Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“What?” I ask. “What’s going on?”
“I just thought you’d be the one I’d lose,” Mum says. “Of all of you, you were always the most distant.” She shakes her head. “I blame myself because—”
“No!” Dad bellows. “Not having that. He’s both of ours. We both worked. If Dax was neglected, you’re not taking the blame.”
“We were all neglected,” Beau says, laughing. “I could make a spaghetti bolognese at eleven years old.”
Jacob rolls his eyes. “Boo-fucking-hoo. That’s not such a big deal. We were just a busy, big family. We had to get resourceful at times. That’s no bad thing.”
“None of us were neglected,” Zach says. He looks around as if he’s expecting everyone to agree with him. Is he new? The only way to build consensus in this family is to target a common enemy. Or to have a baby.
“No one was neglected,” Vincent says. “And that includes me.”
“But Dax was always a little different,” Dad says. “Your mother always thought it was because he was the last of you. My theory was that he was just disdainful of us all.”
“Oh he’s definitely disdainful,” Beau says with a chuckle.
“I still don’t understand why Mum is crying,” says Jacob.
“She’s just relieved Dax isn’t going anywhere,” Dad says.
“Where would I go?” I ask, completely confused.
Dad pats my back, and I look at Mum, wondering if someone’s going to answer me.
“I thought you’d just drift away, that’s all,” she says. “I didn’t expect you to…be here.” She clears her throat. “But I’m ever so grateful that you are. And Guinevere and Eira. And Eddie and Dylan too. You know you are now officially part of our family.” She looks at Eddie as her voice cracks, and I pull her into a hug.
“We’re like the Mafia,” Dad says. “Once you’re in, there’s no getting out.”
“You didn’t neglect me.” I speak low and directly into her ear. I want her to know I mean it. “I never felt neglected. I felt independent.” Eira was neglected by her parents, but I never was. I pull back. “And now we’re going to be neighbors. But not because I don’t want to be with you. I’m just being practical.”
“I’m delighted,” she says. “You’ll be a few yards away. The best of both worlds.”
“There’s room in this field for more than one house, isn’t there?” Beau asks, and everyone laughs.
“It’s going to be a compound,” Kate says. “In the best way. And it will be great to have people’s extended family up here. I know Granny’s said she’ll come up this summer.”
“We’d love to have her,” Mum says.
“We would,” Dad agrees.
A grumble of thunder steals our attention and we all look to the sky.
“Let’s head in,” Dad says. “Don’t want all these babies cold and wet. I’m talking about my sons of course.” He laughs to himself. I catch myself smiling, too.
As we head back to the house, Jacob, Eddie, Eira and I find ourselves in a group at the back.
“So what’s next for you, Eddie?” Jacob asks.
“That’s the question of the day,” Eddie says. She’s been talking about nothing else since graduation. What to do until she has access to her inheritance and she can fund the startup she has an idea for.
“Can I make a suggestion?” Jacob says.
“Please! I just want someone to tell me what to do!”
Jacob laughs. “Just go and do life for a bit. Have some fun and create some memories. I have the best memories from when I was your age. That time I went to Paris and had to sleep on a bench and ended up in prison…”
“That doesn’t sound ideal,” Eira says.
“What about the time you poisoned everyone at the Michelin-starred restaurant where you worked as a bus boy?” I say. “Fun times.”
Eira has a look of horror on her face.
“So, what? Go to Paris?” Eddie asks. “I don’t want to stay in London and waitress. I want to do something exciting.”
“Go backpacking around Europe. Go to Mexico and feed dolphins or turtles or whatever you feed there.”
“I like the idea of an adventure,” Eddie says. “But what? I don’t just want to go backpacking. I need a plan.”
“You could do a ski season?” Eira suggests.
“Yeah, except I hate skiing and the cold. Apart from that, great idea.”
“What about being a tour rep?” Jacob suggests.
“What are we talking about?” Nathan asks. He’s broken off from the group in front of us.
“Eddie is trying to think of something to do before she gets her inheritance.”
“First-world problems, right?” Eddie says. “I know I sound like a brat, but it feels like I have a window to have some fun.”
“My previous PR director, Gretel, now runs an upscale hotel in New York,” Nathan says. “It’s meant to be a wellness retreat in the city or something. She’s always looking for staff. You could go and work for her.”