Serena stared. ‘Been sacked?’
‘No, not at all. New venture ahead of me.’
‘Oh? Tell all! How’s that good-looking husband of yours?’
‘Long story.’ I smiled, not wanting to go into details of my failed marriage. ‘So, are you back for a holiday? To see your mum?’
‘For good.’ The woman’s face dropped slightly. ‘And, like you, long story.’
‘Right, OK. Is it your mum…?’ I nodded towards Hudson House.
‘Mum? Oh gosh no, she’s hale and hearty and living life to the full. Out in the Costa Blanca at the moment with some new man of hers.’
‘So…?’ I nodded once more in the direction of the care home.
‘My gran. My dad and I moved her in here last week.’
I did a quick survey in my mind of all the new guests admitted to Hudson House in the past few days. ‘Oh? Mary? Mary Atkinson?’
‘Yes.’
‘Gosh, I didn’t know she was your granny. She was admitted on my day off. Bex, the new manager, must have taken care of it all.’ That took some doing, speaking of Bex being in charge now.
‘Why would you?’ Serena asked. ‘I don’t think you ever met my dad or my gran when we were kids.’ Like myself, Serena had been brought up by a single mother, her dad having gone off with another man – golly, that had been a village scandal if ever there was one – when Serena was still at junior school.
‘I did meet your dad once I think,’ I said. ‘He used to come and watch us play hockey occasionally.’
‘When he was over from Manchester, and always from a distance,’ Serena said. ‘Fifteen years ago, it wasn’t quite the done thing to arrive at the school’s playing fields direct from Canal Street in Manchester, with your gay lover.’
‘S’pose. So, Mary’s your granny?’
Serena nodded. ‘Poor old thing. Dad and I have looked at so many places for her. She fell and broke her hip and just couldn’t look after herself at home any more.’
‘Often the way.’ I knew that it was.
‘Need to get a move on.’ Serena waved her car keys in my direction. ‘Got to buy a new hockey stick and then a hot date…’
‘Hockey?’ I stared. ‘You’re not still playing?’
‘Absolutely. Only thing that kept me from going mad these last few years. There’s only so many bloody sheep you can take. Racing down a pitch and whacking a hockey stick instead of my ex – or his damned sheep – at Otago Hockey Club probably kept me sane. Absolutely love it. Playing for Upper Merton these days. Where do you play now?’
‘I haven’t played since I got pregnant with Lola,’ I admitted.
‘You are joking?’ Serena tutted. ‘Jess, you were the star player. You were county level.’
‘Oh, no… I don’t…’ I broke off, knowing Serena spoke the truth.
‘Right, you’re coming with me.’
‘Coming where?’ Arthur, who’d sat patiently for the past ten minutes, now stood, shook himself and offered a plaintive sigh in my direction.
‘To play hockey. We always need people who know what they’re doing.’
‘Don’t think I’d even know which end of the stick to hold these days.’ I started walking Arthur back towards Vera.
‘Oh, come off it, Jess. Come on, we can have a laugh. Catch up…’
‘Nope.’ My voice was final. ‘I’m so unfit – and fat…’
