Conflicted Innocence Read Free Page A

me. That means I won. I told you she would say my name first,” Simon teased.
    “Shut up, you big kid!” I shoved him playfully in the stomach.”
    “No, you are,” he said.
    “No, you are,” I repeated.
    “And they’re off.” James rolled his eyes at Kevin.
    “Why are you so surprised? All they ever do is banter and bicker with each other.” Kevin laughed.
    We’d made our way to the front door as we were chatting, and James ushered us inside.
    “Right, first things first,” Kevin said. “Who’s putting the kettle on?”
    They all turned to look at me.
    “Why me? Because I’m the woman? You sexist brutes.”
    “Stop complaining and get in the kitchen where you belong,” Simon said.
    James gasped, and Kevin shook his head.
    “You’re on your own after that statement, kiddo.” Kevin shoved Simon away from him with a laugh.
    “She knows I’m only joking, don’t you, Geri?” Simon gushed.
    I looked at him disapprovingly, my hands on my hips.
    “Tell you what, how about I brew up?” he said.
    “That sounds great, thanks.” I nodded. “But any more of that sexist talk and you’ll be sleeping out in the truck tonight.”
    Grace was showing off on the carpet. She’d mastered getting from one place to another by rolling—fast.
    James knelt beside her and began playing with a large push button, textural fabric, bunny rabbit.
    After a yummy lunch of gourmet pork pies and a selection of delicious, but stinky, cheese, the boys prepared to empty the van.
    I put Grace down for her nap in the travel cot in the master bedroom. Then, I supervised the placing of all my worldly goods, which comprised of a tallboy, two leather armchairs, a coffee table, a set of outdoor furniture, a king-sized bed that would go in the spare room, and several boxes of pots, pans and knickknacks. Not a lot to show for almost thirty years on the planet.
    There was the furniture from Grace’s room too, as well as all her toys, clothes and bedding. She had nearly as much as me, and she wasn’t even one yet.
    Once we’d finished, Simon sat with Grace in the lounge while James and Kevin had a muscle flexing contest, while trying to erect her cot. I stood in the bedroom doorway laughing at their frustration because they couldn’t work it out.
    The doorbell rang, and James turned to face me. “Do you mind, love?”
    I nodded and padded down the stairs barefoot, feeling strange to be answering the door in someone else’s house. But it wasn’t someone else’s house anymore. I lived there now.
    An attractive blond man dressed in black chinos and a trendy paisley shirt, in vibrant oranges and greens, stood on the doorstep and took a step backwards when he saw me.
    “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, trying to look past me into the hall. “I was looking for Jimmy.”
    “I’m up here, Lee,” James called from the top of the stairs.
    I smiled and opened the door wider for him to enter. “So you’re Lee. I’ve heard all about you.” I said, shaking his hand. Lee lived next door and was James’ closest friend.
    “Geri, I presume?”
    “You presume right. Thanks for offering James a place in your office. I was worrying about how I would manage to keep Grace quiet while he was busy working.”
    “No skin off my nose. There’s an empty room going begging.” Lee sidestepped me and smiled warmly before heading up the stairs.
    I opened three bottles of lager and followed him.
    “Ah, here she is,” James said. “Geri, this is Lee, our next-door neighbour. Lee, meet the love of my life, Geraldine.”
    I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I handed him a bottle. “We’ve already met.”
    Lee took the bottle I offered him. “Thanks, and it is lovely to meet you at long last, Geri.”
    “Likewise,” I said.
    “It’s been too long. I’ve missed his ugly face.” Lee tipped his bottle at James.
    “Charming!” James laughed.
    I handed the third bottle to Kevin, who took a deep swig before going off in search of Simon, clearly