Jenna turned around and got the surprise of her life.
‘Blake!’
‘The one and only.’
‘Are you stalking me?’
‘I could ask the same of you.’
She smiled. ‘Seriously though, what on earth are you doing here?’
‘Same as you I imagine, enjoying a well-earned holiday.’
‘You never said you were going on holiday?’
‘Nor did you if my memory serves correctly. Fancy a drink?’ He indicated the Swan Inn behind him.
‘I can’t, I only nipped out to buy some eggs. Where are you staying?’
He inclined his head in the direction she’d just come. ‘At Linston Mill with my mother. Do you know it?’
‘Are you sure you’re not stalking me?’ she said.
He flung a hand to his chest. ‘On all I hold sacred, I swear our paths have crossed quite coincidentally.’ He grinned. ‘Or maybe it’s destiny.’
She rolled her eyes, doubting he held anything sacred. ‘How are you getting back to Linston Mill?’
‘The same way I came.’
‘Which would be?’
He pointed further along the staithe to a small day boat. Beyond it Jenna could see the tourist double-deck paddle boat was just setting off, and not wanting to get stuck behind it, she hurriedly began untying the mooring ropes and hopped back into the dinghy. ‘It was fun bumping into you,’ she said, deciding to spring a surprise of her own on him. ‘I’ll see you around.’
‘Don’t rush off,’ he said, ‘not without giving me your mobile number so we can arrange to meet up.’
She started up the engine.
‘No need, I guarantee our paths will cross again.’ And sooner than you’d think, she thought with a smile as she powered up the engine and nosed the boat out into the river. She gave him a cheery wave as he stood watching her go, a bemused expression on his face. Reaching for the ice cream she’d bought, and keeping one eye on the river and the busy traffic of boats, she unwrapped it.
Of all the gin joints indeed, she thought with a laugh as she bit into the Magnum, at the same time remembering Rachel telling her about seeing somebody on the balcony of the mill playing a violin. Had that been Blake, or was there somebody else staying at the mill as well? Funny that she hadn’t heard the music, maybe it had been when she was in the shower. One thing was for sure; Blake Darnell was a man of many surprises.
Well, he was in for one himself this evening.
But then she thought of Callum who would be joining them for dinner and suddenly she felt apprehensive. But why? There was nothing to be concerned about, she had resolved matters with both Callum and Blake, everyone knew where they stood; there was no ambiguity to the situation.
Yeah right, keep telling yourself that,jeered a voice inside her head.
Chapter Thirty-Four
‘I know we’ve discussed this before in a hazy pie-in-the-sky sort of way, but what do you think now about leaving Suffolk to live here?’
‘Now, meaning, as innowyou’re retired?’ replied Frankie.
Danny nodded. ‘Maybe also in the context of why not do it before it’s too late?’
She tutted. ‘Please don’t talk like that.’
They were sitting on a wooden bench outside the café overlooking the staithe at Malthouse Broad. They’d driven here earlier that morning, left the car in the car park opposite the Maltsters pub – or the Malteser as Jenna had called it as a child – and taken a boat trip around Ranworth Broad nature reserve, something Danny loved to do every summer. His knowledge of Broadland wildlife was almost as extensive as the guide’s who’d taken them out in the boat, a chap called Steve whom they had got to know well from their many previous visits. They’d spotted a great crested grebe, complete with its beautiful summer plumage, and a kingfisher darting across the water, but disappointingly there had been no sighting of any swallowtail butterflies. But when they’d walked back from the wildlife centre, along the boardwalk through the reedbeds and woodland, a loud and distinctive burst of song from a Cetti’s warbler had made up for the disappointment.
