Jennifer lowered her eyes and began twiddling her rings round and round. Rebecca wondered absently what she’d do with them now. Would she keep them? Putting them aside like her marriage until she could pass them onto Hannah when she was old enough?
“Uh-huh. It took awhile to get him to open up but yeah, he did.” There was a catch in her voice as she carried on. “Poor wee man thought I’d never loved him and that if it weren’t for him, things between me and Mark would be fine.” When she raised her eyes again, they’d filled up with tears. Rebecca put the two mugs back down on the bench and put her arms around her sister. She listened as she sobbed out, “I explained it was an illness but oh Becs, can you believe he’s been carrying that around inside him?”
Rebecca smoothed her hand over her sister’s hair. “I know it’s awful, but you’ve been in an awful place for too long now; you need to put it behind you and move forward. Focus your energy on looking after Jack and Hannah and getting them through you and Mark separating.”
Jennifer broke away snuffling and pulled a tissue from the box on the windowsill. “Yeah, you’re right, but it damn near broke my heart to hear him say he thought I didn’t love him.”
Rebecca’s stomach contracted with guilt at the thought of what her poor nephew had bottled up inside him. Perhaps if she’d been around more instead of being an absentee auntie, he’d have felt able to open up to her. That was going to change, though, she thought, biting her bottom lip. “Still, he knows how much he’s loved now and that’s the main thing.” Another thought occurred to her. “What time is Mark due in?”
“His flight landed well over an hour ago, so I’d say he’ll be here in about another forty or so minutes.” Jennifer glanced out the window again, resisting the urge to bang on it and shout at her children to stop trampling her herb garden. “Jack’s obviously sussed that we are not happy, so I think it will almost be a relief to him to hear us clarify what’s going to happen.”
Rebecca threw her sister a surprised look at this remark, but she just shrugged. “My children constantly amaze me. I don’t give them enough credit. I mean, Jack’s only seven, but he’s had a better grasp of his parents’ marital situation than Mark and I ever did. He’ll be as relieved as we are to say goodbye to the animosity and tension of waiting for the inevitable to happen. Of course, throwing in the Crusty Demons tickets I know Mark’s managed to pick up will act as a sweetener too.” Jennifer gave a wry smile before taking a sip of her coffee. She rubbed at the lipstick mark imprinted on the rim and added, “As for Hannah, well, I’m hoping she’s young enough just to adapt.”
Ah, the Crusty Demons—they were Jack’s motocross heroes. Even as she gave a small laugh at her sister’s blatant bribery, Rebecca knew it was time for her to mend some bridges of her own.
She studied Jennifer’s flawless features as she sipped away on her coffee, seeing past the polished exterior into the complicated woman beneath. She felt the great chip she’d been carrying on her shoulder for so many years disintegrate. She finally understood that her sister was flawed and that she had never been perfect. Nobody was. She had unfairly created an illusion in her mind, using it as a shield to hide behind for all these years. It had been too easy for her to hold Jennifer up as an example and say how could she possibly be expected to live up to that? Clearing her throat, she hedged, “Jen?”
“Mm?” She looked at her over the rim of her mug.
“I went to see Ciaran last night.”
Jennifer had already noted her sister’s glowing skin and swollen lips. “Yep, I guessed as much.”
“I’d already told him I wasn’t going back to Ireland and explained why but after everything that happened yesterday, I needed to see him again.”
“And so you shagged him?” Jennifer stated with a hint of sarcasm, pursing her lips as she waited for Rebecca to tell her he had smooth-talked her out of staying.
“Um, not quite in that order—let me finish.”
“Sorry. Go on.”
“He has decided to take a year’s sabbatical here while I get on with my studies to see how things pan out between us.”
Jennifer looked at her sister in surprise. Perhaps he wasn’t the smooth-talking lothario she had him down to be after all. “Wow! That’s fabulous, Becs. I’m pleased for you.” She leaned forward and covered her sister’s hand with her own.
“Thanks. I know.” Rebecca beamed.
“And my offer?”
“I’d still like to take you up on it if that’s okay. I don’t want to rush things with Ciaran.”
A squeal sounded like a siren from the garden and Jennifer snatched her hand away and leapt up to peer out the window. “Oh crap! Jack’s just thrown a handful of compost all over Hannah and Mark will be here soon.” She stormed outside to sort them out, and Rebecca got to her feet, scooping up the mugs. Running the tap to rinse them, she looked out the window to where Jennifer had a firm grasp on her son’s elbow with one hand while she used her spare hand to wag a finger at him. Hannah stood, wailing, with her arms wrapped around her mother’s leg, a sticky brown muck-coated vision.
Out of the blue, a song sprang to Rebecca’s mind. She was sure she’d seen the title on that 80s music quiz Ciaran had on his desk the day she left Fitzpatrick & Co. It seemed an age ago now, she thought, marvelling at everything that had happened. The tune slipped from her lips. What was it called? That was it: “The Future’s so Bright I Gotta Wear Shades.”
Making a mental note to ask Ciaran if he knew the name of the band who sang it, she put her sunglasses on and wandered outside into the sunshine.
From the Author
HELLO, MY NAME’S MICHELLE Vernal, and I hope you enjoyed reading Second Hand Jane, Being Shirley and Sisterly Love. If so then leaving a review would be so appreciated. I’m Mum to Josh and Daniel and am married to the super supportive Paul. We live in the garden city of Christchurch, New Zealand with our three-legged, black cat called Blue. BC (before children) Paul and I lived and worked in Ireland, the experiences we had there have flavoured my books although my new novel The Promise is set on The Isle of Wight. The Promise is a book written with heart. I was adopted in 1971 in Winstanley, Great Britain. My parents emigrated to New Zealand shortly after. It was only after having my children that I sought out my birth mother. She hails from Southampton, a ferry ride to the Isle of Wight, and we’ve forged a great long-distance relationship. It also turns out I am distantly related to Molly Downer, the last witch on the Isle of Wight – how could I not write a story set on the island once I found that out? Read on to find out more...
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The Promise
Readers’ Favourite – Five Stars
Two women from different generations brought together by another’s wrongdoing.
When British backpacker, Isabel Stark happens across a car accident on a lonely stretch of road in the South Island of New Zealand her life changes forever. The sole passenger, Ginny Havelock asks her to make a promise before she passes away—to find Constance and to say she’s sorry.
Isabel’s a lost soul who’s been drifting through life unsure of where she fits, and the promise she made in New Zealand haunts her upon her return to the United Kingdom. Her only clue as to finding Constance lies within a conversation held at Ginny’s funeral. It takes her to the Isle of Wight.
In the 1940’s sixteen-year-old Constance’s life on her island is sheltered until the death of her brother; Ted brings the reality of war crashing down around her. He leaves behind his pregnant young widow Ginny. When Constance meets a handsome Canadian airforce man
, she’s eager to escape her grief and be swept up by first love. It’s a love which has ramifications she could never envisage.
When Isabel and Constance’s paths finally cross will Ginny’s last words be enough for Constance to make peace with her past? And in fulfilling her promise will Isabel find a place she can call home?
‘A wonderfully heartwarming, touching and romantic story.’
Tammy Robinson author of Differently Normal
‘The Promise is engaging, delightful and hugely entertaining.’
Readers’ Favourite
AVAILABLE AT AMAZON:
https://www.amazon.com/Promise-Michelle-Vernal-ebook/dp/B07F5LQVYJ
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Promise-Michelle-Vernal-ebook/dp/B07F5LQVYJ
Michelle Vernal Box Set Page 88
