Three-And-A-Half Heartbeats Read Online Free PDF Page A

ran her thumb along his ribs.
    He kissed her scalp. ‘I love you.’
    ‘I love you too.’ She beamed. ‘Tom?’
    ‘What?’
    ‘I’m thinking sexy thoughts right now and they have nothing to do with frozen lamb.’
    ‘Quick, quick, quick!’ He manoeuvred his wife into the middle of their bed and was about to take thorough advantage of the situation when they heard the creak of their daughter’s bedroom door.
    Grace scrambled across the mattress to her side of the bed, pulled down her nightie and restored the bedclothes.
    ‘We can never get that creak fixed,’ Tom whispered.
    ‘No. Never,’ she agreed.
    Their bedroom door opened and in rushed Chloe. Bounding up to their bed, she flung her little leg up onto the mattress and, gripping the duvet with both hands, hauled herself up, climbing until she was sitting in the middle of the bed, with her parents pushed to the edges.
    ‘Here I am!’ she announced with her palms splayed.
    Grace and Tom laughed at their wild-haired, rosy-cheeked daughter. ‘Yes, baby, here you are.’
    ‘Did you have sweet dreams?’ Grace asked, as she did every morning.
    Chloe nodded. ‘Can I have my brexbrus?’ Her thoughts were, as ever, not very far from food.
    ‘You bet!’ Tom jumped from the bed, reaching for his sweatpants. ‘What we having, Chlo? Scrambled eggs?’
    ‘And toast and red dip-dip!’ Chloe clambered off the bed, eager to get to the kitchen.
    Tom scooped her up and rested her on his arm as he kissed her face. ‘Of course, toast and red dip-dip!’ He looked at his wife. ‘You have your shower and I’ll put the coffee on.’
    Grace showered slowly, feeling ridiculously happy that she wasn’t on a timer and that she would get to spend the day in her jeans, both an absolute luxury. She tried to imagine what it would be like to be one of those women who got to stay at home every day, who pottered in their kitchens and sauntered to the shops and could watch CBeebies with their babies. Bliss.
    ‘Here’s Mummy!’ Tom declared as Grace took up her seat at the table.
    The log burner was roaring away, emitting a warm glow that filled the room. Heart Breakfast supplied the soundtrack, with tunes they could nod and hum along to.
    Grace smiled as her husband placed a mug of hot coffee in front of her and two slices of wholemeal toast with her favourite lime marmalade. ‘This is the life!’
    ‘Did I mention I’m meeting up with Paz this morning?’ Tom spoke as he unloaded the dishwasher and placed the clean rustic pasta bowls into a pile on the shelf. His school friend’s parents lived close by and the two never missed an opportunity for a catch-up.
    Grace bit into her toast. ‘Why is it that toast made by someone else is a million times nicer than when you make it yourself?’
    ‘Don’t know, as no one in this house ever makes me toast!’ Tom threw a tea towel at his wife.
    ‘I could make you toast if you wanted!’ she mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs.
    ‘Do you know how, Grace? Because I really doubt you do.’
    ‘I do!’ she yelled. ‘It’ll be nice to see Paz. Is Polly with him?’
    ‘No, she’s gone to Majorca. That friend of hers, Jessica, has that retreat out there. She’s over there for a week, apparently, chanting around a candle and sunbathing during the day, and drinking sangria by night!’
    ‘Ooh, half their luck.’ Grace reached for her phone and checked her email.
    ‘Polly would love to take you along, you know that, but to be honest I can’t see you chanting around a candle, babe. You couldn’t cope with the slow pace, admiring nature and all that, and being without your phone. And mid way through the yoga, you’d have to stop and rewrite your to-do list, then come up with ways you could rebrand the candle experience and ideas on how they could increase sales!’
    ‘I can’t help it. My brain doesn’t turn off. Ever!’ she scoffed, washing her toast down with hot coffee. ‘What are you and Paz up to?’
    ‘Man stuff!’