Page 52 of Perfect Three

“That’s lovely.”

“See you in half an hour.”

Lucy wondered what to tell Allison, if anything.Maybe she should keep it secret until she discovered if it was going to work out.

But when Allison arrived, she looked askance at her mother.“What gives, Mum?You’re positively glowing.”

Damn.Now I’ll have to say something.

“I met someone, or rather two someones.”

“Two!Oh wow, that’s great.Never rains, it pours, as they say.So when are you seeing them again?Tell me about them and where you went with each.”

“I met them last week at the club.They’re friends.”

“So where have you been?”

“Friday night we had a meal, and then on Saturday we went for Thai.”

“Way to go, Mum.So are they nice?Which one do you like best?”

“They’re both very nice, very attractive.I like them both.”

“Guess you need to go on a few more dates with each of them before you decide which of them you want to go out with the most.”

Lucy recognized Allison hadn’t connected the two to being two together, and Lucy decided she wasn’t going to enlighten her at the moment.She simply didn’t contradict Allison when she assumed the meals were one with each man.She was feeling a little guilty, but at the same time she had the impression her daughter wouldn’t approve of her dating two men together.Anyway,she told herself, nothing may come of it.

The twins demanded Lucy’s attention, helping her postpone any decision.At four, they were becoming independent and very talkative.So after Allison settled the baby in his pram, they all went outside to pick lemons.Colin and Lizzie loved being able to help, and the two women let them pick the ones on low branches and put them in Lucy’s washing basket.

“I’ve promised to make Lemon Curd for the upcoming school fete.Got a lot of small glass jars so I can probably make at least two dozen.”

“If you want some more glass jars there are some in the pantry.”Wistfully she said, “I love lemon curd.Wish I could cook.Maybe one day I’ll give it a try.”

“It’s really simple, Mum.I’m sure you could do it if you tried.”

“I wouldn’t be game enough.I burn even the simplest of foods, I need to learn.”

“You just need to practice and have a little confidence.”

Once enough lemons had been collected, the twins wanted to feed the chickens then look for eggs.Lucy unlocked the coop and followed them inside.They made a great to-do of searching everywhere and finally found two eggs.Each holding one carefully, the twins came up to the house with Lucy and Allison carrying the basket of lemons between them.

They sat and drank coffee while the twins played on the floor with a basket of toys Lucy kept especially for them.Davie, playing on Lucy’s lap, was now over his cold and back to his usual happy self.

The afternoon was pleasant and Lucy was glad she was able to spend time with her grandchildren.The fact that she and Allison had repaired their split made her thankful.She just couldn’t imagine what it would be like not having her beautiful grandchildren in her life.They made everything worthwhile.

Allison and the children left about four-thirty.Lucy was sorry to see the children go, but told them she would see them on Thursday night as usual.Over the past few years, it had become a tradition that Thursday evenings were spent having dinner at Allison’s or else the family came to Lucy’s.Although usually at Lucy’s they had a barbeque with Allison’s husband doing the cooking.This left the weekends free for the family to enjoy, and Lucy got to spend regular time with her grandchildren.

It was always good fun, and she loved watching the children grow.Allison’s husband was a police officer, and if he wasn’t rostered on duty on Thursday evenings, he and Lucy often played chess or simply talked.She really liked Geoff.He was honest, down-to-earth, and a great father to her grandchildren.Lucy was especially grateful that they both enjoyed one another’s company, so often son-in-laws disliked their in-laws, but he treated her as a friend rather than just an in-law.

Lucy managed to make a reasonable looking omelet for her meal.For once, she hadn’t burnt it and it tasted okay.

After eating, she grabbed her book and curled up on one of the chairs in the library.It was pleasant in there, but Lucy always looked forward to winter when she could snuggle up and light a fire, making her feel so toasty and relaxed.Thankfully, she had plenty of wood.Early last year she’d had to cut down a few old trees and there had been a violent storm that had damaged another.It meant she had enough firewood to see out this season and the next few.

Lucy gave a wry laugh.She was great with a chainsaw but lousy with a saucepan.That got her thinking about what Sebastian had said—Jack could teach her to cook.Would he really?She’d asked Allison several times over the years, but her daughter had always said Lucy could easily cook if she just practiced.Despite her trying not to think about them, the two men hovered in her mind all the time.She could hardly wait until tomorrow night.

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Lucy had strange dreamsthat night when she went to bed.Both men featured, but so did Allison and the grandchildren.Lemons danced across the lawn while a large cage, floating high above the ground, held the children.Allison had a chainsaw in her hands, and she chased Sebastian and Jack.

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