The Final Seduction

‘I’m not surprised!’ Shelley pulled a wry face. ‘Stress and wildly fluctuating hormones do not make a harmonious combination.’

Jennie stared down at her wine glass. ‘That’s when we split up. I didn’t really want to leave, but I could tell that me staying was just making things worse for everyone.’

‘And how old was Ellie at the time?’

‘Five weeks.’

‘Five weeks? He let you go when you had a baby of five weeks to look after? What kind of man would do that?’

‘Funny.’ Jennie locked and then unlocked her fingers distractedly. ‘That’s exactly what Drew said.’

‘I’m not surprised! I’m not your brother’s greatest buddy, but I have to say that I think his character assessment was spot-on there.’

Jennie shook her head. ‘It isn’t like that! And Jamie isn’t like that! Things have been much better between us since I left!’

‘Well, of course they’ve been better!’ Shelley scoffed. ‘For him! He gets all the best bits of having a girlfriend and a baby, with none of the noisy, tiring, smelly bits! It’s known,’ she added gently, ‘as having your cake and eating it.’ She saw Jennie’s stubborn expression, and sighed. She had it bad. ‘So what happened?’

‘Drew persuaded me to move in here. The house was empty and he owns it now. He bought it off my folks so that they could buy somewhere on the Isle of Wight—though I was surprised he kept it on. I mean, it’s hardly a palace!’ She looked around the room, as if seeing it for the first time. ‘Maybe it was just sentimental of him, but it’s lucky for me he did. Anyway, he had it all decorated and made it cosy for me, but—’

Shelley swirled the wine around in her glass. Italian wine. ‘But?’

‘He won’t let Jamie move in here with me. He says that it’s time Jamie stopped being spoon-fed.’

‘And does Jamie want to move in here?’

‘Oh, Drew’s been so difficult about it that he says he doesn’t know what he wants any more, apart from his boat.’

‘So let me get this straight…’ Shelley frowned. ‘Jamie has a child he doesn’t support and a boat he does?’

‘No!’ Jennie shook her head. ‘It isn’t like that! He does support Ellie—and he has to work very hard in order to do that.’

‘Well, that’s what most of the people on this planet do,’ Shelley pointed out gently.

‘But Jamie’s brilliant with boats! He’s a natural—everyone says so. And there’s a beauty for sale down at Milmouth waters—only she’s been terribly neglected. Jamie’s dying to work on her and the owner’s given him first refusal. And it’s such a wonderful opportunity!’ For a moment her face screwed up with enthusiasm, like a child’s. ‘If he could just buy this boat and do it up, the profit we’d make selling it would set the three of us up. It would!’ she added fiercely. ‘We could buy this house from Drew. Or buy another instead.’

‘But Jamie doesn’t have the money to go it alone, and Drew won’t help him?’ Even though it now transpired that Drew had become Mr Money-Bags. Control freak, thought Shelley brutally.

‘That’s it in a nutshell, yes.’

‘So you’ve reached a kind of stalemate?’

‘Yep.’

‘Let me give it some thought,’ said Shelley. ‘Though I’m not really qualified to advise other people how to run their lives.’

‘Yes, you are!’ said Jennie fiercely. ‘At least you’ve seen something of the world! And lived in Italy! I’ve never set foot outside Milmouth—unless you count a fortnight’s holiday in Spain when I was fifteen!’

Shelley laughed and drained her glass, realising that it was her second. Which might explain the sudden flushing heat to her cheeks. The whoozy feeling in her stomach. ‘Wow!’ she puffed. ‘I’m not used to drinking at lunchtime—it’s gone straight to my head!’

‘Have one of these sandwiches.’ Jennie passed the plate. ‘I know they look like doorstops, but they make great blotting paper!’

Shelley was just demolishing her second when the doorbell rang, and Jennie got to her feet. ‘That’ll be Drew and Ellie—so bye-bye peace and quiet!’ she sighed. ‘Because much as I love my daughter to pieces it’s wonderful to be able to sit and have this slightly decadent lunch without having to leap to my feet every five seconds!’

‘I can always babysit—if you want to get out with Jamie one night. Or afternoon. Name your day!’