Christmas Kisses on Hollywell Hill_A festive, feelgood, winter romance. by Jackie Ladbury

Author:Jackie Ladbury [Ladbury, Jackie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fabrian Books
Published: 2018-11-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

‘Jake, I’m back.’ Natasha dumped two heavy shopping bags on the worktop, her handbag following it with a thwack.

Jake ambled into the kitchen, stretching and yawning. His eyes instantly fixed on Natasha’s handbag and he pointed with a shaky finger. ‘Get that thing off my worktop, it’s been on the floor.’ He picked her handbag up by the handle and lowered it to the floor with distaste as if it was a badly behaved dog.

Natasha ignored him; she didn’t share his fastidious ways and anyway she’d heard the lament too many times to take note. ‘I’ve managed to get fresh scallops in their shells, but I can’t face cleaning them, you’ll have to get Ben to do it, if you don’t have time.’ She headed for her car again, bringing in the rest of the food for the private dinner party they were organising. Jake hadn’t moved from the sink leaning against it while he’d filled the kettle and was now waiting for it to boil.

‘Don’t you want to check I’ve bought the right lamb?’ she asked bustling through the door, her hands full.

‘Not really.’

‘What’s happened?’ She was instantly alert. ‘Have we had a disaster?’ She stared at Jake, noting his dishevelled shirt and crumpled trousers. ‘Have you been asleep? Are you ill?’

‘Hey, all these questions. I put away a few glasses of Glenmorangie and fell asleep. Just feel a bit groggy – give me a moment.’

‘In the daytime?’ Natasha asked carefully.

‘Don’t look at me like that. Tessa phoned earlier with ultimatums.’

Natasha was suddenly all ears. ‘She wants to get back together?’

‘Luckily for you, by the look of horror on your face, no, she doesn’t. She came at me with all guns blazing demanding to buy my share of the house, saying she wouldn’t press for this that and the other, if I complied.’

Natasha sighed, her shoulders slumping with relief. ‘That’s okay, isn’t it? You didn’t really expect to go back there, did you?’

Jake shrugged. ‘No, but on some level I still hoped she would beg me to come home.’ He rubbed at his temple. ‘Although, the way I feel now, it would be so that I could tell her to fuck off. She acts as if she’s the injured party, desperate for me to admit my shortcomings whatever they are – and she’s so good at making me feel as if I’m in the wrong.’ He huffed out a breath and shook his head in bewilderment but he was determined to keep righteous anger at the forefront of his emotions, it was less painful than heartache. A pregnant wife carrying his best friend’s child was the stuff of movies, not real life and he couldn’t understand why Tessa seemed to think he should be the remorseful one.

‘Come on, Jake, you need to end this. Tessa’s not coming back and hoping that she will is preventing you from getting on with your life.’

‘I know, I know.’

‘While we’re on the subject of you getting on with your life,’ she enunciated

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