‘But what if it does turn out that I have feelings for Sam, but he doesn’t have feelings for me?’
‘Well.’ Kendra shrugged. ‘At least you’ll know.’
‘Another rejection to add to the list. Another worry. Like whether my daughters will fall madly in love with their new stepmother and decide that living with me is boring as hell and they’d be better off with their doting dad.’
‘Yeah, right.’ Kendra snorted with derision. ‘Doting dad? From what you’ve just told me and things I’ve picked up on over the years, he’s never been that. I’m telling you now, those kids will?—’
She broke off as Jenna’s phone began to ring.
Jenna grabbed it from her bag and stared at the screen. ‘It’s Joel!’
‘Best answer it then,’ Kendra said, getting to her feet. ‘I’m going to order more tea.’
‘Joel?’
‘Mummy!’
Jenna heaved a sigh of relief at hearing Ada’s voice. She could hear Hallie asking close by, ‘Has she answered?’
‘Are you all right?’ Jenna asked them. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Mummy, this house is horrible,’ Ada said quietly. ‘It’s really dark and small, and the furniture’s really old, and Annette has a cat but it’s a boy and it hisses at us.’
‘Oh dear,’ Jenna said, trying not to feel relieved. ‘But apart from that, how are things? Is… is Annette treating you well?’
‘Yes, she’s all right,’ Hallie said, evidently taking the phone from her sister. ‘She made us spaghetti Bolognese last night. We watchedMoana. Daddy wanted to watch something else, but she said we could choose. He wasn’t very happy. He doesn’t likeMoana, does he?’
‘Did you go swimming?’ Jenna asked, smiling as Kendra came back and sat down.
‘Yes, this morning. Daddy wouldn’t get in the pool, though, and Nettie got very cross with him because she had to stay with us the whole time while he went in the cafe with his laptop, and they argued all the way back. When are we coming home?’
‘Daddy said he’d drop you back at Watersmeet in time for tea,’ Jenna told her. ‘Not long now. You can hang on for a couple more hours, can’t you?’
Ada had evidently taken back the phone. ‘Yes, but only just. We don’t have to come here again, do we? That cat’s horrible. He’s not friendly like Mrs Beddows.’ In a stage whisper she added, ‘And I think the litter tray needs emptying.’
Jenna bit her lip, trying not to laugh. ‘Well, maybe you should tell Daddy to empty it then,’ she said, wondering how he’d react to that.
‘He wouldn’t do that,’ Hallie said. ‘He said that cat’s got nothing to do with him and he can’t stand it. He said he found a cat hair in his soup the other day and he nearly threw up. Nettie says he’s a big baby,’ she added.
‘Have you two got my phone?’
At the sound of their father’s voice bellowing in the background, the twins hastily said, ‘Bye, Mummy. Love you!’
‘Love you too. Bye?—’
They’d gone. Jenna put her phone away, a smirk of satisfaction on her lips.
‘They hate it, don’t they?’ Kendra said.
‘It hasn’t gone exactly as Joel probably expected,’ Jenna said, feeling laughter bubbling up. ‘Maybe Iwasworrying about nothing.’
‘Told you!’ Kendra said with satisfaction. She smiled gratefully as Emmy placed another pot of tea in front of her. ‘Thanks, love.’ Emmy smiled back and walked away and Kendra leaned forward, her expression eager. ‘So, if I was right about that, will you believe I’m right about Sam? Go on, Jenna. Find out for sure. Engineer a kiss between you and see how that body of yours reacts. Then compare it with how it normally reacts to Joel. Think of it as a scientific experiment, if it helps. You’ll never know if you don’t try.’
A scientific experiment. Well, maybe she could manage that. The trouble was, she really wasn’t sure what result she was hoping for.
22
Weltringham Riding School was tucked away down a long lane that led from the village square to the caravan park on the cliff top. There had been a riding school there since the 1940s, although it had changed hands several times over the decades, and had almost closed for good in 2020. Somehow, though, it had made it through and was now busier than ever. The local people cherished this link with the past, and it was very popular with residents of Weltringham and other local villages and holidaymakers alike.
