Downsizing (4 page)

“
Oh, I’ll make a note in my diary,
just so I don’t forget.” Maxine was too dazed, too euphoric, to
break the intimate mood with unnecessary questions. Noah wasn’t
going to give up on her when she went to university, and that was
all she needed to know.

“
Good.” He grinned at her. “Now
drink up and have a refill.”

“
You still haven’t told me what
we’re celebrating.”

“
I’m gonna approach Mr. Watts
tomorrow about the loan.” His eyes met hers, blazing with renewed
determination. “I’m on my way, Max, and nothing’s gonna stop me
now.”

Chapter Three

Ryan Watts, a flashy cockney in his early
fifties, had come up from nothing, earning his success the hard
way. Noah saw him as a role model. If an uneducated chancer like
Watts could make a go of things at a time when property had been a
much riskier proposition, then nothing was going to stand in Noah’s
way now. He absorbed everything Watts taught him, but more, he
possessed an intuitive understanding of the building game and an
ability to sort problems without continuously referring them to the
boss. Watts wasn’t slow to pick up on Noah’s work ethic, which was
why he found himself in a supervisory position at a young
age.

Good living had softened Watts up over recent
years. He had long since exchanged his work-clothes for expensive
suits that didn’t quite disguise his stocky build. When he’d given
up getting his own hands dirty he employed a rapidly expanding army
of people to do the manual labor for him. He often took on
itinerants and paid them in cash, no questions asked. But Watts
didn’t suffer fools gladly. He was wise to all the corner cutting
that went on in the building game, having invented half the scams
himself, was willing to fight dirty if that’s what it took and,
significantly, was on first name terms with half the Planning
Committee in Colebrook.

Noah was about to knock at his boss’s door
during his lunch break when he heard a series of exaggerated grunts
coming from inside. You didn’t need to be Einstein to work out what
went on in there, and he knew better than to interrupt. The wait
did nothing for his nerves and it seemed like an age before a
disheveled Shirley, the company’s receptionist, emerged. She winked
at Noah as she sauntered across to her desk.

“
Is he free?” Noah
asked.

“
He is now, darling.” Shirley
chuckled. “And in a receptive frame of mind, if it’s a favor you’re
after.”

Noah grinned. At least Shirley didn’t pretend
to be anything she wasn’t. He tapped on Watts’s door and entered
his untidy office. His boss was tucking his shirt tails back into
his trousers.

“
Problem?” he asked.

“
No, the chippies started at
Patterson Road this morning and the roofers are at Cintra Street.
Everything’s good on the job.”

Watts smirked and made a crude gesture with
his groin. “Couldn’t have put it better myself. What’s on your mind
then, lad?”

“
Well, it’s kinda personal.”
Noah’s palms were moist. He’d practiced his pitch a thousand times
in his head, but now that the moment had arrived he was afraid he
might blow it.

“
Here, you ain’t leaving me, are
you? Has someone offered you a better job?” Watts sounded
gratifyingly disturbed by the thought.

“
Nah, but I need to borrow some
money.”

“
How much?” Watts reached for his
wallet. “Got some tart in trouble?”

Noah smirked. “Do I look that
dumb?”

“
Women can be manipulative little
cows when there’s something they want badly enough.” He grinned.
“God knows what they see in an ugly bastard like you.”

“
No, what it is…”

Noah, encouraged by his boss’s expansive mood,
explained his plans for the house on Broad Street. Watts heard him
out in silence, which Noah took to be a good sign, but when he ran
out of words Watts threw his head back and roared with
laughter.

“
I admire your face, kid, I’ll
give you that. Not only do you want to beat me at me own game, but
you want me to finance it as well.” His amused expression turned
flint-like. “Do I look like I came down in the last
shower?”

“
But I thought—”

“
Look, I know you’re ambitious,
but if I finance this little caper you and Joey both’ll take your
eye off the ball. The moment you do that, the lads’ll sense it and
run rings round you.”

