He’d thought she was making excuses. Perhaps she was. All the same, she wasn’t going to risk it. But she didn’t want to disappoint Jason either.
She stared long and hard at the phone, took a deep breath and began to dial.
‘Hi, Kayley,’ she said, her voice unnaturally high when the call was answered. ‘How are you? Good. Look. This is a slightly unusual request, but I was wondering if you could help me …’
Some time later, after Jenna had driven around the Bledburn ring road about fifty times, her phone beeped and she began to make her way back to the beauty spot where she had agreed to meet Kayley.
The press cars had given up somewhere around her fourth revolution of the circuit, so she was unobserved as she parked on the bumpy gravel and looked out over the vista of rolling hills and fields, with the Bledburn lakes – once huge, open-cast coal mines – shimmering an unearthly silver in their midst.
Ten minutes later, her reverie was interrupted by Kayley’s beaten-up little Micra crawling towards her.
Her heart sped up. This had been the right thing to do, hadn’t it? Kayley had sounded unfazed on the phone and, with her past of attending Harville’s deviant sex parties, Jenna had calculated that she wouldn’t be too shocked. All the same, it was a dreadfully embarrassing request to have to make and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to look her assistant in the eye.
Still better than having your photo on the front page with a butt plug, Jen, she told herself.
Kayley appeared at the window, grinning and holding up a plain paper bag.
Jenna opened the door.
‘Get in,’ she invited. ‘All OK?’
Kayley slid in and handed over the bag. Jenna couldn’t bring herself to look inside.
‘No probs,’ said Kayley. ‘Got what you asked for. I hope you don’t mind, but I had to get Dad to drive me into town and back. Had a drink at lunchtime, you see.’
‘You … oh God.’ Jenna twisted her neck to Kayley’s car and saw a middle-aged man sitting behind the wheel, smoking placidly as he looked over the view. ‘Oh God, Kayley. You didn’t tell him …’
Kayley giggled. ‘Chillax. I didn’t tell him what I was going to town for, and he didn’t ask. He nipped to the bookies while I was, uh, taking care of business. Honestly, he’s sound, Jenna. Don’t panic.’
‘OK,’ said Jenna, trying hard to calm herself. ‘OK. Thanks. I really appreciate it.’
‘It’s fine. Didn’t Jase tell you, Mia used to work in that shop? I knew the girl behind the counter. She didn’t think anything of it. She knows what we’re like in Bledburn.’ Kayley winked then laughed carelessly.
She knows what I’m like, thought Jenna, her face heating. Kayley knows what Jason’s like too. It’s what she expects of us.
‘Yeah, well, job done,’ muttered Jenna. ‘I’ll let you get on.’
‘Yeah.’ Kayley drew a breath, hesitating.
Jenna turned to her, frowning.
‘Did you want something?’
‘I …’ Kayley bit her lip. ‘I don’t know whether to tell you this or not.’
‘What?’ Jenna was seized with anxiety, visualising her sex life splashed over the headlines. Or worse. Was it to do with Harville?
Kayley smiled sheepishly. ‘My boozy lunch earlier? Was with Deano Diamond.’
‘What?’ For a lust-soaked hour or so, she had been able to completely forget the sudden reappearance of her ex-husband. Now all the annoyance flooded back.
‘Yeah. Sorry. I mean, not sorry, I can have lunch with who I like, but just … thought I’d better tell you.’
Jenna thought hard and fast.
‘I suppose he knows you’re my assistant? And he’s been trying to get you on side? Is that it? Has he been hassling you, Kayley?’
‘Well, no, it was a coincidence that we bumped into each other, but, yes, he did talk about you.’