Page 83 of Take Her On

Grandpa nodded. “Aye.”

“He’s pulling your leg,” Maya said, shaking her head. “Where is she really?”

He chuckled deep in his chest. “Next door.”

Maya nodded, forcing herself to relax a bit. This wasn’t so bad. Grandpa was laughing. Grandma and Mrs Mcpherson were probably watching the soaps together. And Jamie was here, admiring the strange elephant lamp that used to frighten Maya when she was younger.

“I’m assuming this is…this is…” Grandpa’s brows knitted together, and he let out a frustrated sound, squeezing the blanket resting on his lap.

That helpless feeling swelled in Maya again. But all she could do was wait. Jamie was patient too, and she softened seeing the two of them occupying the same space.

“Would you like a drink, Grandpa?” She offered him his cup and straw from the table, and he took a few small sips. Afterwards, silence reigned as they waited for Grandpa to continue.

“You sneaked in.”

Heat flushed up Maya’s neck. Was he talking about when she was ill and Jamie snuck out the window? She opened her mouth to try explain it away, but Grandpa chuckled again. The sound fuelled a collection of memories deep in Maya’s brain. Grandpa and Grandma laughing in the kitchen. Grandpa teasing Mum and winking at Maya afterwards. Grandpa coming home from a fishing trip, smiling wide and telling them all about his catches.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” he said, his eyes sparkling. “I could…tell ya lots of things.” He laughed again. “Me and Grandma used to get up to all sorts—”

“Grandpa!”

Jamie and Maya shared a look, and they all cracked out laughing. Grandpa held up shaky hands in defeat, and the sound of Del and Rodney filtered in from the TV.

“Ah, I love this show,” Jamie said. “I used to watch it with my uncle.”

“Great taste.” Grandpa motioned for her to take a seat in the armchair beside him.

“Have you seen the one where the bus blows up and they end up in the creepy guest-house?”

“Of course. Top three fo’ me.”

“Top one! Has to be.”

They started a debate—a slow one, but a debate nonetheless—about the top ten Only Fools and Horses episodes. Warmth blossomed in Maya’s chest, spreading to the tips of her fingers. Seeing them together fused pieces of her heart she hadn’t even known were broken. She dipped out of the room to make drinks for everyone, the sounds of their combined voices stirring a feeling inside her she couldn’t quite describe.

Happiness? It felt stronger than that.

But she wasn’t ready to address the conflicting voices whispering in the back of her head. What isn’t Jamie telling me? She didn’t want to overreact, but her belly tightened at the question. Focusing on the happy-sunshine feeling instead, she pushed the thoughts away, to find the space filled with another word that she immediately rejected.

Because to say she loved Jamie Mellor would mean the most dramatic change of all.

Maya definitely wasn’t ready for that.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Maya

Maya had hardly slept. She’d lain awake since 3am, her stomach a hive of nervous jitters. Today, they faced the Harriers. It was the first game in which they could show them Millton were contenders for the title—Maya’s last chance to win before she settled into a life of adult work.

Her last year playing football.

She’d been thinking about everything else so much, that fact hadn’t settled in until she’d opened her eyes in the early morning.

Everything was moving so quickly. The thought only amplified her dread even more. She forced herself out of bed to stop that train derailing, got dressed, and headed downstairs to make a cup of tea. Tea helped everything.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the forever-fake lily her mum liked to display—why did her mum like it so much?—when Grandma descended the stairs. She could always tell it was her from her soft steps. Her mum was like an angry banker in comparison.

“Oh. You’re up early,” Grandma commented, padding across the floor to switch on the kettle. “You want another brew?”