AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Is she blonde?’
He snapped the lid of his laptop shut. ‘No. She’s not. And my personal life is none of your business.’ He stood. ‘I’m going to work with Max today.’ Grabbing his laptop, he strode to the door. Chester and Joy followed him. ‘Stay,’ he said to them, then left the office.
12
‘What’s happened to your hand?’ Eveline cried as she opened the back door of the rectory for Estelle the next week.
‘James Hunter-Savage,’ she muttered.
Eveline’s hand flew to her chest. ‘Are you okay? Did you hit him?’
‘I wish,’ she replied, following her best friend through into the kitchen.
Jack was at the Aga, an apron over his clothes. ‘Morning, Stelle,’ he said over his shoulder. ‘Bacon sandwich?’
‘Yes please, and a cup of tea, and a slice of cake if you’ve got one. Failing that, a custard cream.’
‘Darling,’ Eveline said to him. ‘Look what James did to Estelle!’
Jack’s gaze fell to her bandaged hand and the spatula he was holding dropped with a clatter. ‘What the hell did he do?’
‘Nothing! James didn’t do anything,’ Estelle replied quickly, before Jack escalated the issue to Henry levels.
‘Then what happened?’
‘I was making him another gift and accidentally cut myself.’
‘Oh, thank goodness you’re alright,’ Eveline said.
Jack went to his wife. ‘Sit down, angel.’ He guided her to a chair and knelt by her side, holding her hand, his thumb making circles across the back of it. ‘Just breathe. Estelle’s fine, okay? Nothing to worry about.’
Estelle narrowed her eyes. Jack was being even more attentive to her friend than usual.
‘So, er, how did you hurt yourself?’ Eveline asked her.
Both she and Jack were staring at her with concern. Estelle suddenly felt very foolish.
She sat at the table. ‘I borrowed Finn’s angle grinder and was cutting up forks,’ she mumbled. ‘And one of them pinged off and cut my hand.’
‘Have you been to the doctor?’ Jack demanded.
‘Yes, I did. I promise it’s okay.’
In the silence that followed, Estelle knew all of them were thinking about the time last year when a cut on Eveline’s arm had become infected and she’d nearly died.
‘So!’ Eveline said, with tension-diffusing enthusiasm. ‘What were you making with all the forks?’
‘An enormous letter U.’
‘I don’t understand. Why a U? And why out of forks?’
‘Angel…’ Jack began.
Estelle watched the penny drop.
‘Oh… A fork U…’
The corner of Jack’s mouth twitched, and Estelle knew he was trying not to laugh.