“
We won’t tell anyone what we’re
doing.” Noah, aware that he sounded desperate, moderated his tone.
He’d really thought Watts would stump up the money, but instead the
man was openly laughing at him. Humiliation and a slow, burning
anger directed toward his boss washed through Noah. Watts would
never entirely trust him now. He’d well and truly blown it with his
boss, without getting the loan he needed.

“
You really think it would remain
a secret?” Watts made a scoffing sound at the back of his throat.
“Plus, you’ll put all your energy into your own project and have
nothing left for me.”

“
No, really I—”

“
Look, son, I admire the fact that
you work hard and save all your money. Resisting all the
temptations on offer at your age can’t be easy. Amassing five grand
in two years is no mean feat either, but it’s still chicken-feed.”
He walked round his desk and placed an arm around Noah’s
shoulder.

“
Stick with me for a few more
years, boy. You’ve still got a lot to learn. Carry on saving the
pennies and wait until you’ve got more to invest.”

“
But the house on Broad Street is
perfect.” Frustration underscored Noah’s words. “Ones like that
don’t come along very often.”

“
I’ve told you,” Watts said, his
voice hardening. “I ain’t gonna help you set yourself up in
competition with me.”

“
Okay, I get the message.” Noah
turned toward the door. If he didn’t get out of here right now he’d
say something he might later regret. Watt’s voice stayed him before
he turned the handle.

“
If you wanna earn some easy
money, you could do me a favor.” He reached for his wallet,
produced a wad of notes, and pushed them into Noah’s hand. “Kitty’s
got tickets for some dumb local theatre show tonight—something to
do with one of her charities—but I’m not gonna be able to take her.
I’ve got something else on.” He nodded toward his door, thrust his
groin forward, and chuckled.

“
It’s Shirley’s birthday, and I’ve
got a present for her,” Watts said as Noah scowled. “Kitty likes
you, so why don’t you use my car, pick her up at seven, and take
her to the show? Buy her dinner afterward at that posh Italian
place on the High Street and keep the change. Easy money, and you
don’t even have to get your hands dirty.” He raised a brow,
ignoring Noah’s stunned expression. “I’ll tell her to expect you
then, shall I?”

Noah was so angry he didn’t trust himself to
speak. Instead of launching his career as a property mogul, it
appeared he was about to embark upon an alternative one as a
gigolo.

He was still smoldering when he drew up
outside the Watts’s house that evening, wondering why he hadn’t
told his boss to go fuck himself. When Kitty opened the door, her
face reflecting her anxiety, he felt his annoyance slipping away.
None of this was her fault.

“
Hi, Kitty, how are
you?”

“
Oh, Noah, do come in for a
moment. We’ve just got time for a drink before we need to leave.
It’s kind of you to do this favor for Ryan. I hope you won’t be too
bored, that’s all.” Her tremulous smile brought Maxine to mind.
“He’s always letting me down at the last minute, because work comes
first for Ryan.”

Noah returned her smile, sensing that in spite
of the considerable age gap between them, he was much better at
this sort of things than she’d ever be.

“
It ain’t exactly a hardship,” he
said.

“
Now you’re just being gallant.”
She appeared flustered by the compliment. “I’m old enough to be
your mother.”

Noah accepted the beer she handed him, and
watched her hand tremble as she poured a glass of wine for herself.
She was elegantly dressed in a beige creation that flattered her
shape. Her carefully applied made-up couldn’t entirely conceal the
fact that age was catching up with her, but she appeared content to
allow nature to take its course. He could see that she must once
have been beautiful, and to Noah’s mind she still was.

She deserved better than she got from Ryan,
and as the remnants of his anger faded away, he made up his mind to
give her an evening she’d enjoy.

