Family for Beginners by Sarah Morgan

Author:Sarah Morgan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2020-02-25T19:01:31+00:00

12

Flora

What was she supposed to wear?

She was a child again, confused and alone, desperate to make a good impression.

It wasn’t that Clare hadn’t been polite—she had been perfectly civil—but civil wasn’t warm, was it? Civil wasn’t enthusiastic. It was a mark of good manners. There was little worse than being tolerated, and she knew that right now she was being tolerated for Jack’s sake.

All the power she’d felt when she’d confronted Celia had drained away. This was different. This mattered.

She heard Jack’s laughter through the open window as he chatted easily with his friends and she stepped closer, staying out of sight as she watched him. He was entirely comfortable with these people, and it hadn’t occurred to him that she might not be.

He was standing, beer in his hand, laughing and talking to a man who had his back to her. Todd, presumably. Todd, who had no doubt adored Becca.

And there, shimmering in the sunlight at the end of a long sweep of grass, was the lake.

Flora felt the stirrings of panic lodge in her throat.

Should she say something? Should she tell them? No. It would mean talking about something she didn’t want to talk about.

There were plenty of other activities on offer here. There was no need for her to go on, or even near, the lake.

Molly was playing with Chase, their antics producing a symphony of barks and girlish giggles. Flora found herself smiling as she watched them. They were having so much fun.

It was such a contrast to the cold, sterile life she’d had with her aunt that for a moment Flora struggled to breathe. This was the type of home most people dreamed of having. It wasn’t about the surroundings, although the place was idyllic, it was the feeling of love. She watched as Clare wiped Molly’s hands before giving her an ice cream. She was an attentive, engaged mother and she reminded Flora of her own mother.

To distract herself, she glanced across the garden.

There was no sign of either Izzy or Aiden, but no one seemed concerned about that.

Flora was concerned. She was worried about Izzy and had tried raising it with Jack a couple of times, but he hadn’t seemed worried at all. Their relationship was going so well, she didn’t want to threaten it by overstepping. She wasn’t his wife. She wasn’t the girls’ mother. There was nothing formal about their relationship. She didn’t have a role, and yet she felt responsibility.

As she stood there, still wearing the robe Clare had thoughtfully left out for her, Jack saw her and smiled and raised a hand. Todd turned, glanced up at the window where Flora had thought she’d managed to hide, and waved, too. She had no choice but to wave back.

Great.

Now they all knew that she’d been skulking, watching them, too cowardly to go downstairs and join them.

What would Becca have worn for their first evening together in the garden? Probably something flowing and white, with casual loops of silver round her

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