Read Online Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered by Kerry Barrett - Free Book Online

the nurse. I ignored her.
    Once Suky had been seen by the consultant and was ready to go in for her treatment, we had some time to wait. I went down to the shop to grab some mags and when I came back Suky was asleep, so I settled down next to her and opened Heat magazine.
    ‘Oh no you don’t,’ Suky said loudly, opening her eyes and taking the mag off my knee. ‘Tell me what’s going on.’
    I grabbed the magazine back.
    ‘Nothing is going on,’ I growled at her.
    She gave me a winning smile.
    ‘I have very little pleasure in my life,’ she said with a wink. ‘All I ask is that my favourite niece shares her news with me…’
    I didn’t point out that I was her only niece. Instead, with an exaggerated sigh I gave in. It was actually a relief to talk to someone after days – weeks – months – of keeping my relationship with Dom under wraps.
    ‘He’s called Dom,’ I began. ‘We’ve been seeing each other for a while – quite a long while in fact.’ I paused.
    ‘So why do you look so miserable?’
    I looked down at Heat and smoothed out an invisible wrinkle on the cover.
    ‘Is it not going well?’
    Suddenly I felt close to tears. I looked up from the fat celebs on the magazine’s front cover.
    ‘He’s married,’ I whispered.
    Suky covered my hand with hers. I looked at her thin fingers and the veins showing through her pale, papery skin, and I felt ashamed. My problems were meaninglesscompared with hers. I squeezed her fingers gently but I couldn’t bring myself to meet her eyes.
    ‘Do you love him,” Suky asked gently.
    I played with the chunky silver ring Suky wore on her middle finger, it was too loose now and it spun round easily. Did I love Dom? That seemed to be all I was asking myself at the moment.
    I shrugged.
    ‘That’s the problem,’ I said. ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘Well, that’s what you need to find out.’
    I nodded slowly. Suky was right. It seemed my relationship with Dom was at a crossroads and being away from him had brought everything to a head. I knew I had to decide if I wanted to be with him forever – and if he wanted that too, then we couldn’t keep going as we were, he’d have to tell Rebecca the truth – or if I wanted to call everything off and strike out on my own.
    Suddenly I felt desperate to change the subject.
    ‘So when is Harry coming back?’ I asked brightly.
    Suky looked at me closely, but she realised I was done talking about Dom and let it go.
    ‘She should be back any day,’ she said. ‘I’m worried about her but she won’t talk to me.’
    I had to admit that was odd. Suky and Harry were as close as they could be; more like sisters than mother and daughter. Suky was young when Harry was born, and she’d brought her up on her own. No one really knew much about Harry’s dad – I didn’t even know his name, and I didn’t know if Harry did. Suky met him back in the 70s when she was following the hippy trail in India. She never talked much about what she got up to over there, but she came back to Scotland glowing and growing, and gorgeous, olive-skinned, dark-haired Harmony was born a few months later.
    It was such a shame that after having grown up such close mates, she now makes me feel on edge, like I’m waiting for something bad to happen. And sometimes, not always, but sometimes, it does.
    So I had to admit I was pleased she wasn’t around at the moment. But Suky was obviously missing her and I knew I’d be off the hook when it came to magic if Harry was here.
    Suky gazed out of the window of the ward.
    ‘Harry thinks I could do with a bit of help,’ she said.
    ‘What kind of help?’
    ‘Ooh you know. Our kind of help.’ Suky didn’t look at me.
    I frowned.
    ‘I thought we couldn’t meddle in medical stuff,’ I said, confused.
    ‘Well, no. Not usually.’ Suky looked proud. ‘But Harry’s being doing some research and she says she’s found something that could work.’
    I was dubious.
    ‘Have you spoken to Mum and Eva