Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138541 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138541 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
I laugh at my inner joke as I step into the kitchen, causing them to look at me like I’m crazy.
“What?” Mum’s brow arches as I sit with Dillan on my knee.
“Nothing.” I shake my head, still smiling. “Just a private joke between me and Dillan.”
Nathan watches me, his eyes narrowed curiously. It’s that look you get when there’s something on your face.
“What?” I ask defensively, shifting Dillan to the side as he tries to chew my hair, which he’s wrapped around his pudgy fist.
“Nothing.” He looks away. It’s too obvious and now I know for a fact there’s something wrong with me.
“What?” I demand, my voice deeper this time.
He shrugs, glancing at my dark hair. “Did you do something different?”
“No?” I smooth my hand over the top of my hair and look at my mum who looks away also. What the hell? “What’s wrong with my hair?”
My mum starts sniggering when she peeks around the back.
Taking Dillan with me, I dart to the mirror in the hall and see no immediate signs of hair distress. Turning my head from side to side, I still fail to see what they’re sniggering about. I haven’t combed my hair yet. It’s only eight in the morning, but it looks no different to how it usually looks.
There’s a knock on the door. I almost don’t answer it for fear of my not apparent hair distress humiliating me.
“Eric,” I breathe, blinking in surprise.
He grins, holding up a bag of food. “Breakfast?”
“I…” He pushes past before I can finish and enters the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”
My eyes immediately go to Nathan, who stiffens in a second and stares at Eric with his hands tightly gripping the edges of the newspaper.
“Morning Dawn,” Eric says and his eyes fall on Nathan. “Hi, Nathan right?”
Nathan nods. “We’ve met.”
“Yeah, briefly.” Eric places the bag on the table and turns back to me. “I didn’t think you’d have company; I apologise for intruding.” He steps into me, not caring about our audience and pulls me into a hug.
“That’s okay, Eric,” my mum says around a yawn and brings her wide eyes to me. “Can I get you a drink?”
Eric shakes his head a little frantically. “No thanks, I’m still trying to get the hair off my chest from the last one I drank that you made.”
I can’t help it, I giggle and Nathan lets out a sound that resembles that of a growl. Removing myself from Eric’s embrace, I step around him and retake my seat at the table. I know he needs to leave, but I can hardly say that to him while these two are here. It’ll embarrass him.
“It’s Friday, Gwen.” Nathan points out, sitting back in his chair.
I give him a warning look.
“Oh dear,” Mum adds, taking Dillan from my arms. Now I have nothing to keep me anchored.
“Nathan,” I say when she leaves the room. “Don’t you have something you need to be doing?”
Nathan’s mouth drops open in shock and possibly hurt, before he quickly gets a grip of himself and puts on the blank mask that I know so well. “Nope.”
“I’m sure there’s something you could be doing,” I push, glancing at Eric who is watching the exchange with suspicious eyes. “Sorry,” I say to Eric and place my hand on his arm.
“No problem.” He shrugs, but I can almost see the cogs in his head turning as he tries to figure out the one thing I don’t want him to know right now. “Nathan, I’d appreciate it if I could just have five minutes with my girl before I go to work. I’m not going to see her until Monday.”
Oh dear, now Nathan knows I told Eric of my plans. He inhales a sharp breath, his anger swimming in his now black eyes. “Why not until Monday?”
Please stop. Please. My mental begging does nothing.
“The London thing.”
Nathan looks at me, his anger aimed my way and with good reason. I want to shrink into a hole in the ground. “The London thing?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said.” Eric straightens his back and puffs his chest out slightly. “Why?”
“Do you both have plans for Monday?” Nathan tries to smile but fails miserably. It looks more like a grimace.
“We’re supposed to be seeing the new Godzilla movie.”
‘I swear I didn’t make plans!’ I want to scream, but I don’t. Eric is completely twisting the truth of our ‘plans’. He only asked what I was doing Monday, to which I responded that I wasn’t doing anything. He said cinema at six to see Godzilla and I said that we’ll see, but only because I knew I’d have to break up with him today and didn’t want to make him… hell, I don’t know. I’ve really messed this up.
“Really?” Nathan quirks a brow, folding his newspaper with precision. Oh hell, I’m in trouble.