The play was a surprisingly good amateur
production of
Love in a Mist
. Kitty had something to do with
the fund-raising. She took Noah to the party for the cast
afterward, which was when things started to get awkward. This
clearly wasn’t the first time Kitty had been escorted by someone
other than her husband, and she must have caught some of the
spiteful comments being directed her way.

“—
they get younger every
time—”

“—
this one’s young enough to be
her son—”

“—
more like her grandson.” The
women laughed, staring quite blatantly at Noah and a red-faced
Kitty.

“
Mind you, he’s rather hunky. I
love that brooding expression. Very James Dean.”

“
Hum, me too! I’m closer to his
age than anyone else here, and he looks like he needs rescuing.
Just watch this, girls.”

Noah had heard enough. In no mood to take more
shit from anyone today, he deliberately made eye contact with the
gossiping trio. Absorbing the full force of his glare they had the
grace to look embarrassed. When he had their full attention he
offered them a roguish smile. Then he placed his arm around Kitty’s
shoulders, turned the smile upon her, and dropped a light kiss on
her lips.

“
Come on, sweetheart,” he said.
“I’ve had enough of this circus. Let’s go. I can think of much
better ways to spend the rest of the evening.”

Leaving the women gaping after them, he led a
now smiling Kitty from the room.

“
Thank you,” she said as they left
the theatre. “But you didn’t have to do that.”

“
Yeah, I did. I hate bitchiness,
and as far as I know, you haven’t done anything to deserve it.” His
arm still circled her shoulders. “Now then, about this Italian
restaurant?”

She smiled up at him, suddenly looking years
younger. “Do you really want to spend the rest of the evening in a
restaurant that’s over-priced and pretentious?”

“
Not particularly, but I
thought—”

“
Then why don’t we get one over on
Ryan by giving it a miss? One good turn deserves another. I’ll cook
for us and you can keep his blood money for yourself.”

“
Mrs. Watts,” Noah said, looking
upon her with new respect. “There’s obviously more to you than
meets the eye.”

She chuckled. “How do you suppose I’ve managed
to stay married to Ryan all these years?”

Noah wanted to ask why she felt the need to
hang on to the cheating bastard, but it was really none of his
business.

Back in Kitty’s orderly kitchen, she produced
a surprisingly good meal very quickly. Noah opened a bottle of wine
and leaned against the counter, watching her at work. After they’d
eaten they settled on the settee with their brandies.

“
What do you think of Ryan’s
latest tart?” Kitty asked conversationally. “Shirley, is
it?”

Noah’s eyebrows shot skyward. “You know about
her?”

“
Oh yes. She isn’t the first, but
they never last long and they keep him happy.”

“
But don’t you mind?”

“
Well of course I mind, but what
alternative do I have, other than to turn a blind eye.” She
shrugged. “Discussing it with him simply isn’t an
option.”

In spite of her casual tone, Noah could see
the hurt in her eyes. Watts was even more of a bastard than he’d
realized. He’d chipped away at his wife’s self-confidence, and then
placed the blame for his own ineptitude at her door. Noah took her
hand and kissed her fingers, more conscious than ever of the
resemblance between this woman and Maxine.

“
You don’t need to take that crap
from him, Kitty-Kat,” he said softly. “You’re worth ten of the
Shirleys of this world.”

“
Thank you, Noah,” she said,
sighing. “It’s sweet of you to try and make me feel better, but
Ryan’s right in some respects. I do rather lack imagination in the
bedroom.”

“
Excuse me asking you this, but
have you ever been with anyone other than Ryan?”

“
Well, no. In my day we didn’t
treat sexual relations as casually as people do nowadays. A girl
saved it until she got married, and that was that.”

“
Well then, if he taught you all
he knows then he can’t be much good at it himself.”

She blinked several times. “But all the women
he picks up seem to like him,” she said, a confused expression in
her eye.

Noah chuckled. “Like his money, more
like.”

Noah got up and put a slow CD on the player.
“Come and dance with me, Kitty-Kat.”