‘It isn’t you. It isn’t your fault.’ She scrubbed her palm over her cheek. ‘But we’re grown-ups. She’s a child. This whole situation is terrible for her, and I’d do anything to change it, but I can’t. The one thing I can do is not make things worse.’ Her voice broke. ‘She is not ready for me to have another relationship.’

‘Are you telling me that you’re never going to have another relationship in case it upsets Lexi?’

‘One day, maybe. But not yet. It’s just too soon. I won’t do anything that makes this whole thing worse for her. I suppose I could hide our relationship, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to sneak around and live a lie. We deserve better.’ Jenna lifted her fingers to her temples and shook her head. ‘This is ridiculous. I may be thirty-three but I feel seventeen. And I never should have started this. I never should have hurt you—’

‘You’ve always been honest with me, and that’s all I ask.’ The hopelessness of it made the moment all the more intense, and their mouths fused, their hands impatient and demanding as they took from each other. Urgent, hungry, they made love on the grass, with the call of the seagulls and the crash of the sea for company.

Aferwards they lay on the grass in silence, because there was nothing more to say.

When Jenna stood up and walked away he didn’t stop her.

* * *

The following day Jenna was half an hour late to surgery because everyone had kept stopping her to ask her for the details or give her another bit of gossip. Feeling numb inside, she’d responded on automatic, her thoughts on Ryan. ‘Thank you—so kind—yes, we’re both fine—no permanent damage—Matt’s doing well—’

The effort of keeping up a front was so exhausting that she was relieved when she finally pushed open the glass doors to the Medical Centre. Hurrying through Reception, she was caught in an enormous hug by a woman she’d never met before.

‘Nurse Jenna—how can I thank you?’

‘I—’ Taken aback, Jenna cast a questioning glance at Janet, the receptionist, who grinned.

‘That’s Pam. Matt’s aunt. He has four aunts living on the island, so there’s going to be more where that came from.’ Janet handed a signed prescription to one lady and answered the phone with her other hand. ‘There’s a crowd waiting for you here, Jenna.’

Matt’s aunt was still hugging her tightly. ‘It’s thanks to your lass that our boy’s alive. I heard she climbed down—and then you went down that rope after her.’