Chapter 6
The first week of the holidays had been hell for Jenna. Trying to pretend to the twins that all was well hadn’t worked, and in the end, she’d had to fake a stomach bug to stop them nagging her.
They’d completely accepted her story that their father was away with work, but they’d been worried that she wasn’t eating and that she didn’t seem herself.
‘Shall we visit Grandma?’ Ada had suggested hopefully. ‘She said we could come again whenever we wanted and we’re on holiday now.’
Jenna had explained that she still had some work to do and wanted to get it out of the way so would be busy for this week, but she promised to take the twins out as soon as she was feeling well enough.
They’d tried to be stoic about it, treating her kindly because they believed she was unwell, but it made her feel even worse.
While the girls played in the garden and mercifully entertained themselves with their toys, books, and the Wendy house they fondly imagined was a caravan in Kelsea Sands, Jenna hovered by the window, expecting to see Joel’s car pull up at any moment, even at the times when she knew he would be at work.
He must surely come for his belongings soon? Louis would have passed the message on by now. Joel would need fresh clothes. Unless he’d bought himself a whole new wardrobe full of them. She wouldn’t put it past him.
Or maybe his precious Annette – Nettie – had bought him some. Maybe she already had plenty in stock from previous lovers. Who knew how many marriages she’d wrecked in the past? Maybe Joel was just another in a long line…
She sat down at last, arms wrapped tightly around her waist as if to quell the churning in her stomach.
She recalled the last time he’d left, and how she’d waited each day for him to call by.
Most of her life at that time had been spent standing by the window, looking out for his car.
When she should have been excitedly planning for the arrival of her twins, she’d been too absorbed in what their father was up to, and wondering how she was going to manage if he didn’t come home.
Joel might have left her for eight weeks back then, but he hadn’t left her alone to get on with things. She’d had texts at first, telling her he missed her and loved her. When she’d responded in kind, he’d moved on to visits. Telling her he was confused and unhappy and didn’t know what to do.
He’d even kissed her and told her he still wanted her and that it wasn’t the same with his new woman.
But when Jenna had suggested that, if that was the case, he should move back home, he’d backed off pretty quickly, stating that it was too soon and he was still confused and it was best they had time apart to think things through.
How was she supposed to get over him when he played games like that?
Well, she wasn’t supposed to get over him, was she?
Deep down she’d known it, but there was still a part of her that clung to the belief that he really did love her, and that this was some sort of epic romance, with herself and Joel as the leading characters, overcoming obstacles before they could be together forever.
She blamed Wuthering Heights. She’d seen the old black and white film when she was only twelve. An impressionable age. She’d sobbed her heart out and gone on to read the novel. Love meant pain and misery, according to that story. The more it hurt, the deeper the love.
She’d been far too young to realise that was the very opposite of the message Emily Bronte had been trying to convey, but by the time she understood, it was too late. She was already under Joel’s spell.
She felt tears rolling down her cheeks and hurriedly wiped them away. She couldn’t let the girls see them and they might come in at any time. They’d been so good, so patient. They deserved better than this.
Jenna sat up straight suddenly. It was true. They did deserve better than this. They’d been looking forward to the summer holidays for weeks, and they’d made such plans. Was she really going to sit here wallowing while her children’s holiday time ebbed away from them?
‘Jenna Trent, what the hell are you playing at?’ she murmured.
If Joel didn’t care about how his behaviour affected his daughters, she did.
She couldn’t let him ruin the summer for them, and the more she thought about it the angrier she got.
Everything that had happened between them in the past had been at Joel’s say-so.
He’d left when he wanted, he’d come back when he wanted.
No apology. Just picking up where they’d left off as if it had all been a silly blip and not some affair that had practically destroyed her.
But this time she had her children to consider, especially as their father apparently hadn’t given them any consideration at all.
Ada and Hallie had to be her top priority, and she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for Joel to make up his mind what he wanted and decide their fate for them.
They were going to get on with their lives and just see how he liked that.
But how?
Jenna nibbled her thumbnail, thinking hard.
She could book a holiday somewhere, she supposed.
Though at this time of year and at such short notice, prices would probably be extortionate.
There was one obvious solution, though. She considered the matter carefully, weighing up the pros and cons and wondering if she could pull it off. Wondering if she could face it.
