Nineteen
Jenny walked out of the post office after spending fifteen minutes talking to the owner, Mavis Bennet. Mavis had a barrage of questions about her elderly husband Frank’s recent diabetes diagnosis. This kind of thing happened all the time. Jenny would usually end up in a lengthy discussion with someone about a medical condition or be asked if she could take a quick look at something—always an interesting request that could sometimes raise a few eyebrows from people passing by. She didn’t usually mind the odd question out of the office, so to speak, but it could be annoying when she just wanted to duck into a shop quickly and get home after a long shift at work. Sometimes it was easier to get the girls to pick up parcels or shopping. In this case, she’d organised for Frank to get an appointment with the visiting diabetes education nurse who would be seeing patients later the following week andfelt better that she’d at least put some of the older couple’s uncertainty at ease.
She bit back a yelp when she rounded the corner of the post office and almost collided with someone.
‘Sorry!’ she said, as she looked up, then felt her breath catch suddenly. ‘Oh. It’s … you.’
Nick’s grin widened as Jenny tried to apologise but ended up sounding even more flustered. ‘All good. Nice to bump into you,’ he said. ‘Literally,’ he added, still holding her arms from where he’d reached out to steady her. ‘Are you all right?’ ‘I’m fine,’ Jenny said, clearing her throat and stepping back, causing him to finally release his hold. Damned if she didn’t miss the warmth as soon as it was gone.
‘Where are you off to in such a hurry?’
‘Oh. Nowhere, just home. I was a bit distracted and didn’t see you. I should have looked where I was going.’
‘No harm done. Everything okay, though?’
The genuine concern on his face momentarily threw her. ‘Yes, of course,’ she said, managing a smile. ‘How have you been?’That’s good, she congratulated herself calmly.He’s just a fellow Barkley resident. Nothing special. Except he was looking really nice in those jeans and that tight T-shirt that seemed to barely contain his biceps, and he smelled so good. Whatwasthat he was wearing? It smelled like a luxurious leather lounge with a touch of sandalwood and citrus. Divine.
‘Sorry?’ she asked in alarm as she realised he was looking at her a little oddly.
‘I was just wondering if you had any idea why the whole town seems to suddenly have it in for me.’
Maybe she blacked out or something. What the heck was he on about?
‘Apparently, I’m some bastard who’s broken your heart and should be run out of town,’ he went on, when her confusion became apparent.
‘What?’
‘That’s the gist of what some old bloke buying a beer told me earlier. He reckons he was risking being skinned alive if his missus found out he’d been in the pub because of what I did to you. Whatever I did, I’m being given a rap over the knuckles for it now.’
‘I have no idea what—’ she started before recalling the conversation she’d had the day before with Nola and Betty. ‘Oh, no …’ She filled him in on what had happened. ‘I’m sure it’s not the whole town who has it out for you, though.’
‘Hmm,’ he said, scratching his chin, which had a shadow of stubble. ‘I had a lunch booked for some ladies’ social day and they cancelled late yesterday afternoon. I thought it strange at the time, but now it kind of makes more sense.’
Jenny was horrified. ‘Are you serious?’
He shrugged. ‘I guess that’s what you get for poking the rumour-mill bear.’
‘This is my fault. I shouldn’t have kissed you.’ She saw him grin and shook her head adamantly. ‘No, I mean it. This is my fault. People had us down as the modern-day version ofThe Graduate, with me as Mrs Robinson and you as that guy Dustin Hoffman played.’
‘The what?’ he asked, eyeing her oddly.
‘It’s an old movie,’ she said. ‘Out even before my time,’ she added dryly.
‘I was kidding, I’ve heard about it. Good movie. But you’re way hotter than Mrs Robinson.’ He grinned.
‘Excuse me if I don’t find the potential ruin of your business a laughing matter.’
‘Don’t stress. It’s not your fault. It’ll all blow over.’
‘But it is. Everyone’s jumped to the wrong conclusion about you … which is also my fault because I panicked. I feel really bad,’ Jenny said, biting the inside of her lip as she risked a glance up at him. ‘I promise, I’ll get this all sorted. I’ll have a word with Nola and Betty. They’ll be able to put a stop to the backlash.’
‘The benefit of being the only pub in town with a qualified chef is that, eventually, everyone will feel that I’ve been suitably punished and they’ll come back. I’m not that worried about a cancellation or two.’
‘You should be. Once the folk in this town get a bee in their bonnets about something, they can hold a grudge like nobody’s business,’ she warned.
He still didn’t look too fazed. ‘You know, there is a way to turn it around even quicker than squashing all the rumours.’
‘How?’ Jenny asked warily.
