Celestial Land and Sea Read Online Free Page A
Author: Amy McLean
piece of popcorn at Grace and stuck out her tongue.
"I know that much! What's it about?" Harriet was in one of these moods. Grace guessed she'd been stood up again; snacking seemed to be Harriet's method for cheering herself up.
Maybe one day she'll realise he's not right for her,
Grace thought to herself.
"I'm not going to tell you what it's about. You'll just have to sit here with me and watch it to find out for yourself."
Grace didn't want to leave Harriet on her own when she was feeling like this, but her headache was rapidly growing worse and she knew that staring at a TV screen wasn't going to do her any good. "I'd love to Harriet, but I think I'm just going to eat these and have an early night."
"I know how you feel."
She chewed away on the rest of the chips, comfortably tucked into the corner of the sofa. Once she was finished, she scrunched the paper bag into a ball and sighed.
"Well, I suppose I should head upstairs..." She forced herself out of the seat as she watched a pale-faced woman dance across the screen with a tray of pies. The film was actually quite good, but she knew she had to be sensible and occupy herself upstairs where the darkness would help soothe her aching head.
"I need more wine," Harriet said as she stood up, sending Bella shooting onto the floor. The cat licked her paw and skulked out of the room. "Here, give me that," Harriet said as she gestured towards the empty chip box in Grace's hand.
"Thanks," Grace replied, handing the rubbish to her. Harriet firmly held onto her empty wine glass in her free hand as she took everything to the kitchen.
Grace turned and stared at the pile of books sitting at the foot of the sofa. She'd left them there the previous evening when she'd attempted to organise them, having planned to donate some to the charity shop. She'd given up half way through sorting though.
'I think I'll keep them all for now,' she said as she shuffled as much of the pile together as she could carry.
She tried to balance them in her arms as she made her way up the stairs, taking each step slowly to avoid sending the paperbacks flying. Once she reached her room, she released them onto her bed, allowing them to spread out.
"I didn't really think this through, did I?"
The lack of storage space was precisely the reason why she'd instructed herself to give some of the books to a charity in the first place. Her reluctance to part with even one now meant she was back to square one. She scratched at her head, pondering. The drying rain water had left her hair feeling like straw. She'd deal with the books later. First she needed to shower.
She grabbed a towel from the linen cupboard and headed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Padding her bare feet across the navy tiles she stopped in front of the cabinet and took out her toothbrush. The chips had left a foul aftertaste in her mouth, the sort that started out satisfying but later served as a reminder of why takeaways weren't the healthiest of options.
She scrubbed, spat, and rinsed before returning the toothbrush to the cupboard. She stared at her own reflection in the mirror, studying the wisps of hair that had escaped from her bun. Dark circles had started to emerge under her eyes.
Maybe Fran's right.
She didn't know where the thought had come from. Until now she'd successfully managed to ignore the conversation they'd had outside the office earlier that evening. Why she'd thought of it now, she couldn't tell.
Why don't you just give it a go?
The voice was coaxing her from the back of her mind. Suddenly it didn't seem like such a bad idea. She reached into the bathroom cabinet and produced a green drawstring bag that had been there since she'd moved in six years ago.
She emptied the contents of the make-up bag onto the side of the sink. Only a few items tumbled out: a pot of foundation that had dried up years ago; a mascara that had clumped up at the bottom of the tube; a few crumbling pots of eye shadow; a
"I know that much! What's it about?" Harriet was in one of these moods. Grace guessed she'd been stood up again; snacking seemed to be Harriet's method for cheering herself up.
Maybe one day she'll realise he's not right for her,
Grace thought to herself.
"I'm not going to tell you what it's about. You'll just have to sit here with me and watch it to find out for yourself."
Grace didn't want to leave Harriet on her own when she was feeling like this, but her headache was rapidly growing worse and she knew that staring at a TV screen wasn't going to do her any good. "I'd love to Harriet, but I think I'm just going to eat these and have an early night."
"I know how you feel."
She chewed away on the rest of the chips, comfortably tucked into the corner of the sofa. Once she was finished, she scrunched the paper bag into a ball and sighed.
"Well, I suppose I should head upstairs..." She forced herself out of the seat as she watched a pale-faced woman dance across the screen with a tray of pies. The film was actually quite good, but she knew she had to be sensible and occupy herself upstairs where the darkness would help soothe her aching head.
"I need more wine," Harriet said as she stood up, sending Bella shooting onto the floor. The cat licked her paw and skulked out of the room. "Here, give me that," Harriet said as she gestured towards the empty chip box in Grace's hand.
"Thanks," Grace replied, handing the rubbish to her. Harriet firmly held onto her empty wine glass in her free hand as she took everything to the kitchen.
Grace turned and stared at the pile of books sitting at the foot of the sofa. She'd left them there the previous evening when she'd attempted to organise them, having planned to donate some to the charity shop. She'd given up half way through sorting though.
'I think I'll keep them all for now,' she said as she shuffled as much of the pile together as she could carry.
She tried to balance them in her arms as she made her way up the stairs, taking each step slowly to avoid sending the paperbacks flying. Once she reached her room, she released them onto her bed, allowing them to spread out.
"I didn't really think this through, did I?"
The lack of storage space was precisely the reason why she'd instructed herself to give some of the books to a charity in the first place. Her reluctance to part with even one now meant she was back to square one. She scratched at her head, pondering. The drying rain water had left her hair feeling like straw. She'd deal with the books later. First she needed to shower.
She grabbed a towel from the linen cupboard and headed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Padding her bare feet across the navy tiles she stopped in front of the cabinet and took out her toothbrush. The chips had left a foul aftertaste in her mouth, the sort that started out satisfying but later served as a reminder of why takeaways weren't the healthiest of options.
She scrubbed, spat, and rinsed before returning the toothbrush to the cupboard. She stared at her own reflection in the mirror, studying the wisps of hair that had escaped from her bun. Dark circles had started to emerge under her eyes.
Maybe Fran's right.
She didn't know where the thought had come from. Until now she'd successfully managed to ignore the conversation they'd had outside the office earlier that evening. Why she'd thought of it now, she couldn't tell.
Why don't you just give it a go?
The voice was coaxing her from the back of her mind. Suddenly it didn't seem like such a bad idea. She reached into the bathroom cabinet and produced a green drawstring bag that had been there since she'd moved in six years ago.
She emptied the contents of the make-up bag onto the side of the sink. Only a few items tumbled out: a pot of foundation that had dried up years ago; a mascara that had clumped up at the bottom of the tube; a few crumbling pots of eye shadow; a
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