Page 97 of Love like the (Real) Reel Thing
“I saw Simon a few minutes ago,” Jess said, deliberately changing the subject. “Is everything alright? He looked like he was about to tell me something.”
There was the tiniest pause. “Really?”
It was the day of her nana’s funeral – she should just let it go. But if there was something wrong she couldn’t just ignore it. A sudden, awful thought occurred.
“Is it about the wedding? Has Úna said she doesn’t want me there?”
“What?” Kate looked shocked. “No, of course not, Jess. She wouldn’t do that. Look, it’s nothing – we’ll chat again. Oh, there’s Zoe, I should go say hello.”
“Sure.”
Jess stood for a few moments by herself, then, checking that there was nobody else heading in her direction, she walked around to the side of the church, grateful for a few moments alone. Automatically, she took her phone out of a small black handbag, and turned it on to check her messages, frowning when she saw the number of notifications she had.
She should ignore them. Whatever was happening down in Linford would wait. All that mattered right now was being with her family, remembering Moira. She started to put her phone away.
“… feeling any better? Maybe we shouldn’t go to the cemetery, Kate.”
Simon’s voice echoed around her and Jess realised he was on the far side of the half wall where she’d hidden herself. She pressed her back tighter against the stone wall, its coldness grounding her.
“… just glad the loo was open,” Kate was saying. “Give me a minute, I’ll be fine.”
She shouldn’t be listening to this. She looked down at the gravel under her feet. If she moved now, she’d give herself away.
“You didn’t tell her, did you?” Simon said.
Jess found herself holding her breath.
Kate said something that Jess couldn’t really hear. Then there was the crunch of gravel as they started to walk away. At the last moment, Jess caught Simon’s voice. “… you’ll be showing soon enough.”
Jess froze. Kate was pregnant! And they hadn’t wanted to tell her. Especially today, at her nana’s funeral. She knew they really wanted a family together and, under any other circumstances, she’d be happy for them. Only right now, she wished she didn’t know.
Her phone buzzed again and she listened for voices on the other side of the wall, but Kate and Simon seemed to have gone.
Maybe she needed a distraction – any distraction.
Taking a slow breath, she checked her notifications. Afric Brooks andAn Irish Inheritancewere both trending.‘Afric Brooks disappears in the middle of her latest movie in Ireland.’Nope, that had to be wrong – they’d only gone out to Achill for a couple of days’ filming. It was some stupid gossip site making a story out of nothing. She skimmed down to the next headline.‘Pregnant Afric Brooks fails to return to Linford Castle during filming ofAn Irish Inheritance.’Jess forced herself to stay calm asshe searched for an Irish newssite she trusted. Here it was.‘Linford Curse strikes again: Hollywood star Afric Brooks disappears.’
“Crap,” she whispered. “Double crap.” She rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to ground herself. There was nothing she could do today, and nobody in the group would expect her to. She’d worry about it tomorrow.
She heard someone approach and stuffed her phone back into her bag, relieved when her mother appeared.
“Are you okay, love?” Carmel looked worried.
“Yeah, sorry.” Jess managed a small smile. “I just needed a minute.”
“The hearse is leaving now.” She handed Jess a small packet of tissues.
“Thanks, Mam.” Jess took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
CHAPTER 47
Jess and Zoe sat curled up together that evening on the frayed two-seater sofa in their parents’ living room.
“I’m just gonna put this out there,” Zoe said, sipping the hot chocolate Carmel had made for them. “I loved Nana to bits and I’m going to miss her forever, but funerals are fucking exhausting. Also, how the hell did she drink all that pink gin?”
Jess smiled tiredly. Moira had left strict instructions for her funeral – from the Aretha Franklin songs in the church and at the graveside, to the gin that everyone over the age of eighteen was offered at the late lunch after the burial.
“That was a great eulogy Dad gave,” Jess said. “Hey, did you know that Simon’s parents were at the Mass?”
