Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

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‘I suppose I should get back to work. Please let me know anything thatyou … you can come up with, Louisa. It might be better if we have theseconversations away from the annexe.’I stood up. ‘Oh,’ I said, ‘you’ll need my new number. I just moved.’ As shereached into her handbag for a pen, I added, ‘I moved in with Patrick … myboyfriend.’I don’t know why this news surprised her so much. She looked startled, andthen she handed me her pen.‘I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.’‘I didn’t know I needed to tell you.’She stood, one hand resting on the table. ‘Will mentioned the other day thatyou … he thought you might be moving into the annexe. At weekends.’I scribbled Patrick’s home number.‘Well, I thought it might be more straightforward for everyone if I moved inwith Patrick.’ I handed her the slip of paper. ‘But I’m not far away. Just by theindustrial estate. It won’t affect my hours. Or my punctuality.’We stood there. Mrs Traynor seemed agitated, her hand running through herhair, reaching down for the chain around her neck. Finally – as if she could nothelp herself – she blurted out, ‘Would it really have hurt you to have waited?Just a few weeks?’‘I’m sorry?’‘Will … I think Will is very fond of you.’ She bit her lip. ‘I can’t see … I can’tsee how this really helps.’‘Hold on. Are you telling me I shouldn’t have moved in with my boyfriend?’‘I’m just saying that the timing is not ideal. Will is in a very vulnerable state.We’re all doing our best to keep him optimistic … and you –’‘I what?’ I could see the waitress watching us, her notepad stilled in her hand.‘I what? Dared to have a life away from work?’She lowered her voice. ‘I am doing everything I can, Louisa, to stopthis … thing. You know the task we’re facing. And I’m just saying that I wish –given the fact he is very fond of you – that you had waited a while longer beforerubbing your … your happiness in his face.’I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I felt the colour rise to my face, andtook a deep breath before I spoke again.
‘How dare you suggest I would do anything to hurt Will’s feelings. I havedone everything,’ I hissed. ‘I have done everything I can think of. I’ve come upwith ideas, got him out, talked to him, read to him, looked after him.’ My lastwords exploded out of my chest. ‘I’ve cleaned up after him. I’ve changed hisbloody catheter. I’ve made him laugh. I’ve done more than your bloody familyhave done.’Mrs Traynor stood very still. She drew herself up to her full height, tucked herhandbag under her arm. ‘I think this conversation has probably ended, MissClark.’‘Yes. Yes, Mrs Traynor. I think it probably has.’She turned, and walked swiftly out of the cafe.When the door slammed shut, I realized I too was shaking.That conversation with Mrs Traynor kept me jangling for the next couple ofdays. I kept hearing her words, the idea that I was rubbing my happiness in hisface. I didn’t think Will could be affected by anything that I did. When he hadseemed disapproving about my decision to move in with Patrick, I had thought itwas about him not liking Patrick rather than any feelings he had for me. Moreimportantly, I didn’t think I had looked particularly happy.At home, I couldn’t shake this feeling of anxiety. It was like a low-levelcurrent running through me, and it fed into everything I did. I asked Patrick,‘Would we have done this if my sister hadn’t needed my room at home?’He had looked at me as if I were daft. He leant over and pulled me to him,kissing the top of my head. Then he glanced down. ‘Do you have to wear thesepyjamas? I hate you in pyjamas.’‘They’re comfortable.’‘They look like something my mum would wear.’‘I’m not going to wear a basque and suspenders every night just to keep youhappy. And you’re not answering my question.’‘I don’t know. Probably. Yes.’‘But we weren’t talking about it, were we?’‘Lou, most people move in with each other because it’s sensible. You can lovesomeone and still see the financial and practical advantages.’
Page 3 and 4:
JOJO MOYESMe Before YouPENGUIN BOOK
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Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapt
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To Charles, with love
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‘Right,’ he says. ‘Got to go.
