Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92668 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92668 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“Good,” Gwen replied. “And don’t you go running off like that again. You scared the life out of me.”
“I’m sorry. It wasn’t like I intended for it to happen.”
She patted my hand. “I know, dear. None of us thought it was Shane. I always thought he was such a nice boy.”
“So did everyone else, I think.” I scooped some of the cottage pie into my mouth and groaned. “Oh, my God. Gwen, this is the best cottage pie I’ve ever eaten.”
“Ah-ha! I knew you were smart. If you and Noah don’t get married, you can marry Ash instead.”
I eyed her. “I’m not marrying either of your grandchildren, sorry to say.”
“I’ll adopt you, then. Honorary granddaughter.”
“I can live with that. Thank you for this food. You didn’t have to come and see me.”
“Of course I did. What, you think Ash is telling Noah anything? That boy is driving me insane with all his mithering about how you are. Apparently, he’s not allowed in to see you. Do you know why?”
“Yep.” I sipped my water. “I told them not to let him in.”
“That’ll explain it,” she said with a snort. “I decided I’d come and see you and bring you some real food at the same time. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I am, honestly.” I kept nibbling my way through the tray of food. “They said I can go home soon. The doctor will give me an idea tomorrow morning.”
“That’s good. I expect Noah won’t be allowed to see you there, either.”
I put the fork down and looked at her. “Gwen, spit it out.”
She looked at me, eyes wide with faux innocence. “Spit what out?”
“Whatever you’re trying to say. Just say it.”
“Oh, all right. You’re too smart for me.” She sighed. “He’s worried about you, Blondie. He’s losing his bloody mind, and I’m going to batter him senseless if he doesn’t stop coming to my house and eating all my food. He even brings that great lout of a dog of his. Have you seen him? He’s got the turning circle of an artic lorry and keeps knocking my vases over with his whacking great tail.”
The image made my lips twitch into a smile. “I’ve met him once.”
“Then you understand! Honestly, the boy is beside himself. Jamie and your dad told him you were fine, but I don’t think he’ll believe it until he sees you or hears it for himself.”
“I don’t want to see him.”
“I understand after what you went through, but—”
“It’s not about that,” I said softly. “We didn’t leave things well the last time we spoke, before this all happened, and I’m just not ready to see him yet.”
Gwen softened, and she scooted the big leather chair over so she could rest her hand on mine. “Lottie, dear, I know. He told me everything when I threatened to smash my biscuit jar over his head.”
My lips trembled as I met her gaze. “Everything?”
“If you mean everything about his idiot girlfriend, then yes.” She paused. “He didn’t tell me as much as he did rant the whole lot out, but then I whipped him with my newspaper, and he stopped shouting at me.”
That was quite the visual.
“You coming back here after all this time was always going to be hard. For both of you. And don’t mind me, but neither of you handled it the best. Especially not Noah.” She snorted. “You best believe I had a word with him when he told me what Kayla had said to you at his house.”
“Oh, no. You didn’t tell him to control her, did you?”
“I did not. I told him that if I ever heard her speak to anyone that way, I’d knock her out with my newspaper, then I hit him to make my point.” Gwen sniffed. “And that there was a reason his family didn’t like her, and if he stayed with someone who could be so mean when unprovoked, then it said a lot about who he was, too.”
“I shouldn’t have gone over there. I knew she had a problem with me.”
“Enough of that.” She tapped my fingers lightly. “Her problem with you is not your responsibility, Charlotte O’Neil. That was a problem for her and Noah to work through, not you two, especially when she hadn’t bothered to talk to you to find out where you stood. She assumed, and she made a right arse out of herself in the process.”
I looked down at her winkled fingers resting on mine. Her short, shocking green nails were a stark contrast to my slightly longer chipped pink ones.
“It doesn’t matter now,” I said. “Now Declan’s murder is solved, I can’t see a situation in which I’ll be anywhere near Noah, so she can be happy with that.”
“I doubt that very much,” Gwen said. “This is far from over.”
“I’m not interested in getting in the middle of their relationship, Gwen.”