Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (fiction books to read .txt) 📕

one hand and matching wellington boots in the other, to a waiting Mabel, who ushered him into the kitchen.

Tom smiled in his son’s wake. ‘Thanks for saving me the trip to collect him, Sue.’

‘I owed you one after picking an awkward time for parent’s eve.’ Sue pointed to the Bentley she’d parked next to. ‘Posh guests?’

‘Sam’s parents.’

‘Isn’t he the lucky one? Big house, posh parents—’

‘Stop with the envy, Sue.’

With a curt nod of compliance, Sue tucked a hair behind her ear as she opened the boot of her Mini. It was packed solid.

‘Blimey. I know that isn’t the biggest car boot, Sue, but that’s a lot of stuff for a weekend.’

‘If Dylan’s moving in, he’ll need his things.’

‘He’s only half moving in. I thought he was going to keep just a few bits here until I find a house.’ Tom stepped nearer the car. The front passenger seat was piled high with bags and boxes. ‘What’s all that lot?’

‘Books, toys, shoes.’ Sue waved at the bags and boxes. ‘The other half of Dylan’s stuff is still at my place.’

Tom took a deep breath, not wanting their conversation to dissolve into a row. ‘I get that we’ll need all this in time, but I did explain, Dylan hasn’t got this own room here. The one we’re sharing isn’t very big. I’ve nowhere to put this lot.’

‘Rubbish! Look at the size of this place. It’s a mansion.’

‘Which isn’t mine.’ Biting his lips, not sure what it was about this situation Sue didn’t get, Tom added, ‘I’m just an employee.’

‘Of a very wealthy man. I’m sure he can stand the loss of an extra bedroom for a week, especially as this place is closed for Easter.’

‘One: Sam is not wealthy. Nor would you be if you owned this place. Two: how did you know we were closed to guests?’

‘The Easter egg hunt and Easter Sunday open house posters. Dylan’s been showing everyone.’

‘Oh, right, yes.’ Tom fished his car keys from his pocket. ‘Some of this can come inside. I’ll see if Helen would mind storing a bit in her room. The rest will have to go in my car, at least until tomorrow.’

‘Why until tomorrow?’

‘I told you!’ Tom rolled his eyes. ‘Sam’s parents are here. It’s not a good time to be traipsing loads of boxes through the house.’

‘God, you’re acting as if they’re bloody royalty or something.’

‘Sue, are you deliberately trying to provoke me into an argument?’

‘Why would I do that?’

‘I have no idea, and yet you do it so often!’ Tom lifted a bag of Dylan’s shoes out of the Sue’s care and into his own. ‘If you must know, Sam’s folk are Lord and Lady Malvern, and right now, they’re talking wedding plans with their son and future daughter-in-law. I’d rather not upset any of them.’

‘Lord and Lady? You’ve got to be kidding me?’

‘Nope.’

Sue lifted out a box of books and placed it on the floor by Tom’s car. ‘Then we’d better hurry up and I’ll leave you to your hobnobbing.’

Working in silence, they emptied the Mini, leaving a fortlet of boxes and bags next to his car, no less impressive than the one Tom had been excavating.

‘Look, I’m sorry.’ Sue gave him a sudden smile, adjusting her hair as she did so in a manner that could easily be described as flirty. ‘I just want Dylan to be surrounded by his things. At the moment he’s excited about living in a big house, but when he hasn’t been back to his usual bedroom for a while, he might start to miss his stuff.’

‘I know. I am going to let him make his space his own as soon as I find a house to rent.’

Climbing into her car, Sue waggled her fingers at him as she shut the door and rolled down the window. ‘At least he has a whole week to settle in.’

‘A whole week?’ Tom put a hand on the Mini’s roof. ‘No, we agreed to split the weeks, and this one falls so that he is with me from today until Wednesday.’

‘No darling, I said you could have Dylan for Easter.’

‘But I meant Easter weekend.’

‘Well yes, but there’s no point in him coming home for two days and then coming back here is there?’

‘But, Sue, you can’t just—’

‘I’m going away.’ She pouted. ‘I thought you’d be pleased to spend more time with Dylan. Going for walks and stuff.’

‘Of course I am, but he’s your son, not a dog you can drop off at a kennels for walkies!’

‘Oh don’t be so melodramatic!’

Sue had started the engine and was backing out of her parking space before Tom had realised that his ex had manoeuvred him into taking Dylan full time during the first week of his official relationship with Helen.

Just when I thought Sue was finally developing maternal instincts.

Tom stared at his son’s possessions strewn about the driveway. At least I’ll have more time to tell him about me and Helen.

Sunday April 5

th

As the Bentley disappeared from view, Tina and Sam linked arms and headed to the kitchen.

‘If you’d told me two days ago that my father would be joining me in a pub with my friends, I’d have dismissed the idea as madness.’

‘I’m so glad your parents stayed over. They’re so different when they’re out of their home environment.’

‘You mean Father’s less stuffy.’

‘Well yes, but your mum too.’ Tina thought of Mabel and Bea chatting at the kitchen table. ‘It’s like they can relax. Here they don’t have to be seen to be lord and lady of the manor. It must be exhausting having to keep up appearances all the time.’

‘I hadn’t thought about it like that.’ Sam grimaced. ‘Thank goodness we don’t have to live like that.’ He reached for the empty sugar bowl and passed it to Tina. ‘I was actually sorry to see them leave.’

‘I think they’d have stayed if they hadn’t got that charity event to open this afternoon. At least they had a good night’s sleep. I thought we could give them