Diane Jeffrey [Jeffrey, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2024-11-25T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

~

June 2024

Gabi wakes up with one hell of a hangover. She opens her eyes, but instantly snaps them shut again. Apparently, she has forgotten to draw the curtains and the sun is streaming in through the windows. It hurts. Bloody hell, her head hurts. How much did she have to drink last night? Not that much. Not enough to deserve this headache, that’s for sure. She really is a lightweight. This is not a great start to the weekend.

A realisation pierces through her grogginess and she sits bolt upright, groaning loudly as pain slices through her head. There’s a body next to her. A man’s body. In her bed. Squinting at him, she sees he’s breathing. That’s good. She doesn’t know why she wondered, even fleetingly, if it might be a dead body. She was dreaming about Leona Walsh’s remains, so that may be why. Or perhaps it’s because she feels half-dead herself.

She has no recollection of taking anyone to bed last night; no recollection of even getting into bed. The quilt covers him from the waist down, but on the top half, he’s not wearing any clothes. Is he naked? His face is turned away from her, but she recognises him a split second before he speaks, without moving, without even turning towards her. Joe. That makes sense. It was the office summer party yesterday evening. A few of them – Joe, Mick, Cheryl and Gabi – went on to a club. Gabi was probably the youngest in the group, but she’s still far too old for that sort of thing. She should have known better.

‘Good morning,’ he says. There’s no hint of embarrassment in his voice. In fact, he sounds cheerful.

She grunts in reply. An image comes back to her. She kissed him. They were outside, hopefully alone. She won’t be able to face her co-workers if it’s common knowledge at the Echo. ‘Did we …?’ It was a good kiss. ‘Did we …?’ A long kiss that made her knees turn to jelly. Although, that could have been partly due to the alcohol.

He props himself up on his elbows and looks at her. She can see he’s amused. ‘Did we have sex?’ he supplies.

She nods, then winces.

‘No, we didn’t.’

‘Oh, thank God,’ she says. Is it her imagination or does he look a little miffed? ‘Why not?’

‘Well, I’m not in the habit of having sex with women who have passed out. And I like to think if you and I had sex, you might remember the experience. All right if I take a shower?’

He rolls out of bed. He’s wearing boxers, she notes with relief. And he’s got a really fit body. Toned muscles. She tries not to stare.

When he has finished in the bathroom, she goes in. She rummages in a cupboard and finds a packet of painkillers. She downs two tablets, drinking water straight from the tap. Realising she’s thirsty, she gulps down more water. Next, she peels off her pyjamas, hoping she put them on herself last night, and steps into the shower.

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