Chapter Two
Jen waved goodbye as the family made their way out of the station. She ran along the platform towards her friends, who enveloped her in a group hug. Ted, her long-time bestie, lifted her off her feet and swung her around, scattering the group as she shrieked with laughter.
‘What’s with the chin curtain?’ she asked, patting his neatly groomed dark beard as he put her down. It had been a couple of months since she’d seen him; he’d been clean-shaven then.
He stroked his chin. ‘Yeah, growing this has been the mane event recently.’ He paused, grinning. ‘Mane event. Get it?’
They all groaned, laughing. ‘Still going with the dad jokes, then?’ Jen said.
‘Ignore him; at least now the birthday girl’s here the party can properly start,’ Lou said.
Jen pulled a face. She wasn’t that keen on celebrating her birthday, truthfully.
Who needed a reminder that youth was slipping away?
The whole of December could disappear, as far as she was concerned.
She would happily spend the whole month curled under a duvet or, better yet, lying on a beach in a hot country drinking cocktails.
Still, she had to admit that she’d been looking forward to seeing her friends, and the house did look gorgeously cosy in the photos on the group chat.
Lou threw an arm around her as they walked through the pretty waiting room with its wooden slats and gleaming parquet floor.
‘You know we never let you get away with ignoring it, no matter how hard you try,’ she said. She looked a little pale, exhaustion shadowing her eyes. Twin toddlers would do that to you, Jen supposed.
‘Lead the way!’ Jen said, expecting a car to be waiting to take them to the house, but the group simply turned right out of the station and headed up the street.
At least she didn’t have to walk right past Julia’s house, which sat in the row of cottages on the other side of the station. She couldn’t resist glancing over her shoulder, but it was hidden from view.
They were soon at the Airbnb, a gorgeous converted barn with a view of seemingly endless fields.
Christmas lights were strung across the porch and hung from the eaves, a tasteful wreath hung on the door, and through the window she could see a huge tree twinkling with warm white lights and silver decorations.
‘Bit much,’ Jen muttered. ‘My God, we really are in Babblebrook.’
‘I told you we were,’ Ted said.
‘Well, I know, but I thought we were going to be on the outskirts, not right in the village.’
He laughed. ‘Outskirts? Babblebrook doesn’t have outskirts, it’s basically a street!’
He sounded so cheerful about it. Jen tried not to be grumpy; they’d organised the weekend for her birthday, at least in part, and it would be churlish to complain about the location.
She’d just have to make sure they stayed away from the village itself; surely they’d be cosying up in this gorgeous house most of the time anyway, or maybe out in the local town, Waterfield, where Ted lived.
She wouldn’t be in danger of bumping into Julia.
‘I hope you’ve saved me some of that mulled wine, at least,’ she said, trying to sound upbeat.
She dumped her bag in the hall and followed them into the cosy living room, where festive garlands draped over the mantelpiece, framing the roaring fire in the log burner.
A pleasant smell of pine, woodsmoke and spices filled the room.
‘Of course we did,’ Lou said. ‘I’ll get some now.’
They all trooped into the kitchen, where the pan sat warming on a gleaming Aga. Jen grabbed Lou’s arm. ‘Oh God,’ she groaned. ‘I have to tell you about this gorgeous guy I met on the train.’
Rich laughed. ‘Oh, here we go! How did the rest of us end up married with kids and you’re still young, free and single?’
Ted’s dark eyes flickered to Jen, and then to the hob, where he focused carefully on ladling wine into glasses. ‘I’m not married with kids,’ he said softly.
‘Might as well be, you’ve been with Sarah for ages now,’ Lou said, taking the wine he handed her and sipping. ‘So tell me about this guy – boring mum here needs some vicarious excitement!’
Jen knew that Lou was actually besotted with her children and wouldn’t change a single thing about her life. But she needed no encouragement to talk about the mysterious stranger she’d met on the train.
‘Oh my God, he was so handsome, he had this brooding sort of look, like an artist or something, he—’
‘An artist? Doesn’t sound like a very reliable prospect,’ Rich said, as they all took their steaming glasses to the living room and settled themselves around the glass-topped coffee table, sitting on the thick rug.
