AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My riding clothes.”
“Okay, let's hit the road.” I secure her car seat, and she buckles up.
“Are we going to have a great day?” I always ask her that.
“Yes!” she yells, piercing my eardrums.
“Damn right!” We make the journey back to mine. It’s not far and soon we are parked up and Grace is off. It’s a second home for her. I bought the old Bilson place when Reverend Bilson passed away, as his wife Mina went into assisted living. The property is nestled by the church grounds and the fields that touch the edge of Richmond. It’s damn good real estate. I moved in as soon as I had the keys and began work straightaway.
“Grace, stay where I can see you!” I shout, walking out back to my workshop. The old summer house has been the perfect place to work from. I gutted it, installed my machinery and began trading again. The house I knocked through, re-designed and fitted a wrap-around veranda with decking, but for now, I have a bespoke gothic headboard I’ve been contracted to do. It needs another coat and then it’s ready to be shipped. I position the headboard and myself so I can watch Grace in the garden.
A little bit later, Grace wanders in. “Uncle Cam, I'm hungry.” She picks up a wooden bear door stopper and smiles at it. “Can we have some lunch?”
“Yeah, sure, give me two more minutes and I'm done for the day.”
“Okay.” She puts the bear down and runs back off to play with the few toys she keeps here. I probably need to ask Dan to exchange them for others from home.
Grace and I spend the afternoon out and about. I buy her lunch, then take her to the park, and when we pop to the shops,I treat her to a unicorn DVD, popcorn, and sweets because she will be bored stiff whilst we all watch the game. It's nearing four so we head back to mine, and I pick up her bag. “Grace, come get your riding gear on!” I call out into the back garden.
She wanders in, looking confused. “But I'm going with Beau.”
“I'm taking you. You will see Beau there.” I smile, pulling her things out.
“I want to go with Beau.” Her voice quivers.
“Beau is probably on her way. Let's go meet them,” I say diplomatically.
She shakes her head and cries. “I want Beau!” I walk to her quickly because I hate seeing her cry. When I scoop her up, she pushes me away and runs off.
“Grace!” I blurt, panicked. She’s never acted like this with me. “Grace!” I catch her just short of the front gate. “You do not run out the gate!” She screams loudly, and I nearly drop her. An elderly lady is walking by with her dog and sticks her nose up at what she considers bad parenting.
Grace is off again, running another way. I chase after her and stop her from trying to climb the back fence overlooking the fields.
“Grace, what are you doing? Do you want to go riding or not?” I say forcefully. My deep voice makes her go still, but then she wails louder and I groan. “Beau is already there. You will miss riding. Your dad told me I was taking you,” I say firmly. Her little hiccups make me feel shit, so I pull her into my chest and rub her back.
“I want Beau!”
“Either we go and get your gear on or you're not going!” I tell her in a sharp tone. Her little shoulders sag, her head drops and she nods. Ah, man, I rub my chest, feeling physically in pain for upsetting her. “Let’s get ready then.” I take her hand, and she follows me inside. Every time I try to spark up a conversationwith her, she simply shrugs her shoulders and doesn't talk. Jesus, her future boyfriend will have his work cut out if she has mastered the silent treatment already. We arrive a little later than expected, and when I pull up beside Holly’s car and help Grace out, she shrugs me away. “That’s enough now. We’ve had a lovely day and you're being really rude, Grace June Ocean.” Hearing her full name brings her head up. I'm about to hug it out with her, but Beau races over, her helmet too big, and the added weight has her stumbling about. She looks like a pissed-up foal. Holly’s laughter splinters the air, and my gut and balls clench.
“Oh, Beau, you look so cute!” She laughs with tears in her eyes. Amanda Jessop is laughing too. Holly’s in a tiny jumpsuit that shows off her killer legs and full breasts. Fuck me, this isn’t fair. My own goddaughter is hating on me, then I have to come see how beautiful Holly looks. Grace and Beau speed off, and Amanda walks to me. She never believed any of the shit being spread about me.
She gives me a big hug. “My, my, you get more handsome every time I see you.”
“Like I keep saying, Mrs Jessops, if John wasn’t about and you were ten years younger…” I take her hand and wink. She gives a light, tinkling laugh, the cheeky flirt. I catch Holly rolling her eyes. She turns away and goes to join the girls standing at the side of the paddock watching a horse be trained.
“I didn’t know you’d be bringing little Grace.” She turns back to where Holly is waiting, and we watch as she leans down and gives Grace a hug. I want to go over and rip her off the child. I don't want Grace favouring her.
Amanda says, “How are you, I mean, with Holly being back?”
I'm not doing okay, that’s for sure. Amanda, along with the village, were aware of all facets of my life back then, thanks to the local paper. I doubt Holly even remembers the Jessops; they never got involved in Richmond affairs and stuck to themselves,but Amanda came to my aid when my parents suddenly moved away, leaving me stranded in a place that hated me, with nowhere to live. She had let me use the outbuilding to their home as a place to stay until I got on my feet. Dan’s father had been just as supportive and gave me a job in the upstairs office of their estate agency. I’d been out of the way, cooped up and in hiding from my own village. After a short while and lots of dark days, I'd managed to get back on my feet and get a flat.
“I'm good, just taking each day as it comes,” I say breezily. “I noticed the gate on the way in.”
“Oh, I know John reversed into it and it’s just old.”
“I can make you a new one, you know that, right?”
“I know. I keep meaning to give you a call.” She holds her arms out and shrugs.
