Soldiers' Wives (33 page)

‘So what's the matter?' she asked. ‘I'd heard that Lee is out of danger. That's got to be good, hasn't it? He'll be flying back soon.'

Jenna nodded. ‘I suppose. And thank you for being kind. I appreciate it.'

‘It's only a cottage pie,' said Maddy, trying to lift the mood. ‘I'm not donating a kidney.'

Jenna shook her head. ‘No, well, it's appreciated. And unexpected,' she added.

She suddenly looked vulnerable and Maddy's attitude softened a little. ‘But the other wives, your neighbours…'

Jenna shook her head. ‘We don't really get on. Nothing in common.'

Maddy was astounded. Just the fact that they were all army wives – that they'd all been through separation and moves and worry and lived in crap quarters and had had to give up careers and faced sending their kids off to boarding school and goodness knows what else because of the army – made them a sisterhood. How could Jenna say they had nothing in common? They had
everything
in common. Even Kipling, a century before, had got it right:

the Colonel's Lady an' Judy O'Grady

Are sisters under their skins
.

But she kept shtum. If the other wives were keeping their distance, then something was seriously wrong – and Maddy reckoned it had to be with Jenna. Which was a worry.

She made the tea and handed Jenna a mug, pushing the sugar bowl towards her. Jenna shook her head.

‘Shall we go and sit somewhere more comfortable?'

‘Suppose.' Jenna led the way to the sitting room. Listlessly she flopped onto one of the big cream sofas.

‘Have you a date for Lee's return?' asked Maddy.

‘There's a medevac flight leaving next week sometime, they think. I've been told that if he's well enough, he'll be on that.'

‘Well, that's good.'

‘Is it? Life's utterly shit at the moment so having to trek up to Brum will be the icing on the fucking cake.'

‘Why? At least it means he's home and safe.'

‘Huh. It means seeing his mother. She'll be there, won't she?' Jenna glowered. ‘She hates me, always has done.'

‘Maybe you can stagger your visiting times, try not to see too much of her.'

‘You think?' Jenna shook her head. ‘She'll be all over him like a rash. I've a good mind not to go.'

‘You can't do that!' Maddy was aghast.

‘Why? Sonia'll only make my life a misery.'

‘But Lee'll want you there.'

‘Yeah, well… and anyway, I've got a new job. Only got it the other day. If I start wanting time off I can kiss goodbye to it, can't I?'

‘I'm sure the company would understand.'

‘You think? I haven't even signed the contract yet.'

‘Oh.'

‘Yeah – oh. It's only a little firm, they're short-staffed, if I don't turn up they'll get another waitress in.'

‘It's a restaurant?'

‘Catering company. Look, Maddy, it's not like jobs are two a penny, and I need the cash. Lee'll understand.'

It sounded very much to Maddy that what Lee might or might not understand was a long way down Jenna's list of priorities. Poor Lee, she thought. What with Jenna's views about his mother, her fling with this other bloke and now her reluctance to visit her wounded husband, Maddy felt herself starting to side with the other wives. And what's more, she didn't rate this marriage with much chance of survival; and frankly, even though it was none of her business, she felt Lee was probably going to be better off without Jenna.

After Maddy had gone, Jenna went into the kitchen, stuck the cottage pie in the fridge and picked her car keys off the hook by the door. She couldn't sit around here all day, feeling sorry for herself, she needed to get down to Coronet Foods and see if she still had a job. Immi had phoned them to explain why she wouldn't be in for a bit and, give him his due, Barry the MD had been very reasonable. But the fact remained that she still hadn't signed a contract, and if he decided to show her the door she wouldn't have a leg to stand on, so she really needed to go and tell him she was still keen to work for him and hope he still wanted her. However, her car was still at the Six Bells right across the far side of town. Who could she ask for a lift? she wondered.

Dan. Dan was responsible for half of this mess; the least he could do was help sort her out, and since they had exchanged mobile numbers over dinner, she knew how to contact him. She scrolled through her phone and tapped the screen.

‘Jenna?' he said, sounding surprised. ‘After the way you got rid of me the other morning, I wasn't expecting to hear from you again.'

