Read Online Jumping to Conclusions by Christina Jones - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christina Jones
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Maddy said, curling her feet beneath her beside Drew. 'Two steps before falling flat on her face. Mum said I didn't walk until I was nearly eighteen months so she must get it from your side of the family.'
'Child prodigies to a man,' Drew nodded. 'She'll be writing Shakespeare and playing Chopin before her first birthday. Hey, look at her ...'
Using Drew's jeans as a lever, Poppy Scarlet hauled herself upright, wobbled unsteadily on her plump legs, took two paces forward, then sat down with a thump on her well-Pampered bottom. Drew and Maddy exchanged proud smiles, as they had done every day since her birth. Poppy, basking in her captive audience, promptly repeated the performance.
'So, why the Cheshire Cat grin?' Maddy asked. 'Has Kath made you an offer you can't refuse, or is it the something else?'
'Kath threw down a wager – but that isn't important at the moment. Not,' he pulled Maddy against him, 'as important as this other piece of news.'
Poppy crawled furiously towards her parents and clambered between them. Maddy kissed the dark, downy head. 'Go on then. What news?'
'I've had an e-mail from Caroline. From Jersey. The lawyers have sorted everything out to her satisfaction and given her the dates.' Drew beamed, unable to contain his excitement. 'The decree nisi will be through in June. The absolute twelve weeks later. I'll be divorced by September. We can get married straight away, Mad. Married at last! Won't that be incredible?'
Chapter Five
Two pairs of gooseberry-coloured eyes stared out from beneath straight red fringes. Jemima, in the middle of folding her T-shirts into drawers and putting her long skirts on hangers, stopped and glanced towards the doorway. The stares didn't waver.
'Hi!' Her voice squeaked alarmingly. 'I mean, hello. I'm Jemima. I guess you're Leviticus and Ezekiel?'
'Ten out of ten.' The right-hand twin scowled.
Whoops, Jemima thought, wrong pitch. She tried again. 'How am I supposed to tell you apart?'
'You're not.' The twins spoke together.
Jemima shrugged. 'Okay. Suit yourselves. Whenever I see you, I'll just yell "Oi, you!" and that'll cover you both.'
There was the merest flicker of matching smiles. The left-hand twin scuffed the carpet. 'We're not supposed to be up here. Mum said the flat was private now. Mum said we was to leave you in peace. Mum said we was to meet you properly at tea-time.'
His brother joined in the scuffing. 'We just wanted to have a look at you first. Do you mind wearing glasses?'
'No. Why?'
The twins stopped scuffing. The right-hand one spoke. 'There's a boy in our class – he wears glasses. Some of the kids called him specky-four-eyes.'
Jemima winced. She'd had much the same treatment at primary school. Younger and older children accepted differences without question, but at the cocky pre-teen stage children could be brutal. Along with a boy with extensive dental bracework who had been naturally called Metalmouth, and three very overweight pupils, she'd formed a sort of outsiders' club. They were still in touch with each other. 'But you don't call him names, surely?'
'Nah, course not. Glasses are cool. We beat up everyone who bad-mouthed him. He's everybody's best friend now.'
Nice kids, Jemima thought. Maybe they weren't as scary as she'd first thought. The left-hand twin gave a sudden cherubic smile. 'You're running the bookshop, aren't you?'
Safer ground. 'When it opens. Do you like reading?'
The twins exchanged glances. 'Nah. Well, Lost Diaries is okay. And Colour Jets. Telly's better.'
Slamming shut the wardrobe door, Jemima picked up a bundle of towels and headed towards the bathroom. 'Maybe you'll change your mind when the shop opens. You'll have to come and tell me which books I should stock.'
'Might do.'
Jemima turned away and grinned. So far so good. She paused again at the bathroom door. 'I have got one problem – your names.'
'We told you. We answer to each other's.'
'No, not that.' Jemima turned on the water and raised her
'Child prodigies to a man,' Drew nodded. 'She'll be writing Shakespeare and playing Chopin before her first birthday. Hey, look at her ...'
Using Drew's jeans as a lever, Poppy Scarlet hauled herself upright, wobbled unsteadily on her plump legs, took two paces forward, then sat down with a thump on her well-Pampered bottom. Drew and Maddy exchanged proud smiles, as they had done every day since her birth. Poppy, basking in her captive audience, promptly repeated the performance.
'So, why the Cheshire Cat grin?' Maddy asked. 'Has Kath made you an offer you can't refuse, or is it the something else?'
'Kath threw down a wager – but that isn't important at the moment. Not,' he pulled Maddy against him, 'as important as this other piece of news.'
Poppy crawled furiously towards her parents and clambered between them. Maddy kissed the dark, downy head. 'Go on then. What news?'
'I've had an e-mail from Caroline. From Jersey. The lawyers have sorted everything out to her satisfaction and given her the dates.' Drew beamed, unable to contain his excitement. 'The decree nisi will be through in June. The absolute twelve weeks later. I'll be divorced by September. We can get married straight away, Mad. Married at last! Won't that be incredible?'
Chapter Five
Two pairs of gooseberry-coloured eyes stared out from beneath straight red fringes. Jemima, in the middle of folding her T-shirts into drawers and putting her long skirts on hangers, stopped and glanced towards the doorway. The stares didn't waver.
'Hi!' Her voice squeaked alarmingly. 'I mean, hello. I'm Jemima. I guess you're Leviticus and Ezekiel?'
'Ten out of ten.' The right-hand twin scowled.
Whoops, Jemima thought, wrong pitch. She tried again. 'How am I supposed to tell you apart?'
'You're not.' The twins spoke together.
Jemima shrugged. 'Okay. Suit yourselves. Whenever I see you, I'll just yell "Oi, you!" and that'll cover you both.'
There was the merest flicker of matching smiles. The left-hand twin scuffed the carpet. 'We're not supposed to be up here. Mum said the flat was private now. Mum said we was to leave you in peace. Mum said we was to meet you properly at tea-time.'
His brother joined in the scuffing. 'We just wanted to have a look at you first. Do you mind wearing glasses?'
'No. Why?'
The twins stopped scuffing. The right-hand one spoke. 'There's a boy in our class – he wears glasses. Some of the kids called him specky-four-eyes.'
Jemima winced. She'd had much the same treatment at primary school. Younger and older children accepted differences without question, but at the cocky pre-teen stage children could be brutal. Along with a boy with extensive dental bracework who had been naturally called Metalmouth, and three very overweight pupils, she'd formed a sort of outsiders' club. They were still in touch with each other. 'But you don't call him names, surely?'
'Nah, course not. Glasses are cool. We beat up everyone who bad-mouthed him. He's everybody's best friend now.'
Nice kids, Jemima thought. Maybe they weren't as scary as she'd first thought. The left-hand twin gave a sudden cherubic smile. 'You're running the bookshop, aren't you?'
Safer ground. 'When it opens. Do you like reading?'
The twins exchanged glances. 'Nah. Well, Lost Diaries is okay. And Colour Jets. Telly's better.'
Slamming shut the wardrobe door, Jemima picked up a bundle of towels and headed towards the bathroom. 'Maybe you'll change your mind when the shop opens. You'll have to come and tell me which books I should stock.'
'Might do.'
Jemima turned away and grinned. So far so good. She paused again at the bathroom door. 'I have got one problem – your names.'
'We told you. We answer to each other's.'
'No, not that.' Jemima turned on the water and raised her
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