AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘You might want to think about wearing nicer clothes if you want to find yourself a girl. Speaking of which, how is Gina? Your mother told me she’d phoned.’
‘She turned up at my place the other day, wanting us to try again.’
‘Don’t be tempted, my boy.’
‘I’m not. I just feel sad about Amelia.’
‘I expect you do, but the girl is her mother’s responsibility, not yours. It wouldn’t be fair on you or her if you got back together with Gina because of the child.’
‘I know.’
‘You need to get out there and find yourself a girlfriend who doesn’t think of you as a meal ticket,’ Edwin added.
Daniel was about to stick up for Gina, then had second thoughts because that was precisely how Gina did view him – as someone to help pay the bills, do the DIY and the garden (obviously) and look after Amelia. She was selfish through and through, and he was well rid of her. His grandad often spoke a great deal of sense, and Daniel wished he’d spoken up sooner. Then again, would he have listened? He’d loved Gina in the beginning, and he doubted if he’d have had a word said against her back then.
‘The garden is looking nice,’ Edwin said, as Daniel parked on the road next to his mum’s house.
‘It always looks nice,’ Daniel said. ‘I make sure of that.’
‘You’re a good boy, but you can’t be forever doing things for everyone else, and never doing anything for yourself. You’ve got your own life to lead, so lead it.’
‘Hmm, I haven’t had much luck with that lately.’
‘If you mean Gina, don’t let one rotten apple stop you from making cider.’
Daniel blinked. His grandad came out with some things. The old man was right, Daniel knew, but it was only two months since he and Gina had split up, and he hadn’t met anyone yet who sparked his interest. He ignored the voice in his head that said ‘oh yes, you have’ because the voice was referring to Seren, and Tobias had already staked his claim.
He tried not to think about how their date went last night. It was none of his business and would only make him more disgruntled. Besides, Tobias would no doubt fill him in with the details the next time he saw him, no matter how little Daniel wanted to hear them.
It was like old times having Grandad at the dinner table, and Daniel was pleased to see him there. He’d joined his mum for a meal most evenings and every Sunday since Edwin had moved into the care home, thinking she might be lonely on her own after looking after his grandad for so long. Daniel might as well move in with her for the amount of time he spent at her house, but he was determined to retain some independence. Besides, he didn’t want to confess to any new girlfriend that he lived with his mum: he didn’t want to come across as any more pathetic than he already felt.
Not that he was likely to have a new girlfriend any time soon.
Which brought his train of thought neatly back to Seren…
‘Tobias is converting an old ice cream van into a travelling shop of some kind,’ he said, around a mouthful of crispy roast potato. His mum made the best roasties ever.
Edwin shoved a forkful of green beans into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. ‘A travelling shop, eh? What will it be selling?’
‘Gifts, I believe,’ Daniel said. ‘Maybe if there was one in the area, your friend in the care home wouldn’t have given you slippers.’ He chuckled and a pea went down the wrong way, making him cough.
‘I like my slippers.’
‘I bought you a new pair when you moved in,’ Linda said.
Edwin reached across the table and patted his daughter on the hand. ‘So you did, love, but you can never have too many pairs of slippers.’ He paused. ‘To tell you the truth, I’ve never seen Nelly wearing any. Maybe I ought to buy her a pair in return?’
‘Do you think it’s a good idea?’ Daniel asked.
‘Probably not. If she wanted to wear slippers, I suspect she’d have bought some for herself,’ Edwin replied.
‘Not the slippers; the travelling gift shop.’
‘I dunno. I suppose.’ Edwin frowned. ‘Will you still take me Christmas shopping this year?’
‘Of course I will,’ Daniel promised.
His grandfather was quiet for a moment, the only sounds in the dining room being the clink of cutlery on plates and chewing. ‘I can’t get your present, not while you’re with me. I had to ask your mother to buy something for you last year.’
