Chapters (60)
- Cover
- Books by Sheryl Browne
- Dedication
- KARLA
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Epilogue
- The Affair
- Hear more from Sheryl
- Books by Sheryl Browne
- A Letter from Sheryl
- The Babysitter
- The Second Wife
- Acknowledgements
‘At your service,’ Jason assured her. ‘You’re definitely into outdoor activities then?’
‘Absolutely. I like to keep myself fit, mostly on the way back from the Chocolate Garden. That’s not to say I’m not into the odd romantic meal, too; walking in the rain, as long as I’ve got a brolly; barefoot on the beach and so on. I find that quite therapeutic. Do you like dogs?’ she asked, at a tangent.
And Jason felt guilty all over again. They’d been planning to get one. The kids were desperate for one. They hadn’t decided when yet, but they’d definitely decided on what: a Labrador. They’d even talked about taking long walks on the beach with it. Holidaying in Devon or Pembrokeshire maybe, both of which had dog-friendly beaches, where the kids could let off some steam. ‘I do,’ he said, a new heaviness settling in his chest.
‘Excellent. I was thinking of getting one from the rescue place, to stave off the loneliness of empty nights on my own. We have a lot in common.’
‘We do,’ Jason agreed, trying not to let his mind linger on what could never be.
‘Look, seriously, think about what I said about coming to stay,’ Jessie went on. ‘I have bags of room here at the cottage now my housemate’s moved out. Well, a spare room anyway, so you and I might need to cosy up, but if you were up for that…’
‘I think I could cope,’ Jason said quietly, actually considering the idea and thinking that it didn’t seem like a bad one. ‘It sounds like a plan.’
‘Let me have some dates,’ Jessie said. ‘I’m going to be coming to the UK to see my brother soon. He’s working in Birmingham. I was thinking that maybe we could travel back together? What do you think?’
‘I, er…’ Jason hesitated, and then wondered why. ‘Okay, why not?’
‘Brilliant.’ Jessie sounded pleased. ‘Uh-oh, I’d better go back inside. My shift starts in five minutes. Looks like it’s going to be a madhouse in A&E already. I’ll call you tomorrow.’
‘Speak then. Take care, Jessie.’ Jason ended the call with a bewildered shake of his head. He felt as if he’d just been hit by a tornado. But he also felt better than he had when he’d come home.