Chapter 8
It had been a glorious afternoon, with warm sunshine, clear blue skies overhead, and only the merest hint of a breeze to ensure they didn’t get too hot.
The twins had spent most of the afternoon with the animals.
The Highland cows with their shaggy red coats were firm favourites.
Although, strictly speaking, Jamie Fraser was a bullock, the mother-and-son duo were always collectively referred to as ‘the cows’.
Jenna hoped Jamie Fraser wasn’t offended.
Ada was also besotted with Heatherstone, one of the New Forest ponies. Hallie, on the other hand, had a sneaking fondness for the ducks. She could sit and watch them for ages, laughing at their waddling walk and throwing bits of duck food for them when they swam in their pond.
Mac let them collect the eggs from the hens during the afternoon, and they carefully carried them into the kitchen for Alison to wash and put away.
By five thirty they were all hungry, but the twins pleaded not to have to go inside, so they ate pesto and pasta salad at the picnic table followed by fresh strawberries and cream.
Jenna insisted on loading the dishwasher and clearing away the residue of their dinner.
‘I’ll cook tomorrow,’ she said. ‘It’s only fair. We’re not here to freeload or make extra work for you.’
‘I want you to have some rest,’ her mum said firmly. ‘You look worn out, doesn’t she, Mac?’
Mac held up his hands. ‘I’m saying nothing! I don’t think it’s wise to pass comment on a lady’s appearance. No matter what you say you’re always in the wrong, so I’ll leave that one with you.’
Jenna laughed. ‘Good decision.’
Alison rolled her eyes. ‘Even so… Well, I won’t argue about it. But I will say that when you leave here at the end of summer I expect you to have gained at least a stone and be the picture of health.’
‘A stone!’
‘Easily done, especially now I’m such a good cook.’
‘But you cook healthy food. You and Mac, you follow that low carb cookbook, don’t you?’
‘We have lots of cookbooks now. We still eat sensibly, but we have the odd treat – like tonight’s pasta dish.
I do love pasta. And you and the twins don’t have to eat what I eat.
Mac often has larger portions or extras on his plate, and I don’t see why you shouldn’t too.
I’m just a bit worried about you. You’re looking ever so peaky. ’
Jenna sighed. ‘You don’t have to worry about me.’ Seeing her mum’s face, she shrugged in surrender. ‘Okay, go ahead and fatten me up. I’ll look forward to it.’
Alison’s frown disappeared and she beamed at her. ‘Good. Can we start now? Why don’t I bath the twins and get them ready for bed, and you go across to see Gran and Grandad? They’re really chuffed that you’re staying here for the summer.’
‘If you’re sure?’
‘Absolutely! Go ahead. I’ll let the twins play outside for another hour or so and then I’ll call them in. You go and entertain my mam and dad. Good luck!’
Jenna laughed. Her grandparents were a lovely old couple, but quite eccentric in some ways. It would be good to spend a couple of hours with them.
She kissed her daughters goodbye and told them where she was going, and that she knew they wanted to see her grandparents, too, but that could wait for another day.
‘Tomorrow?’ Ada asked.
‘We’ll see,’ she replied. ‘Now be good for Grandma and Mac. Okay?’
The twins nodded and returned to their game and Jenna headed out of the gate and across the road.
She passed The North Star, glancing at the big bay windows and noting that it already looked quite busy inside.
There were people eating, drinking, laughing and chatting, breaking off now and then to gaze out over the Humber.
Everyone looked very cheerful, which she supposed was partly down to the good weather.
It made all the difference to have sunshine and blue skies. And the views helped, obviously.
Her grandparents lived in a red brick bungalow called Sanderlings, which was a few doors away from the pub.
Jenna had always adored it, although Joel insisted it was too poky and far too small.
He couldn’t imagine how they’d had room to bring Jenna’s mum up there.
He much preferred her Auntie Elaine and Uncle Christopher’s large, four-bedroomed house at the other end of the village, although he still thought that any property in Kelsea Sands wasn’t worth having.
Gran and Grandad were delighted to see her.
‘Come in! We were just about to have a nice cup of tea so you’re just in time.’
Jenna smiled to herself as her gran bustled into the kitchen. It would be more unusual if she’d arrived when they weren’t about to ‘have a nice cup of tea’. The kettle was always on at Sanderlings.
Grandad, who was sitting in his favourite chair with a box of chocolates on his lap, called through to his wife. ‘While you’re in there, Cherry, why don’t you open that smashing ginger cake we got at ShopSmart the other day?’
