AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Dumping her bags inthe hallway of her flat, Penny made her way to her bedroom, dropped onto the bed, and curled into a foetal position. Her devastation too painful to absorb, the loss so great, she wished she were dead. For hours her mind shoved all memories of David away. Dry-eyed, she stared into the darkness as night fell. The shivering began in the small hours. At first she thought something external was making her body shake but soon realised it was her own internal stress causing her to quake. Without warning a wave of misery broke through her defensives. Grief overwhelmed her; the floodgates opened, and she wept for both her past and present. She’d wrecked any hope of a future with David. All was lost.
Morning came, relentlessly sunny. She dragged the duvet over her head and slept the day away, sleeping through the following night as well.
Early morning sunshine played across her face. She tried to seek out the darkness behind closed lids, wanting to drift back into welcome oblivion, but it was no good. Her stomach had no conscience and grumbled loudly about her recent lack of nourishment. Grumpily Penny headed for the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal then made a cup of tea. Taking her breakfast into the living area, she settled on the couch to eat.
Her phone trilled. Wasn’t that her work ringtone? “Hello?” she answered.
“Hiya, Penny, it’s Gina. I’m just phoning to tell you that the board approved your latest design ideas, and they want to know how soon you can come back to work.”
“That’s great news, Gina. I’ll be in tomorrow.” Her own answer shocked her.
“Fantastic! I’ll make sure we have some Earl Grey tea in stock. See you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah, thanks, Gina.”
Penny searched her mind about going into work with a different career amidst a company she’d never actually worked for; she soon concluded a new start would be good. Pondering on what it was she wanted from a life that couldn’t include David, she finished her breakfast. Setting aside her empty bowl, she snatched up a pad and pen from the coffee table and headed up a list of her wants and needs.
Not allowing herself time to think about either list, she scribbled down whatever came into her head first then sat back to read what she’d written.
First in the wants column was her daddy. She sketched a line through that. First in her needs column was also her daddy, another crossing out. Second on both her lists was a dog.
Biting the pen top, she thought about that. The apartment wasn’t the right environment for a dog. Honey would need a garden. A happy vision of herself in her own garden playing with her dog filled her mind. She had money in the bank and invested in this apartment. If she combined the two she’d probably have enough cash to buy a small house.This I can achieve.
She picked up her phone and searched for Emily’s number.
“Hi, Emily, please don’t hang up. I expect David has been in touch and told you I’m some crazy person, but honestly I’m not. I want to talk to you about buying Honey for myself...”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Happy birthday, sis!”
“Thanks, Allie, where’s Jack?”
“He’s parking the car. I have to say all this looks great!” Allie swung her arm in an arc as she looked around at the prettily laid out garden. “Penny...”