‘It’s romantic,’ Jen said. And who could tell whether a person would be reliable, anyway? She still marvelled that her friends had all apparently managed to find partners who’d stayed true to them. She’d never had that kind of luck; she just wasn’t that kind of girl.
Lou smacked Rich’s arm. ‘Shut up, I want to hear about it.’
‘He had that dark hair and blue eyes thing going on and cheekbones to die for!’
‘Sounds really dishy,’ Lou said, chin on hand, her eyes taking on a dreamy expression.
‘Oh yeah, nothing recommends a man better than brown hair and blue eyes,’ Rich said, a teasing tone to his voice as he shook his own blond head.
‘No, but this is the best part – he was reading Far From the Madding Crowd.’
Jen waited, glancing around at them all as though this explained everything. Lou and Rich looked perplexed.
‘Well, being able to read is a bonus . . .’ Rich said.
‘No, but—’
‘It’s her favourite book,’ Ted said quietly.
‘Exactly!’ Jen took a sip of mulled wine, the spiced flavour spreading warmth through her.
‘How romantic,’ Lou murmured. She’d met her own husband when she’d done her final teacher training placement and he’d been a newly qualified teacher at the school.
They’d been together forever and were well past the honeymoon stage and into what Jen considered to be the rather dull territory of sharing mortgages, nursery pick-ups and supermarket shops.
Though she had to concede that Lou seemed perfectly happy. ‘Did you get his number?’
Jen shook her head. Lou looked horrified.
‘Instagram? Full name so you can Google stalk?’
‘Nothing.’
They stared at her.
‘That’s even more romantic,’ Lou said dreamily.
‘Wow, you’re losing your touch,’ Rich said, chuckling. ‘You’d never come home without a number back in the day. You were the queen of closing the deal!’
Jen shrugged, grinning.
‘Maybe it’s because you didn’t have your wingman,’ Lou said, and they all looked at Ted, who sat on the floor next to Jen. ‘But perhaps we can put that right this weekend, eh?’
Ted laughed, running a hand through his thick dark hair and shaking his head. ‘Oh, I think those days are over. I’m a sensible deputy head now, I have a reputation to consider.’
Jen raised her hands. ‘I’m not in the market for romance, I just want a nice weekend with my friends.’
Still, the memories of that long-lost girl were flooding back – herself and Ted in a bar when they were at college, him talking her up to whichever guy she was interested in – were some of her happiest.
‘Yes, I forgot to congratulate you on nearly a whole term in the new job,’ she said, clinking her glass against his.
He smiled, his eyes creasing at the corners. ‘Thanks.’
‘What’s it like working so close to home? I can’t believe you got a job at Babblebrook Primary. It’s only a few miles away from Waterfield!’
She shook her head, thinking of her little niece, Amy, who was no doubt one of Ted’s charges.
He probably knew Julia pretty well now; perhaps they chatted at the school gate.
Perhaps they talked despairingly of her wayward sister, his wayward friend, and whether she would ever get her life in order.
Jen pushed away this less than pleasant thought.
She and Julia had grown up nearby, and then Jen had gone to the local college to do her teacher training.
It was no surprise, really, that the friends she’d met there had settled in the area, and that Julia had too.
She still wished that they’d chosen somewhere further afield than Babblebrook for their reunion, though.
Ted’s expression had taken on a reserved edge as he looked at her, and she had the distinct and uncomfortable impression that her fears about the conversations he had with Julia were closer to the truth than she’d imagined.
She smiled, trying to shake off her discomfort. ‘Bet you have to be on your best behaviour, eh? No getting rat-arsed in the catchment area!’
He hiccupped a laugh, looking round at the others in mock despair. ‘I think our days of getting rat-arsed are behind us, aren’t they?’
The others nodded.
‘My weekends are spent driving the kids to football and standing on a freezing field cheering them on, not going out drinking,’ Rich said.
Lou was nodding. ‘The twins still wake every night, I’m too tired to be going out.’ She yawned. ‘Honestly, a couple of good nights’ sleep is the thing I’m looking forward to most about this weekend.’
Ted and Rich laughed and clinked their glasses against hers. And Jen looked on dubiously. She was beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that this weekend was not going to be the fun-fest she’d been expecting.