Christmas at Winterbourne by Jen Silver

Author:Jen Silver [Silver, Jen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance
ISBN: 9780947528027
Publisher: Affinity Ebook Press NZ Ltd
Published: 2016-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Four

Christmas Lunch

Sally wondered when she was going to have another chance to get Clare on her own. Damned inconvenient all this Christmas stuff. She had been on the verge of gaining some important info when everyone arrived for the pre-lunch meeting.

The bombshell about Shelley’s defection set Candice off and even her previously verbally challenged partner was joining in. They were now engaged in animated chat with Gabriella and her mother. Marguerite was expressing herself with much arm waving as well.

Sally ripped the paper off the present and found herself looking at a framed colour print of the front of Winterbourne House in summer, everything in full bloom, a startling contrast to how the place looked now with all the snow. Sally glanced over at Clare. She was also looking at the photo in her hands. Her face had the faraway look she’d had in the moments before the meeting when Sally had asked her about how she first met Kim Russell.

It wasn’t likely she would get anything more out of Clare right now. Maybe if she offered to help in the kitchen she could pick up some tidbits. Ade McPherson was someone she desperately wanted to talk to, but it seemed she was going to have to get past the formidable Rita first.

Just when she’d decided to put this plan into action, the door opened and JJ arrived. The sudden silence as she entered the room was embarrassing, to say the least.

Clare, who moments before looked like she was in another world, was the first to react.

“Hi JJ. Would you like some mulled wine?”

“No, thanks. Ade brought me some. It was very good, but I guess there will be more wine with the meal.”

Sally thought she sounded better than she looked. Probably still in shock. She scooted over on the sofa to make room for her.

“What’s that?” JJ pointed to the picture still in her hands.

“Oh, it’s a Christmas present. We all got one. I guess there’s one for you as well.”

JJ snorted. “Great. But I don’t think I’ll be wanting a memento of this place.”

Candice, as usual, didn’t hold back. “We’re all really sorry to hear about Shelley.”

There was another uncomfortable silence before JJ spoke again. “Well, I didn’t see it coming. What I don’t know is how she managed to take the suitcase with her without making enough noise to wake me up this morning.”

Clare coughed. “Was it a blue case with red trim?”

“Yes.”

“I saw it in the hall cupboard last night when I got my coat to go outside to look at the stars.”

Silence again.

This was going to be a fun Christmas meal, Sally decided. Maybe they should play “Truth or Dare” and they could all tell stories of past relationships gone wrong.

JJ seemed to have read her mind as her next words indicated. “Look, I don’t want to spoil anything for all of you. Please, just act normally. I might be a bit quiet, but honestly I would rather be here with everyone than sitting on my own in my room.

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