Leona and Everleigh nodded. I was sure Leona knew already, but she looked up at Holly like she wanted to be her.
“Okay, take your daisy and with your nail make a small slit in the stem. Everleigh, do you want me to help you?”
I looked on at them, picking grass because I would rather boil my own head than make a daisy chain. Holly was great with kids; she would be an awesome mum one day.
“How come you’re so good with children?” I asked. “You don’t have younger brothers or sisters, right?”
“No, but I have a lot of younger cousins.”
“You want kids when you’re older?”
She beamed and looked prettier, even with the overly dark eye make-up.
“Definitely.”
Why couldn’t Abby be that sure? She had already taken back saying she wanted them now, and had postponed our family. What the hell was I going to do if she decided in a couple years that she wanted to wait another couple of years?
“You do too,” she said overly confidently. Did it show that much? I didn’t really care, having children was so important to me now. A few years ago I would have laughed if someone told me I would end up desperate to be a dad.
“Yeah, I do.”
“When do you think you will?”
I shrugged.
“I would tomorrow but apparently that’s not an option now.”
It was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. Pissing never satisfied, mind changing, evil, heart breaking women!
Chapter Four
Abby was already out of bed when I woke the next morning. I groaned. It was only seven in the morning and on a Sunday. What the hell was she doing up?
“Abby?” I called to see if she was just in the bathroom before I forced myself to get out of bed.
She poked her head around the corner of the door.
“Oh, you’re awake then?”
No, I’m sleep talking!
“Yeah.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake up. “What’re you doing up so early?”
“I’m meeting Carol and Brett at Wendy’s Cafe to discuss the Thorpe Park trip. Two parents have pulled out, and we’re having trouble with the coaches now too. We’re grabbing breakfast and sorting through the issues. I won’t be long, and then we can do something. Want me to bring you bacon rolls back?”
Sunday. It was the official day of rest, and she wanted a working breakfast. Leaving your bed before ten on a Sunday should be illegal and here was my wife dressed and ready to leave the house at seven.
“Right. Bacon rolls would be awesome.”
She blew a kiss and grabbed her handbag off the dressing table. “Only be a couple hours. Love you.” And then she was gone.
I wanted to call someone to complain, and normally I’d call Oakley but she was getting bored of me complaining and not doing anything about it. I was scared of doing anything about it. Actually I was fucking terrified. If Abby was cheating we would have to get divorced, sell the house and divide everything up. I would be a divorced man. I would have an ex wife. Abby would be fine with her new man, but I would be screwed. No one wanted to be the one left behind. I didn’t want to be in love with someone that left me for someone else.
The only thing that I knew would take my mind off what was possibly going on – yes, I was a fan of burying your head in the sand – was Everleigh. I dialled my sister’s house knowing they would already be up.
“Hello,” Oakley said down the phone.
“Can I have Everleigh for a couple hours? Pancakes at the diner.”
“Good morning to you too, Jasper.”
“Please?” I said.
She paused. “Sure. Any reason?”
“She’s my favourite person, and I want to take her to breakfast.”
“That’s the only reason? Is Abby going too?”
“I’ll pick her up in twenty,” I said and hung up. Damn mind-reading sister. There was going to be a lecture. There was always a lecture. I should speak to Abby about it; that’s what she’d say. Of course, she was right, but I wasn’t gonna do it.
I dressed and grabbed my keys. Abby had left one of her many handbags on the kitchen table – the one the watch was in. We had nothing coming up – not my birthday or an anniversary – so if the watch was gone that meant she took it with her today. To this Brett twat? I backed away, needing to trust her.
Oakley opened her front door as I pulled up. Great, she was ready to preach. She raised her eyebrow as I walked towards her.
“Don’t start,” I said.
“I’m not starting. I just don’t get many early morning phone calls from you on a Sunday. Actually, I’ve never received an early morning phone call off you on a Sunday.”
“Abby’s working for a couple hours, so I thought I’d use to the time to treat my niece.”
“Abby’s working?”
“Something about sorting out school trip shit.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I dunno. Everleigh ready?”
“Cole’s just putting her shoes on. Do you want to talk about it?”
I glared. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
Oakley smiled one of her smiles that made me want to throw tomatoes at her.