Summer Kisses

‘Sorting out the bed isn’t going to make this my home.’

‘Home is where family is,’ Jenna said softly, ‘and I’m here with you.’ She felt a pang as she saw the vulnerability in Lexi’s eyes.

‘Well, that doesn’t mean anything does it?’ Her tone was flippant. ‘I mean—Dad just walked out. What’s stopping you doing the same?’

‘I’m not going to walk out, Lexi. Not ever.’ Jenna sank onto the edge of the bed, wanting to reassure her daughter. ‘I know how difficult this has been for you—’

‘No, you don’t! You haven’t got a clue—you have no idea how embarrassing it is that my Dad is having sex with a girl not much older than me!’ Her voice rose. ‘It’s gross!’

Jenna resisted the temptation to agree. ‘I told you—adults have relationships, Lexi.’

‘You were in a relationship,’ Lexi hissed. ‘With each other. Marriage is supposed to be for ever—isn’t that what you taught me?’

Jenna bit her lip. ‘Ideally, yes.’

‘So why didn’t you try and fix it with Dad?’

‘He didn’t want to fix it. And—’ Jenna thought about everything that had happened. The way he’d treated her. ‘Not everything can be fixed.’

‘Well, don’t tell me you know how I feel, because you have no idea.’ Lexi flounced out of the room and locked herself in the bathroom.

Jenna flopped onto the bed, feeling wrung-out and exhausted.

It was will-power that drove her downstairs to fetch the suitcases. Will-power that made her unpack methodically, finding homes for her pathetically small number of belongings. Unfortunately her will-power wasn’t strong enough to stop her from thinking about Ryan McKinley.

It was only when she was hanging her clothes in her wardrobe that she realised that they’d spent an hour and a half together and he’d told her nothing about himself.

Nothing at all.

CHAPTER FOUR

JENNA leant her bike against the wall near the quay, waving to Jim the ferryman.

‘Morning, Nurse Jenna. Finished your morning clinic?’ A grey haired lady with a stick ambled past her on the pavement and Jenna smiled.

‘Yes, all done, Mrs Hampton. How’s the hip?’

‘It’s a miracle. I’ve had my first good night’s sleep for four years. I was dreading the operation, if I’m honest—probably wouldn’t have gone ahead with it if Dr McKinley hadn’t encouraged me.’

‘Nurse Jenna?’ Someone touched her arm. ‘Sorry to bother you—’

The impromptu conversations continued, so that by the time she’d walked along South Quay and up to the row of terraced houses that overlooked the water she was ten minutes late.

Ryan was already there and glancing at his watch, a brooding frown on his handsome face.

Jenna quickened her pace and arrived breathless, although whether that was from rushing the last few metres or from the sight of him, she wasn’t sure. After two weeks working alongside him she knew that her body did strange things when Ryan was near. It didn’t matter that they kept every exchange strictly professional. That didn’t alter the chemistry. She hadn’t said anything, and neither had he, but they both knew it was there.

Funny, Jenna mused, that she could even recognise chemistry when she’d been with one man all her life. ‘I’m so sorry I’m late—I was waylaid.’

‘You did a clinic on the quay?’

‘How did you guess?’ Laughing, Jenna removed the clip from her hair. Smoothing her hands over her curls, she twisted it into a thick rope and secured it firmly. ‘There was a strong wind on the coast road. I must look as though I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.’

His eyes moved from her face to her hair. ‘That isn’t how you look.’

Colour stung her cheeks and she felt a shaft of awareness pierce low in her pelvis. ‘Did you know Abby Brown is pregnant? I saw her eating a double chocolate fudge sundae in Meg’s Café to celebrate.’

Ryan gave a wry smile. ‘Let’s hope she doesn’t keep that up throughout the pregnancy. Are you ready?’ But before he could press the doorbell the door opened and a woman stood there, a baby in her arms and a harassed look on her face. ‘Hello, Elaine.’