“I curse that bloody pub,” Mum said. Those were harsh words coming from her, so I knew she was upset. “It’s not enough that it’s taken ten to twenty years off your father’s life, but now it’s eating into yours as well.”
“It’s not,” I said. “I’m fine. It didn’t worry me, Mum, I wanted to go back, and if I can help out while I’m there …” Like single-handedly rebuild the rotting hotel from the ground up and re-launch it to the masses again … “Well, so be it.”
“You’re meant to be having a summer holiday.”
“A holiday from what? Shopping and sleeping my life away in the city? Bumming around aimlessly in my gap year? Don’t even get me started on that. Accepted into a Bachelor of Arts, I don’t even know what that means. A major in history … What am I supposed to do with that? I will most likely end up a teacher … When did my future spiral out of control?”
“If having an education and future prospects is ‘spiralling out of control’ then I’m not one bit sorry for that.”
Mum was getting defensive.
“Mum, I’m not ungrateful, but seriously, I don’t mind being at the Onslow, and if it means I have to use some elbow grease then big deal, I can handle it. I don’t mind.”
Mum sighed. “It’s no use arguing over this, it’s neither here nor there. Your father and I have spoken about it and after yesterday it’s only cemented our decision. We’re going to put the Onslow on the market.”
Chapter Sixteen
“What?” I cried out. The woman at the nurse’s station shushed me and shot me a disapproving look.
“Amy, please don’t be difficult about this,” Mum said. “Not now.”
“Difficult? What’s there to be difficult about? The fact that you weren’t even going to tell me?”
Mum picked an invisible thread from her shawl. “I don’t know why you’re so upset. You haven’t even been to the Onslow in years.”
“THAT WASN’T BY CHOICE!” I couldn’t contain my anger.
“Amy, stop it! People are staring.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m a little upset. You have just ripped the carpet out from under me, that’s all.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
My blood boiled as my anger escalated. “What does Dad say about this?”
“Your father needs to alleviate the stress in his life and that pub is the biggest burden on all of us.”
“Ha! It’s kept you in designer clothes all these years.” The words came out before I had a chance to reel them back in. Mum cut me an acidic look that could have melted glaciers. I squared my shoulders and fought not to shrink away, to hold my ground.
“I suggest you go back to Onslow and enjoy what’s left of the summer; your father and I will sort things out when he is well enough. I’m sorry you’ve taken this so badly, but it’s the only way,” Mum said. “I’m not losing any more years to that pub.”
I stood up. “I want to speak to Dad.”
Mum lowered her voice. “You are not bothering your father about this, do you hear me? He doesn’t need you carrying on about it and that’s final!”
I turned, hoping she wouldn’t see the tears that burned in my eyes.
“I mean it about Sean,” she said. “Don’t play with fire.”
“I told you, we’re just friends.”
Mum’s dark blue eyes flicked over my face. “He doesn’t look at you like a friend.”
This time I did walk away, and I made sure I didn’t look back.
***
I all but ran through the automatic hospital doors, breathing in a lungful of fresh air, trying to still the beating of my heart as anger continued to swirl inside me in disbelief. I wiped my eyes. She would not make me cry, she would not make me cry!
I had shed far too many tears these past twenty-four hours.
Enough was enough.
“Amy?”
I swung around, never so happy to see Sean’s friendly face.
“Everything okay?”
“You know, you ask me that a lot.”
“What does that tell you?”
“That it’s time to ‘suck it up, Princess.’”
He shook his head. “I’m not saying a word.”
“Can you take me home?”
“To your mum’s house?”
I turned and strode towards the car. “To Onslow!”
***
Seeing the rolling hills of Perry was a welcome sight. An immense joy swelled inside me as I wound the window down and stuck my head out, closing my eyes and lifting my face up to the sun. I hadn’t told Sean about my mum’s plans to sell. I just wanted to sit with my thoughts, with my own plans. A part of me worried that if I voiced it out loud it would make it all a reality and I couldn’t deal with that, not right now.