The Mill on Magnolia Lane_A gorgeous feel-good romantic comedy by Tilly Tennant

Author:Tilly Tennant [Tennant, Tilly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786818409
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2019-04-05T11:45:16+00:00

* * *

Charlie had been allowed to drink a little beer mixed with lemonade, and while he’d been happy to join in the conversation at first, after an hour or so, he’d wandered off to play on his games console in Jude’s little office. Jude and Harriet were taking it in turns to check on Artie now. Sometime around eleven, a tinny little voice came from the baby monitor.

‘Mummy!’

Harriet pushed herself from the sofa. ‘I won’t be a minute. He’s doing this all the time at the moment – night terrors or something they call it.’

At this Jude looked alarmed. ‘How long has this been going on? It didn’t happen last time he stayed with me.’

Harriet shrugged. ‘About a week, maybe. He just wakes up all stressed. Apparently it’s a toddler thing – nothing to get antsy about. Mum says I used to do it too.’

She left the room, Jude watching her go with a look of concern.

‘You heard her,’ Damon said mildly. ‘He’ll be alright in a minute.’

Jude turned to him and now his look of concern had turned to one of irritation. Lizzie knew what he was thinking without having to ask. Damon had no children, hardly took any interest in Artie as far as Lizzie could tell, and wasn’t far short of a man-child himself. It was alright for him to offer glib reassurances because – though she could be wrong – Lizzie would bet he’d never had a single responsibility in his life.

‘I’ll turn the music off for a while, shall I?’ Lizzie offered. ‘Just until Artie settles off again…’

Jude threw her a grateful look. She went to the iPod dock and pressed pause on the playlist. As she took her seat again, Harriet shouted for Jude.

‘Can you come in for a minute?’

Jude got up and went out, leaving Lizzie and Damon alone. Here were two people now thrown together who had nothing more in common than the fact that their partners had once been partners, and if any situation promised an awkward silence, this was it. Lizzie glanced at him and offered a tight smile.

‘So…’ she began in a bid to fill the gap. ‘You never did say what you do for a living.’

‘I’m in a band.’

‘Really?’ Lizzie asked. Considering what she’d heard that evening, she vowed never to get conned into going to see them. ‘What are you called?’

‘We haven’t settled on a name yet.’

‘Oh. Where do you play?’

‘Haven’t actually played a gig yet.’

Lizzie frowned. ‘So you’re not making money from it? You have another job?’

‘Not exactly… I’m helping out on my dad’s farm until we get going. We’re trying to build up a YouTube audience first, then we’ll get on the circuit.’

‘Will you try for a record deal?’

Damon’s lip curled. ‘Give all our earnings to a faceless corporation? No chance! You don’t need a record deal these days; you can do it all yourselves and keep all the money.’

‘Oh…’ Lizzie said, folding her hands over one another in her lap. ‘Well, that’s good.’

They fell to silence again.

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