A Pretty Beach Wish by Polly Babbington (funny books to read txt) 📕

She strolled back along the lane on the overcast day with a nip in the air and checked the time on her phone. Not long to go. She couldn't wait for it to be over.

She walked back into the house to the smell of the cake in the oven. Actually, I planned that one well. A nice relaxing comforting smell of baking. A family smell. A smell Jack has missed out on.

Juliette set the timer on her phone for the cake and went into the downstairs bathroom. Her hair was freshly washed, curled, and styled, she had her pale blue linen dress with the tiny white flowers on which skimmed and fell in all the right places and did a most excellent job of hiding the recent weight gain. With the aid of eye drops which Leza had told her did magical things to eyes, she even looked as if she had had a full night's sleep rather than what had actually happened, lying awake in the storm listening to the thunder and lightning.

Another text came in from Luke.

It’s crazy down here! Some of the roof of the swimming club has come off in the storm and hundreds, possibly thousands, of jellyfish have come in! They’re all over the beach and in the water. It’s like a scene from a zombie show or something.

Yuk. Sounds awful. Are you able to go in the water then?

Nope. I’m walking around to the pub with this lot. James is going to open up and make us all a coffee.

Okay. Well, don’t come back too early or you'll bump into you know who.

Don’t worry, I’m following instructions.

Just as Juliette was putting her phone back in the pocket of her dress the front doorbell rang loudly.

What! Oh my god! This wasn’t part of the plan! Jack is early. How dare he!

It was going to take Bella at least a few minutes to hobble down the stairs and the cake was just about to come out of the oven. Juliette stood rooted to the spot. Bella was all the way upstairs and clearly hadn’t heard the bell. What did she do? Did she wait? Did she call up to Bella?

The insistent shrill ring on the doorbell went off again. There was no movement from upstairs. Bella clearly hadn’t heard that Jack had arrived.

Breathe and calm. Breathe and calm.

Juliette took a deep breath in, curled her hair around to the front, did a massive suck in of her stomach and strode much more confidently than she felt to the front door.

She could see Jack through the half glass door. She knew it was him straight away. How strange that she could tell that. Strange that she still knew the shape of his shoulders and his profile, the way he held himself.

Juliette approached the door, formed a small, polite, but not too welcoming smile on her face and flicked the door handle to the right.

Jack stood there, obviously a bit taken aback that Juliette had come to the door alone. Juliette looked at him taking in the same wide shoulders, the same strong jawline, and the beautiful skin. The skin that was the very same as Bella’s. The skin she’d studied and loved and had wanted so desperately to be a part of all those years ago.

Jack stood there and his eyes slowly took Juliette in. She couldn’t read him as he remained there looking at her. For a split second she felt that he was going to lean forward, perhaps kiss her on the cheek. She jumped back as if he was brandishing a knife.

‘Hello, Juliette. Thank you for agreeing to meet. I thought it would be easier for everyone all around.’ Not for me, you pig, Juliette thought.

Juliette went to speak and then closed her mouth again. She almost thought that she was going to burst into tears. Oh my Christ, I must hold myself together. Breathe and calm.

Years of stress and longing and wishing came to the front of her mind with Jack standing right there in front of her. Everything flooded into her mind. Years of studying the few photographs she had of him. Years of trying to explain to Bella that her daddy lived somewhere else and she wasn't sure where. Years of struggling on her own. Struggling on benefits. Struggling to make ends meet. Studying into the early hours to complete her degree.

She was not going to cry.

‘Jack. Hello. I’ll go and get Bella,’ Juliette stated and hurried away from the door and called up the stairs. ‘Bella, are you ok?’

‘Coming, sorry I was on the loo!’ Bella called out, and Juliette could hear her hobbling across the floorboards of the bathroom on the first floor.

‘Lovely place you’ve got here,’ Jack called in from the front step.

‘Yes, thank you. We love it here.’ Years of being alone. Years of sadness. Years of heartbreak.

The smell of the baking chocolate cake filled the air as Bella turned the corner on the first set of stairs and slowly and carefully made her way down. Years of picking up Bella on my own. Years of buying her shoes and changing her nappies.

Juliette couldn’t even bear to look at Jack. She couldn’t trust herself; she would either burst into tears or hammer him hard with her fists. Either way both of those would look as if she still cared.

Jack and Juliette both stood in silence, the air tense and awkward as they watched as Bella came down to the bottom of the stairs.

Bella looked down the hallway. ‘Hi Jack, how are you? How was the fast train - I told you it was amazing, didn’t I? How beautiful is Pretty Beach?’ Bella blurted out and just as she looked up at Jack with a beaming smile, she lost her concentration and her injured foot slipped on the bottom step, and she slid down landing on the hallway floor her hands breaking her