Chapter 26
TWENTY-SIX
Gracie woke up to the sun streaming through her curtains. The house seemed very quiet. She checked her watch. Blimey, ten o’clock. She didn’t usually sleep in. After tossing and turning all night, she felt awful too. She’d dreamt of walking down the aisle with Lewis and then not being able to go through with the wedding. Then she’d been with Ed, who had taken her for a ride on his quad bike and she’d squealed with delight like a child, until she’d fallen off and he’d ridden off and left her on the ground. She wondered what Professor Princeton would make of that one.
She eased herself up and went to the bathroom, sighing as she saw her red-eyed reflection. On the plus side, her cheekbones were becoming more evident. She was definitely eating less than normal as she felt so out of sorts. She heard Boris whimper from his crate in the room next door.
‘Come on, boy, I’ll get ready and we’ll go for a walk.’ The sweet little terrier scampered in and licked her hand. She had enjoyed her week off, but it was Friday already and she’d be back to the grind on Monday. She showered, pulled her running gear on, and checked herself in the mirror. Her tummy had definitely reduced slightly. She couldn’t be single and a lard-arse. Now the weight had started coming off she would stick to her regime. Maybe allowing herself just one flapjack a week for a treat, to make it all slightly more tolerable. Oh, and wine, she would still have a few wines, of course.
Ed had said he liked curves and she was sure he wasn’t the only man on the planet who did. So as long as she toned up she’d be fine. She had never been really skinny, anyway. Curvy and firm. That’s what she would aspire to. Perfect.
She walked downstairs to the kitchen and put the kettle on. Thinking of Ed, she applied some mascara and covered her blotchy face with some foundation. Whether he wanted to see her again or not, she couldn’t bump into him looking a complete minger, now could she?
As she was zipping up her make-up bag, she saw a note from Noms to say that she was taking Jack to school and then was off to buy some fabrics for her bag making. Beside it was an envelope addressed to G with a kiss. When Gracie opened it, she found a cheque for ￡2,500 and a note:
No arguments, you are to clear your IVF debt, book some sessions with the prof and the rest is for you to spend unwisely, dear sis. PS. I love you x
Bless her dear darling sister. She knew the interest she earned from Jack’s dad’s money kept her completely solvent, but still this was a big deal. This thin piece of paper represented freedom from the debt which was a constant reminder of the lost twins, plus complete freedom from Lewis. She would have no need to contact him at all now. She would settle their joint loan and move on.
Boris yapped at her knees. ‘We’ll go in a minute, darling, promise. Look, here’s a treat.’ Boris sat in the corner, happy for a minute to eat the biscuit she’d given him.
Gracie made some tea and scrolled through the photos in her phone, ticking every one of Lewis. Her finger hovered over the delete button, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to press it. She sighed deeply and popped her phone back into her rucksack.
‘Come on, Boris, let’s go burn some fat.’