‘Yeah, that was a blessing in disguise, her leaving. Or, from what you’ve said about Rob, I bet he fired her. He’s got a soft spot for you, I reckon.’
‘Don’t be silly, Noms, and anyway he’s been happily married for years.’ Gracie laughed it off.
‘Anyway, dear sister. You’ve got to do what makes you happy.’
‘You say that but we don’t all have the luxury of a sugar daddy, sadly.’
Noms stuck her tongue out childishly.
Gracie’s phone beeped in her bag. Hoping it was Ed she reached for it quickly. Her face soon fell.
‘What’s wrong, Grace?’
Grace turned the screen round to show her sister.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height. My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight. Please talk to me, Gracie. I miss you. Lewis xxx
‘It’s from the Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem. The one I always said I’d like him to read out when we got married.’
Noms stuck out her bottom lip. ‘Aw, bless him.’
Gracie huffed. ‘Noms! You can’t say that.’
‘I know. I know. But he is sorry, and he did genuinely make a mistake, and you do fit together so bloody well.’
‘Not that bloody well or I’d have been able to have kids with him. I really do think that. I think that if a couple are compatible then they can have children easily.’
‘I think that’s just your skewed opinion at the moment, Gracie.’
Gracie huffed. ‘You were slagging off Lewis the other day. Why the change of heart all of a sudden?’
‘I just want what’s best for you, sis, that’s all.’
‘But he’snotthebest for me. I don’t want Lewis. Not now, not ever. He cheated on me. It makes me feel sick every time I think of him withher. And her sitting opposite me the next day, and touching my face when she put my make-up on. It makes my skin crawl.’ Her voice cracked. ‘But most of all it makes me so, so sad, Noms. I can’t cope with all this. I thought losing the babies was hard – but this hurts, it really hurts.’ Gracie’s face screwed up in anguish. ‘I loved him so much.’
Jack appeared weary-eyed at the kitchen door.
Noms gently put her hand on the top of his head. ‘What are you doing out of bed, matey? Come on, back up those stairs, you’ve got school tomorrow.’
‘I heard your voices.’ He ran and put his face in Gracie’s lap, then looked up at her.
‘Auntie Grace. You can be my mummy whenever you like, if you want to, that is.’
Gracie bit her lip, stroked his hair and smiled through her tears. Even the ever-strong Noms had to turn away and sniff at this expression of love in its purest form.
TWENTY-SIX
Gracie woke up to the sun streaming through her curtains. The house seemed very quiet. She checked her watch. Blimey, ten o’clock. She didn’t usually sleep in. After tossing and turning all night, she felt awful too. She’d dreamt of walking down the aisle with Lewis and then not being able to go through with the wedding. Then she’d been with Ed, who had taken her for a ride on his quad bike and she’d squealed with delight like a child, until she’d fallen off and he’d ridden off and left her on the ground. She wondered what Professor Princeton would make of that one.
She eased herself up and went to the bathroom, sighing as she saw her red-eyed reflection. On the plus side, her cheekbones were becoming more evident. She was definitely eating less than normal as she felt so out of sorts. She heard Boris whimper from his crate in the room next door.
‘Come on, boy, I’ll get ready and we’ll go for a walk.’ The sweet little terrier scampered in and licked her hand. She had enjoyed her week off, but it was Friday already and she’d be back to the grind on Monday. She showered, pulled her running gear on, and checked herself in the mirror. Her tummy had definitely reduced slightly. She couldn’t be singleanda lard-arse. Now the weight had started coming off she would stick to her regime. Maybe allowing herself just one flapjack a week for a treat, to make it all slightly more tolerable. Oh, and wine, she would still have a few wines, of course.
Ed had said he liked curves and she was sure he wasn’t the only man on the planet who did. So as long as she toned up she’d be fine. She had never been really skinny, anyway. Curvy and firm. That’s what she would aspire to. Perfect.
She walked downstairs to the kitchen and put the kettle on. Thinking of Ed, she applied some mascara and covered her blotchy face with some foundation. Whether he wanted to see her again or not, she couldn’t bump into him looking a complete minger, now could she?
As she was zipping up her make-up bag, she saw a note from Noms to say that she was taking Jack to school and then was off to buy some fabrics for her bag making. Beside it was an envelope addressed to G with a kiss. When Gracie opened it, she found a cheque for £2,500 and a note:
