Page 34 of A Snowy Seaside Christmas
‘Encore! Encore!’ came the reply from the audience.
Jack looked over to Jenna, his eyebrows raised in question. She replied with a nod.
‘Okay, okay! If we read you another chapter, will you stop clapping and get yourselves home?’ he said, still having to shout to be heard.
The response was a resounding yes.
‘Eee, I’ll tell you what, you lot aren’t half easy pleased,’ said Jenna.
She and Jack exchanged another glance, their eyes twinkling with hidden meaning.
‘Right then, before we do that, we’ve got some rather exciting news – well, when you hear what it is, you’ll agree that the prospect’s a heck of a lot more exciting for me than it is forJenna.’ He chuckled as Jenna shook her head and jokingly rolled her eyes.
‘Come on, Jack, lad, spit it out!’ came a voice from the audience.
‘Aye, righto.’ He reached for Jenna’s hand. ‘So, earlier today, I got down on these creaking old knees of mine – no idea how I managed, it’s still a mystery – and asked Jenna to be my wife.’
A collective ‘Ahh’ ran around the room.
‘You can tell me later if that was an “ahh” for my knees, or an “ahh” for me proposing to Jen. Anyroad, I’m chuffed to bits to tell you she said yes. Mind, she took that long to make her decision, my knees had locked and she had to help me up. I was seriously worried we were going to have to call the fire brigade to winch me to my feet. Thought she was going to regret saying yes when she realised what an old codger she was getting herself tied to.’
‘Eee! You don’t half tell a good story, Jack Playforth, talk about gilding the bloomin’ lily,’ Jenna said, giving one of her throaty laughs, the room filling with yet more applause.
Lark’s gaze slid to where Jack’s mother, Jean, was standing by the door, her face wreathed in smiles.So that explains the glow!She was clearly thrilled by the anticipation of her son sharing his happy news. And Lark couldn’t blame her.
The spark between Jenna and Jack had been obvious when Jenna had first visited the town and the pair had been inseparable ever since. She didn’t seem in the least bit bothered by the nine-year age gap between her and her future husband. The observation made Lark pause. Though the age gap wasn’t the main reason Lark had resisted the temptation of starting a relationship with Nate, it was a factor, albeit a small one. But, if nine years didn’t bother Jenna and Jack, why should the seven between her and Nate be a problem to her?
‘Someone excelled himself.’ Alex nodded towards Buddy who was sitting patiently at Nate’s feet.
‘Aye, he was a good lad,’ agreed Ed.
‘He was,’ said Nate. ‘Mind, I was a bit worried when he started snoring, just in case it was going to get loud. We had a Labrador when I was a kid, used to snore like a pig! Just about made the windows rattle. Luckily this one’s don’t seem to be too bad.’ He gave Buddy a pat, triggering a bout of tail swishing.
They’d reconvened to the tearoom where an array of tasty nibbles had been laid out along with glasses of mulled wine and spiced cider, with non-alcoholic alternatives for those who preferred it or who were driving. Jack and Jenna were mingling, people heaping congratulations and good wishes onto them. Nate had been given the go ahead for Buddy to join them as a one-off which was an honour since Gerty wasn’t allowed to venture up there.
Lark was in conversation with Florrie and Stella when she felt a nudge on her arm. She turned to see Nate smiling down at her.
‘Have you seen this?’
Lark followed his gaze to see her father enjoying an animated conversation with Louisa. He looked relaxed and happy while Louisa was playing with her hair, smiling up at him.
She pressed her hand to her chest, her heart filling with love for her dad. This was huge!
She hadn’t had a chance to speak to Louisa immediately after the reading, but she’d spotted her heading up the stairs and decided to catch the curator at some point before she left, introduce her to her dad then.
But it would seem they didn’t need her involvement. And from what she could see, they were getting on like a house on fire.
Lark glanced back at Nate, a smile on her face. ‘I had a feeling they’d get along.’
‘Aye, watch this space.’ He waggled his eyebrows, making her giggle.
TWENTY-TWO
‘Anyone fancy heading to The Cellar for a quick drink after this?’ asked Max. His son, Connor, and Jasmine’s two children had gone back to his house, Njord’s View, where they were staying overnight while Jasmine’s parents babysat. Jasmine was staying over at his place that night, which she and her kids did occasionally, and her parents had encouraged her to make the most of the evening.
Stella checked her watch. ‘Don’t know about you, Al, but I’ve got time for a quick drink before I need to head back. I’ll stick to fizzy water with me driving. Plus, I still have a bit of prep to do for the trial tomorrow.’
‘Yeah, I’m good with that,’ Alex replied.
