The Bad Boy Wants Me(39)

‘Oh my god. That is amazing,’ I say.

He nods. ‘It was pretty amazing.’

‘So how did you end up as the lead singer of Alkaline?’

‘When I was fifteen I saw an advert in a newspaper. The ad was calling for young street smart, extrovert, ambitious boys who could also sing and dance. I applied and the rest is as they say history, but enough about me.’ He raises an enquiring eyebrow. ‘How does a girl from Georgia end up working as my sister’s PA?’

I take a deep breath. I don’t need to lie. The only thing I will omit to mention will be my reason for wanting to work with his sister.

‘My best friend Leah and I had decided to take a year’s break before we went to college. We wanted to backpack around Europe and Asia. It made sense for us to start our journey from England since my aunt was here. The plan was for me to come over first and spend a couple of weeks with my aunt and niece, but then my aunt told me about a PA job to a young girl that did not require any PA skills. It was more of a companion thing. It seemed like the perfect thing.’

I shrug and smile. ‘So I applied. Your dad interviewed me, and to my shock he offered me the job while I was still at the interview. He said he picked me over hundreds of other applicants because I was exactly the kind of smart go-getter he was looking for to broaden his daughter’s horizons. Apparently I was the only applicant from America and he was hoping some of my independence and bravery would rub off on his daughter. After listening to your guitar story I think he is expecting me to have the same effect on your sister that your guitar had on you, and he’s going to be very disappointed.’

Cash smiles. ‘How’s the job working out?’

‘Well, to start with your sister didn’t endear herself to me. I thought she was waaaaaay too spoilt, selfish, and ridiculously obsessed with her appearance, but the job paid well. It was live-in which meant I didn’t have to look for digs or worry about living expenses, and so I thought I’d stick it out.’ I pause and take a deep breath. ‘However, I’ve had a change of heart since then. Britney’s grown on me.’

He smiles. ‘Yeah, my sister is like a fucking creeper. Before you know it she has entwined herself around your heart.’

I frown. ‘How come your dad let her have plastic surgery when she was fifteen?’

‘She saved her pocket money and did her boobs secretly. She had arranged a fake ID and everything. One day dad is sitting in his office and gets a call from the hospital to come and pick up his daughter. She had already been operated on. My dad was livid.’

‘Wow,’ I say in wonder. ‘My dad would have killed me.’

‘Yup, and he let her do her nose, because she was so determined to do it she wouldn’t come out of her room for weeks. He made her promise that if he did let her do her nose she would wait until she was eighteen before she thought about any other reconstructive surgeries. Once she gave her word he took her to the best doctor in London.’

‘And now her eighteenth birthday is coming up and she’s making enquiries about cat’s eyes.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Can I ask you something about Britney?’

‘Shoot.’

‘Did something bad ever happen to her when she was young?’

He stares at me hard. ‘No. Why?’

‘You know she paints right?’

‘Yeah, but she won’t show anyone.’

‘Well, she showed me.’

‘What?’ He looks at me astonished.

I nod. ‘She did, and here’s the weird thing. She draws unfinished people and people with holes in them or strings coming out of their belly buttons, and she says that she always feels as though some important part of her is missing or lost. Can you think why she would feel that way?’

Cash stares at me.

‘What?’ I ask.

‘Shit,’ he breathes.

‘What is it?’ I ask again.

‘It can’t be. It’s too incredible,’ he says almost to himself.

‘Tell me what it is?’ I demand impatiently.

‘My mum died shortly after she gave birth to Britney and it was a very traumatic time for all of us, so my father made the decision not to tell Britney that she had a twin who died that day.’

I gasp in shock, my hands rushing to cover my mouth. ‘Oh, my god. I know that twins are supposed to have an invisible bond, but is it really possible that at some level she is missing her twin?’

He shrugs. ‘It sounds totally out there, but there really is no other explanation for the paintings you describe. Britney has had the best of everything my father could provide.’

‘Will you tell her?’ I whisper.