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‘I didn’t catch that.’The tax
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‘Yup.’ I hung my jacket on the
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My mother’s hand stilled. Her gaz
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‘Bernard.’ Mum shot him a warni
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sure they do a grant for people lik
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He shrugged. ‘You said you liked
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‘I’ll ring them to confirm the
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I was twenty-six years old and I wa
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old days you wouldn’t have dreamt
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‘Frank - the owner - sold the caf
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the French windows. Finally, she tu
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Treena made a face. ‘I think it w
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3‘This is the annexe. It used to
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‘Then let’s go and introduce yo
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mostly my bag, but you do need to k
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‘Will it help?’I blinked, my mo
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hum of the television in the living
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His head had sunk into his shoulder
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‘Oh.’I could feel her watching
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with him, so I’d usually go and s
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I got the feeling that this was in
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Sasha? I’ve been doing a lot of w
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for you and I hope you do want to s
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Diet Cokes. When they, finally, ord
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to stick with them? To help them th
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I blinked. ‘Well … I think some
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5The thing about being catapulted i
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You said that you were hiring me fo
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‘He says you’re trying to poiso
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By the time Hunchback Man died, I w
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divided into ‘transport’, ‘in
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to lose patience. Then, finally, I
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drew closer, I could see the consul
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I took a step backwards, closed the
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I left.I read my magazine, lifting
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Nathan was crosser than I’d ever
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I could hear my father’s exclamat
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‘I suspect you’re going to.’
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lucky. And she said from the day sh
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‘Will … ’ I said, quietly.
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7Spring arrived overnight, as if wi
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It’s not that I was some kind of
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‘What does she have to be insecur
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There were all sorts of things that
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I twisted his straw round so that h
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dehumanized briskness that characte
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‘Please. Georgina.’ Mrs Traynor
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another long silence. And then Geor
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8CamillaI never set out to help kil
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It was that I could suddenly see no
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When Will first told me what he wan
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9I didn’t sleep that night. I lay
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I had been tidying the living room.
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probably ask why I couldn’t be mo
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I slid out from the porch and was d
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‘No. That’s not it.’‘Which
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whatever it is you’re going to th
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I looked at my sister hard. ‘You
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10They looked a bit surprised. Actu
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We all stared at our cups of tea.
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‘You’re probably going to have
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‘Can quadriplegics get drunk?’
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‘Would you jump in my grave so qu
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Four hours later I had the beginnin
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‘You look cheerful,’ Will said,
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I backed Will’s chair down carefu
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We watched the Sisterwood Cup, and
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fears at all that I was going to or
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Will his posh lunch in a restaurant
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‘It’s not going to happen,’ s
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Nathan was staring at the cans of l
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badges we might have had a nice lun
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And I had ideas. Things I wanted to
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‘You’ve never been to a concert
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‘And it’s incredibly tedious,
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Nathan went to pack Will’s bag. I
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Will looked sideways at me, his fac
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‘Are you all right?’ I found my
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13Patrick stood on the edge of the
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‘Yeah? Well it’s still better t
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‘I get nervous when a girl says s
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‘So … ’ Dad opened the fridge
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‘If you do that,’ Will observed
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it’s like a brain synapse - it ca
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‘It does, Mum.’ My eyes had fil
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‘Good to meet you, Patrick,’ Wi
Page 183 and 184: I stared at it. Will’s card. I ha
Page 185 and 186: I looked up the same piece at the l
Page 187 and 188: Perhaps it was something to do with
Page 189 and 190: Like it was some kind of contest.I
Page 191 and 192: Will was silent for a moment. I wat
Page 193 and 194: He swallowed. ‘The day we go and
Page 195 and 196: Mrs Traynor had waited until Nathan
Page 197 and 198: She and Leo’s father had been int
Page 199 and 200: television?’‘No,’ said Will.
