‘I’m very glad to hear that.’
‘I’m sure you are,’ muttered Jenna sarcastically. ‘For Nikolai and Irina’s sake, no doubt.’
Valentina stared hard at Jenna. ‘I find it very strange what you were saying before, that you don’t want life to change, especially given how young you are. Life has to change. Itmustchange. If it doesn’t, one becomes nothing but a rotting vegetable.’
‘How long were you listening in on our conversation?’ demanded Rachel.
‘Long enough. But I shall leave you now so you can return to your spiteful gossiping.’
‘You might think you can fool Alastair, but you can’t fool the rest of us,’ Rachel called out after her.
Valentina turned, an expression of bitter amusement on her face. ‘But I’m not interested in fooling any of you, or what any of you think of me. It is only Alastair’s opinion that matters.’
‘If I were you I wouldn’t be so sure that you have that squarely in the bag as you believe. I mean, where is he right now?’ Rachel made a play of looking around her. ‘You know what, I’d put money on him hiding from you because he’s beginning to have doubts.’
The woman tried to hide it, but Jenna saw the flicker of emotion pass across her face. A nerve had been touched and, cruelly, Jenna was glad that Rachel was being so direct.
But then Valentina snatched back the advantage. ‘If I were you,’ she said, ‘I would be much more concerned about your mother’s behaviour, than my relationship with Alastair.’
Jenna put out a hand to restrain Rachel from rising to the bait, and in a pulsating silence thrumming with tension between them, they watched Valentina walk away.
‘She’s a piece of work, isn’t she?’ Jenna said at length. ‘How can Alastair be so blind to what she’s really like?’
‘He’s welcome to her,’ Rachel said angrily, jumping to her feet. ‘And you know what, if he’s the kind of man who can sleep with his best friend’s wife, then he can go to hell for all I care. And I’m going to say that to his face the minute he gets back from wherever he’s gone. Then I’m going to pack my case and leave. Everything feels tainted here now, like nothing was ever as I thought it was. It was all a lie!’
As though the shock of what Jenna had shared with her had now finally hit home, Rachel’s eyes filled with tears.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Callum had just arrived back at the boatyard when his mobile pinged with a text. It was from his sister.Don’t ask why, but can I come and stay with you?
What now? What new drama was his sister at the centre of? Instead of replying straightaway, he texted Jenna to get the low-down. Unlike Rachel, Jenna could be relied upon one hundred per cent for an objective overview.
When he didn’t get a response, he slipped the mobile back into the pocket of his jeans, deciding to defer replying to his sister until he was in full possession of the facts. As fond of Rachel as he was, being cooped up with her at Water’s Edge Cottage would be a trial of monumental proportions.
He went to check on the 1930s cruiser Kyle and Ian were working on. It was a lengthy renovation project, a labour of love that was costing the client an eye-watering amount of money, but the end result would be worth every penny.
He found Ian on his own, changing out of his overalls. He was Callum’s most experienced worker, a man who’d spent all his life working in boatyards. There wasn’t anything he didn’t know and Callum lived in dread of him wanting to retire. Thankfully he showed no obvious desire to do so any time soon, but being well into his sixties, Callum was selfishly making the most of the man’s talents while he could. Such was Ian’s dedication to his craft; he was a keen advocate of training up younger lads, just as he had with Callum. It still felt odd to him that he was now Ian’s boss.
‘Kyle asked if he could get off home early,’ Ian said as Callum went over to inspect the hull of the boat. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I said he could.’
‘Of course I don’t mind. Nothing serious, I hope?’ said Callum, running his hand over the satisfyingly smooth wood of the craft above his head.
‘His fiancée wasn’t feeling so good and Kyle was anxious.’
‘I’ve lost track of when the baby is due.’
‘Not for another two months.’
‘Did Kyle think he’d be in tomorrow?’
‘I don’t rightly know. It’ll depend on what the problem is with Vicky, I suppose.’
‘If he needs more time off that’s fine by me, but let me know and I’ll give you a hand with this.’ Callum tapped the side of the boat. ‘I want us to deliver on time, the client’s had to wait long enough as it is.’
After Ian and the others had gone, Callum sat at the cluttered desk in his cramped and untidy office, and contemplated the meeting he’d had in Norwich at the bank that afternoon. It had gone surprisingly well, better than he’d hoped for. If all went to plan, he would be able to borrow enough money to extend the boat rental side of the business. Another change to add to the many currently going on.
He scrolled through his emails, dealt with those that needed his immediate attention, and was about to switch off the computer when his mobile pinged. Then pinged again.
