dead in her tracks. Even though the person she recognised was on the other side of the road there was no mistaking the silvery blonde hair or the endlessly long legs. Jenna. Jenna, who had been her hairdresser back in the old barracks. Jenna, who had been married to Private Perkins, who had been injured while on duty in Afghanistan. Jenna, who Seb, when he’d called round to break the bad news about her husband, had pretty much caught in flagrante delecto with a REME sergeant. Jenna, who had buggered off with her new man, right away from 1 Herts and the mess she’d created. So what the hell was she doing here?
Well, thought Maddy, everyone had to be somewhere. And, of course, Jenna’s new man had been another soldier, and this was a garrison town so it wasn’t so completely unreasonable that she should be here too. But it was going to be Jenna’s bad luck that the battalion she’d tried to escape from had now moved into her new back yard.
Maddy was about to call hello to her when a bus thundered past, and when her line of sight was clear again Jenna had gone. Had she imagined it? She blinked and stared at the spot where Jenna had been standing. Pregnancy might be turning her brain to mush again but her eyesight was still twenty-twenty.
Seeing her made Maddy remember the wonderful haircuts Jenna had given her in the past. And, dear God, didn’t her hair need doing now? It had been months since she’d had it done. In fact, no one had gone near it since Jenna had so precipitously crashed out. For some time Maddy had been scraping it back into a tatty ponytail each morning to have done with it – out of sight, out of mind. She looked at her reflection in the shop window beside her – and saw someone who might be mistaken for Rosa Klebb. But without the fun-loving personality and fashion sense, she thought. Shit, she looked rough.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and spun the list of contacts, her thumb hovering over the names as they whizzed past. J. She pressed down. Jack, James… Jenna. Then she pressed the telephone symbol.
‘Maddy?’ There was no mistaking the stunned surprise in Jenna’s voice.
‘Er… hello, Jenna.’ There was a silence. ‘Jenna, you still there?’
‘Yes, yes, I am. What do you want?’
Not the most gracious start to a conversation. ‘Jenna, are you in Warminster?’
‘Why d’you want to know?’
‘Because I’m in Warminster and I think I’ve just seen you.’
There was another silence. ‘Really?’ Jenna sounded mightily unimpressed.
‘So… did I?’
‘Yeah. You did.’
‘Fancy a coffee?’
There was a sigh, then, ‘Why not?’
Maddy looked about her. ‘What about Costa? Five minutes.’
‘See you there.’
Maddy disconnected and turned the buggy towards the coffee shop in the marketplace. She was queuing for a cappuccino when she heard her name being called. She spun around.
‘Jenna. Lovely to see you,’ she said brightly. ‘You bag a table, I’ll get the drinks. What would you like? Here,’ and she pushed the buggy towards Jenna. ‘Park Nathan up for me so I can carry the coffees.’
‘OK, thanks. Skinny latte, please.’
A couple of minutes later Maddy made her way through the other customers over to the sofa Jenna had bagged.
‘So,’ said Maddy, as she deposited the two cups and saucers. ‘What have you been up to?’
‘What? Apart from getting a divorce, you mean?’
‘Well…’ Maddy shrugged.
‘’S’all right. Water under the bridge. Or it was until you lot rocked up. I mean, I never thought that 1 Herts would turn up here. I couldn’t believe it when Dan – he’s my partner now – told me what was going on because he’s REME and works in the LAD. I mean, what are the chances that I get away from 1 Herts only to find that they come chasing after me.’
‘That’s going to be tricky,’ said Maddy.
‘Tell me about it. I thought I’d put all that baggage well behind me. Although my spies tell me my ex is up in
Well, thought Maddy, everyone had to be somewhere. And, of course, Jenna’s new man had been another soldier, and this was a garrison town so it wasn’t so completely unreasonable that she should be here too. But it was going to be Jenna’s bad luck that the battalion she’d tried to escape from had now moved into her new back yard.
Maddy was about to call hello to her when a bus thundered past, and when her line of sight was clear again Jenna had gone. Had she imagined it? She blinked and stared at the spot where Jenna had been standing. Pregnancy might be turning her brain to mush again but her eyesight was still twenty-twenty.
Seeing her made Maddy remember the wonderful haircuts Jenna had given her in the past. And, dear God, didn’t her hair need doing now? It had been months since she’d had it done. In fact, no one had gone near it since Jenna had so precipitously crashed out. For some time Maddy had been scraping it back into a tatty ponytail each morning to have done with it – out of sight, out of mind. She looked at her reflection in the shop window beside her – and saw someone who might be mistaken for Rosa Klebb. But without the fun-loving personality and fashion sense, she thought. Shit, she looked rough.
She pulled her phone from her pocket and spun the list of contacts, her thumb hovering over the names as they whizzed past. J. She pressed down. Jack, James… Jenna. Then she pressed the telephone symbol.
‘Maddy?’ There was no mistaking the stunned surprise in Jenna’s voice.
‘Er… hello, Jenna.’ There was a silence. ‘Jenna, you still there?’
‘Yes, yes, I am. What do you want?’
Not the most gracious start to a conversation. ‘Jenna, are you in Warminster?’
‘Why d’you want to know?’
‘Because I’m in Warminster and I think I’ve just seen you.’
There was another silence. ‘Really?’ Jenna sounded mightily unimpressed.
‘So… did I?’
‘Yeah. You did.’
‘Fancy a coffee?’
There was a sigh, then, ‘Why not?’
Maddy looked about her. ‘What about Costa? Five minutes.’
‘See you there.’
Maddy disconnected and turned the buggy towards the coffee shop in the marketplace. She was queuing for a cappuccino when she heard her name being called. She spun around.
‘Jenna. Lovely to see you,’ she said brightly. ‘You bag a table, I’ll get the drinks. What would you like? Here,’ and she pushed the buggy towards Jenna. ‘Park Nathan up for me so I can carry the coffees.’
‘OK, thanks. Skinny latte, please.’
A couple of minutes later Maddy made her way through the other customers over to the sofa Jenna had bagged.
‘So,’ said Maddy, as she deposited the two cups and saucers. ‘What have you been up to?’
‘What? Apart from getting a divorce, you mean?’
‘Well…’ Maddy shrugged.
‘’S’all right. Water under the bridge. Or it was until you lot rocked up. I mean, I never thought that 1 Herts would turn up here. I couldn’t believe it when Dan – he’s my partner now – told me what was going on because he’s REME and works in the LAD. I mean, what are the chances that I get away from 1 Herts only to find that they come chasing after me.’
‘That’s going to be tricky,’ said Maddy.
‘Tell me about it. I thought I’d put all that baggage well behind me. Although my spies tell me my ex is up in
Similar Books
