Page 55 of Finding Love in Micklewick Bay

‘So you’ve gone from having no siblings to a whole load of them,’ said Lark.

‘Pretty much sums it up.’ Stella nodded. ‘Though, in all of this mess, learning that Pim’s my half-brother has been kind of nice.’

‘Yeah, Pim’s a really decent bloke,’ said Jasmine.

‘He is, he’s got a good heart; you can see it in his face, and his aura,’ said Lark.

‘And now I think about it, you really do look alike, and I don’t just mean that you’re both so tall; facially you’re very similar, especially around the eyes,’ said Florrie. The others scrutinised Stella’s face, making sounds of their agreement.

‘How come we didn’t notice this before?’ said Jasmine.

‘Probably because we weren’t looking for it,’ said Florrie.

‘And how’s your mum in all this, Stells?’ asked Maggie.

‘She’s taken it surprisingly well actually. Though she’d shared the details of their conversation concerning Johan de Groote and Pim, Stella hadn’t mentioned her mum’s visit to the hospital, knowing she’d want to keep it private. ‘Anyway, I’m sick of talking about myself and I’m sure you’re getting fed-up of hearing about me, so what have the rest of you been up to?’ Stella glanced around the table; she’d save telling her friends about Alex and her knickers after they’d had had a chance to speak. ‘Mags, I take it you haven’t been troubled any further by that dreadful cousin of yours?’

Maggie’s face dropped at the reminder. ‘Thankfully, all’s quiet on that score, and I really can’t see me hearing any more from her. Touch wood.’ She tapped her fingers against the table.

‘Good,’ Florrie said firmly.

Earlier in the summer, Maggie’s estranged cousin, Robyn, had arrived on their doorstep armed with an elaborate story of how her marriage had broken down and she’d been left homeless and penniless. The two cousins shared a troubled history and despite Maggie’s misgivings, Maggie and Bear had found themselves inviting her to stay for a couple of days. It had soon become clear that she had no intention of leaving and,worse, had designs on Bear. Her passive-aggressive behaviour and endless lies had taken a worryingly short space of time to cause a rift between the usually contented couple. Things came to an unpleasant end when Robyn’s lies were exposed and she was asked to leave, which she did, but not before she’d caused a final flourish of trouble. The whole drama had coincided with Maggie being desperate to share the news of her much-longed-for pregnancy with Bear, after the couple had suffered a heartbreaking series of miscarriages. The stress had been enormous and she’d worried it would affect her unborn baby. It was fair to say, the couple were still reeling a little from it.

‘If she shows her face around here again, she’ll find herself getting chased out of town before she can cause any more trouble,’ said Jasmine, her pixie face flushing with anger.

‘Too right,’ said Stella, the friends murmuring their agreement.

‘Thanks, lasses. I’m hoping it won’t come to that.’ Maggie gave an appreciative smile.

After Florrie had updated them on the preparations for romance author, Thea Carlton’s, reading, Lark had shared how she and Nate had booked a trip to France to trawl the markets there in search of items for her shop and more pieces for his upcycling business — Lark’s revelation had resulted in an exchange of knowing looks.

‘We’rejustfriends!’ she said, laughing.

‘Oh, aye. And I’m a multimillionaire,’ Jasmine said dryly before turning to Stella. ‘On the subject oflurve, how’s things going with you and Mr Hot?’

Stella snorted. ‘They’re not and never will be. We’re over before we got properly started, and I won’t be troubling the idea of a relationship again, that’s for sure.’ Though she was putting on a brave front, it did nothing to stop the ache in her heart.

‘No!’ said Florrie, her smile falling. ‘What happened?’

‘I think I need my lugs cleaning out,’ said Jasmine, waggling her finger in her ear. ‘I could’ve sworn you just used the “relationship” word. Thought you didn’t go in for them.’

‘What happened, Stells?’ asked Lark, her face wreathed in concern.

‘Well, we seemed to be getting on fine; I’ll even admit to quite liking him.’ She caught Lark’s eye and quickly looked away. She didn’t want to run the risk of her friend reaching in and reading her thoughts in that other-worldly way of hers.

‘So what went wrong?’ asked Maggie. ‘I thought he seemed really nice, and from the way he was looking at you the other night, I got the impression he was very keen on you.’

Stella gave a scornful laugh. ‘In love with my knickers, more like.’

Jasmine spluttered, almost choking on her glass of wine, while Lark’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. ‘What d’you mean, in love with your knickers?’ asked Florrie.

‘I don’t think I’d mentioned that some of my underwear had gone missing; there’s been so many other things going on. Anyway, Andrea, the woman who cleans my apartment, popped some washing in for me, and had apparently hung a load of my knickers and a couple of bras out in the garden on a clothes airer.’ Stella rolled her eyes at the memory.

‘There wouldn’t have been much fabric in your drawers, so I doubt they’d have taken long to dry,’ Jasmine said with a snigger, earning herself a look of mock disapproval from Stella.

‘And are you saying someone nicked it?’ Maggie asked in disbelief.

Stella nodded. ‘Yep, that’s exactly what I’m saying.’

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