Page 109 of An Unholy Affair
After dinner,Jack’s mum wanted to help Steph with Betsy’s bath and story time, so he slipped out of the house, wandered back to the park, and rang Eveline.
She picked up after only one ring. ‘Hello?’
He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. ‘How was your day?’
‘Fine, thank you, and yours?’
The conversation with his sister flitted across his mind, but he let it go. Discussing his conjecture about his dad might help him understand the past, but it wouldn’t change anything. And he didn’t want to think of anything to do with his dad anymore. He wanted to think of Eveline.
‘Today was full-on,’ he told her. ‘Pancakes, the park, nap time, lunch, playdate, CBeebies, dinner, bath, story, bed. Yeah, I think that’s it.’
She giggled. ‘You have been busy.’
‘I’m exhausted. I’ve got a jingle about a jungle going around my head non-stop, and have PTSD from this afternoon’s visit to a soft play.’
Her laugh made his heart flip-flop in his chest. ‘It can’t have beenthatbad?’
‘It was the seventh circle of hell. A thousand screaming banshees mushing food into their faces or trying to kill each other, and more green snot thanFungus the Bogeyman. Have you everbeento a soft play before?’
‘No, but I know what they are.’
‘When there was a call over the tannoy for a cleaner to deal with “an incident in the ball pit”, even Mum thought we should get Betsy out of there.’
‘How’s she doing?’
‘Mum?’
‘Yes.’
He paused. ‘Different. Still auditioning for “Britain’s Top Nana” competition. She’s got through to the final three.’
A laugh spilled out of her. ‘Jack!’
‘Do you miss me?’
Her soft sigh ran across his skin like a caress. ‘Very much so.’
‘Do you think about me?’
‘Every moment of the day. I was in a meeting earlier with one of my parishioners and just drifted off into Jack-land. I didn’t listen to a word they were saying. It was mortifying.’
He laughed. ‘I bet it was boring.’
‘Jack!’
‘Go on, what did you tune out?’
She hesitated before replying. ‘It was a ten-minute monologue about repositioning the parish council noticeboard.’
‘Thrilling stuff. I would have snored.’
‘Doyou snore?’
A zing of awareness shot through him. ‘I don’t think so. Would you like to find out?’
There was a pause. ‘I have been imagining you… in my bed.’
He closed his eyes as a kaleidoscope of images passed through his mind on the way to his cock. ‘Is that an invitation?’ he asked, his voice almost a growl.
