AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t have to worry.” Bella slipped an arm around Alegra’s shoulders as they stepped outside. “I’ll look after him, and this place too.”
“I know you will.” Grinning, Alegra turned and wrapped her arms around Bella. “You’re the best, and I love you.”
“I am the best,” Bella agreed cockily. “Thank you for finally admitting it!”
When they reached her car, Alegra inhaled deeply. “I can’t believe I actually agreed to this stupid plan.”
“I’m glad you’re going.” Bella’s eyes shone with kindness. “I agree with Uncle Richard – it will be good for you to see the place you spent the first nine years of your life. And even if you’re not keen on reliving the past, you can have a holiday. Devon is beautiful and you’ll be right by the beach. After the stress of the last two years, a holiday is just what you need.”
“Except I’ll be working as a waitress, remember?” Alegra said with an amused pout.
“I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time to relax too.”
Alegra gave Bella one last hug, then got into the car. “Wish me luck,” she said through the open window.
“Good luck, Allie.” Bella beamed. “You’re going to have to lose the scowl when people call you that.”
“I don’t like it,” she complained. People had tried shortening her name over the years, but she found that the scowl usually got her point across quickly. She liked her slightly unique name and insisted on people using it.
“You don’t have to like it,” Bella said. “And it’s only for a month.”
“Two weeks,” Alegra corrected her.
“However long it ends up being, it’s only temporary. Make the most of it.”
Alegra smiled and backed out of her parking spot, calling goodbye through the window and promising to keep Bella updated. Driving down the long driveway, she sighed loudly.
She supposed Bella might have a point; if she was going to be Allie The Waitress for a little while, she may as well try to enjoy herself.
CHAPTER 3
Alegra felt completely on edge at the start of her journey, but her heart rate eventually settled into a normal rhythm.
As she crossed into Devon, the roads didn’t suddenly become familiar and she wasn’t hit by a rush of nostalgia or overwhelmed by memories of her mother. That’s what she’d been afraid of, that she’d unlock a flood of childhood memories and grief.
Only when she slowed the car at the gates of Thurley Beach Golf Club did she feel a stirring of nostalgia. Bringing the car to a stop, she waited for the onslaught of memories, but nothing came. She knew the place, though. Deep in her bones, she knew the place. Not in a scary, overwhelming way. It was like the way she knew the back of her hand.
She simply knew the way the driveway would curve when she set off again. And how the car park and clubhouse would look when she reached them.
Suddenly keen to see her old childhood home, she pressed on the accelerator and crawled along the driveway to pull into a parking space beside the entrance.
Exiting the car, she moved instinctively around the building until she had a view of the first tee. A group of three older men stood around their push carts and carry bags, chatting away while they selected their clubs.
Bolstered by the lack of emotional overwhelm, Alegra walked back through the car park. She only hesitated for a moment before pulling on the heavy main door and stepping inside the clubhouse.
It actually felt kind of nice to be back, which was frustrating since she could immediately hear her dad’s voice saying “I told you so” in an annoying smug tone.
“Hello!” A young woman at the reception desk beamed at her. She wore a crisp white shirt with a name badge, as did the lanky young guy leaning on the end of the desk. “Can I help you?” the young woman asked.
Having her hair scraped back in a ponytail did little to disguise the purple streaks interwoven with the mousy brown. Not the most professional look, Alegra thought. Immediately, she chastised herself for judging a person by the colour of their hair and the fact that they looked barely old enough to drink alcohol.
“Hi,” Alegra said, approaching them and reading the girl’s name tag.
“Are you here to play?” Daisy asked. “Or is it just the restaurant today?”
With a quick shake of her head, Alegra pondered how to introduce herself. Even without using her proper first name, she was sure her last name would give the game away. And if that didn’t, there was a photo of Alegra on the wall behind Daisy, making the whole undercover thing feel even more ridiculous than it had before.
The picture wasn’t exactly a closeup, but even so, there was surely no chance she could go any length of time without people realising.
