Book Club Reads: 3-Book Collection: Yesterday’s Sun, The Sea Sisters, Someone to Watch Over Me. Amanda Brooke

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СКАЧАТЬ summer air. Holly was ready to savour every detail, paying closest attention to her husband, who was standing behind her, his bare arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

      ‘You smell of sweat,’ she told him.

      ‘Well-earned sweat,’ Tom replied, kissing the back of her neck.

      ‘Did I say I was complaining?’ she whispered. ‘And yes, we have to go out. You’ve proved perfectly well that you’re over your jet lag.’

      ‘Hmm, perfectly.’

      ‘Yes, it was perfect,’ agreed Holly. ‘But we’ve been in the village almost six months now and you still barely know anyone.’

      ‘As I told you, I can see everything I need to see from here, and I can also see everyone I want to see.’

      ‘I need to call in at the doctor’s surgery to make an appointment,’ Holly told him, ignoring his wandering hands, which had reached up beneath the T-shirt she had stolen from him. His fingers traced every curve of her stomach before finding a spine-tingling path up between the curve of her breasts.

      ‘Why, there’s nothing wrong is there?’

      ‘No, I just think we should both have a pre-baby check-up.’

      ‘If you want a thorough checking-over, I can always oblige,’ Tom offered.

      ‘A proper medical check, if you don’t mind. They must have something like that, don’t you think?’

      ‘Holly, I’m the picture of health and so are you, we don’t need a doctor to tell us that. Besides, I’ve already been having all kinds of medical checks in preparation for my stint in Haiti. I don’t think I could take any more prodding and poking,’ he complained sulkily.

      ‘If I’m going to start planning a family, I’d like to plan it properly,’ Holly replied sternly.

      Since speaking to Jocelyn, she had finally found the strength and the hope to think about her future, and in particular what she needed to do to save herself. In fact, she had thought of little else. The obvious answer would be to avoid getting pregnant in December, which sounded simple enough, but what if the aneurysm she would die of were to happen at another time? And then of course, there was Libby. If she put off conceiving, then she would be erasing Libby from their future. Other children might come along, but they wouldn’t be the daughter she was already falling in love with. Her first plan of attack was to look at reducing the risks of childbirth complications.

      ‘Couldn’t we just phone up for an appointment?’ Tom pleaded. ‘I do believe there’s a phone in the bedroom.’

      ‘Morning!’ Billy bellowed cheerfully from outside the conservatory.

      Holly pulled her T-shirt down to a respectable inch below her bottom and Tom went to open the conservatory door to greet Billy. They hugged each other like long-lost brothers.

      ‘Sorry to intrude, but I heard Tom was home and I was just passing,’ explained Billy by way of an apology to Holly.

      ‘I swear,’ she said, ‘I think Billy misses you almost as much I do when you’re away.’

      ‘You know you’re welcome any time, Billy,’ Tom told him. ‘You’ve done a great job on the conservatory, I love it.’

      ‘Aw, thanks, I knew you’d like it. We’ve only got the walls to paint and the flooring to put down and then it’ll be perfect. Shame about the doors though,’ Billy tutted, giving Holly a disapproving look.

      ‘Women,’ tutted Tom. Holly took Billy’s disapproving look, upgraded it to menacing and passed it on to Tom, who smiled sheepishly.

      Billy coughed to get Holly’s attention. ‘I hope you’re not going out dressed like that, Mrs C,’ he told her.

      Holly narrowed her eyes at him but otherwise ignored his comment. ‘So what can we do for you, Billy?’

      ‘Well, now you have the doors all wrong and no choice but to step out into the undergrowth rather than the patio, I was thinking maybe Tom would like to discuss widening the extent of his renovations.’

      ‘So is someone going to tell me what you’re talking about?’ Holly asked.

      ‘Erm,’ replied Tom. ‘Don’t you think you might want to go and get dressed? We’ve got to get into the village soon, remember?’

      Holly eyed the two men suspiciously. ‘Men,’ she tutted, turning on her heels. ‘But whatever you’re planning for the garden, do not touch the moondial.’

      ‘Does she always interfere with your plans?’ Billy whispered loudly as Holly stepped through the new patio doors and back into the living room.

      ‘I can hear you nodding, Tom Corrigan,’ Holly called back as she left the men to their secret plans. After all, she had secret plans of her own. She had more than one reason to visit the village. She was hoping that by now Jocelyn would have found the journal she had spoken of.

      Jocelyn’s teashop was busy and there were a few curious looks as Tom and Holly squeezed through the diners to the last available table. ‘Morning, Mrs Johnson,’ Holly said as she leaned over a diner to ease herself into the gap between two tables. Mrs Johnson was rather large and the little space that wasn’t filled by the elderly lady was occupied by all her paraphernalia, including a thick woollen cardigan, an umbrella and a collection of shopping bags. ‘How are things at the farm?’ groaned Holly as she squeezed through the gap.

      ‘Ooh, the lambs are coming on fine, dear. I couldn’t ask for better after such a hard winter.’

      ‘Don’t forget you promised me that lamb shank recipe,’ Holly added as she popped out of the gap and edged closer to the table they were aiming for. Tom was following behind but tripped over a bag and practically threw himself on top of Mrs Johnson.

      ‘This must be him, then,’ Mrs Johnson said, looking suspiciously at Tom, who was practically nose to nose with the woman.

      ‘Pleased to meet you,’ grinned Tom sheepishly.

      Mrs Johnson pinched his cheek, shaking his head from side to side as she did so. ‘Sweet little lamb, he is,’ she said to Holly. ‘Quite a dish himself.’

      ‘Hands off, he’s mine,’ laughed Holly, pulling Tom to safety.

      After a few more good mornings and introductions, Holly and Tom finally made it to the table. Lisa was busy working behind the counter while a younger girl Holly hadn’t seen before was waitressing. The girl was in her early twenties with dark, short-cropped hair that gave her an elfin look. She had deep brown eyes that reminded Holly of Jocelyn. Looking from Lisa to the girl, there were other family resemblances and Holly guessed that this must be Patti, Lisa’s daughter, Jocelyn’s great niece. From what Jocelyn had told her, Patti was at university studying literature. Her gap year had turned into three years travelling around Europe, but she had finally taken the plunge and settled back down to her studies. She was the first in their family to go to university and both Jocelyn and Lisa were very proud of her.

      ‘What can I get you?’ the girl asked with a bright cheery smile.

      ‘Two cream teas, I think,’ Holly СКАЧАТЬ