Her Best Friend's Secret: A totally unputdownable family drama that will keep you turning the pages by Deirdre Palmer

Author:Deirdre Palmer [Palmer, Deirdre]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2024-04-23T00:00:00+00:00

Faye and Logan came round on Tuesday evening, as arranged. I kept the dining room permanently laid up for the guests’ breakfast but didn’t want us to eat in the kitchen tonight. A while ago, I’d bought a second-hand folding gateleg table for just such an occasion, along with four stacking chairs, and I’d hauled them out from the understairs cupboard and set them up in the sitting room.

‘Great idea, Mum,’ Faye said approvingly, as she and Logan took their places. ‘Can I smell roast dinner?’

‘You can,’ I said. ‘You couldn’t come on Sunday so I thought I’d push the boat out tonight instead.’

‘I thought you said your mum couldn’t cook,’ remarked Logan when his plate of roast lamb and vegetables was put in front of him.

He looked up at me and grinned. ‘Obviously, I wasn’t meant to believe that. I didn’t, of course. This looks wonderful.’

I laughed. ‘Oh, I think you were meant to believe it, but I’d hold back on the praise until you’ve tasted it if I were you.’

Faye stabbed a crispy golden roast potato. ‘What I actually said was that cooking made you nervous, not that you weren’t any good at it.’

I realised the truth of this – it was Tony who had watched over me with a critical eye, making me doubt my capabilities, in cooking, in most things really. I’d never noticed in the early years, or if I had, I didn’t mind. Sometimes Faye was more astute than I gave her credit for.

‘Maybe,’ I said, not wanting to bring Tony into the conversation. ‘I’m still better off not offering cooked breakfasts, though, just in case.’

‘It’s a matter of confidence, isn’t it?’ Faye said, reaching for the mint sauce. ‘Or lack of.’

‘Yes, all right, Faye.’ I smiled and raised my eyes.

I’d had enough of this topic. Instead, I asked about the cottage, and how the two of them found living in the centre of the village.

‘I don’t care where I live as long Faye’s with me,’ Logan said.

He gave her a full-on smile, then swiftly turned his gaze on me, as if he wanted to test my reaction. I’d sensed this about him before, his overt proprietorial manner with my daughter when he was in my company.

Pippa’s revelation simmered at the back of my mind. Was Logan really sleeping with somebody else while acting the part of the devoted boyfriend? I watched him slyly, trying to discern the slightest nuance of behaviour that might point to his betrayal, and found nothing. I’d already decided not to say anything to Faye. I couldn’t watch her crumble again, I just couldn’t.

‘We love our little cottage,’ Faye said now. ‘It’s just the best, having a home of our own. Well, rented off Logan’s mate, but ours for now.’

‘I’ll have to come and see it some time,’ I said, smiling.

‘Of course. Any time,’ Logan said, and kissed Faye on the cheek, apropos of nothing at all as far as I could tell.

I brought in the lemon meringue pie

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