‘Bloody hell.’ Jenna shook her head, dazed. ‘You must have hated me so much.’
‘No! I’ve never hated you. I thought… I thought maybe you hatedme. He said you’d blamed me all these years, and I didn’t want to believe it, but when you’re feeling low already it’s easy to fall for someone’s lies.’
‘I know,’ Jenna said grimly. ‘Believe me, I know. Mum, I’ve never blamed you for Dad’s death. Never. I know how close you two were, and I think you’re amazing, the way you’ve got on with your life without him. But look, now you have the chance not to be alone any more. And Dad would be so happy for you. You know he would. Can’t you give this Mac bloke a chance? You deserve a fresh start. Kelsea Sands has always been your dream. Your happy place. This could be the new life you deserve.’
‘I can’t go back to Mac just because he lives in Kelsea Sands.’
‘That’s not what I mean! But don’t you think it’s all meant to be? It’s how it feels to me anyway. He may have made some terrible mistakes in the past but he’s a different person now. He’s even changed his name, for goodness’ sake.’
‘Rosie really didn’t leave anything out, did she?’ Alison shook her head. ‘He’s a gambler, though. An addict.’
‘Everyone’s addicted to something. Look at you with all the junk food you used to eat.’
Alison raised an eyebrow. ‘You think that’s the same?’
When Jenna said nothing she asked curiously, ‘And what about you? What are you addicted to?’
Jenna didn’t reply.
‘It could all go wrong,’ Alison said after a moment’s silence. ‘Not every love story has a happy ending, and what would I do then?’
Jenna laughed.
‘What’s so funny?’ Alison demanded.
‘Seriously? Don’t you get it yet?Nolove story has a happy ending. Not a single one. Sooner or later one or the other of us has to say goodbye, whether that’s because of a break-up or because – well, like you and Dad. One of us is always going to be left alone to pick up the pieces. That’s the way it goes.’
‘My God,’ Alison said weakly. ‘What an awful thought!’
‘But it’s true. And that’s why you’ve got to grab every chance of happiness you can and enjoy it while it lasts. Don’t worry about what might happen at some point in the future. Live, laugh, love. That’s what they say, isn’t it? And it’s true. Just go for it! Let tomorrow take care of itself.’
‘Is that what you were doing?’ Alison asked. ‘Grabbing a chance of happiness while you could? Is that what your little fling was about?’
When her daughter didn’t reply she said, ‘Jenna, are you all right? Is there anything you want to tell me?’
Jenna seemed to hesitate, then shook her head. ‘I’m fine, Mum, and this isn’t about me. Are you listening to me? You’ve got a good man waiting in Kelsea Sands for you. Someone who really cares about you, and who’s fought a hard battle to get to this point and turn his life around. Are you really going to walk away from someone who’s made you so happy, just because of his past mistakes and the chance that things might go wrong in the future? Because if you are, you’re not the woman I thought you were.’
‘And who did you think I was?’
Jenna smiled. ‘Someone who’s strong, resilient and unbelievably kind. Someone who wouldn’t punish someone for messing up in the past. Someone who’s had to deal with the worst possible thing that could ever happen to her, but picked herself up and kept on going. My mum.’
They sat quietly, staring out of the window as the clouds parted and the sun peeped through at last.
‘The rain’s stopped,’ Alison said quietly.
‘It always does in the end,’ Jenna told her.
Alison leaned over and dropped a kiss on her daughter’s cheek. ‘I love you, you know. Never doubt it.’
‘I love you, too. Now, are you going to get out of this car and get your sorry arse back to Kelsea Sands, or do I have to drive you there myself?’
Alison laughed. ‘You’ll need to pick the twins up soon. You won’t be driving me anywhere.’
‘So?’
‘So…’ Alison took a deep breath. ‘I guess I’m going home.’
38
