AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tears flow from me. Have I got it wrong? Was I so blindsided by Kell that I had projected all my anger and frustrations onto them?
Years of thinking through what I would say to Kellen, and I had done none of it. Not one damn thing. I’d hardly been aloof and disinterested. I’d got up close and really personal at the first time of asking. To the point in that tent, that I didn’t know where I ended and he began.
I’d made a real mess of things, and I had to put them right. I couldn’t do that with them all looking at me and, I felt, judging me. My brothers, Kellen and his, it was too much.
So I basically took my sons and ran. Or rather, if I was being positive, I had made a strategic retreat. Lobbing grenades as I went probably hadn’t been the best idea, but I’ve never been the type to go quietly. At least I was consistent.
The late morning brings three bleary eyed corpses and Marshall, who’s as bright as a button, to the breakfast table. James and Bucky stare daggers at him as he jokes and pokes at them. My state of disarray has less to do with whiskey and more to do with lack of sleep and adrenaline slump.
We all sit in near silence. It takes an age for us to debate whether food would be a good idea or not. The boys manage a bit of dry toast, whilst Marshall tucks into a full English with enthusiasm.
Nearing noon, a truck pulls up and out of it climbs Pat, Pete, and Jake Greystone.
The Greystone jungle drums have obviously been beating in the night and my not so secret hideaway has been given away totally. They stand in amazement as they look up at the old manor house. Once virtually derelict, with only two rooms being used, she now stands proudly, gleaming in the late April sunshine. Their eyes follow their ears, and turn towards the noise of the new construction going on with the coach house, stables and all outbuildings.
I come to the door, pulling the big shiny black double fronted wood inwards, and pop my head out, a huge smile plastered on my face. “Are you lot staying out there gawping? Or are you coming in for whiskey and tea?”
They all stand staring, their disbelieving looks travelling from me up to the house to the outbuildings and back. My jaw crumples a bit and Pat makes a noise in the back of her throat and rushes me, drawing me into a tight hug. And doesn’t let me go the entire visit—holding my hand and touching me, checking to make sure I’m ok, but also communicating her love and support.
Pete and Jake start to laugh when they see Bucky and James. Jake constantly asks if they want the hair of the dog, and pushes tots of whiskey at them. They’re both going greener and greener, and eventually leave and go back to bed, with Pete and Jake calling after them about cooked breakfasts and greasy food.
We sit in the big combined kitchen, diner, snug whilst Marshall mans the grill. We have all the mod cons—state of the art coffee machine, big double fridge and freezer. And of course, there’s an Aga range for Marshall. He said no self respecting manor house could be taken seriously without one, so he’d picked it out himself and had it installed. An extremely large, dark navy blue, glossy butler unit is probably my favourite bit of furniture in the kitchen.
Pete, never one to beat around any bushes, breaks the flow of polite oohs and aahs. “Evie, what the hell happened? One minute everything is fine, the next you’ve left home, moved in with Marshall, dumped Jude in the property company, resigned from all the others, and outed Isobel as an attempted murderer. Although why you waited so long for that last one I’ll never know. You should have told that story about her years ago. Is it the Russell boy? He always had you spun off your axis at times.”
I look at him as he catalogues the last twenty-four hours like it’s nothing more than an inventory list, then goes on. “Although to be honest, by the looks of this place, I’d say it’s probably been coming for a while. My boys are as thick as bricks at times. Jake asked a few times last year, way before Christmas. Said you weren’t right. We thought it was due to the news of James and Marcus breaking, but I think it was more than that.”
They all look at me expectantly as if I can magic a few answers for them, but I can’t. I look helplessly at Pat before responding, “All of the above. We bought this not really intending to do anything with it. I’ve always loved this place, you know, and we were going to do it up and rent it out, maybe holiday lets due to the private beach with it.” I shrug. “Kellen coming back, yes he’s highlighted stuff, but to be honest, I feel a bit like I’ve been treading water for a few years now. Jude doesn’t really need me in the property business. Everyone always assumes he’s the brains anyway. He’s a man, so obviously it must be him. I was just the decoration.”
I don’t want to sound bitter, I really don’t, it’s just the harsh realities of working in a male dominated industry. “I’ve been going off on my own more and more. The buildings I’ve bought on my own, I’ve been doing that for two years at least. Although, I asked the boys if they wanted to come in with me. They didn’t. The stuff I’ve been buying doesn't really fit with The Bowman Group, our business or clientele. That’s all new build, or state of the art office stuff.”
I feel I may as well go for total honesty with everyone at this point, even Marshall. I take a deep breath admitting, “I own three waterfront docks on the outskirts of London. I’ve been buying them up. Run down, dilapidated, derelict things—they’ve been calling me, so I bought them.”
They think I’m a weirdo when it comes to buildings. I would laugh with Jude, saying buildings talk to me, tell me all the dirty things they want me to do to them. He would turn it into a sexual innuendo, with me often adding that if I ever found a man who could talk as dirty as those buildings, I’d marry him tomorrow.
Famous last words on that one. I found him. Kellen Russell. Shame he was not the man for me. Turns out you can be too dirty talking, and I really don’t want the marry bit.
“I’ve done one up and am using it as a base as I regenerate the area. I’ve got grants and regeneration money, as well as green efficiency stuff on the go. I’ve been sorting infrastructure ‘green as I can do’ with electric water taxis and lots of green spaces. I don’t know if I’ll sell or keep and rent out…” I stop talking as they all stare at me.
“How long have you been doing this again?” asks Jake.
“A little over two years. I knew James and Buck would be going off to wherever. University, band, travelling abroad…” I laugh, “Maybe even work. I needed something for me. But the boys weren’t interested when I started to talk about it. They've got their own things and just wanted me to carry on supporting them.” I look at the Greystones in front of me, who look a bit poleaxed.
But then Jake smiles at me. “I’m proud of you, baby sis. I just wish you’d have said before you decided to go full theatrics. Bit like the time you ran that tractor into the village pond, on the day of the village fete.” We both grin at each other.
“Oh gawd, don’t remind me of that day,” says Pat. “Why did you not say Evie? You could have all sorted it out.”
“They don’t listen to me,” I start with exasperation, My frustration spilling out of me. “They think they know best, and it’s been getting worse recently. They think I can’t protect myself and I’ll be taken for a ride. And when Kellen turned up, it became a bit of ‘all boys together again.’ I felt railroaded. And Isobel! Well, I was definitely getting railroaded on that one.” I take a breath, trying to regain my composure thinking about the past months. “Jude wanting to date Isobel was the final straw. I couldn’t even stop someone who I thought was a danger from coming back into my life, to my home. They just didn’t listen.”
“Well,” says Pete, “they’re definitely listening now. So if you want to change things, this is the time. But you could do it from there, Evie. You don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
I look out the window at the amazing view down to the sea. Rolling hills, different colours, shades of greens, browns, yellows, and blue as far as the eye can see. Mulling things over, I turn back to them and say with total certainty, “I love you all, and I love my brothers, but to say I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders is as near as I can get. I feel free. I can do what I want, when I want to. And that might seem like a little thing, but it’s not. I want to live on my own terms, with help and support from everyone. But any decisions I make, I make them. Good or bad. I always stand behind them. I’m not a shirker of taking responsibility for my actions. James is a walking testament to that. I’ll help and support them, but I’m not going back. I'll do it from here, or I won’t do it all.”
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
Marcus
