Never the Same

Chapter 23

I always thought that Alison's driving in the morning rush-hour was bad but Chloe's driving is worse. Poor Jones must have thought he was following a maniac with her driving but at least he kept up with her. One minute she's driving at a reasonable speed, then she's going over the speed limits and shouting at other drivers for being too slow. I don't know how they can be too slow when most of the roads we're on are practically at a stand-still with people trying to get to work.

I even have to keep my eyes screwed firmly shut when she quickly pulls into the driveway next to my Uncle Dom's Range Rover out of the fear that she'll hit it. In my heart, I know she won't hit it but my head is telling me she will. She's never driven like that for all of the five times I've been in the car with her and she was the driver. Clearly, she's not a morning person.

"You can open your eyes now, we're here." Chloe says while getting out the car.

"Are we alive?" I respond as a joke, getting out of the car and taking numerous deep breathes.

"Yes, we're alive." She opens the boot of the car and pulls my suitcases out. "I wouldn't dream of killing my sister or hitting Uncle Dom's car. He'd kill me if I did."

I pull the handle on one of my suitcases. "I take it he's here seeing dad?"

"He was here to follow dad to the garage because his car has to go in for a service then was going to drive him back." She answers, closing the boot and locking the car. "Mum is at work and Declan's got classes today."

"Aren't I lucky you have the day off to come and get me," I smile.

I pull her into a brief hug.

"I'm just the best sister out there," she comments.

I roll my eyes and follow her into the house.

The house is normally silent at this time of day, even if my dad is in himself, but not today. The sounds of laughter and loud talking greet us as soon as we enter. Chloe and I share a look of confusion with each other before abandoning my suitcases near the front door and following the sounds.

"You honestly think Yvette would allow you to do that?" Uncle Dom asks.

"I'd do it anyway," my dad comments.

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Yvette would hit you with that hammer before you got a chance to hit a single nail."

"Not if she didn't know about it and I was doing it somewhere else."

"And where would that be? My house?"

"Yes."

"Are you fucking kidding me? She'd bloody hunt me down and most likely kill me for allowing you to go through with doing that!"

The conversation takes us out to the back garden where we find the two men standing next to a pile of wood and tools. Their bickering suddenly stops when they see us and they try their hardest to stand in front of the items as if they're something we shouldn't be seeing.

"Morning," I say with a nod.

"That can't be the time already," my dad mutters, looking down at his watch. "I thought you were getting in later."

I shake my head. "Nope. Landed at Heathrow at half nine and here I am."

"So what's with all the wood?" Chloe points out, moving to inspect everything.

"Nothing you should worry yourself with," Uncle Dom intercepts, pulling her away from the wood before she gets a better look at it. "Just something your dad and I have been debating about since we picked it all up this morning."