She nearly retorted that his expectations were dead right, but decided that pissing him off wasn't the best way to get him to give her a lift.

‘Yeah, well, you could see how awkward it was. And if Lee hadn't got injured…'

‘You would have got away with having a bit of a fling? No one would have been any the wiser? Is that what you mean?'

‘Yes. And your point is?' she sniped at him.

‘It's none of my business. So how is your old man?'

Just rub it in that I'm married, why don't you? ‘He's out of danger, thanks. Look, Dan, let's not bicker, I need a favour; my car is still at the Bells.'

‘And you'd like me to give you a lift over there, is that it?'

‘Please.'

‘When?'

‘As soon as possible?' she asked hopefully. She could really do with having her car back for the weekend.

‘You're in luck. I've just fixed a staff car and I've got to take it out for a test drive, give it a good run.'

‘Ace. Only best you don't come to the house. Meet me at the bus stop near the tennis courts. Ten minutes?'

‘See you then.'

Dan was waiting for her when she got to their rendezvous, the engine of the sleek black car purring.

‘Hiya,' she said as she climbed in.

Dan leaned across. ‘Is that all I get? Hiya?'

‘Don't be daft, Dan. This is hardly private, is it? Someone might see.'

‘Bit late to be prudish, isn't it?' said Dan, giving her a disappointed glance as he slipped the car into first gear and pulled away.

‘Why are you saying that?'

‘Because, Jenna, what you and I did is all over the garrison.'

Jenna could have sworn her heart actually stopped for several seconds and that her temperature plummeted. ‘No!'

‘'Fraid so.'

For all her bravado about not caring a jot what her neighbours thought of her, she suddenly discovered that she did. She felt tears of self-pity pricking her eyes. Shit, what a label – the battalion scarlet woman. How the fuck could she hide this from Lee when he got back? ‘This is all your fault, Dan.'

‘Mine?' His incredulity rang in his voice.

‘If you hadn't got me drunk…'

‘I didn't force the drinks on you. You were the one knocking it back like it was water. And you were the one who suggested bed.'

‘So what are we going to do?' she asked.

Dan shrugged. ‘Depends on you, I suppose.'

‘How do you mean?'

‘I'm not the one with a partner, remember. I'm the one with an ex. I can do whatever I like.' The lights ahead changed to red, so Dan stopped the car and pulled on the handbrake.

‘Thanks a bunch.'

‘Jenna, you have to decide if you want to keep your marriage going.'

‘Says the bloke with an ex-wife.'

‘Exactly, and I didn't.' The lights changed and they moved forwards again.

‘Why?'

‘Because she ran off with another bloke.'

‘Oh.' Silence fell. They'd reached the town and the traffic had increased significantly. Dan drove carefully along the busy street as Jenna took in what he had said. ‘If she'd come back and apologised, would you have taken her back?'

Dan sighed. ‘I don't know.'

‘Do you reckon Lee'll forgive me?'

‘Why are you asking me? I'm not your husband and I don't know your Lee at all. Never met him.'

‘You're a man. You're a man whose wife was unfaithful.'

‘Which makes me an expert?'

‘Makes you more of an expert than me.'

Dan stopped the car again to let people across a zebra crossing. Jenna hoped to God that none of her neighbours was in town and might recognise her and Dan. Although maybe it was a bit late for that, if the whole garrison really
did
know. Talk about wanting to shut the stable door.

‘I think,' said Dan carefully, ‘if you really want to make your marriage work, if you want to keep Lee, then it might be possible. You're a stunning woman, and if you were mine, I'd be inclined to give you a second chance.'

‘You really mean that?'

‘That I'd give you a second chance? Yes.'

‘No, that you think I'm a stunner?'

Dan laughed. ‘Shit, Jenna, what are you like? But I've got to say, I admire you.'

‘What? Why?'

‘You really are totally brazen, quite apart from being out for Number One and not caring a toss about anyone but yourself. You are going to be one of life's big survivors, which is quite admirable in its own way.' Dan pulled into the car park of the Six Bells and parked beside Jenna's car. ‘Let me know if I can be of service again,' he said.

