One More Song by Nicki Edwards

Author:Nicki Edwards
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Published: 2017-12-21T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

The next morning, after a night spent tossing and turning and dreaming of Eddie and that incredible kiss, Harry walked the short distance across the dusty yard to Claire’s house. Dry grass crunched under his feet.

He’d relived their kiss a thousand times until it was seared permanently into his brain. He’d had plenty of practice over the years but he’d never been kissed like that before. It was the type of kiss that had him losing all track of time and place. She’d tasted amazing and he hadn’t been able to get enough of her. He’d wanted to do more than just kiss her, and had almost cursed when her pager had gone off. Then again, it was probably just as well. The last thing he’d have wanted was to be caught out like a couple of randy teenagers.

He knocked on Claire’s door, then without waiting for a reply entered her darkened kitchen. The air conditioner was working overtime and the house was mercifully cool.

‘Cuppa?’ Claire asked.

‘No, thanks.’ He couldn’t stomach the idea of another cup of tea. ‘I’m already three times over my usual daily limit.’ He’d sat with his mum most of the morning talking about what they were going to do about his father.

Claire chuckled. ‘Mum reckons a cup of tea fixes everything.’

‘Not this time,’ he muttered.

‘Sime’s probably got a beer stashed in the back of the fridge if you want one.’

He shook his head. ‘Water is fine.’ He pulled out a kitchen chair, wincing at the sound of it scraping on the timber floor, and sat.

Claire chuckled. ‘Hangover?’

‘No. I didn’t have anything to drink last night, but I didn’t sleep well and I’ve got a killer headache.’

‘Everything okay?’

‘Lots on my mind. Same as you.’

Claire passed him a glass of water then slid a box of paracetamol across the table towards him. ‘What time do you head back to Sydney?’

‘My flight leaves Tullamarine at three. I thought I’d go and visit Dad first.’

‘That’s a good idea.’

‘Where’re Simon and the kids?’ he asked as he popped two tablets out of the foil, tossed them in his mouth and took a gulp of water. ‘I wouldn’t mind seeing them before I go.’

‘He’s taken them down to the river for a swim.’

‘You didn’t want to join them?’

Claire bustled around the kitchen, tidying up and putting things away. ‘Too much to do here. With Dad being so sick I’ve let things slide.’ She indicated the untidy kitchen.

‘Can you sit down now for a bit? The kitchen can wait until tomorrow surely.’ He lifted his hands so she could wipe the table in front of him.

‘I can’t sit,’ she said, heading over to the sink to rinse out the cloth. ‘If I do, I might not be able to get up again.’

She kept her back to him, but Harry heard the crack in her voice and saw her brush away at silent tears. He stayed quiet and eventually she turned to face him.

‘Let’s talk about something else,’ she said, looping the tea towel over the oven door handle before pulling out a chair opposite him.

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.