Jenna found herself smiling. ‘If you’re sure?’
‘Absolutely, one hundred per cent,’ her mother assured her.
‘Stop arguing and get yourself here,’ Rosie called.
Jenna laughed. ‘Okay. I’ll tell the twins now and I’ll get packed. How soon can we come?’
‘Whenever you’re ready.’
‘Is tomorrow too early?’
‘We’ll have the bedrooms aired and ready,’ her mother promised. ‘Ooh, this is going to be wonderful. I can’t wait to see you all again.’
‘See you soon, Jenna!’ Rosie yelled.
‘Bye, Mum. Bye, Rosie. Thank you. Both of you.’
Because she knew that Rosie had called her mum straight away and told her what Jenna had asked of her. She probably hadn’t even made any enquiries at the Tide’s Reach caravan park. Rosie wasn’t daft and probably believed Jenna’s story even less than her mum had.
She just hoped she could keep the wool pulled over their eyes, at least until the holidays were over. If Joel ran true to form, he’d be back in September, and they need never know.
And if he wasn’t?
She couldn’t even think about that. He had to see sense and come back. He couldn’t do that to the twins. They needed their daddy. They needed to know that he loved and cared for them, and the way he’d behaved recently only proved the opposite. He had to make it up to them somehow. He had to be a father and sod his precious Annette.
She exhaled the anxiety from her body and headed out into the garden.
‘Girls! I’ve got a lovely surprise for you!’
7
Jenna told the twins about their forthcoming holiday, and as expected they were over the moon and full of excitement.
‘Why didn’t you tell us? Was it a surprise?’
‘Yes, Ada. A lovely surprise, I hope.’
‘The best!’
‘Are we really going to stay at Watersmeet with Grandma and Mac?’
‘We are!’ Jenna injected as much enthusiasm into her voice as she possibly could.
‘And we’ll be able to see the animals every single day. This is the best holiday ever!’ Hallie told her, throwing her arms around her neck.
Seeing their happy expressions was the best thing that had happened in ages. It might not make up to them entirely for her failure to give them a decent father, but at least they had six weeks of fun and family time ahead of them. It was something, at least.
After dinner, she bathed them and washed their hair, then got them into their pyjamas.
‘Time to pack,’ she said. ‘Who’s going to help me?’
Naturally, the girls were only too happy to help – not least because it meant they got to stay up later than usual. They eagerly brought her the things they wanted to take, ignoring her warning to be sensible and only choose what they really needed.
Before long, there was a huge pile of clothes and toys on Jenna’s bed, and the bedroom was a scene of devastation.
‘Okay,’ Jenna said, shaking her head, ‘we can’t fit all this lot in the suitcases. We’re going to have to be a bit more ruthless.’
‘But we’re going to be at Grandma’s for ages,’ Ada pointed out.
