Finding Mother by Allen Anne

Author:Allen, Anne [Allen, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Sarnia Press
Published: 2013-12-07T16:00:00+00:00

Settled under an umbrella in the garden of The Ship, the little group enjoyed a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc while waiting for their food. Jeanne, sipping fruit juice, had recovered her composure and they were all laughing at one of Jonathan’s jokes. Nicole had been surprised at his ability to amuse. Under the nerdy exterior of black-framed glasses and pale face lurked a natural entertainer. And, according to the others, a great doctor.

The walk along the steep cliff paths had produced a healthy appetite as Ben had predicted. As their order of freshly cooked mussels, sea bass and lobster arrived, the appetising smell and sight brought the conversation to an abrupt halt.

They rounded lunch off with much needed coffees, before setting off along the lower coast road, skirting The Mermaid Tavern. As they came abreast of the beach Nick pointed out his boat, a sleek cabin cruiser at anchor a few feet from shore.

‘You’d be welcome to join us for a trip sometime, Nicole. We often come over for the day in the summer and another woman would even up the numbers a bit.’ He grinned.

‘Love to. Used to enjoy boating when I lived in Jersey.’

‘Nick refurbished the boat himself and I can vouch for its comfort. No expense was spared on the boss’s boat, eh?’ Ben said, in reference to Nick’s business as a boat-builder. ‘I could do with his skills at my house but for some reason he’s not keen to help!’

‘Haha,’ Nick replied with a grin, ‘you know I was working flat out on both the cottage and the boat for months and needed to relax with my lovely wife.’ As if to prove his point he wrapped his arm around Jeanne, giving her a resounding kiss.

After much exaggerated sniggering from the others, they settled to a steady walk, the two couples hand in hand, letting Jonathan lead the way.

‘So, what’s this about a cottage?’ Nicole asked Jeanne, coming abreast as the lane widened.

‘I inherited an old cottage from my grandmother and decided to renovate it before selling. But then things changed,’ Jeanne glanced at Nick with a smile, ‘and I stayed. My builders did all the heavy work but Nick offered to provide fitted cupboards and wardrobes which took him months in his spare time.’ Another glance at a now grinning Nick. ‘His offer was conditional on his being allowed to move in with me. I wasn’t too sure at first but then he proposed!’ She giggled.

‘That’s soo romantic! Where’s your cottage?

‘Perelle, on the west coast. Next time we have a barbecue you must come. We’re famous for our barbecues, aren’t we, Jonathan?’

‘You sure are. I was present at the first one Jeanne held, before these two became an item. And there’s been many since. They’ve become part of our social calendar and not to be missed.’

‘Sounds good to me. My social calendar’s pretty empty these days.’

Ben gave her a quick kiss before whispering, ‘I’d be only too happy to fill it up for you.

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