“I don’t know when – ” Lainey shook her head.
Holly frowned. “It’s not serious then, you and Jake?”
Lainey put her wine down, scared she might drop the glass. The thought of Jake dating someone else, or even taking someone else home, mortified her. The thought of him not trying to sneak into her bedroom or entice her into staying with him most nights, or not instigate a quickie after bribing her with coffee and breakfast made her feel hollow inside.
“I think it could be.”
“Do you want it to be? I had to decide that about me and Josh – was it worth the risk?”
“The risk of what?”
Holly shrugged, her expression pretty much glowing. “My heart – what else?”
The arrivalof Imogen Green did not make life easier for Lainey. She was fast coming to the conclusion that she needed to have a conversation with Jake about where he wanted this to go, just so she wasn’t misreading what she thought was happening between them, and she was in the process of planning something where she and Jake could have that conversation. Where she could be brave and find out if Severton’s playboy was just playing with her, or whether she wasn’t just a challenge.
She was almost jealous of Holly and Josh, seeing them together. This morning she’d felt like a voyeur when she’d watched Josh hold Holly from behind, his arms around her waist; he'd kissed her neck. It’d ended in a kiss that’d been enough to make Lainey need to fan herself down and then wish for Jake. That free and easy love.
Imogen arrived at lunch time in a car that she almost managed to wrap around a gate post as she drove up the shared drive. She was claiming burn out and exhaustion, which was classic Immy language for I need a break and a day where I can be hungover. She’d missed the festival because of work – it was always because of work with Immy.
She also claimed she wanted quality sister time, followed by her going to ‘her’ room and sleeping for four hours straight.
Lainey left her to it. Jake was out on a rescue call – Lainey had joined the rest of the residents of Severton, having a device tuned into the call outs – and then all the jobs that needed doing had been taken care of by her team. She was up to date with her paperwork, and the only thing to do was wander into the village and see what was going on there.
A new mural had been painted by the secret graffiti artist, this depicting some of the events with Alex and Abby that had happened over the last few weeks. Lainey smiled, knowing that Abby hated being made a fuss of, and would loathe the additional attention it would bring. She popped into a couple of shops, picking up some cheeses and pickles that she knew Imogen would graze on, and a bottle of Gran’s gin.
Something else caught her eye while in the post office – a calendar. One that looked as if it would be better sold online. One that had a familiar person on the front.
“Would you like a copy? All proceeds go towards the Search and Rescue helicopter fund.” Maud smiled innocently from behind the counter. “Great for gifts for your sisters too.”
“May I have a look?” Lainey held out her hand, her blood starting to boil slightly.
“Of course. Let me just get you the opened one.”
Maud returned twenty seconds later with a copy of the calendar that had definitely been held by several sets of hands. Lainey tried not to think too much about it.
Every month, and they’d included fourteen months, had an almost naked picture of members of the Rescue team: Olly, Will, Jonny – who held his firefighter hat between his legs, Zack, Scott, even Alex. And then there was Jake.
Of course there was Jake.
Three times.
“He’s a mighty fine specimen of a man.” Gran had appeared, possibly by magic, behind the counter. “Those biceps. A woman can only imagine what they’d be like either side of her while he’s…”
“Stop there, Veronica. No one needs to hear a seventy-year-old woman fantasizing over someone young enough to be her grandson. It’s enough to put someone off their gin.” Marian came out of the back carrying a glass of what was probably gin and tonic.
“How come Jake’s in this three times?” Lainey frowned.
Gran smiled. “Because he’s a good sport. He also doesn’t bother about being treated like a piece of meat because he knows his own worth. How is your neighbour, by the way?”
“He’s good. Helpful.” She chose her words carefully.
Gran nodded. “And a sight for sore eyes. If you ever rent that farmhouse, I’m sure he’ll add an extra hundred a month to the income.”
Lainey laughed. “Maybe. I’m not going anywhere though.”
Gran just gave her a look that said she knew better. “We’ll see. I’m looking forward to your auction. There are a few last-minute lots I saw.”
There were. Some of her cousins and her aunt and uncle had added items – a weekend in London, a case of wine from the family’s winery in Canada and a selection of leather-bound books, all of which were limited edition prints from her cousin-in-law Owen’s bookstore.
