put something little on for me.’
Chapter 7
L ater that week Rachel planned to return home. She still felt low but ready to get back to her life. She had also planned to return home with Gemma Collingridge, Rachel and Ash’s childhood friend.
After spending the past week with one another, Rachel had suggested that as Gemma was so unhappy living in the same town as her ex husband, maybe she should have a break, try a different way of life in the big city with her two old best friends. After long chats and much pondering Gemma had quit her job as an estate agent in Salisbury, packed up everything she needed, and the rest of her things Rachel’s grandfather said to leave them in the spare room until she needed them.
Robert was happy to see Gemma moving on with her life as he thought she was a lovely girl. Mary would be looking down—so happy to see the three of them all back together like they used to be, playing after school in the garden and getting up to mischief. Gemma had been so upset when Ash moved to London, as was Rachel, but Mary and Robert always knew their granddaughter would follow Ash: the two of them were inseparable.
Just as they predicted, not long after Ash left, Rachel announced that she had been offered a job in the city. Gemma was crushed when she heard the news through a friend, she so wanted to go with her but she had got married young and she wanted to stay and be a good housewife, start a family, settle down. So in the end the girls had lost contact with her, their lives going in different directions. Rachel and Ash had such manic lives they didn’t even see Mary and Robert more than twice a year.
But deep down Rachel felt guilty for not making more of an effort as they had brought her up so well, giving her the best childhood memories anyone could ever wish for—all this even though they must have been hurting so much with the death of their only daughter. Maybe it was fate that the girls were to get back together because of Mary’s passing. Even more so that Mary had been looking after Gemma over the past year. She would be so happy she had brought them back together again.
* * *
The phone rang in Ash’s hallway. She was in the bath and rushed to answer it before it clicked to the answerphone, nearly slipping on the tiled floor in the process.
‘Hello.’ Out of breath, shivering in the hallway, she stood there clutching the phone receiver to her ear, listening to Rachel telling her about Gemma coming to live with her, and how over the last two days she had been speaking to Jules, convincing her that she needed a holiday, then eventually arranged for Gemma and Jules to come to Ibiza with them.
‘Oh, my God, Rach! That is fab! ’
Ash forgot she was cold and dripping wet, with soap running off her shoulders on to her cream carpet.
‘It’s brill, isn’t it, Ash! It was granddad’s idea.’
‘Well, good on Gramps. How is he?’ Ash softened her tone.
‘He’s OK. Happy I’m bringing Gemma home to live with us, said it would be like old times for us.’
‘Better than old times—we can stay up as late as we like now.’
They both laughed and chatted and caught up with each other’s lives. Rachel could not believe what had happened the other night with the boys and Issi.
‘So she’s like that then, is she?’ Rachel sounded disapproving.
‘It’s her life—as long as she doesn’t get Peter and Dave mixed up and stick to the right brother, she can do whatever she likes.’ Ash never liked to pass judgment on people, especially if she didn’t know them very well.
‘OK, if you say so—’
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Nothing, Ash. Look, sometimes you really are too nice, the girl sounds like a hussy to me, that’s all, but I’m entitled to my own opinion, aren’t I?’
‘Er… yes, but—’
‘No buts, Ash, or I will have to brand the girl a slapper and refuse to let my best friend be associated with her in case you fall under her spell and become a
Chapter 7
L ater that week Rachel planned to return home. She still felt low but ready to get back to her life. She had also planned to return home with Gemma Collingridge, Rachel and Ash’s childhood friend.
After spending the past week with one another, Rachel had suggested that as Gemma was so unhappy living in the same town as her ex husband, maybe she should have a break, try a different way of life in the big city with her two old best friends. After long chats and much pondering Gemma had quit her job as an estate agent in Salisbury, packed up everything she needed, and the rest of her things Rachel’s grandfather said to leave them in the spare room until she needed them.
Robert was happy to see Gemma moving on with her life as he thought she was a lovely girl. Mary would be looking down—so happy to see the three of them all back together like they used to be, playing after school in the garden and getting up to mischief. Gemma had been so upset when Ash moved to London, as was Rachel, but Mary and Robert always knew their granddaughter would follow Ash: the two of them were inseparable.
Just as they predicted, not long after Ash left, Rachel announced that she had been offered a job in the city. Gemma was crushed when she heard the news through a friend, she so wanted to go with her but she had got married young and she wanted to stay and be a good housewife, start a family, settle down. So in the end the girls had lost contact with her, their lives going in different directions. Rachel and Ash had such manic lives they didn’t even see Mary and Robert more than twice a year.
But deep down Rachel felt guilty for not making more of an effort as they had brought her up so well, giving her the best childhood memories anyone could ever wish for—all this even though they must have been hurting so much with the death of their only daughter. Maybe it was fate that the girls were to get back together because of Mary’s passing. Even more so that Mary had been looking after Gemma over the past year. She would be so happy she had brought them back together again.
* * *
The phone rang in Ash’s hallway. She was in the bath and rushed to answer it before it clicked to the answerphone, nearly slipping on the tiled floor in the process.
‘Hello.’ Out of breath, shivering in the hallway, she stood there clutching the phone receiver to her ear, listening to Rachel telling her about Gemma coming to live with her, and how over the last two days she had been speaking to Jules, convincing her that she needed a holiday, then eventually arranged for Gemma and Jules to come to Ibiza with them.
‘Oh, my God, Rach! That is fab! ’
Ash forgot she was cold and dripping wet, with soap running off her shoulders on to her cream carpet.
‘It’s brill, isn’t it, Ash! It was granddad’s idea.’
‘Well, good on Gramps. How is he?’ Ash softened her tone.
‘He’s OK. Happy I’m bringing Gemma home to live with us, said it would be like old times for us.’
‘Better than old times—we can stay up as late as we like now.’
They both laughed and chatted and caught up with each other’s lives. Rachel could not believe what had happened the other night with the boys and Issi.
‘So she’s like that then, is she?’ Rachel sounded disapproving.
‘It’s her life—as long as she doesn’t get Peter and Dave mixed up and stick to the right brother, she can do whatever she likes.’ Ash never liked to pass judgment on people, especially if she didn’t know them very well.
‘OK, if you say so—’
‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Nothing, Ash. Look, sometimes you really are too nice, the girl sounds like a hussy to me, that’s all, but I’m entitled to my own opinion, aren’t I?’
‘Er… yes, but—’
‘No buts, Ash, or I will have to brand the girl a slapper and refuse to let my best friend be associated with her in case you fall under her spell and become a
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