Second Base Read Online Free PDF Page B

hands shook. ‘I’d say that’s bigger than some womanising arsehole crashing our party.’
    His ears rang; shrill, clanging bells that filled his head and blocked all other sound. The world pitched and dipped before him, shimmering as through scalding heat. He tried to speak, but his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Only when Charlaine patted his hand, did he realise he had sat down.
    ‘Cancer?’ He barely recognised his voice. ‘Wow.’ He turned, seeking Karen. She stood nearby, arms folded tight, chin ducked down. When he reached for her, she leapt away.
    ‘Don’t.’
    ‘Kaz, please.’
    ‘Don’t.’ Louder this time, forced through tears. ‘I need you to—I don’t know what I need.’
    ‘I’m so sorry.’
    ‘I don’t need your sorries; I need Mama not to have cancer.’
    He gasped, hunching over the table. Words fought for freedom on the tip of his tongue, but none felt right. What was he supposed to say?
    ‘Sweetie, it’s okay. I’ve made peace with it.’ Charlaine whispered, gaze pinned to the table top. ‘I’m fine.’
    ‘You’re dying, Mama.’
    ‘We all have to die.’
    ‘But you can’t. I need you.’
    Dan felt sick. Helplessness washed over him until he could barely breathe.
    Charlaine smiled. ‘You’ve got Dan now. He’ll look after you.’
    A lump formed in Dan’s throat. He swallowed but it stuck there, choking his words.
    ‘Won’t you?’ Charlaine gazed at him, calm and steady.
    In that moment Dan knew exactly what Karen would look like in twenty years. Both women shared quiet, constant intensity, flawless skin and fine beauty.
    He clutched the edge of the table. Cleared his throat. ‘Of course I will.’
    With a choking sob, Karen flung herself at him. He braced for the impact in time to stop the chair toppling and he held her while she wept. Tears moistened his shoulder. Her laboured, erratic breaths filled his ear. All the while, she clung to him, body trembling. He stroked her hair and said nothing.
    Charlaine gave a small nod. A warm rush of gratitude flooded his body.
    I’ll look after her. I’ll give her anything she needs.
    ‘I’m sorry to tell you like this, sweetie. But I couldn’t get here by myself. Trains are too much for me now, but Robert said he’d bring me. He wanted to see you.’
    Karen stiffened.
    ‘Charlaine, your husband is in the living room. He’s asking for Karen but I don’t think she’s ready to see him yet.’
    The older woman nodded. ‘You’re probably right. Maybe I can keep him out of trouble.’ She plodded from the room, tugging on the door behind her. It swung back, slightly ajar, letting a trickle of noise through.
    Karen moaned against the damp patches on his shirt. ‘Dan, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was coming. I would have said something sooner but Mama was so upset. Then we got talking and she told me. Oh God, cancer. Cancer! She’s going to die.’
    He chose not to speak, simply guiding Karen to the floor where he could hold them both without falling. She curled into his lap, tucking her knees to her chest and resting her head against his shoulder. One hand toyed with the curls of hair hanging over the back of his collar.
    ‘I’m sorry, Kaz.’ So inadequate.
    ‘I know. Me too.’
    ‘You’ve got nothing to be sorry about.’
    ‘I should have told you about Robert. I hate that you had to meet him like that.’
    He bit his lip. ‘It was . . . unsettling.’
    ‘Did he hurt you?’
    ‘What? No.’ The dry, rasping sensation returned to his mouth. ‘Is he violent?’
    ‘No, he doesn’t like other men around his women.’
    ‘You’re his daughter.’
    ‘That still counts.’
    ‘He called me ‘Silver Fox’.’
    A bubble of laughter slid from Karen’s mouth. ‘Seriously? Hypocrite.’
    ‘I saw his hair. I’m greyer than he is.’
    ‘The locs?’ she snorted. ‘He’s been dying those things since he was my age. He’s greyer than a skunk’s arse.’
    Dan smiled. ‘Shall I send everyone