Read Online Summer at the Heartbreak Cafe: Summer Sweet Romance (Lakeview Contemporary Romance Book 0) by Melissa Hill - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Melissa Hill
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boys, driving them from one sport or activity to another.
It hit Grace then. Every one of her friends was the same. They all rushed through motherhood as though expecting a tornado to come crushing into them at any moment.
In a moment of stark mental clarity, she realised that motherhood was one huge competition, one huge undertaking back home. Which child had more skills? Which mummy signed up their child for more activities?
Just thinking about it now made Grace exhausted.
The group of women she called her friends were the very same as she was, a bunch of anxious worried mums. That was no way to live. It was tiresome and it robbed you of the capacity to enjoy life.
Look at her now. She was in the most beautiful tourist town for the summer and she couldn’t relax or even enjoy her time with her boys.
She missed Kevin. The holiday would have turned out so much different if he had been with them.
Feeling the threat of self-pity, Grace jumped from the bed. She thought of her twins bored downstairs and quickly galvanised herself into action.
It would be difficult to change a lifetime of habits, but she resolved to ensure the boys had fun today alone. The house could be cleaned some other time.
“Boys?” Grace yelled from the top of the stairs. “Come on up and pack your things—we’re going swimming.”
Two faces appeared at the bottom, staring at Grace with hopeful eyes. She felt her heart melt at how sweet they looked just then.
“Yes that’s right, we’re going swimming.” Grace said, ignoring the anxious note that had settled in her tummy.
They boys usually played around in baby pools in Dublin. The water went up to their waists, and for Grace, it would probably reach below her knees. No swimming skills were necessary to be there.
She knew there was a leisure centre in Lakeview but didn't know if it had a kids pool. Her body went stiff at the thought of the boys in an adult pool.
They were playful kids, what if one of them ran off without her seeing and fell into the deep end? She didn’t know how to swim, so she would watch helplessly as her boy drunk mouthfuls of water, his panicky eyes wide, until he disappeared into the bottom of the water …
Oh God, this was so hard.
16
B y now , Grace was breathing heavily and very close to cancelling the outing. She gripped the staircase for support. The boys raced up the stairs yelling with joy, and she felt her insides clench.
She remembered her earlier thoughts. This was unnecessary anxiety, she told herself. For starters, there was usually a life guard in pools and secondly, the deep end would be a good way away from the shallow side. Thirdly, she was there, wasn’t she?
Her mind and heart were wired to her boys. Her instincts usually rose to the surface when one of the boys disappeared. She could trust herself.
Grace took several deep breaths, and plastered a smile on her face for the twin’ sake.
She followed them into their room, and stood against the door frame, watching them throw swimming trunks and towels into their bags haphazardly.
“Can you please—” she started to say, then stopped.
What was the harm if the towels were not perfectly folded? So what if the boys were now kicking the bags like footballs? It was just harmless fun.
She watched them for a moment longer. “I’m in my room, packing my stuff, OK?” she said, resisting the strong urge to admonish them.
She had never worn her new red and white swimming suit and she hoped that it would fit. But Grace was not worried about that. Her weight was pretty stable and she had weighed the same for as long as she could remember. To her surprise, a twinge of excitement was growing from somewhere inside her, and she felt as the boys probably did—excited to be going somewhere different to do something fun.
If only she lived in Lakeview, Grace thought as they walked towards the leisure centre on the other side of town, each boy holding one hand.
It was pretty and nice, and people
It hit Grace then. Every one of her friends was the same. They all rushed through motherhood as though expecting a tornado to come crushing into them at any moment.
In a moment of stark mental clarity, she realised that motherhood was one huge competition, one huge undertaking back home. Which child had more skills? Which mummy signed up their child for more activities?
Just thinking about it now made Grace exhausted.
The group of women she called her friends were the very same as she was, a bunch of anxious worried mums. That was no way to live. It was tiresome and it robbed you of the capacity to enjoy life.
Look at her now. She was in the most beautiful tourist town for the summer and she couldn’t relax or even enjoy her time with her boys.
She missed Kevin. The holiday would have turned out so much different if he had been with them.
Feeling the threat of self-pity, Grace jumped from the bed. She thought of her twins bored downstairs and quickly galvanised herself into action.
It would be difficult to change a lifetime of habits, but she resolved to ensure the boys had fun today alone. The house could be cleaned some other time.
“Boys?” Grace yelled from the top of the stairs. “Come on up and pack your things—we’re going swimming.”
Two faces appeared at the bottom, staring at Grace with hopeful eyes. She felt her heart melt at how sweet they looked just then.
“Yes that’s right, we’re going swimming.” Grace said, ignoring the anxious note that had settled in her tummy.
They boys usually played around in baby pools in Dublin. The water went up to their waists, and for Grace, it would probably reach below her knees. No swimming skills were necessary to be there.
She knew there was a leisure centre in Lakeview but didn't know if it had a kids pool. Her body went stiff at the thought of the boys in an adult pool.
They were playful kids, what if one of them ran off without her seeing and fell into the deep end? She didn’t know how to swim, so she would watch helplessly as her boy drunk mouthfuls of water, his panicky eyes wide, until he disappeared into the bottom of the water …
Oh God, this was so hard.
16
B y now , Grace was breathing heavily and very close to cancelling the outing. She gripped the staircase for support. The boys raced up the stairs yelling with joy, and she felt her insides clench.
She remembered her earlier thoughts. This was unnecessary anxiety, she told herself. For starters, there was usually a life guard in pools and secondly, the deep end would be a good way away from the shallow side. Thirdly, she was there, wasn’t she?
Her mind and heart were wired to her boys. Her instincts usually rose to the surface when one of the boys disappeared. She could trust herself.
Grace took several deep breaths, and plastered a smile on her face for the twin’ sake.
She followed them into their room, and stood against the door frame, watching them throw swimming trunks and towels into their bags haphazardly.
“Can you please—” she started to say, then stopped.
What was the harm if the towels were not perfectly folded? So what if the boys were now kicking the bags like footballs? It was just harmless fun.
She watched them for a moment longer. “I’m in my room, packing my stuff, OK?” she said, resisting the strong urge to admonish them.
She had never worn her new red and white swimming suit and she hoped that it would fit. But Grace was not worried about that. Her weight was pretty stable and she had weighed the same for as long as she could remember. To her surprise, a twinge of excitement was growing from somewhere inside her, and she felt as the boys probably did—excited to be going somewhere different to do something fun.
If only she lived in Lakeview, Grace thought as they walked towards the leisure centre on the other side of town, each boy holding one hand.
It was pretty and nice, and people
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