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.He was still weighing up the pros and cons when he fell asleep.Chapter SevenThey ate breakfast together the next morning, but Adam didn't join in on the dog-walking.He was gone by the time Ben returned, leaving only a scribbled note on the kitchen table to say he'd be back by late afternoon.Ben sighed, screwed up the small square of paper, and dropped it in the recycling bag.It was going to be a long day.Luckily he had plenty of things to do: the scullery needed a good clean after the rain and mud of the last couple of days, and the dogs' towels needed to go through the washing machine.Though Marge Compton was due to come in and deal with the rest of the house, the dogs' room and the conservatory were his to keep clean and tidy.Marge already knew about the extra guest at Wisteria Cottage—Mrs Bonney had phoned to tell her Adam was staying in his old room—and Ben soon discovered she hadn't a clue as to why he'd suddenly dropped out of sight all those years ago, nor why he'd just as suddenly reappeared.She seemed pleased he had, though, and chuckled when she described the young Adam as a mischievous imp.It was another point in Adam's favour, as far as Ben was concerned.* * * *Wind and rain were battering Wisteria Cottage when Adam returned just before seven in the evening.He came into the house on a blast of cold wet air and made a beeline for the living room fire."It's pissing down out there," he said, shaking his hair and liberally spraying Ben with discarded rain.He ignored Ben's indignant curse and dropped the supermarket's plastic bag he was carrying, then shrugged off his jacket.He tossed it in the general direction of the open kitchen door, where it fell with a wet slap to the floor tiles while he knelt on the hearthrug to make a fuss of the dogs sprawled there at Ben's feet.Ben put down his paperback and glared at Adam's oblivious profile, then at the dogs.Both were on their backs, mouths half open in canine grins."Stupid animals," he muttered."So, how did it go?" he continued casually."Okay," Adam replied, twisting to sit on the rug and lean back against Ben's legs."I think I'd pretty much got my head together already, but it was a good idea to go and talk it all through with Doc Arden.He wasn't at all surprised about Dad being bipolar, but he said he was pretty sure I wasn't.Which was a load off my mind.I, um, mentioned you, and he agreed it would probably be better not to rush into anything too hot and heavy." His ears and the back of his neck reddened, and Ben didn't think it had anything to do with the fire burning cheerfully in the grate."Luckily Tom hadn't got round to sending on my post so I brought it with me.We had a good chat, and I came here.Took longer than I expected.It's not ideal driving weather out there." He paused, idly stroking Bracken's head."Tom suggested I should think about starting up the courier business again.""Can you, with no capital, no office, one car, and one driver?""With Tom running the bookings online and by phone from his house, maybe.Jeannie said she could do the short runs around London.I might even get back one or two of my old regulars.Or I could start from scratch and look for clients in the Cheltenham area.""It's a good central hub for Cirencester and Oxford, Banbury and Bicester," Ben offered.The short hair at the nape of Adam's neck grew into curls just behind his ears, and it took a good deal of Ben's willpower not to reach out and caress—"It takes less than an hour to get to Bristol," he continued quickly, "just over an hour to Birmingham.London, Manchester and Cardiff are all less than three hours away.""Yes, but…" Adam's voice trailed off and he sighed, dropped his head back onto Ben's knee, and gazed up at the ceiling."I'm not seeing my way clear yet," he said, his voice quiet."I overreacted with Pete, and by running for cover the way I did.I won't make that mistake again." Then he straightened, sniffed the air like a bloodhound."What's cooking? It smells fantastic! Did you save some for me?""Beef stew with dumplings," Ben answered, immediately missing the warm weight pressed against his legs."I was going to give you another half an hour, then eat your share and mine.""You waited for me?" Adam turned round and gazed up at him, his smile widening into a grin."If I'd known, I'd have been home sooner.Don't know about you, but I'm starving!" He scrambled to his feet and hurried into the kitchen, scooping up the discarded plastic bag and his jacket as he went, Ben following on his heels
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Tematy
IndexChris A Jackson [Weapon of Fl Weapon of Vengeance (epub)
Chris Kennedy [The Theogony When the Gods Aren't Gods (epub
Chris Priestley [Tales of Ter Tales of Terror from the Tunnel
Chris A Jackson [Scimitar Sea Scimitar Sun (retail) (epub) id
Chris Vials Realism for the Masses; Aesthetics, Popular Front Pluralism, and U.S. Culture, 1935 1947 (2009)
Chris Wooding [Ketty Jay 02] The Fade (ORIGINAL) (epub)
Chris Wooding [Tale of the Ke The Black Lung Captain (epub) i
Chris Kuzneski [Payne and Jon The Secret Crown (2010) (epub)
Koontz R.Dean Twarz
Chris Bohjalian Before You Know Kindness (2004)