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Back All You Need Is Love Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. OCTOBER
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. Acknowledgments
  53. More from Jessica Redland
  54. About the Author
  55. Also by Jessica Redland
  56. About Boldwood Books

‘You can’t put a time on these things,’ she’d cried. ‘I don’t think anyone will ever get over losing someone they love, but they shouldn’t be expected to grieve forever, especially if they’re still really young when they lose that person. Nobody has a right to say that four months is too soon. If he’d found someone he cared about after four days, four weeks, four months or four years, that’s his business. It doesn’t mean he didn’t care about his wife or has forgotten about her. It simply means another opportunity for love has come along and he’s grasped it with both hands.’

I’d massaged her shoulders and told her how much I loved her feistiness about these things. ‘I’m serious,’ she said. ‘If I drop dead tomorrow, you must not spend months or, even worse, years grieving for me. It serves no purpose. It’s not going to bring me back and you still have a life to live so live it.’

I’d laughed and reminded her that, statistically, women lived longer than men so it would be her finding someone new, not me. ‘I mean it,’ she said. ‘I’ll come back and haunt you if you don’t.’ I’d forgotten about that conversation until now. Nikki would not have been impressed at me spending the past year grieving for her.

‘We meet again, Dr Jones.’ Jemma smiled up at me. ‘I think you owe me a drink.’

‘I think I owe you an explanation.’

‘You do indeed, but it’ll have to wait because I’m freezing so a warm pub is my priority right now.’

I looked along the seafront. The pubs would be packed and we might struggle to talk. It was too much of a trek to the top of town but there were a few pubs on the way.

‘The Sea Dog?’ I suggested.

Jemma nodded. ‘Lead on.’

As we walked, Jemma chattered about her evening on the beach, how great it had been to see her mum laughing, and how exciting it had been to have so many fireworks going off round them.

The fireworks continued to explode in my stomach. Exciting? I wasn’t so sure. Bloody terrifying more like. I could do this, though. I could tell her. I could move on. But was she ready to move on from Scott? She’d said in her text that she wasn’t, but had that been a defence mechanism? I’d soon find out.

32

Jemma

‘This is Gunpowder Plot.’ Sam placed a pint in front of me. ‘I’ve got Rocket Release or something like that. We can swap if you don’t like yours.’