“Not so much now.” Clare helped herself to salad. “I used to. Before I turned freelance, I worked for a fashion magazine in London.” She saw Flora looking at her casual shorts and loose linen shirt. “You wouldn’t think it, would you?”
Flora felt herself turn scarlet. “I wasn’t—”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you were. The truth is I don’t have much use for designer labels here. What use are heels and glitter when I’m trying to tame the garden? Becca used to say—” She froze halfway through the sentence. “Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Jack joined them, and Flora tried to hide her discomfort. It was so obvious to her that Clare didn’t want her here. That she was simply being a good hostess. Couldn’t Jack see that?
“Nothing.” Clare thrust a plate into Jack’s hand. “Can you give that to Todd? You know how he always chars everything if we don’t keep an eye on him. I don’t want him to burn the food.”
“You were talking about Becca, weren’t you? It’s allowed,” Jack said evenly. “She isn’t a banned subject.”
Was that true? In some ways it was. What with the photographs, the stories and the way they were still living the life they’d lived with Becca she couldn’t have been more present if she’d actually walked through the door to the garden. But in another way, she was a banned subject. Jack never talked about her unless the children did. He’d made it clear he didn’t want to talk about her. Flora had assumed it was because he wanted to move on. That he found it hard. But what if there was another reason?
Clare had turned her attention back to the food.
“Rescue those burgers, Jack, for all our sakes.” As Jack walked away, there was an uncomfortable silence and Clare poked at her salad.
Flora decided to address the elephant in the room. Things couldn’t get much more awkward, could they? “I appreciate that this is difficult. You must have been shocked when Jack said he was bringing me.”
“Not at all.” Clare’s response was a little too quick, and a little too smooth. “We always love to see Jack and the girls. I can’t believe how much Molly has grown. Children hate it when you tell them that of course.” She continued to talk about neutral subjects, avoiding the really sensitive issue—Flora.
“Molly is adorable. She loves drawing and painting and she has a really good eye.”
“Yes.” Clare speared a tomato. “And Izzy is such a smart, warm, funny individual. How are the two of you getting on?”
Smart, yes. Warm and funny? Not with Flora, although she’d seen her that way with her father and sister. But there was something about Izzy that worried her. Something she didn’t feel was personal.
If she and Clare had been friends, she might have asked for her opinion and shared her concerns but didn’t want to admit that she was finding Izzy a nightmare. It was something she tried not to admit even to herself. She made constant excuses. She’s grieving, it’s hard for her to see her dad with someone else—
In the end she dodged the question. “I haven’t had a chance to get to know her as well as Molly, but she’s been amazing. She’s held everything together.”
“It must have been hideous for her. Izzy was very close to Becca. She worshiped her mother.”
Jack returned with a plate of meat, saving Flora the trouble of trying to find a suitable response. He placed it on the table next to the salads.
“I think I rescued it moments before we needed the fire service.” He slid his arm round Flora and pulled her close.
Had he heard that comment about Becca? Maybe he had, because he was both protective and affectionate. Unfortunately, he chose to kiss her at the exact moment Izzy appeared at the bottom of the garden.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Izzy stopped so suddenly Aiden cannoned into her.
“Oops—” He caught her by the shoulders to steady her.
Flora instinctively tried to move away from Jack, but he had his arm firmly round her shoulders and tugged her back.
“Izzy! Food.”
“Jack—” Flora spoke in an undertone “—I’m worried we’ll upset her.”
“And I’m worried you’ll be upset by all this talk of Becca.” He kept his arm firmly round her. “It’s fine.”
Was it fine?
Finally Izzy approached, Aiden a few steps behind her.
Flora had never been so tense.
“You two are soaking!” Clare put her plate down and made a clucking noise of disapproval. “What happened?”