Wearily, Jenny went upstairs to her bedroom hoping to sleep for a bit but an hour later, she was still lying on the bed eyes wide open. So many thoughts kept going round and round in her head. She thought about the two of them in Venice. Were he and Siobhan together now, at this very moment? Was it better with her?
Venice was one of the most romantic places in the world. They were probably at it like rabbits, just like the way she and Roan had been at the beginning before Jenny had torpedoed everything by undermining his trust and ranting about money.
And here she was alone again, another relationship in tatters.
Story of her life.
20
“Which do you think I should wear – biker jacket or blazer?” Karen asked later that week.
She and Shane were going to meet his family, and even though she kept insisting to Jenny that she wasn’t nervous, she had to admit to herself that she was.
“The biker,” Jenny said firmly. “The blazer is too … officey or something?”
“Officey? What kind of word is that?” Karen asked, studying her reflection with a critical eye. She wanted to look smart, but not too formal. The dress was elegant, but the biker jacket made the outfit look casual and easygoing, exactly the image that she wanted to project.
“I don’t know what I’m so worried about, anyway,” she grumbled, trying to find a stray trainer from the pile of shoes at the bottom of her wardrobe. “We’re already engaged – it’s not as though I have to pass a test.” She finally found the one she was after and dusted it off with a tissue.
“It’s a test of sorts though, isn’t it? She’s going to be your mother-in-law, after all,” Jenny pointed out. “If she doesn’t like you, she could make your life hell.”
“Well, if she doesn’t like me, tough,” Karen said airily, studying her makeup closely in the mirror. Was she wearing too much mascara maybe?
Jenny collapsed laughing. “I’m only joking, don’t start getting defensive. Of course, Mrs Quinn will like you, why wouldn’t she?”
A car horn beeped twice from outside.
“Right,” Karen said, jumping up and looking out the window at the street below where Shane waited in his newly purchased second-hand Astra. “Wish me luck, OK?” She checked her appearance once more in the mirror, before rushing out the door.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have a great time,” Jenny shouted down the stairs after her.
Then she slumped back down on the couch and checked her watch.
Roan was due in half an hour.
“Hey,”he greeted, handing Jenny a flower bouquet, and kissing her on the cheek.
“If you think that a bunch of supermarket flowers will soften me up, you have another thing coming.” That was good, she thought, exactly like something Karen would say. Act tough and don’t let him away without a proper explanation. “Did you have a nice time in Venice?” she asked, arms folded.
“It was OK,” he said. “I missed you though.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You missedme. Where did you get the time to miss me? I thought you would have had enough on your hands with Siobhan.” Jenny felt her hands shake as she spoke. This was no good – she was going to crack soon. She had great intentions of telling him where to go, but it was so hard now that he was standing in front of her.
“Siobhan? What are you talking about?” he asked, with what sounded like genuine surprise.
“Your supposed ex – the one you brought to Venice instead of me?”
He looked perplexed. “What? I didn’t go with Siobhan – who told you that? She gave me a lift to the airport, that’s all.”
Jenny stopped short. That’s exactly what she had thought at the time. Was there a possibility that she might have been mistaken – no, that his mother was mistaken and his ex had merely given him a lift?
“What? Then whodidyou go to Venice with?”
“Nobody. I went on my own.”
“But your mother said … ”
“Ah, for goodness sake, Jen, my mother doesn’t know her arse from her elbow. I’ve told her a million times that Siobhan and I are finished but she won’t accept it. She and Mrs Hennessey – Siobhan’s mam – are always trying to get us back together.”
