Jenna smiled affectionately at her grandparents and great-uncle and turned to watch the twins, who were with Niall and Kendra’s daughter, Poppy. She was helping them make a sandcastle and they were clearly very absorbed in their mission.
‘We’re back! Hurry up, they’re melting!’
Everyone turned as Mac and Kendra called to them after visiting the nearby ice cream shop to treat everyone. There was a general scramble to rescue the ice creams before they melted, and a bit of an argument when Grandad insisted he’d asked for adouble99, and this was surely only a single-sized one, while Mac said the man at the counter had never heard of a double 99 and did he want this one or not?
It had been a last-minute decision to go to Millensea for the day. The weather was glorious and Jenna had wanted to give the girls a day out by the sea and take them somewhere where they could go on fairground rides and the amusements. Kelsea Sands had nothing like that to offer them, so she’d wondered if Kendra was available, since the two of them got on so well.
Being a Sunday afternoon, Kendra wasn’t working, and what’s more she said Niall would love to come, too, fitting it in between the morning’s Holy Communion and the later Evensong services.
No one expected their son Ryan to join them, and so it proved, as he’d caught a bus into Hull and was hanging out with his mates in the shopping centre. But Poppy had been eager to tag along, and when Mum and Mac heard about it, they suggested they also join them.
Then Auntie Elaine had rung up and said she’d just spoken to Niall on the phone, and he’d told her of their plans and was it all right if she and Uncle Christopher came too, because they could really do with some fresh air and it would be nice to catch up with everyone.
So of course, Rosie was immediately invited, and then Alison popped across to Sanderlings and asked her mam and dad if they wanted to join them, and Grandad had said absolutely, providing they were getting fish and chips while they were out.
Then, just before they’d set off, Mac’s sister, Stella, had rolled up at Watersmeet. She was clearly embarrassed when she realised she’d arrived just as they were all going out, but Mac asked her to come with them, and although she said no, everyone could see she’d really love to, so they all badgered her until, finally, she gave in and looked very pleased about it.
So now the whole family (minus Ryan) was sitting on the beach at Millensea and it was turning out to be a lovely day.
Even so, Jenna couldn’t help feeling pensive. After all, she had a big favour to ask her mum, and given their recent history she was understandably nervous about it.
It wasn’t that long ago that she and her mum had fallen out because Alison felt that Jenna was taking advantage of her, asking her to babysit the twins far too often, to the point where she felt she had no life of her own.
Jenna still felt hot with shame when she remembered how she’d asked her mum to take the twins to school, pick them up afterwards, give them their tea, let them have sleepovers at her house…
She couldn’t imagine why she hadn’t realised how badly she’d been behaving and didn’t blame her mum in the slightest for making a stand. In fact, her mum had been so fed up that she’d moved to Kelsea Sands for three months, living with Rosie in her cousin’s caravan, and had left Jenna to deal with her childcare problems.
But now here she was, about to ask her mum to take on childcare duties again. And just when things were going so well between them.
Why, she wondered, had she been stupid enough to offer to help out at The North Star? It wasn’t as if she needed a job. She was on holiday, for goodness’ sake!
But Sam had looked and sounded so fed up, and he was clearly rushed off his feet, and besides…
Jenna realised ice cream was running down her fingers and hastily licked it away. She knew, deep down, that she hadn’t offered to help at the pub for Sam’s sake, but for hers. Joel’s phone call had really upset her, and she couldn’t face the endless evenings sitting in Watersmeet while the twins slept upstairs and her mum and Mac watched TV or pottered about in the garden or read or whatever it was they usually did after dinner.
She felt like a spare part, and while she was glad for her mum that she’d found love again after all those years of widowhood, Jenna couldn’t help feeling sad for herself and the relationship she’d never really had.
At least working in the pub would take her mind off her dire situation. It would give her something to focus on. A perfect distraction, in fact.
But what, she wondered dismally, was her mum going to say?
‘You’re looking very pensive,’ Alison observed, with her usual perfect timing. She shuffled along the sand and sat closer to Jenna, watching her worriedly. ‘Are you sure everything’s all right?’
‘Fine, Mum. I’ve told you. Stop worrying.’
Alison nodded and scooped the last of her ice cream from the cornet with her tongue.
‘Have you heard from Joel lately?’ she asked casually.
Jenna, having finished her ice cream without really tasting any of it, made her expression deliberately neutral and hoped her voice came out the same way.
‘Last night actually,’ she said. ‘He’s… fine.’
‘Will he be visiting any time soon?’
Jenna shrugged. ‘Who knows? He’s very busy.’
Her mother frowned. ‘But surely he’s not working every day? Besides, he’s not that far away. He could drive over one evening after work.’ She added hesitantly, ‘He’d be very welcome.’
