‘Well, why don’t I come over earlier—say about seven? Then I can help get the baby to bed, while you glam yourself up.’
Jennie started blinking rapidly. ‘I don’t know how to thank you.’
‘Hey! It’s nothing—honestly.’ Shelley’s voice was soft. ‘You’re just at the mercy of those wretched hormones again, aren’t you?’
When she arrived at Jennie’s, the place was in chaos— Ellie was screaming and there was a strong smell of burning—while Jennie herself was looking red-faced and panicky.
‘I left a pot of banana custard in the saucepan and forgot to turn it off! It would happen tonight—of all nights! And Ellie won’t stop crying!’ she moaned. ‘I can’t possibly leave her!’
‘Nonsense; of course you can!’ said Shelley smoothly, and gave the baby a delicate little sniff. ‘She needs changing, for starters, so I’ll do that first. Has she eaten?’
‘Just. Well, I tried—but she wouldn’t take much.’
‘Right.’ She looked Jennie up and down with an appraising eye. ‘Have you had a bath yet?’
‘No.’ Jennie shook her head. ‘And I don’t know if there’s going to be enough time—’
‘Oh, yes there is!’ interrupted Shelley firmly, not meaning to be overly critical, but thinking that this was what friends were for. And only Jennie’s worst enemy would let her go out without washing her hair! ‘Listen, I’ll clean Ellie up and then bath her in the kitchen sink, while you have a shower. And make sure you wash your hair. Spend as long as you like getting ready—I can look after Ellie.’
‘You’re very confident around babies,’ Jennie observed, stooping to pick up a rattle.
‘Well, Marco had a lot of nephews and nieces and we often went to visit them,’ explained Shelley, realising that Jennie was longing to ask her more. ‘Go on! Leave that!’ she grinned. ‘Go and make yourself beautiful for him!’
Jamie was late. Not very—just by ten minutes—but Shelley was irritated. Lateness was a power thing, especially if the occasion was important—Marco had told her that.
When she’d seen him down at the boatyard, he had been showing off his body in a pair of jeans and a singlet, but tonight he was dressed up to go out. And he really was spectacularly good-looking, she thought.
He had been attractive as a schoolboy, but now he had blossomed into a real head-turner, with an over-long tumble of blond curls and tanned skin—and teeth which were so perfect that they could have been a set of dentures!
He was also an incorrigible flirt and his baby-blue eyes widened like a cat’s when Shelley opened the door to him.
Then he made a great show of rubbing his fists against his eyes before looking at her again. ‘Have I died and gone to heaven?’ he said.
‘The first part can easily be arranged!’ she retorted. ‘Though I wouldn’t count on heaven as your destination!’
He laughed. ‘You’re so pretty.’
‘No, I’m Shelley!’
He followed her inside. ‘I didn’t get a chance to speak to you when you came down to the yard. But I know who you are—your reputation goes before you.’
She turned around. ‘Oh? From school, you mean?’
‘No. As the only woman who has ever walked away from dearest Drew.’ He said the name as though he didn’t like the owner of it very much. ‘And I can’t think of anyone more deserving!’
She didn’t want to talk about Drew with anyone—least of all with Jamie. ‘Do you want to go and see Ellie?’ she suggested. ‘I can tell Jennie you’re here.’
‘I can tell her myself,’ he said easily. ‘Is she in the bedroom?’
Shelley had learnt many things in Italy—and one of them was that a woman should always maintain a certain air of mystery. Which roughly translated meant that it would be better for a woman to run naked in the streets than shave her armpits in front of the man she loved! She also suspected, from the slightly decadent look on Jamie’s face, that he would take great pleasure in going upstairs to make love to Jennie, knowing that someone might be downstairs, listening.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll tell her you’re here,’ she asserted firmly.
Jenny was sitting in front of the mirror, about to apply a coat of livid crimson lipstick, when Shelley walked into the room.
‘Don’t!’ she yelled.
‘Don’t what?’ Jennie paused. ‘What is it?’
Shelley snatched the lipstick out of her fingers and substituted it with a subtle pink sheen she had seen on the dressing table. ‘Try this instead,’ she suggested. ‘It’ll go with your dress and it’s more subtle. Oh, and Jamie’s here—’