Page 95 of Summer At Willow Tree Farm

5) Yesterday, when I said hello to him, he said hello back, and not in a mean way, but in a cool way. He even smiled. Almost.

The only problem is, he hasn’t said anything. And boys are supposed to say first.

I wrote to Jess about what to do last week, her letter arrived today.

She thinks I should go ahead and tell Art. But just writing that down here makes me feel a little sick. Excited sick, though, like when I went on the roller coaster at Alton Towers and it did a loop the loop. Not sick sick, like I’m actually going to puke. So there is that.

And Jess is an expert about this stuff, because she’s been out with about every boy in our class (all except Kev Smith, because he’s gross) and she says she had to ask a few of them first because boys can be really slow.

But Art doesn’t seem like he’d be slow about this stuff. Not from the way he was kissing Donna Whatsit.

And what if I tell him and then he wants to kiss me? Like he kissed Donna? And he finds out I’m a rubbish kisser? He’s had loads of practice and I’ve had virtually zero. The only boy I ever kissed was Willy Reid in year six and he slobbered so much he nearly drowned me, so I don’t even think that counts as practice.

Tomorrow is Friday and all the little kids here go back to school. I’m supposed to be starting the new school Mum has enrolled me in on Monday. So me and Art will be the only ones here all day tomorrow. And my dad is supposedly coming to visit on Saturday (although I’ll be amazed if that happens as he keeps saying he’s going to come and then he never does – but if he does, I’ll probably have to spend some time with him).

So if I’m going to tell Art, I have to tell him tomorrow. Before school starts, and before I chicken out.

If he wants to kiss me, it’ll be fine. As long as he doesn’t want to have actual sex with me. Like I think he did with Donna, because he had his hand on her boob while he was kissing her. It looked pretty hot, and Donna was moaning like she loved it, but Jess said it hurts like hell the first time, because her older sister told her. Also what if I’m rubbish at that too??

But I’m sure he won’t want to do sex straight away. We’ll have to run away first, so we can be together. Like Jack and Rose would have done in Titanic if he hadn’t frozen to death (I still don’t get why she didn’t move over and find a spot for him on that door, it was easily big enough for both of them!).

My mum will be sad I know if me and Art run away, but Mum will understand, because she had to run away too, with Pam.

At least we won’t have to worry about Art’s mum. She probably won’t even notice we’re gone.

NOW

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

‘Dan, I can’t believe you would just turn up here without letting me know,’ Ellie’s voice sounded hoarse, her head pounding from the confrontation she’d ended up having to referee in the farmyard between her not-quite-ex-husband and her current lover.

At least she’d managed to avert a punch-up between them. Although, to be fair, Art had backed off as soon as Dan had made his announcement.

In fact, his face had gone completely blank and he’d walked off without another word. For a moment though, he’d looked… stunned? Angry? Wounded? It was hard to say, because he’d masked it so quickly. But, whatever it was, it had shocked her. And made her feel sick. She would need to speak to Art later. And explain.

She and Dan were separated, they had been for three months, he had no right to turn up and start mouthing off about his marital rights.

But before she could deal with Art, she had to deal with Dan.

She’d corralled him into the farmhouse kitchen, to contain the situation.

‘Yeah, well, I can’t believe you’d sleep with some goddamn farmer as soon as you arrived in the UK,’ Dan said. ‘When you haven’t slept with me since before goddamn Christmas.’

‘Art’s not a farmer, he’s a talented carpenter and an expert in construction,’ she said, reeling from the fury in his tone. Was he actually seriously upset about this? How could he be?

They’d agreed months ago they were getting a divorce. He’d been sleeping with another woman, who was having his baby in approximately six months’ time. How did that make her the bad guy?

‘Awesome, so I can get him to drill my drywall as well as drill my wife, that makes me feel so much better.’

‘Stop being crude.’

‘Crude, I’m being crude! You’re the one who just banged some other guy while you’re married to me.’

‘We are getting a divorce. You’re having a child with another woman. What about that did you not understand?’

‘Chelsea’s not pregnant, it was a false alarm,’ Dan said. ‘We found out a month ago. She hasn’t spoken to me since, so I think we can say that relationship is definitely over.’

‘But…’ Ellie’s mind stalled on the news. How did she feel? Relief? Surprise? Shouldn’t she feel something? But all she felt was tired and… indifferent. ‘So what?’

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