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

‘Oh no!’ Juliette yelled and rushed to the stairs.

Jack came running in behind Juliette.

‘Oh my god, are you okay? I don’t believe it! Not your bad foot!’

Juliette ran over to Bella with Jack not far behind her.

‘I’m fine. Oops. Where it’s getting better I’m actually forgetting that it's still delicate and that I’ve still got to be careful with the weight bearing.’

‘Darling. We really do need to look after you,’ Jack crooned, patting Bella on the back, and putting his arm around her. ‘You’ll give your poor mum a heart attack,’ Jack continued and looked towards Juliette as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

Juliette grimaced and gritted her teeth. She felt her cheeks tighten, her jaw lock and every part of her body filled with anger. Any part of her who two minutes earlier had wanted to cry had slowly evaporated as Jack Fitzgeralde, bold as brass, crouched down beside her with his hand on her daughter and enthusiastically revelled in the role of caring dad.

Chapter 54

How did it go, then? The text from Daisy read.

I’m not sure I can relay the details of it. It’s that painful.

Oh no. I knew it! What did he do? Let me get the popcorn.

It was fine. But firstly, he arrived early which threw me. And secondly, he is absolutely playing the father role.

Right. We knew it, though...

I know.

So, what happened then?

The doorbell went early and Bella was still upstairs, so I opened the door and thought I was going to burst into tears seeing him there on my doorstep.

Nooooooo. Please tell me you did not cry.

I held it together. Just.

Thank goodness!

But then Bella slipped on the bottom stairs. She’s fine. We were both standing by the door and I ran over to the stairs to see if she was okay and so did he! Stepped into the house bold as brass and then sat down and called her darling.

What?

Yep, and then said good job we’re here to look after you.

Blimey, Sparkles. The man has more front than Sainsbury’s. Here to look after you? Oh yeah, what like he was there in the bedsit with the colic. I was there more than he was!

Yep.

So, what did you say?

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. I was seething.

What did Bella do?

She didn’t seem to notice. To be fair she’d just slipped down the step with her foot...

Hmm. This really all is a turn up for the books.

Tell me about it.

Juliette finished the text exchange with Daisy saying she’d pop over later, slammed the back gate shut, and got on her bike to ride down to the beach to meet Luke. He’d texted her to say that the beach was full of jellyfish from the storm, and a real sight, so they’d arranged to meet for a walk. Juliette got on her bike and pedalled furiously along heading for the swimming club hut. We're here to look after you. Grrr.

Juliette locked up her bike and looked around for Luke. She walked up to him and they both looked out over the sand to see hundreds of moon jellyfish all over the beach and shoreline.

‘Woah! I’ve never seen anything like that before,’ Juliette exclaimed as she put her hands over her eyes and looked along the beach.

‘It’s amazing, isn’t it?’ Luke said.

‘Absolutely. I thought you were exaggerating when you said there were hundreds of them.’

‘It’s more like thousands,’ Luke declared.

‘Are they dangerous?’

‘Apparently not. Bit of a sting on them, but overall harmless. That’s what everyone is telling me anyway, but who knows really?’

‘I wouldn’t want to find out though. A jellyfish sting is not up there with one of my goals for life.’

‘Nah. Anyway, how was it then? I assume as I didn’t get a message he behaved himself?’

‘Not sure what to call it. The steam has only just stopped coming out of my ears, to be honest,’ Juliette replied, looking out over the mounds of jellyfish washed up on the beach.

‘So, what did he do?’

‘He didn’t do anything terrible. More his attitude. He acted as if he’s always been around. He told Bella that it was good that we were there to look after her!’

‘He’s met her, what, four times in her life?’

Juliette nodded and started to chuckle. ‘When you think about it, it’s actually comical.’

‘Better to laugh than to cry I suppose...’ Luke said, trailing off and putting his arm around Juliette’s shoulders.

‘Jeremy is not going to be happy about this,’ Juliette stated.

‘He’s not the only one.’

Chapter 55

Juliette stood in the Orangery with Luke and Maggie with her head to the side.

‘So, I need to get all this on here,’ she said, indicating with a wide sweep of her hands the shelves going around the Fernery, the rows of shelving behind the bar and then pointing down to the documents from Victoria on her tablet. ‘I need to get the feel and look of this room down on paper or down on the tablet. Once it’s actually all approved then I assume I'll have to take the props up to Lellery by car. I don’t think I’ll be able to send them easily.’

Luke was reading the document. ‘Complicated. Surely it would be easier just to send a picture.’

‘Health and safety, apparently and it all has to be pre-approved. It has to be watertight according to Victoria.’

‘Same old story. You can’t move these days.’

‘Nope. I thought the same.’

‘By the looks of these sheets you just need to dissect the whole thing down to the last nail.’

‘Yeah, I do,’ Juliette replied.

Half an hour later with Juliette sitting on the floor of the Fernery and the plans nearly complete Luke and Maggie came strolling back in from the laneway with ice creams.

‘Ooh what flavour have you got, Maggie? I haven’t seen that one before,’ Juliette said looking at Maggie’s chocolate ice cream with green specks.

‘Chocolate cookie with mint bombs. That’s what it said, didn’t it, Maggie,’ Luke said laughing at Maggie who