Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 302(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
“How’s it going?” Grayson asked, taking a break to make himself another tea. “Is it too cold in here?”
Cold? Carl was sweating. Hyper-aware of his lack of touch-typing skills, and conscious of all the red-squiggled lines where he’d spelled things incorrectly. “It’s going fine,” Carl lied. Enough to feel incompetent. He didn’t need to voice it.
“Honey, honey, honey.”
Carl whipped around in his chair, startled. For a moment there, he thought Grayson was throwing out the endearment to commiserate with him. But Grayson was searching the cupboards.
Another hot tea landed beside him, and Carl was fairly sure this one would go cold too.
“Another couple of hours here, then we’ll stop for lunch and head to the library.”
“What do we do there?”
There, they offered help to the local community. Editing CVs. Giving feedback on cover letters. Helping build websites.
None of which Carl had any clue how to do himself. Even with the templates Grayson gave him as a guide, Carl was way out of his depth. He smiled and nodded his way through his line anyway, and sent most of the people who approached him over to Grayson.
By the time they’d wrapped up, Carl wanted to sink into the ground and never rear his head again. The day couldn’t get worse.
And then his twin rang.
Carl smuggled the ringing phone outside, jostled up as much humour as he could pretend and answered, laughing. “Uh-oh. What have I done now?”
Jason answered far too quickly. “Nothing.” Then he paused. “I mean, other than flashing your mum.”
Carl . . . honestly had no words to respond to that.
Jason cleared his throat and continued, “The reason I’m ringing is . . .” There was a pause before the rest came out in a rush. “Cora needs to know you love her. That you know she had twins and adopted us out, and you’ve found your brother, and you still respect her. Hold her dear in your heart.”
The idea was suffocating. Telling his real mum that he knew . . . What would that mean for their relationship? How might it change their dynamics? Make things awkward?
Make things better?
“I can’t—”
“Sooner or later she’ll find out. Don’t let her turn down living with a good man and his daughters because of an uncomfortable conversation.”
Cora had been seeing her partner for a while now; they seemed good together. It was strange, though, watching her take part in other children’s lives. Over the past year, without seeing it herself perhaps, she’d taken on the role of step-mum, and watching her with those girls . . . hurt.
She gave them hugs, took them for outings, ate dinners around a family table that Carl was never at.
Carl shut his eyes and swallowed hard. Why couldn’t she have looked after them? Been like Sage, embracing motherhood despite her young age. His voice stuck in his throat. Scratched its way out. “I . . . Don’t say anything. Not yet. I will tell her. After the wedding. I just need a little longer. Keep up the act, please? It’ll be easier once Pete’s married.”
There Carl went again. Excuses. A verbal running away.
It would be just as difficult then as it would now. Carl was simply spineless.
The library doors rolled open behind him and Carl hurriedly stuffed his phone away.
Grayson emerged, clearing his throat and rubbing it. “Packed up for you. We’re done here.”
Carl had to gobble back his relieved sigh when Grayson added, “Just one more appointment.”
More? Carl was utterly depleted. Heavily, he followed Grayson to where they’d locked their bikes. “What will you have me do next?”
“Something fun.”
“Fun?”
“You sound suspicious.” Grayson’s phone buzzed and, still smiling, he answered. “Hello! How can I—really? Right. I suppose I can swing by now. Mm. Be there soon.” He hung up and looked over at Carl while tapping the phone against his chin. He nodded to himself, like he’d thought of a good idea.
“What is it?” Carl asked, swinging Toto onto his head.
“That fun thing. You’ll have to stand in for me until I get there.”
Carl smiled wanly. “Where should I head, boss?”
It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.
L. Frank Baum
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Chapter Seven
This was as far from fun as it could get. Grayson clearly did not get that Carl, the true Capricorn Carl was, was easily disillusioned. Confidence plummeted if he couldn’t meet his challenges, and Carl had struggled with every challenge so far today.
Quiz night at a sports bar . . .
This was almost cause to bolt.
The only thing that propelled him inside was imagining Sage and Leo’s disappointment upon finding out he was not famous pianist Jason Lyall. Sage would get laughed at, and Leo made fun of by bullies at school. No, he had to go in and play along, just as he would give that speech in assembly tomorrow.