Jenna had a nasty suspicion that he was laughing at her, but said thank you for the lift, rather than flouncing. If things went badly with Lee, she might need another string to her bow, and Dan would fill that role very nicely. What's more, she reckoned that he'd be very happy to do so. In the meantime, she needed to get her arse over to Coronet Foods and get Barry on her side, too. She flexed her fingers as she got into her car. Nice to know she could still get men to pretty much do what she wanted, but the thing was, did she want to work her magic on Lee? Or might she be better off just cutting her losses?

‘Maddy, Maddy.'

Maddy, on her way back from buying a carton of milk at the Spar after delivering the pie to Jenna, stopped and turned and saw Caro panting after her, dragging Luke by the hand.

‘Hiya, Caro.'

‘I can't believe you didn't tell me about Jenna,' Caro said accusingly, not bothering to greet either her or Nate, in his pushchair.

‘Tell you what?' lied Maddy. She knew
exactly
what Caro was on about.

‘You must have known, given that Seb was the one who caught her with her knickers off!'

Maddy feigned innocence with a small shrug.

Caro gave her a hard stare. ‘Sorry, Maddy, that just won't wash.'

‘Seb swore me to silence.'

‘So? Some friend you are. Juiciest bit of gossip on the patch for years and you don't share. Pah.'

‘Anyway,' said Maddy, refusing to rise, ‘how on earth did you find out?'

‘It's the only topic of conversation at the nursery school. One of the wives saw a strange bloke hightailing out the back of Jenna's quarter, just after your husband left by the front door, having broken the bad news about Lee. You were right all along, what a piece of work she's proving to be.'

Maddy made a moue of agreement. ‘I feel sorry for him. As if it isn't bad enough to take a bullet, he's got a wife playing fast and loose.'

‘The word is she's trading up. Someone said the new guy is a sergeant.'

‘Nothing but ambitious, is Jenna,' said Maddy, shaking her head in disapproval. ‘Wouldn't surprise me if she didn't aim for an officer next.'

‘Ha. Well, if she sets her sights on Will she'll regret it. And to think I offered her a chance to talk to the Wives' Club. I cancelled that.'

Maddy wasn't surprised. Even Caro wouldn't keep championing Jenna after
that
incident.

When Seb got in at lunchtime, Maddy told him that Caro knew. ‘And before you blame me, I didn't say a word.' Seb gave her a disbelieving lift of an eyebrow. ‘No, I didn't,' insisted Maddy.

‘If you say so.'

His tone infuriated Maddy. ‘She heard it down at the school gate.' She repeated the gist of the conversation.

‘God, the wives' grapevine. I swear, when it comes to broadcasting you lot could teach the BBC a thing or two.'

‘I'm just telling you, so that I don't get the blame for spreading rumours.'

‘Perkins is due back soon. I heard this morning he's being medevaced out next week sometime.'

‘Then it's good news. He's on the mend?'

‘Apparently. Don't envy what he's coming back to. Alan says Jenna is refusing to go to the hospital in Birmingham because she got a new job, and his mother sounds like a total dragon. I just hope his recovery is really good, because the poor bugger is going to need all the strength he can muster.'

Jenna pulled into the car park of Coronet Foods and hoped that Barry was in. He should be, as it was coming up to the weekend, and if she knew anything about the catering business – which admittedly wasn't a great deal – the weekend ought to be their busiest time. She'd considered phoning ahead, but as the company wasn't much of a detour away from her route home, she'd decided to risk it. She climbed out of her car, locked it and made her way towards his office. Tentatively she knocked on his door.

‘Jenna,' said Barry. He didn't look particularly pleased to see her, but then she'd let him down over the job. She'd promised she would be available for the next gig after the engagement party at the football club and then, because Lee had gone and got himself shot, she'd had to cry off.

‘Just wondering if I've still got a job?' she asked.

‘It rather depends,' said Barry.

‘On?'

‘How available you are.'

She nodded. Well, that didn't come as a surprise. ‘I need the work, Barry.'

‘And I need the staff, and I'm really sorry about your husband, but I can't operate if I can't rely on having waitresses around when I need them. How is he, by the way?'