‘I guess so,’ I said, trying to pretend as though I’d been listening to anything Harry had said. ‘It’s hard to give an opinion when I’ve not explored the farm yet, I suppose.’
‘Very true. We should put that right first thing tomorrow. I was thinking of giving Bertie a tour of the animals. That all right with you, Bertie?’
Bertie, unable to speak due to the amount of pizza in his mouth, gave an enthusiastic nod of the head.
‘Great.’ Harry lifted a hand for Bertie to high-five. ‘Seb? You can give Liv a tour of the grounds, can’t you? Me and Bertie will feed the animals, so that will free up a bit of your time.’
‘Sure, no problem. I’ll call for you at nine.’
Oh, God. Even his voice left me feeling like an invertebrate. ‘Great,’ I choked out.
This time away was supposed to be clearing my head, not muddling it. I’d try ringing around Rob’s friends again, although I didn’t hold out much hope. But I needed to do something, anything, to get my life back on track. I needed to be an adult, and swooning over a teenage crush did not come anywhere near my to-do list.
Chapter Fourteen
Isat on the bathroom floor, balancing the phone against my shoulder whilst brushing my teeth.
‘Do you have to do that?’ asked Cass. ‘It sounds gross.’
‘I thought you were supposed to be a hardened nurse,’ I said through a mouthful of toothpaste.
‘Yes, I suppose it’s not bottom juice,’ sighed Cass, causing me to spurt my toothpaste out across the floor.
‘Crap. Hang on.’ I grabbed my towel and wiped away the mess I’d made, then rinsed out my mouth.
‘Where are you?’
‘In the bathroom. Where else would I brush my teeth?’
‘What’s it like?’
‘The bathroom?’
‘No, dumbass, the whole place.’
‘I’ve not seen much of it yet, but what I have seen I like. I’m still not sure coming here was the right thing to do, though. It’s not going to solve anything, is it? All I’m doing is kicking my problems into the long grass.’
‘Liv, you need this time. You’ve not been yourself for the past eight years. It’s about time you took a step back from life and figured out what you really want.’
‘What I want is my old life back.’
‘Really?’
I pictured the fancy cars, executive home on an executive estate, the yummy mummies, weekend visits to the grim-laws. Maybe I didn’t wantexactlythat version, but what was the alternative?
‘How’s Dad?’
‘Don’t change the subject.’
‘I’m not. I really want to know.’
‘Dad’s fine, same as ever.’
‘I thought I could visit him at the weekend.’
‘No, leave it a couple of weeks. You need to embrace the opportunity that’s been given to you. Coming back to the city would only confuse things. Dad will survive a couple of weeks without you.’
‘OK, but send him my love when you see him.’
