Trace of Innocence | Sweet and Sour (Book 4)

Bonus Chapter 1

April 2018

"Do you have any plans for today?" Jess asks me. She's sitting at her dressing table in our bedroom applying some mascara while making eye contact with me in the mirror.

I'm lounging in bed, trying hard to act casual and not like today is possibly one of the biggest days of my life. "Nothing major," I respond. "I might try and get the gym for an hour, or I might just lounge around and binge watch some tv. Or maybe both." 

"Sounds like a plan," she smiles. 

Jess is heading into the city today for a shopping trip and lunch with her mum, while I.... well, let's just say I have a very important mission to complete today that I wouldn't miss for the world. And already I have butterflies in my stomach at the thought of it. 

"What time do you think you'll be back?" I ask nonchalantly as she stands up looking flawless as always and reaches for her bag sitting on the edge of the bed. 

"Probably around tea time," she replies. "Depends how tired we are from all the shopping." She grins, and bends down to kiss me before skirting the edge of the bed to the door. 

"Keep in touch," I call after her, and receive a "will do!" as she bounds down the stairs. I pull back the covers and head to the bathroom, switching on the water in the shower as I hear her shutting the front door behind her. I am showered and dressed in the outfit I picked out yesterday in about fifteen minutes, and spend the same amount of time faffing with my hair in the mirror trying not to look like I'm trying too hard while also trying to look like I'm making an effort. 

I spray a few squirts of fragrance, not too much to be overpowering but enough to be noticeable, and make my way downstairs to grab a cup of tea in a travel mug. I'm too nervous to eat, so rather than stall any longer I grab my keys and phone and head straight out to my car, north out of Hampstead, left onto the A1 and then up the A1M towards Cambridge. Jess's parents' house is only about an hour or so away on a clear run, and mid-morning on a Saturday the roads are quiet but for the sound of my pounding heart. 

I rehearse my speech in my head the whole way there, practising my opening line and hating the sound of it each time until eventually I give up and decide I'm just going to have to go with the flow. 

I pull onto the driveway of the Bradshaws' house and kill the engine, taking a deep breath and praying the sweat patches under my arms aren't visible or worse, emitting any sort of odour. I step out of the car, shoving my phone into my back pocket, check my reflection in the car window, and blip the alarm before making my way to the front door. I speak a silent prayer that Calvin isn't visiting this weekend, and am jolted from my thoughts as the door swings open and Alan Bradshaw looks straight at me, concern creasing his brow as he peers down the driveway behind me.

"Harry? Are you alone? Is Jess alright?" 

"Oh - God, yes she's fine!" I assure him hurriedly, realising immediately that I have never visited the Bradshaw house without Jess being there and Alan Bradshaw's first thought was bound to be 'What the fuck is he doing here?'  "She's shopping with Mrs Bradshaw - Martha," I add unnecessarily. 

"Yes, I know," Alan replies looking a little confused. "Well, don't stand there on the doorstep, come in, come in." 

I step into the hallway and wipe my feet on the mat as Alan shuts the door behind me. 

"Well I must admit this is unexpected," Alan muses, but before I can respond he continues, "but now you're here you can give me a hand if you don't mind." 

"Of course," I answer, eager to please and start this off on the right foot. "How can I help?" 

"I'm just about to change a washer beneath the kitchen sink," he answers, leading me through to the kitchen where the cupboards under the sink are open and empty, the contents strewn haphazardly across the worktops. "The kitchen tap has been leaking slowly for a couple of weeks and I can't quite get my hand behind the u-bend to unscrew the faulty washer - do you think you could try?"