‘Of course they are. I’d love to come, thank you. I’ll ask Dad. I’m sure I can juggle the staff rota now Cathy and Briar are back at work.’
He saw Jenna out of the pub, telling her firmly not to worry about coming back tomorrow if she wasn’t up to it, then he went into the bar where his dad was serving a man who’d ordered drinks for everyone at his table.
Sam helped pour the drinks, amazed at how easily his dad seemed to have slipped back into the rhythm of things.
He was waiting, though. Waiting for the moment when his dad announced he’d done enough and was off back upstairs.
When a lull came, he braced himself, but to his surprise his dad beckoned him to the till and murmured to him, ‘Is she all right then?’
‘She’s gone home,’ Sam told him quietly. ‘I had to tell her to leave, Dad. She was too upset to work here tonight.’
His dad nodded. ‘Thought as much. Something going on with that fella of hers? The one you’ve never seen sight nor sound of? Because it seems funny to me that she’s here with them kids all by herself for the entire summer holidays.’
Sam hesitated, but after all, who was his dad going to tell? He never saw anyone.
‘Yeah,’ he said heavily. ‘He’s just announced to their daughters that he and Jenna have separated, without even warning Jenna or discussing it with her at all. I think… I think it’s just finally hit her that, this time, he might never come home.’
‘This time?’ Seb frowned. ‘Like that, is it?’
‘I think she’s had a rough time of it with him,’ Seb said briefly. ‘Other women.’
‘Oh aye.’ His dad nodded. ‘That’ll do it every time. Poor lass. And them poor kiddies, too. Some people, eh?’
‘Yeah. Some people.’
His dad sighed. ‘Aye, well… I might as well stay and finish this shift, hadn’t I? Nothing better to do any road, now I’ve missedEast Riding Round-Up.’
17
The birthday party that Jenna and Alison had planned for the twins – complete with dainty sandwiches, little quiches, sausages on sticks, fairy buns and jelly and ice cream – had somehow been overturned in favour of a birthday barbecue.
Mac had decided that it would be a good idea to be able to offer his future guests in the shepherd’s huts the use of a barbecue, so he and Alison had headed into Hull to the nearest large DIY store, where they’d spent hours because they’d completely lost track of time.
While Mac examined the pros and cons of every single barbecue he could find, Alison had apparently wandered off to look at rugs, pictures, battery-operated fairy lights, curtains, cushions and bedding.
They’d both been enjoying themselves so much that Jenna had got quite worried about them and was relieved when they finally returned to Watersmeet with Mac’s battered old estate car absolutely packed with bags and boxes.
‘You only went for a barbecue!’ Jenna laughed, as she helped her mum and Mac unload, watched by two very curious and excited little girls.
‘I know,’ Mum said sheepishly. ‘But there was so much stuff to look at. I couldn’t resist. You should see what I’ve got, Jenna. Those huts are going to look adorable!’
The furniture for the huts had already been delivered earlier that week, and Jenna knew her mum was itching to get on and add the finishing touches to make them pretty.
‘Did you find a barbecue you liked?’ she asked Mac.
He and her mum exchanged amused glances, and Mum rolled her eyes.
‘Don’t get him started, please,’ she implored. ‘I’ve heard nothing but how marvellous this barbecue is all the way home. He’s dying to try it out.’
‘We should have a barbecue very soon,’ Mac said. ‘A test run. After all, I can’t offer it to my guests if I haven’t used it myself, can I?’
‘A test run for the new toilet block, too,’ Mum said. ‘Save everyone tramping through the house. We definitely need to make sure everything’s in order there. We could invite Stella round. And Evan and Tricia.’
Jenna frowned. ‘Who are Evan and Tricia?’
‘Evan’s our vet and Mac’s friend,’ her mum explained. ‘And Tricia’s his wife. She’s a friend of Stella’s and she’s lovely. That’s a good idea,’ she added, turning to Mac. ‘Inviting those two, I mean. Stella will feel more comfortable with her friend there.’
‘And we must invite the rest of your family, of course,’ Mac added. ‘The trouble is figuring out what day to have it on.’
