Rita shook her head. ‘But it’s Archie’sbrother, Jilly. Isn’t that wrong?’
Jilly leaned back, took a sip of her drink and was thoughtful for a moment. ‘No. You loved Archie. Deeply. And it didn’t endbecause you stopped loving him; it ended because life stole him. Jago’s not a replacement. He’s not a carbon copy. But he shares something with the man you loved, and maybe that’s not such a terrible thing.’
Rita blinked, her eyes beginning to sting.
‘Follow your heart,’ Jilly added softly. ‘Not what you think your heartshouldbe doing. There’s no rulebook here. We all deserve a slice of happiness, Rita. And after what you’ve been through, especially you.’
A young bar man placed two bowls of chips in front of them and winked at Jilly.
Rita laughed through the lump in her throat. ‘Oh my God, did you see the way he looked at you? He can only be twenty.’
‘Twenty-two, actually. And I have to say, after our chat with Annie the other day about men, I found myself wanting to sprint towards the floppy-haired ones who know what they’re doing in bed. Who cares if they’re confused about their careers? It’s some good sex I’m interested in whilst I look for the grown-up with a huge pension and no emotional baggage.’
‘Whatever floats your boat, I guess. And yeah… heishot.’
Jilly leaned in, eyes twinkling. ‘Talking of hot, one of my clients pointed him out to me the other day. Jago, I mean. He was down at the harbour, chatting to some bloke with a speedboat. Said he was the talk of the Seahaven Bay Facebook Gossip Group under “eligible bachelors”.’
Rita raised an eyebrow.
‘I’m telling you, girlfriend’ – Jilly grinned and took a sip of her vodka and tonic – ‘that man ishot. Total catnip. I mean, come on… broad shoulders, brooding expression, bit of mystery? That’s the jackpot. But more than that… from what you told me, he’s not a bad man. And he’s yours for the taking if you want him.’
Rita looked down, stirring the ice in her glass. ‘Not sure I like other women lusting over him.’
Jilly smirked. ‘Well, that’s a good start.’
Rita gave her a look. ‘Don’t push it.’
‘I’m just saying’ – Jilly leaned back, smug now – ‘you said it yourself. He wasn’t trying to trick you or twist things with the will. He was trying to protect you. There’s a difference. And deep down, I think you know that.’
Rita sighed, but a small smile tugged at her lips. ‘Maybe.’
‘Maybe,’ Jilly echoed. ‘That’s a hell of a lot closer to “yes” than “no”.’
And with that the Pilates instructor raised her glass. ‘To hot men, good instincts, and not letting fear get in the way.’
FORTY-EIGHT
The next morning, Rita sat on the sofa in the den, the will spread out on her lap. The room was stuffy with late-summer heat and outside, bees buzzed lazily around the lavender bushes, but inside, everything was still.
The sudden sound of a voice approaching made her jump so high that Henry barked.
‘Honestly, if you frown at that paper any harder, it’ll catch fire.’
Rita’s heart leaped into her throat. ‘Bloody hell, Hilda!’
Hilda stood in the doorway, one eyebrow cocked and a pink trainer tapping lightly against the wooden floor.
‘The back door was open,’ Hilda tutted. ‘I could’ve been anyone.’
Rita let out a shaky laugh and wiped tea off her shorts with a tissue. ‘You scared the life out of me.’
‘Good. You needed a jolt.’ Hilda’s tone softened as her eyes dropped to the paper in Rita’s lap. ‘You found it, then.’
Rita paused, fingers tracing a crease in the corner of the document.
‘He left everything to me. The house. A few savings he’d hidden. Even cited that ridiculous stone gnome he stuck by thepond that I hated. He knew that would make me laugh.’ Rita’s eyes glistened.
‘Sir Cedric,’ Hilda said fondly.