‘If I do,’ Gran called back, ‘it will be for me and our Jenna. You’ve been stuffing your face with chocolates all afternoon.’
Grandad winked at Jenna. ‘Special offer. Less than four quid for this big box, can you believe?’ He offered the chocolates to her. ‘Help yourself.’
‘No thanks,’ Jenna said, smiling. ‘I’ve not long had my dinner.’
‘You think he hasn’t?’ Gran came back into the room carrying plates of ginger cake, which she put on the coffee table. ‘Nothing stops him. His stomach’s a bottomless pit. I’ve had to slice this up because if I brought the whole cake, it would be gone in five minutes flat.’
Grandad rolled his eyes and patted his stomach. ‘I’ve got the metabolism of a twenty-year-old.’
‘Keep telling yourself that,’ Gran said. ‘I’ve seen you without your vest on, remember.’
She turned to Jenna, a look of concern on her face. ‘As for you – proper skinny, you are. You need feeding up. Two slices of ginger cake for you.’
‘Honestly, Gran, I’m not that hungry.’
‘What’s being hungry got to do with cake?’ Grandad asked, sounding genuinely perplexed. ‘If you don’t want it, I’ll have it.’
‘You will not! Come on, Jenna. Save your grandad from himself.’
Jenna obediently took the cake and forced herself to take a mouthful. It was surprisingly tasty and deliciously moist. Before she knew it, she’d eaten both slices and was just picking up the last crumbs from the plate when Gran returned with mugs of tea.
‘Perfect timing to wash it all down with,’ Gran said, beaming in approval at the empty plate.
‘So, where’s that fella of yours then?’ Grandad asked, completely out of the blue. ‘Joel. Haven’t seen him for ages. I doubt I’d recognise him these days.’
Jenna stared at him. She’d never been entirely sure that her grandad even knew Joel’s name. He’d never seemed to take much notice of him, at any rate.
‘Working,’ she said briefly.
‘You’ve come to stay at Watersmeet for the holidays then?
’ Gran asked, settling herself in the other armchair, mug of tea in hand.
‘Your mum’s over the moon to have you. She’s been worried about you.
Says you don’t look well.’ She surveyed Jenna carefully.
‘Hmm. She’s not wrong, is she? Have you been ill? ’
‘Of course not. It’s just work, that’s all. And looking after two boisterous seven-year-olds.’
‘I suppose so. It’s a lively age all right.’ Gran took a sip of tea and nodded.
‘They’re all lively ages if you ask me,’ Grandad said. ‘Never get a minute’s peace when you’ve got kids. Your life’s not your own. I remember our Alison when she was a youngster. It was one thing after another.’
‘And how would you know?’ Gran asked, her eyes wide in astonishment.
‘You were always at work!’ She turned to Jenna.
‘Anything he knew about your mum was because I’d told him.
He used to come home from work, go upstairs and get changed, then plonk himself in that chair for the evening.
There I was, waiting on him hand and foot and having to tell him all about what his precious family had been doing.
Not much changes,’ she added, shaking her head.
Jenna noticed the twinkle in her gran’s eye, and the fond look her grandparents exchanged. She knew perfectly well that Grandad had been a lovely dad, because her mum had told her so many times. These two just loved to banter and didn’t mean anything by it. They adored each other.
She felt a pang of sudden envy, like the one she’d felt when watching her mum and Mac interact.
How easy they made it all look! Her mum had had the same experience with Dad.
And she knew Auntie Elaine and Uncle Christopher thought the world of each other.
As for Niall and Kendra… Well, they were everyone’s idea of a perfect couple. A perfect family, really.
Where had she and Joel gone wrong?
‘What do you think to Mac then?’ Gran asked suddenly. ‘Between you and me, I mean. I won’t report back to your mother, promise. Do you like him?’
‘I do,’ Jenna said honestly. ‘He seems to be a genuinely nice man, very good to the twins. Very good to us all. Not many men would take us in the way he has. I mean, he doesn’t know us that well and it’s a lot, isn’t it? But he’s made us feel really welcome.’
‘Seems all right to me,’ Grandad agreed. ‘Gives me free duck eggs. Made us that quiche the other day, didn’t he, Cherry?’
‘The way to a man’s heart…’ Gran said, rolling her eyes.
‘Well, your grandad’s heart any road. What I like most about Mac is how much he loves your mum.
She’s had a rough time of it, hasn’t she, what with losing your dad.
But you can see how much he cares about her.
I always knew he’d be good for her, you know.
I told her he was a good ’un but would she listen? ’
‘He seems very kind and thoughtful,’ Jenna murmured.