Page 28 of Last Dance, Second Chance

“Don’t worry. Let’s get you home,” said Nathan cheerfully.

“Can we play Fable II?”

“Of course we can,” Nathan replied with a smile she suspected was humouring her.

They walked slowly back to the car park. Nathan got the dogs into the back of the Land Rover and then helped Jessica.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” she said.

“It was my pleasure.”

“And thank you so much for looking after me so well.”

“That has also been my pleasure.”

“I really doubt that.”

“It has,” Nathan replied firmly.

“You’ve really been enjoying spending all your free time with a bad-tempered ballerina who can’t even care for her father’s out-of-control dog?”

“Monty isn’t out of control,” he said kindly. “He just needs a bit more training. And you’re much less bad-tempered since I introduced you to video games.”

Jessica smiled.

“Seriously though,” Nathan said, “I’m glad I’ve been able to help. It’s... been nice to have someone else around the house. I think I’ve been getting a bit fed up with my own company.”

“It’s been nice staying with you,” Jessica said. “And not just because I need your help. I think I would have been really lonely staying by myself at my mum and dad’s.”

“It sounds like it’s worked out well for the both of us, then.”

Chapter Seven

“How can you be a doctor and eat that rubbish?” asked Jessica incredulously the following morning, gesturing at the packet of Coco Pops Nathan was pouring himself a large serving from.

“It’s my Sunday morning treat.” He added milk to his cereal. “And it’s fortified with vitamins and minerals. It says so on the box.”

Jessica shook her head in mock exasperation. She sat at the kitchen table wearing her pyjamas and eating a bowl of skyr yoghurt with honey and raspberries. The radio was chattering away in the background and the back door was open, allowing in a gentle breeze. The dogs were already sunning themselves on the patio.

Jessica was loading her bowl into the dishwasher when the doorbell rang. Both dogs ran out into the hall barking crazily.

Nathan looked at Jessica and shrugged — he seemed to have no idea who might be visiting on a Sunday morning either. He went to see who it was. Jessica frowned, realising she resented this intrusion into her time with Nathan. She’d been enjoying just being the two of them.

“I tried to call yesterday, but you didn’t answer, and then I attempted again this morning,” said a female voice.

“Sorry, Mum. My mobile must be out of battery.”

“I was passing close by, and I had a couple more boxes of your childhood stuff to drop off. I hope it’s OK for me to pop in.” The woman’s voice rose as she spotted Monty, “Who are you then? Did you get another dog?”

Before Jessica could think of somewhere to hide her pyjama-clad self, Nathan’s mum appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Oh, hello,” she said. “I’m sorry, Nathan, I didn’t realise you had company. You should have said.” His mother didn’t look best pleased with what she saw.

“You didn’t give me much of a chance,” muttered Nathan. “This is Jessica, Mum, Jessica Stone. We went to primary school together.”

“Jessica Stone? My daughter was sick at your birthday party, wasn’t she?”

“She certainly was,” said Jessica, shaking Nathan’s mum’s hand.

“How are your parents? What do you do now?”

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