Ice Cream Wars by A.E. Radley & Emma Sterner-Radley

Author:A.E. Radley & Emma Sterner-Radley [Radley, A.E. & Sterner-Radley, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance
Publisher: Heartsome Publishing
Published: 2019-08-28T23:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

Mrs Hawkins Sips Her Tea

Juliana sat in a warm, cosy kitchen painted in creams and browns. It smelled of some sort of freshly baked pastries, ones that Juliana was sure she wasn’t going to get to taste. A clock ticked softly somewhere out of view.

Everything was so homey and sweet that Juliana, in her stark clothes and intense perfume, felt like an invading foreigner, a feeling that was compounded by the behaviour of the homeowner: Cherry’s mother, Hattie Hawkins. Not only did Mrs Hawkins have an alliterated name like a superhero, she also seemed to have X-ray vision like one. At least, if one was to judge by how she bored her gaze into Juliana’s and seemed to know what her guest was thinking. This led to awkward small talk and to Mrs Hawkins refilling Juliana’s mug of strong tea without having to check to see if it was time for a top-up. Uncanny.

Juliana hadn’t wanted tea. She had been very clear on that. She’d been given one anyway. And then a refill. And now a top-up. Apparently, tea could magically fix shock and pretty much any other ailment and must be imbibed at all costs.

Juliana stared into her chipped mug of bitter tea and thought, I’d kill for an espresso and a scoop of elderflower sorbet right now. No, this day calls for hazelnut gelato. Two big scoops. Preferably drenched in spiced rum.

“So,” Mrs Hawkins said after a sip of her tea. “While my Cherry gets some rest upstairs and you and I finish our cuppa, why don’t we talk about the accidents that seem to happen in your area, hmm?”

Juliana stiffened. “Accidents? You mean what happened with the lorry today?”

“Not only that. There was her trike getting smashed to ruddy pieces, too,” Hattie said, her clever eyes narrowing. “Freak accident that. Strange how these things happen, hmm?”

Juliana’s collar was suddenly too tight. Why had she buttoned her shirt all the way up? “Yes. Strange.”

Hattie sipped her tea. “Mm. And there have been some mishaps as well, haven’t there?”

Juliana picked up her mug, too, mainly to hide her face. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

“For example, your bin breaking and being stranded right where my Cherry had to try to sell foodstuff. That was pretty strange, too, wouldn’t you say?”

Another squinting stare. Another sip of tea, this one halfway to a slurp.

Juliana resisted the urge to loosen her collar. Why did she feel like she was twelve and had been called into the headmistress’s office for starting fights?

“Y-yes.”

“I’d say so. And now my sweet, precious daughter is curled up in her bed with bruises and heaven knows what else.”

The eye contact intensified to the point where Juliana thought it was going to make her head implode. “Cherry has… had some bad luck.” She hesitated for only a second. “I’m certain that is about to change.”

“You are?” Hattie slowly put her mug down, never dropping the eye contact. “Do you think these awful things are about to stop happening to my little girl, hmm?”

“I am convinced of it, Mrs Hawkins.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.