Page 201 and 202: ‘I’d be finding out what I coul
Page 203 and 204: him twice, bringing him music and n
Page 205 and 206: I scanned down to the next one.Dear
Page 207 and 208: their lift was out of order. Others
Page 209 and 210: ‘Because your boyfriend says no.
Page 211 and 212: ‘Nathan will enjoy it. Oh, come o
Page 213 and 214: and Dad decided it would be best if
Page 215 and 216: my problems. They seemed embarrassi
Page 217 and 218: ‘Was he with someone?’I put the
Page 219 and 220: ‘Oh, well. Here’s my stop.’ D
Page 221 and 222: ‘Are you okay getting your own te
Page 223 and 224: His voice, when it came, was carefu
Page 225 and 226: he could not live without his girlf
Page 227 and 228: In the afternoon, there was a knock
Page 229 and 230: ‘The Regent Street? Nice.’‘Ye
Page 231 and 232: And then, as he left to go running,
Page 233: She blinked hard, as if trying to t
Page 237 and 238: ‘Come on. It’s finally stopped
Page 239 and 240: moving on with their lives. I made
Page 241 and 242: to work out where I was. The tall h
Page 243 and 244: minutes, perhaps talking, and then
Page 245 and 246: world, the warmth of Will’s hand
Page 247 and 248: ‘Um … nothing. Patrick’s away
Page 249 and 250: The morning of the wedding dawned b
Page 251 and 252: ground. Across the road from us in
Page 253 and 254: I just wanted to make it better.‘
Page 255 and 256: tense. They were like two dogs circ
Page 257 and 258: Will looked as if he were about to
Page 259 and 260: Something happened that evening. Th
Page 261 and 262: ‘Come on. Let’s give these fuck
Page 263 and 264: 19NathanThey thought we couldn’t
Page 265 and 266: propped him up, placing his legs ov
Page 267 and 268: I couldn’t really blame the guy.
Page 269 and 270: 20‘You what?’We were on the hil
Page 271 and 272: ‘But Will Traynor seems to take p
Page 273 and 274: Ritchie, had remembered my previous
Page 275 and 276: She glanced through it all in silen
Page 277 and 278: ‘I could apply for a grant. Or ma
Page 279 and 280: ‘All that said, the college idea
Page 281 and 282: sure that I didn’t lose sight of
Page 283 and 284: ‘But I -’‘Nearly seven years,
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We never got to the bottom of what
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and that wretched Alicia running of
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22I ran into Accident and Emergency
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sure his own passport was still val
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I took his fingers gently in mine a
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‘How does he look?’‘Bit bette
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We sat holding our mugs. From the c
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‘I can’t.’I stared at my pass
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moved from his power chair until we
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cover of a blanket. The airline sta
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The hotel had, as promised, come up
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worked out that if he gave Will the
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I walked to the window and pulled b
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Two things happened on the last day
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‘It’s a hard place to leave.’
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Will’s mouth closed on his words.
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I … I can’t live with that know
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24There is nothing more disconcerti
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So although I looked childish - alt
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My voice broke into the conversatio
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25KatrinaLouisa didn’t come out o
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Her voice was small, like Thomas’
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‘Just leave me alone, Treen. Okay
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‘Oh, that.’ She looked distract
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goodness’ sake. You’d think a m
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her umbrella and smiled, reaching r
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Twenty-six. Twenty-six of the bugge
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26In other circumstances I suppose
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knowing what … what he’s …
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I didn’t look back. I ran all the
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things being better for him, then I
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‘I know.’And there it was. He k
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‘You look absolutely beautiful.
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Mr Traynor some questions may be as
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EpilogueI was just following instru
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You’re going to feel uncomfortabl
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Q&A with Jojo1. Tell us a little ab
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highest or lowest, or be the most t
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purpose. I sat upright in bed, drag
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shaven, impassive. Even in the dark
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terrify two women and brutalize an
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as she crouched to hug her daughter
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PENGUIN BOOKSPublished by the Pengu
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