A Weekend To Remember by Miranda Lee

Author:Miranda Lee [Miranda Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781459276888
Publisher: Harlequin

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘HANNAH!’ Marion cried with obvious and abundant pleasure when she opened the front door.

In her mid-fifties, Marion was a very big woman, tall as well as wide, given to wearing voluminous caftans in vivid Hawaiian patterns, regardless of the season. Today, her ankle-length dress had a white background with a red hibiscus print—the same outrageous red as her red frizzy hair.

‘How nice of you to come and visit us,’ she gushed, bright blue eyes twinkling. ‘Edward!’ she called back into the house. ‘Hannah’s here. And she’s brought a friend. Light the barbecue, darling, and get out some wine.’

She turned back to face an already flustered Hannah. ‘Well, aren’t you going to introduce me to this gorgeous man?’ she said, staring past Hannah straight at Jack.

Hannah cast a worried glance over her shoulder at Jack, met his drily amused eyes, and relaxed. ‘This is Jack Marshall, Marion. My…er…um…’

‘Fiancé,’ Jack put in solidly before she could decide what to call him.

‘Fiancé!’ Marion exclaimed, looking from Hannah to Jack to Hannah again. ‘But you said nothing last weekend about being engaged when we ran into each other down at the shops.’ Marion managed to sound mildly aggrieved and absolutely intrigued at the same time.

‘It…er…it only happened this last week.’

‘Oh, how lovely! I’m so happy for you, dear. I was worried that you might not want to get married again after putting up with that frightful husband of yours for years. But I’m so pleased you are. Life is far too lonely without a partner to share it with. I’d be lost without my Edward.’

She gave Jack the once-over, her expression admiring. ‘And haven’t you done well for yourself this time! Now, this one is a real man, if looks are anything to go by—which of course they aren’t, but it’s a nice start. Marshall, did you say your surname was?’ she rattled on, frowning first at Jack then back at Hannah. ‘You work for Marshall Homes nowadays, don’t you, dear?

‘Yes.’ Hannah felt a guilty blush gathering.

Marion’s pencilled eyebrows lifted, her blue eyes twinkling some more. ‘But how romantic! Now, do come along inside, both of you. It’s rather fresh out. Much warmer in the family-room.’

A sideways glance at Jack reassured Hannah that he was resigned to at least a short visit. Marion did rather overwhelm one, but she was such a generous soul underneath that Hannah didn’t like to say no to her impromptu invitations.

Hannah had met her soon after Dwight had bought the cottage, succumbing to an on-the-spot invitation to dinner when they’d met down at the local video store. Dwight, however, had never hidden his contempt for a woman who looked and dressed as Marion did, though he had tolerated her company occasionally, in order to drink some of her husband’s rare red wines.

‘Actually, Marion, we didn’t come over to impose ourselves on you,’ Hannah elaborated swiftly as they were ushered inside. ‘We found a dead ring-tailed possum in the bush this morning, and it had a baby still alive in its pouch.

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