Page 44 of Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses

‘Yeah, I was disappointed I couldn’t get to it, but it’s exactly the reason I wanted to speak to you today.’ Gabe reached for his glass of water and took a sip. ‘I’d like to make a donation; I’d have put something into the auction but I didn’t think it would raise that much, so I thought giving you a cheque or making a bank transfer would be better.’

Didn’t think it would raise that much? Didn’t he realise just how popular he was?Anoushka listened in disbelief.

‘Gabe, mate, you could’ve put a pair of socks you’d worn for a week and they’d have raised a shedload of money.’ Camm grinned at him.

‘I’m not too sure about that.’ Gabe laughed. ‘You can’t know what my feet are like after a day in these trainers, never mind a week.’ He jabbed his fork in the direction of his feet. ‘The horrors that lie within would shock you to your very core.’

‘I reckon I’ve seen worse in my days as a district nurse; my core was well-and-truly shocked many times then,’ said Molly, shaking her head at the memory. ‘The horror stories I could tell you. I can remember going to see old Mr—’

‘Stop!’ Vi held up her hand. ‘We don’t want to hear any more stories about the scary body parts you had to dress or tend to, thanks, Moll. We’re enjoying a civilizedfamilyafternoon and would rather not know about anything gory or inappropriate.’

‘I would,’ said Lucas, grinning broadly as he chewed on a mouthful of beef. ‘The gorier, the better.’

‘Well, I wouldn’t, Lukes!’ Lily said, pulling a horrified face.

‘Pfft! I wasn’t going to mention any of my testicle stories, just the ones about grotty trotters.’

‘Not sure they’re much better,’ said Vi.

Lucas spluttered a guffaw.

Gabe’s eyes grew wide. ‘Testicle stories?’ he said quietly, looking at Anoushka for clarification, his expression making her laugh.

‘From what I can gather, Molly’s got a whole repertoire of testicle-themed stories about her experiences as a nurse. Apparently some of them are real toe-curlers for the men.’

‘Jaysus, I can feel my own toes curling at the mere thought. Remind me never to ask her about them.’ Their eyes locked as they shared a giggle, the uncomfortable air rising up and drifting away.

‘I think it’s probably a good time to change the subject,’ said Jimby, giving a theatrical shudder.

‘I think you’re right there.’ Gabe grinned.

‘As long as it’s not for tups, Landies, or the price of sheep feed,’ said Vi shooting her husband a warning look. ‘We don’t want to be sent to sleep.’

‘How about the fact that The Manor House is in the process of being put on the market?’ Jimby had got everyone’s attention with that bombshell.

‘Wow, that’s a big old property,’ said Gabe.

‘What? No!’ Kitty looked crestfallen.

‘You’re joking?’ said Molly, her expression matching Kitty’s.

‘I’m not, you know.’ Jimby went on to explain how he’d been delivering a set of gates he’d made for Alan Moss, owner of the estate agents in Middleton-le-Moors, and been told of it then.

‘Apparently Robbie and Rosie are getting divorced and don’t intend to move back to the area,’ Jimby said.

‘Oh, that’s so sad, but I have to be honest, I did wonder after the last text I got from Rosie,’ said Kitty. ‘I’ve suspected things haven’t been right there for a while.’

‘Mm. Me too,’ Molly said.

‘Same here.’ Vi nodded before turning to her husband. ‘And how come you never mentioned about the house going on the market to me, Jimby? It’s major news; they were good friends of ours.’

‘What with all the preparations for the auction it slipped my mind. Sorry.’ Jimby shrugged sheepishly.

‘Typical man.’ Vi gave a roll of her eyes.

‘We’d guessed it was on the cards though, Vi,’ said Molly.

‘I know, but we’d only assumed; didn’t know it was a fact,’ Vi said.

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