Outside she heard the girls shriek with laughter and she got up and went to the back door to check what they were doing.
Their little faces were bright with amusement as they turned to look at her.
‘Look, Mummy! We’ve got a caravan, just like Rosie’s,’ Hallie said, pointing at the Wendy house.
‘We’re having a picnic in there,’ Ada said, holding up the tea set she was carrying to show her. ‘Do you want to join us?’
‘Maybe another time,’ Jenna said, her voice husky with emotion at the sight of them.
Ada crawled into the Wendy house, carefully holding the tea set on its tray, and Hallie dived in after her.
Jenna made up her mind. She went back into the living room and picked up her phone. A quick call. That’s all it would take. If anyone could help her, it would be Rosie.
‘Hiya, love. What can I do for you?’
Rosie, her first cousin once removed, sounded as cheerful as ever.
Jenna could picture her clearly: strawberry-blonde hair tumbling in waves past her shoulders; big blue eyes, always heavily made up; tight jeans and an even tighter top; bangles rattling on her arms, rings flashing on her fingers.
She was pretty and lively and fun, and just hearing her voice made Jenna feel happier.
‘Hi, Rosie. Are you busy?’
‘Always busy me, love, but never too busy to chat to you. What can I do you for?’
Jenna smiled at Rosie’s turn of phrase, despite her nerves.
‘Well, I know it’s short notice and a bit of an odd request, but I was wondering if there were any caravans for hire at Tide’s Reach over the summer holidays?
I know it’s an owners’ only park,’ she added hastily, ‘but they do let owners rent them out, don’t they? ’
There was a pause, then, ‘Well, no, love. That’s why it’s called owners only. I mean, Gavin lets us lend them to friends and family sometimes, but he’s pretty strict. It’s to keep the park more secure and safe, you see. And it means the caravans are better looked after, too.’
Jenna closed her eyes. She should have known that. Stupid of her. Desperation, however, drove her on.
‘But friends and family… Are any caravans empty for the summer? Do you think the owner would let me stay there with the twins if I paid them quietly, without Gavin knowing?’
‘Jenna Trent! I can’t believe an upstanding citizen like you would suggest such a thing!’ Rosie laughed, but then her voice softened. ‘Is everything okay, love? Why do you need a caravan in a hurry?’
‘Oh…’ Jenna did her best to sound nonchalant. ‘I just thought it would be nice for the twins to see more of Mum and Mac during the holidays. I should have booked somewhere sooner, of course.’
‘There might be some vacancies in Millensea,’ Rosie suggested. ‘Quite a few caravan parks there and none of them are owners only. Well, I don’t think they are anyway.’
‘Yes, yes that’s an idea,’ Jenna agreed. ‘I’ll ring round and see what I can find.’
‘Hmm.’ Rosie hesitated. ‘Look, I’ll have an ask around and see if I can find anything going here. There’ll be a lot of people in the clubhouse right now, having their dinner, so I can make a few discreet enquiries. Can you give me an hour?’
‘Yes, of course. Thanks so much, Rosie. I’ll hold off from ringing the Millensea parks until I hear back from you.’
‘No worries. Speak soon.’
She ended the call and Jenna sat very still for a moment, wondering if she’d done the right thing. Had she sounded convincing enough?
She thought about Millensea. It was definitely a possibility, although she had a feeling that she’d left it too late even for that.
The smaller parks were full of caravans that owners either stayed in all summer or rented out months in advance.
The bigger parks were run by holiday companies who’d started taking bookings the previous year.
She’d be lucky to find anything either way.
‘I could always pitch a tent in the vicarage garden,’ she murmured, thinking of Rosie’s brother, Niall, who was the vicar at St Saviour’s in Millensea. He and Kendra, his wife, were lovely people and wouldn’t say no.
She laughed a little at the thought of it. The twins would probably love it, but Jenna wasn’t prepared to holiday anywhere that didn’t have its own shower and a flush toilet. Deal breaker.
She glanced at the clock as she realised Rosie had mentioned lunch. Well, she called it dinner, as did most of her family. Dinner at lunchtime and tea at dinnertime. Jenna had grown up saying the same thing, but living with Joel all these years had changed that.