Sliding Doors by Karen Klyne

Author:Karen Klyne
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9798650898733
Publisher: Karen Klyne
Published: 2020-06-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

This life was magic. Gemma knew she still had obstacles to overcome, but all in all, she couldn’t really fault it. Now, with time and distance, she’d been able to think, and she hadn’t had a terrible life before. She’d never wanted for anything. Reece was a generous woman and if she wished, she could spend as much as she wanted. But Reece would check all the bank and credit card statements and question her about random items, like the three pairs of trainers she’d bought. Okay, so they were expensive. But they had the money. Then there were the bills she ran up in Keldermans. She didn’t like drinking cheap wine. Surely Reece could see that? And all the other stuff too. The problem was, it wasn’t her money. It was Reece’s, and when it came down to it, she’d been spending to try to feel better, to staunch the hole inside that let the tar of negativity smother her. It hadn’t worked, but she’d never cared about the money. In all likelihood, neither had Reece.

Now she had her own means. Well, not exactly hers. She hadn’t worked for it but acquired it by ill-gotten means. It wasn’t intentional, though. As far as she’d known, she could have been exchanging places with a pauper. However, she now had rent coming in monthly from quite a few houses, and she had shed loads of savings. She had a house being renovated, and she found that she actually liked the mechanics of working, of having to make decisions, and tell workers what to do. She liked having a purpose to her day that made her think and challenged her. What more could she ask for? Funny thing was, apart from splashing out on taxis, she didn’t have any desire to run through her money now. Spending for the sake of spending wasn’t necessary. There was no hole to fill. She hoped this feeling would last, and there was no reason why it shouldn’t. For once in her life, she felt secure.

She heard the stairlift, and then her mum came rolling through to the kitchen in her wheelchair. Jasper jumped up from his bed and greeted her mum with a wagging tail. He licked her hand, and she petted him and ruffled the fur on his head. He hardly came near Gemma, apart from when she took him for a walk on the beach. She was sure he’d prefer to go alone if he could. He knew. Dogs sensed those things, and they weren’t easily fooled like humans. She wondered if he missed his old owner and felt like he’d been given away to a new home. Poor thing. She needed to try harder with him.

“Hi, Alex. What’s for dinner? I’m starving.”

“Bacon, liver, sausage, and egg. Sorry it’s nothing more exciting.”

Her mum smiled widely. “I haven’t had that for years. It was one of your dad’s favourites, but I didn’t know it was yours.”

“I like it occasionally. But I do remember it was Dad’s favourite.

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