Page 85 of The Last Saturday In July
‘Adam, I ...’
‘Look, I get that was my fault, I was a complete bollix to you. But now we know each other better, I get the feeling ...’ He stopped and seemed to gather his thoughts. ‘We’ve just spent a lovely evening together. And you could have gone home with Zoe, but you came with me instead. Tell me I’m reading this wrong.’
For a few moments, Jess didn’t trust herself to speak. She’d cheated on Simon, and now she’d given Adam the wrong idea. ‘I’m sorry, Adam. I love horses, and it was too good an opportunity to pass up. That’s all.’
Adam’s expression closed. ‘No worries, you’re welcome any time.’
Briefly, Jess indulged in a fantasy where she could escape to Adam’s farm, and ride horses whenever she wanted. ‘I’d better go in, it’s late.’ She tried to smile, but she was a bit afraid she might cry instead. ‘Goodnight.’ Carefully, she picked up the colourful earthenware pot she’d chosen. ‘Please thank your mam again.’
‘Goodnight, Jess.’ Adam made no effort to move as she got out, but waited until she’d let herself in, before he drove away.
In her parents’ hall, Jess leaned against the door, listening to the sound of the engine grow fainter. Finally, she forced herself to move. She found Zoe in the garden, sprawled in a faded deck chair, a blanket warding off the cool evening air.
Zoe shot her a sly look. ‘Thought you’d run away with the sexy Adam.’
‘Don’t.’ Jess dropped into the other chair. ‘We stopped at his family farm on the way home and had dinner with his parents.’
‘Shut the front door!’ Zoe let out a whoop of laughter. ‘You know I’m supposed to be the wild one in our family, don’t you?’
‘Zoe, keep your voice down.’ Jess turned to make sure neither of their parents was around. ‘Anyway, there’s nothing wild about a family dinner.’ She pushed her hair tiredly back from her face. The evening had been perfect. Or as perfect as anything based on a lie could be.
Zoe closed her eyes. ‘Can I just say something?’
‘You will anyway.’ Jess yawned.
‘You’re supposed to be getting married in ten days and you’re still on a break. I just think if this were about Simon being pissed off at you, you guys would have had a yelling contest and lots of make-up sex, or whatever it is you do.’
She didn’t want to talk about Simon right now. Especially with Zoe. ‘How are Nana and Finn getting on?’
‘Finn thinks Nana is the coolest eighty-something he’s ever met.’
‘What’s he going to do when Nana’s back on her feet?’
‘Don’t think he’s thought that far ahead.’ Zoe turned to look at her. ‘I know I’m totally pointing out the obvious here, but you have a bigger fucking problem than where my boyfriend will live when Nana’s better.’
Jess gave a flick of her hand. ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Thank fuck.’ Zoe grinned.
‘So, what did you think of the Linford job?’
‘Dinner was good. What happened in the big hall was a bitwoo-woo.’
Jess rolled her eyes. ‘It was just the electrics.’
‘Maybe you could pretend there’s ghosts.’
‘Haha, that’d work.’
Zoe stared at her. ‘Why wouldn’t it?’
‘Because I can’t just lie, Zoe. We’ve done the research and, weirdly, there’s no mention of a single ghost in the whole history of Linford.’ Jess sighed. ‘Anyway, it could totally backfire, and we have enough problems with the curse. That’s why we’re so dependent on this wedding going ahead.’
‘You’re missing a trick, Jess.’ Zoe rolled her eyes. ‘People either believe in ghosts or they don’t. Tell everyone that Linford is haunted and, if people don’t believe in ghosts, it won’t make any difference. But it might attract the supernatural crowd. Make one of the bedrooms haunted and give me and Finn a mates’ rate. We could do with a break.’
Jess said nothing. Beneath Zoe’s flippant remarks was frustration that she and Finn could barely afford rent in Dublin. What would happen if she and Simon did split up? She could rent somewhere small but, at thirty, she’d be starting all over again, on her own. God, she had to stop thinking like that. What mattered was whether she loved Simon enough to marry him. But for the first time ever, she wasn’t so sure anymore.
Chapter 33
