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‘Maybe just a couple of days. You won’t know I’m there...’
‘You can make as much noise and as much mess as you like. That’s one of the rules of the house.’
Cass thought for a moment. ‘I cook...’
‘Great. Knock yourself out. We can take it in turns; I wouldn’t mind a few evenings off.’
He had an answer for everything. And right now Cass couldn’t see any further than a hot meal and a night’s sleep, uninterrupted by worry. She straightened, disentangling herself from his arms, and Jack moved back quickly.
‘Okay. Thanks.’
* * *
As soon as Jack made up his mind to do something, he just did it. No messing around, no fuss. Martin would keep an eye on her house while she was gone, and she was assured time and time again that she was doing the right thing. Jack had quietly overseen everything, and if the feeling that the whole village was handing her over to him was a little strange it wasn’t a bad one.
Lunch had been eaten and Martin had stood up to make a brief speech, sending them on their way with the thanks and good wishes of the community. Hugs had been exchanged and they’d walked out into the sunshine.
‘Not giving me a chance to change my mind?’ Jack had propelled Cass firmly into the car that was waiting outside.
‘May as well go now, while the rain holds off.’ He shot her a sizzling grin. ‘And I’m not giving you the chance to change your mind.’
By the time they reached his house, it was raining again. Jack showed her up to the spare room, told her to make herself at home and disappeared to collect Ellie, leaving Cass to sit on the bed and draw breath for the first time in what seemed like for ever.
She looked around. The room was clearly hardly used, meticulously tidy and a little chilly from having the door closed and the heating turned off. But it was bright and comfortable and, for the next few days, it was her space.
It was quiet too. After the bustle of the vicarage and the church hall, this seemed like heaven. She listened at the silence for a while. Maybe this hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE EVENING HAD passed in a welter of good manners and keeping their distance. The next morning was rather less formal, on account of the rush to get Ellie up and both of them out of the house in time for work, but Jack reckoned that they were doing okay. Then he got the phone call.
He’d picked Ellie up from Sarah’s in a daze of misery. Done his best to pretend that there was nothing wrong, until after he’d tucked Ellie in and kissed her goodnight. When he went back downstairs, the house was quiet.
‘What’s the matter?’ Cass was sitting on the edge of one of the armchairs, looking at him thoughtfully.
‘Nothing. Long day.’ She’d come here for a break. He didn’t want to burden her with his problems.
‘Don’t do that to me. I told you mine, and now you can tell me yours. That’s the deal, Jack, and if you don’t like it then I’m out.’
In that moment, Jack knew that this was all that he’d wanted. Someone to come home to. Someone he could share this with.
‘It’s Mimi. She’s been hurt.’
‘When?’
Jack slumped down onto the sofa. ‘Yesterday afternoon. I heard about it this morning; Rafe called me when I was on my way to work. I went straight in to see how she was...’ He closed his eyes, the lump in his throat preventing him from saying any more.
The sofa cushions moved as Cass sat down beside him. ‘And how is she?’
‘She’s in the ICU. None of her injuries are life-threatening, but she’s in a bad way. I went up at lunchtime and they let me sit with her for half an hour.’
‘Is she awake?’
He shook his head. ‘It’s better they keep her under sedation for a while.’
‘Would you like to go back now? I’ll stay here and look after Ellie.’
‘There’s no point. They won’t let me in, and there’s nothing I can do. Rafe’s promised to phone if there’s any change.’
