Page 64 of Silver Tears

I lick my lips and nod my head in response. “I’d never say no to chocolate cake, especially if you’ve made it.”

This pleases him, and he grins up at me and hugs himself to my chest.

Peggy watches us with a smile on her face as she washes up. “Charlie, why don’t you show your sister how well the strawberries are doing in the garden?”

Chops pushes for me to let him down and he jogs over to Milly and slips his hand in hers, dragging her towards the door.

“How’s it been?” I ask Peggy. I watch through the window as Charlie and Milly inspect the plants in the raised planter outside.

“Not good,” Peggy informs me. She turns to face me and leans against the sink. “Charlie came across just after nine. He was upset, crying. He said that Lenny had knocked over his sunflower plant.”

I frown. The sunflower plant is in Charlie’s room. He insisted he have it in his room on his bookcase. Why was the slimy fucker in his room?

“And school?”

Peggy sighs and gestures for us to sit at the dining table. “I told them that Andrea is ill, and in bed with a bad dose of flu. They’ll ask questions soon, though.”

I nod my head. We are on borrowed time.

“Maybe you could say his mums got a new full-time job, and she’s paying you to do the school drop off and pick up.”

Peggy bobs her shoulders. “I guess that could work. How is Milly?”

I sigh. “She’s okay. She’s constantly worried about Charlie. Mill’s thinks she’s hiding it well, but I see it in her eyes. Whenever she isn’t here, she’s thinking about him.”

“I’ll keep my eye on him when you two aren’t around. If it gets bad, I’ll just keep him here. I don’t think his mum would even notice.” She grimaces. “It’s a sorry affair.”

I nod my head. She’s right, it is. Lenny is scum, and he’s taking Andrea down with him. I just hope we can pull her back before it’s too late and the alcohol and drugs have their hooks firmly embedded in her skin.

“I’m glad she has you to take care of her. It’s too much for a girl of her age to carry. She looks tired today,” Peggy says as we both watch them from the window.

* * *

We leave Peggy’s armed with a tub of chocolate cake and biscuits. Peggy made us up some sandwiches and we head off in the car for the beach. We can’t go to the Bay. We can’t risk anyone seeing us with Chops, so we make the ten-mile drive along the coastline to Blue Ridge Bay. The weather is pleasant today, so the beach is busy. Charlie’s eyes light up when I suggest we go in the little shop by the car park and get some buckets and spades. We leave ten minutes later, armed with everything we need to make, as Chops put it, ‘the biggest, bestest sandcastle in the world.’

For the next thirty minutes, Chops and Mills have great fun burying me under the sand and leaving me trapped. Charlie giggles in delight when he squirts me with his water gun, thinking he has me stuck. I roar and push myself up from the sand and Chops and Mills shriek and run off towards the sea. I chase after them, smiling to myself as Chops giggles in excitement. They both run into the water, the cold sea splashing at their feet. I make like I’m going for Chops, but I pivot last minute and dive for Mills. Sweeping her up over my shoulder, I slap her bottom playfully.

“Ahh! Put me down you brute!” she demands, laughing and trying to poke me in my side.

“Squirt her, Chops,” I instruct him, smirking. He hesitates for a minute, loyal to his big sister, but an encouraging wink is all he needs from me to convince him. “Argh! Stop it!” Mills squeals, trying to shield her face from the assault of water he’s sending her way.

“Shall I dunk her?” I ask him, waggling my brows.

Charlie’s eyes widen, and he nods his head, grinning.

“Traitor!” Milly yells as I jolt her down in my arms so she’s dangling just above the sea.

“Ready for a dip, Mills!” I sing and Charlie belly-laughs as I dunk her headfirst in the water.

“Do it again!” he encourages, jumping up and down in delight.

I lift her head out and dunk her again and she splutters and squeals at me. Milly curses me and vows she’ll get me back.

When I stand her on her feet, her hair and face are soaked and it drips down her body, wetting her white vest top. She leans down in the water and, using her hand, scoops up some water and throws it my way. The three of us are wet through, chasing each other, and splashing water. I grab Mill’s from behind, lifting her at the waist. I lose my footing, stumbling back, and we both fall backwards into the sea. We come up spluttering and laughing and I circle my hand around her waist again.

Fuck. She’s beautiful. I enjoy seeing her happy and free like this.

Before I think it through, I lean down and press my lips to hers. I have no excuse. There is no audience from school or the Bay. I kiss her because I can’t fucking help myself. Because she’s the life source I need to breathe into me. She hesitates at first, but she wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me back. I swear if the little man wasn’t with us, I’d carry her over to my car, lay her down in the backseat and do all kinds of dirty and depraved things to her.

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