The Sister Surprise by Abigail Mann
Author:Abigail Mann [Mann, Abigail]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-02-23T17:00:00+00:00
Chapter 21
Iâm in a conundrum. If I ring the doorbell and wait on the step, the curtain of ivy will force me to stand so close to the actual door that when Ross opens it, I may fall forward onto his face. Not the worst consequence, admittedly, but not smooth. On the other hand, if I stand partway up the garden path, Iâll look like a creepy lurker, which is more accurate. Is there a chance Iâm over-thinking this?
As I hover by the bell, the door shunts in its frame and a muffled voice filters through.
âCan you push it from your side? The rain has made the wood swell.â
âYeah, sure.â
I use my shoulder as leverage. When I step away, the spiderwebs strung on the latticed windows stick to my jacket.
âLetâs try it together,â he says, âone, two, and three for a big one!â
I shove, he yanks, and I stumble into the hallway, my boots slapping against the floorboards.
âAh, yâfucker!â
As the door wobbles on its hinges, Ross appears from behind it, cradling his left hand. âAva, hi! That comment was aimed at the door, of course, not you. I really need to get it fixed, but Iâm not so good with my hands.â
Is he sure we canât test that theory?
Ross looks like heâs stepped out of a billboard in east London. The only thing heâs missing is an ironic form of transport, like an adult-sized scooter (or worse, a penny-farthing, which I did see once whilst walking up Dalston Junction). Ross wears a lumberjack shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow and corduroy trousers that are clearly new going by the packet folds either side of his knees. I hand over a bottle of wine that he takes it from me, brushing my little finger with his thumb as he does so. Iâm overwhelmed by the scent of fabric conditioner. Itâs like heâs spritzed it on as aftershave. Is he nervous?
âThanks! Thatâs so kind.â He looks at the label and grins. âIâll keep this apart from the cheap stuff we bulk order for Sunday service.â
âYou get wine at church?â
âNo, you receive the blood of Christ. Very different.â
âSounds ⦠vampiric.â
âThatâs what Protestants used to say back when they were burning all the nuns.â He claps his hands. âRight! I was a bit keen, so itâs basically ready to eat.â
I follow him through to the kitchen, where three separate cookbooks are open on the counter, scattered with potato peelings and spice jars. A clunky Eighties oven whirrs in the corner and the smell of warm cinnamon, apricots, and wood smoke hangs in the air.
âHere, take a seat. This oneâs best. Thereâs a draught that comes down the chimney. Christ, I sound so fucking old. Wine?â
âYeah, thanks.â
I sit down on an embroidered cushion, the edges stitched with bloated cherubs so pink itâs like theyâve succumbed to scarlet fever. Iâve barely recovered from The Locker, but thereâs something subversively appealing about being offered alcohol by a priest.
âCheers,â says Ross.
âCheers!â I tap my glass
Download
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.
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro(2100)
The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires Book 1) by Lauren Asher(1873)
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn(1621)
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward(1590)
Luster by Raven Leilani(1579)
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi(1570)
Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz(1425)
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid(1377)
This Changes Everything by Unknown(1190)
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante(1170)
The Lost Book of the White (The Eldest Curses) by Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu(1156)
The Midwife Murders by James Patterson & Richard Dilallo(1151)
The New Wilderness by Diane Cook(1123)
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur(1098)
Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte by Kate Williams(1088)
The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson(1087)
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante;(1056)
Every Vow You Break by Swanson Peter(1043)
Wandering in Strange Lands by Morgan Jerkins(1019)