Read Online A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell - Free Book Online Page A

watched a windsurfer scud across the surface of the lake, veering perilously close to a rowing boat.
    Gigi shrugged. “But if it does, it won’t be my fault. So that’s why I’m not going to waste time getting nervous. How about you?”
    â€œMe? Oh, I’m definitely nervous.”
    â€œAbout going back? Why?”
    She sounded so genuinely puzzled. “You’re eighteen. I’m thirty-four. And you’re brave,” said Evie. “I’m not.”
    â€œCome on,” Gigi protested. “How can you say that, after what you did? That was an amazingly brave thing to do.”
    â€œIt was. But it was pretty much the first brave thing I’ve ever done in my life. And it’s OK while I’m up here, but it’s not going to be so easy once we’re back. Everyone’s going to know. I don’t know what’ll happen with my job. It’s just… scary.”
    â€œNo, it isn’t.” Gigi jumped up and held out a hand to pull her to her feet. “Anyway, you’ll have us. Even if no one else in the whole of Bath is speaking to you, we still will.” She paused then added mischievously, “Well, so long as you pay us.”

Chapter 9
    The kitchen was filled with the scent of baking bread. Lara wrestled with the heavy packing cases, pushing them up against the wall while Nettie took the loaves out of the oven.
    The front door opened and banged shut, signaling the return of Evie and Gigi.
    â€œLovely, just in time. Hungry, girls? There’s white and whole-grain, and I’ve made vegetable soup. Could someone fetch the butter from the fridge?”
    Straightening up, Lara turned and watched as Nettie expertly tipped the loaves out of their tins and rapped their bases to make sure they were done. At sixty-five, her aunt was a powerhouse. Her hair was white and poker-straight, and had never been touched by a hairdresser; Nettie used the kitchen scissors and did it herself. Her year-round tan accentuated the blueness of eyes that had never experienced contact with any form of makeup; she wasn’t remotely interested in her appearance. Aunt Nettie loved cooking, she loved her animals, and she loved Gigi and Lara. She was also mad about heavy metal music and liked to play it at maximum volume because that, apparently, was how you were meant to listen to it. Last night when Lara had complained about Metallica blaring out at midnight, Nettie had blithely replied, “Yet all these years I’ve had to put up with you caterwauling along to Take That.”
    Caterwauling . What a cheek.
    â€œRight, who wants brown?” Her aunt was wielding a massive serrated knife.
    â€œI do.” Never mind wondering what life was going to be like without Nettie; what was it going to be like without her bread? “Oh, Nettie, I’m going to miss you so much. Are you sure you’ll be all right without us?”
    Nettie rolled her eyes but she was smiling. “You do talk some nonsense. Has it occurred to you that you might not be indispensable?”
    Lara gave up and sat down. When they’d returned six weeks earlier with the news that the house in Bath was theirs, Nettie’s first words had been, “You can move back and live in it!”
    â€œOr sell it.” Having planned on broaching the subject rather more tentatively, Lara had been taken aback. “Or rent it out…”
    But in all honesty, when had Nettie ever been tentative about anything? She’d said, “It’s your home, love. I’m not forcing you to live there if you don’t want to. But if you do, I say go for it. Whatever you do, don’t go thinking you should stay here because of me.”
    And that was it; she had assured Lara and Gigi she’d be fine on her own without them. Although she wouldn’t be completely alone; she’d still have her chickens, her dozy sheep and tetchy goats, her beloved dogs. And this was her own home,