Conflicted Innocence by Netta Newbound Read Free Book Online

anything?”
    “Positive. I go off my gut, and I can tell you’ll fit in nicely here.” She held her hand out. “I’m Erica.”
    Grace, sick of sitting in her pushchair facing a stack of crisp boxes, began to scream the place down.
    “I’ll have to go. When do you want me to start as I need to enrol Grace into a nursery?”
    “Tell you what, you pop in when you get her enrolled. The afternoons I need cover for are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and maybe the odd morning here and there.”
    “Great. I’ll get onto it today. And thanks so much, I won’t let you down.”
    *
    On the way back from the playground, Grace fell sound asleep.
    Thrilled with the morning’s developments, I couldn’t wait to tell James I’d bagged myself a job. So it wasn’t the job of the century, but it was exactly what I needed to get me out meeting new people.
    But my stomach dropped to my feet when the crazy old man from the other day appeared and began walking towards me. I contemplated running away, but I couldn’t. We lived in the same street, for God’s sake. I could hardly run away every time I bumped into him. So, I gripped the pushchair handles tight and urged myself forward.
    I braced myself for some abuse, either verbal or physical, but the man didn’t even glance in my direction.
    He shuffled along the verge peering into the road. Then he stopped and picked up a discarded cigarette butt, putting it into his mouth a couple of times before sticking it behind his ear.
    Finally allowing myself to breathe, I laughed at how much one little old man was able to terrify me. I shook from head to toe with the jitters.
    I was at the gate before I realised he was behind me again, and I almost died on the spot.
    “Lots of daddies. Lucky, lucky girl,” he said, without turning to face me.
    A cold shiver ran through my body. How would he know Grace had lots of daddies? It was something I joked about to family, but I’d barely spoken to anyone since I arrived. I watched as the man shuffled to the next gate and up the path to the rather shabby house next door.
    I shook my head, relieved, much preferring the ramblings of a mad man than having him spitting and hurling abuse at me, any day.
    The phone rang as I walked through the door. I left Grace, snoring softly, in the hallway and ran to answer it.
    “Hello, gorgeous. Thank goodness you’re okay. I’ve been ringing for ages,” James said.
    “Hi. I’m sorry, I forgot to take my mobile. Is something wrong?”
    “No. Nothing at all. I was just checking how you are. I sensed you were a little freaked out this morning.”
    “I’m fine. And guess what?”
    “What?”
    “Don’t sound so worried. It’s a good thing.”
    “Go on. Spit it out.”
    “I found a job. Obviously, I need to arrange childcare for Grace, but Erica said I can start as soon as I do. Just three afternoons a week so it shouldn’t interfere with us. Are you laughing?”
    “Take a breath, woman. So, I take it you’ve got a job in the store. That’s great, and Erica is hard case. You’ll love her.”
    “I know. I’ll call the nursery this afternoon. Gracie’s fast asleep in her pushchair right now. She’s had a great time on that bloody swing again. She screamed blue murder when I took her off after almost an hour. My arms are aching.”
    James chuckled. “She’s funny. I’ve never seen her like that before.”
    “I know. Oh, and I had another run in with the crazy old man.”
    “Oh no. What did Thomas do this time.”
    “Nothing really. He’s odd and gives me the heebie-jeebies, but all he did was make a comment. I wouldn’t even know if it had been directed at me except for what he said.”
    “And that was?”
    “Something about Grace being a lucky girl for having lots of daddies. Have you told anybody?”
    “No. Maybe he saw us all the other day when Simon and Kevin arrived?”
    “No, that can’t be it. Remember, we bumped into him moments before, and he was at the end of the