Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream by Abby Clements Read Free Book Online Page A

again. A different life was out there for us – we’d both glimpsed it. I crossed my fingers on the steering wheel. Please let us get the cottage, I prayed. Please.
    Maybe our offer wasn’t high enough, I thought to myself. If it was the Jaguar people they wouldn’t be short of a few quid. I didn’t want to lose the cottage.
    I parked outside the flat and climbed the exterior stairs to our floor. The faint smell of urine that could normally be ignored was brought out by the heat of the summer’s day. I let myself in. We were lucky – really lucky. We had our own place – something most people our age didn’t – and we had each other.
    Dexter arched his back and I bent down to stroke him.‘Hello, Dex. Did you miss me?’ He pressed his head against my hand.
    My phone rang. As I reached for it, I reminded myself to breathe.
    ‘Amelia, hi. It’s Darren.’
    Breathe, I told myself.
    ‘I’m pleased to say that the owner has decided to accept your offer. Arcadia Cottage is yours.’
    I leaned against the wall of the kitchen and tried to take it in. ‘That’s fantastic news.’

Chapter 4

Arcadia Cottage
    For Sale
    Seventeenth-century cottage with thatched roof in the picturesque village of Chilham, Kent. Three bedrooms, all original features, beamed ceilings – excellent condition. Large garden with a summer house. Must be seen, early viewings advised. Contact Grove & Co.
    Thursday, 16 May
    Jack came back from work that night full of excitement after my call. ‘We did it,’ he said, looking bright but dazed. ‘We’re moving to the countryside!’ He beamed, his initial hesitancy now only a distant memory.
    I hugged him and we did a happy jig right there in our hallway. He pulled back a little.
    ‘Now what do we do?’ It was as if he’d suddenly sobered up.
    ‘The same things we did when we bought this place, I suppose. Only this time we have the sale of our flat to arrange too.’
    ‘Oh, yes. Right.’
    ‘The survey might show up a few things given the age of the cottage.’
    ‘This is nuts, isn’t it?’ Jack said.
    ‘A bit, yes. But it feels right.’
    ‘I love you.’ He kissed me and we stood there in the hall for a minute, holding on to each other, unable to wipe the smiles off our faces.
    *
    The next day I couldn’t stop thinking about what we were about to do. My mind buzzed with excitement and memories of Arcadia Cottage. It was going to be ours.
    The bell rang for lunchtime, and after the Year 8 class I was covering had filed out, I made my way down to the headteacher’s office. I knocked once, and Lewis answered the door swiftly.
    ‘Amelia,’ he said, ushering me into his office. ‘Thanks for coming.’
    I took a seat at his desk, and he sat down opposite me. ‘Good to be here without having to bring a student, for once.’
    ‘Ha ha,’ Lewis said uneasily. ‘Yes. Paul Reilly shared hischoice language with me the other day, but the prospect of two weeks’ worth of detentions seemed to quieten him down a bit.’
    ‘Right,’ I said. ‘Thanks for handling that. Any word from Trey Donoghue’s parents about his whereabouts, by the way?’
    ‘I’m afraid not. I spoke to his Head of Year this morning. We can’t get hold of his parents, and his social worker seems to think he’s living with his brother Sean at the moment, which isn’t great news,’ Lewis said, his tone one of weary resignation.
    ‘Are Social Services doing anything about it?’ I asked. ‘Trey’s only fifteen, he needs to be here in school – and Sean’s only just got out of prison.’
    ‘I understand your concern, but it’s up to Social Services at this stage.’
    I pictured Trey, wide-eyed and handsome beneath his tough facade. I should have worked harder to keep him here, I thought.
    ‘Listen, Amelia. I wanted to have a word about something else today.’
    I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. This news could make such a difference to my life.
    ‘You know how much I value you as a teacher, and