Read Online The Beach Hut Next Door by Veronica Henry - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Veronica Henry
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in a sports jacket and white trousers, and looked as if he would rather be anywhere else; Jeanie was an English rose with a cloud of white-blonde hair and a primness that was almost certainly a smokescreen. Prim girls didn’t marry men like Roger, whose coal-dark eyes were all over everything.
They drifted into the house, a beguiling double act impossible to decipher. Lillie observed them through narrowed eyes as Desmond ushered them out onto the terrace. The Kavanaghs, she decided, would pale into insignificance next to the Jukes, which in some sense relieved her. Yet she felt wrong-footed. Desmond hadn’t been straight with her. He’d dismissed the Jukes; played them down. Or perhaps he genuinely couldn’t see it? Even she, perspicacious and never missing a detail, could never be sure with Desmond.
‘Superb,’ drawled Roger, standing by the stone balustrade and taking in the view as Elodie, armed with a silver tray, handed him a coupe of champagne.
‘I love the English seaside,’ sighed Jeanie, her little-girl voice only just above a whisper. ‘But Roger insists on the Med. He’s a sun worshipper.’
‘England would be fine if it was like this all the time.’ Roger waved his glass at the early evening sun, shining with such bright confidence that you could hardly imagine it wasn’t there every day through the summer months.
‘We are very lucky,’ Lillie told them. ‘Me, I love the South of France, of course, but I have grown to love it here. You never know what you are going to wake up to.’
She fixed her gaze on Roger. He didn’t flicker.
‘So,’ continued Lillie, undaunted. ‘You and Desmond are in discussion about Jukes’s?’
Roger looked amused. ‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘Not me. There would be no point in him talking to me. Jeanie wears the trousers where the business is concerned. Jukes is her family name, not mine. I took it when we married.’
Jeanie’s eyes were wide over her champagne. ‘Such a bore. Such a responsibility. But Grandpa left me the shops. I used to go round them with him all the time when I was small, telling him what he should sell. So as recompense for my utter bossiness, I was left the lot.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘But they’ve turned out to be rather a millstone.’
‘What a shame,’ said Lillie, and her gaze settled on Desmond, who looked implacable.
‘Well,’ he said soothingly. ‘I don’t think you need to panic just yet. There’s huge potential. You just have to come at it from a different angle.’
Lillie raised an eyebrow. Jeanie smiled. Roger drew on a cigarette, eyes narrowed.
Elodie cleared her throat.
‘Peanut, anyone?’ she asked, thrusting a silver bowl amidst the grown-ups. She felt something shifting amongst them: a shift in the balance of power, and it made her feel uncomfortable.
Roger scooped up a handful of nuts and dropped them into his mouth, one by one. No one said a word. At that moment, Jolyon came out onto the terrace. Now they were together, Elodie could see his dark roving eyes belonged to his father, and his fair hair was Jeanie’s. He was one of those people for whom genetics had played an excellent game.
‘Hello, everyone,’ said Jolyon. ‘Goodness, what a view.’
‘Champagne?’ said Elodie, proffering a glass, and his eyes settled on her and she felt relieved that there was a diversion from the awkwardness.
‘I met your younger sister on the beach earlier,’ said Jolyon. He was teasing her. He was definitely teasing her.
‘Really?’ said Elodie. ‘I hope she wasn’t rude. Only she can be.’
‘She was perfectly charming.’
Their eyes met and Elodie felt her cheeks pinken slightly. Suddenly she wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. Did he really think she was someone different? Then he smiled, showing white teeth, and the way his eyes crinkled showed her he was joking, and for the first time ever in her life, she felt rather beautiful.
As the rest of the guests arrived – the Kavanaghs, and two
They drifted into the house, a beguiling double act impossible to decipher. Lillie observed them through narrowed eyes as Desmond ushered them out onto the terrace. The Kavanaghs, she decided, would pale into insignificance next to the Jukes, which in some sense relieved her. Yet she felt wrong-footed. Desmond hadn’t been straight with her. He’d dismissed the Jukes; played them down. Or perhaps he genuinely couldn’t see it? Even she, perspicacious and never missing a detail, could never be sure with Desmond.
‘Superb,’ drawled Roger, standing by the stone balustrade and taking in the view as Elodie, armed with a silver tray, handed him a coupe of champagne.
‘I love the English seaside,’ sighed Jeanie, her little-girl voice only just above a whisper. ‘But Roger insists on the Med. He’s a sun worshipper.’
‘England would be fine if it was like this all the time.’ Roger waved his glass at the early evening sun, shining with such bright confidence that you could hardly imagine it wasn’t there every day through the summer months.
‘We are very lucky,’ Lillie told them. ‘Me, I love the South of France, of course, but I have grown to love it here. You never know what you are going to wake up to.’
She fixed her gaze on Roger. He didn’t flicker.
‘So,’ continued Lillie, undaunted. ‘You and Desmond are in discussion about Jukes’s?’
Roger looked amused. ‘Oh no,’ he said. ‘Not me. There would be no point in him talking to me. Jeanie wears the trousers where the business is concerned. Jukes is her family name, not mine. I took it when we married.’
Jeanie’s eyes were wide over her champagne. ‘Such a bore. Such a responsibility. But Grandpa left me the shops. I used to go round them with him all the time when I was small, telling him what he should sell. So as recompense for my utter bossiness, I was left the lot.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘But they’ve turned out to be rather a millstone.’
‘What a shame,’ said Lillie, and her gaze settled on Desmond, who looked implacable.
‘Well,’ he said soothingly. ‘I don’t think you need to panic just yet. There’s huge potential. You just have to come at it from a different angle.’
Lillie raised an eyebrow. Jeanie smiled. Roger drew on a cigarette, eyes narrowed.
Elodie cleared her throat.
‘Peanut, anyone?’ she asked, thrusting a silver bowl amidst the grown-ups. She felt something shifting amongst them: a shift in the balance of power, and it made her feel uncomfortable.
Roger scooped up a handful of nuts and dropped them into his mouth, one by one. No one said a word. At that moment, Jolyon came out onto the terrace. Now they were together, Elodie could see his dark roving eyes belonged to his father, and his fair hair was Jeanie’s. He was one of those people for whom genetics had played an excellent game.
‘Hello, everyone,’ said Jolyon. ‘Goodness, what a view.’
‘Champagne?’ said Elodie, proffering a glass, and his eyes settled on her and she felt relieved that there was a diversion from the awkwardness.
‘I met your younger sister on the beach earlier,’ said Jolyon. He was teasing her. He was definitely teasing her.
‘Really?’ said Elodie. ‘I hope she wasn’t rude. Only she can be.’
‘She was perfectly charming.’
Their eyes met and Elodie felt her cheeks pinken slightly. Suddenly she wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. Did he really think she was someone different? Then he smiled, showing white teeth, and the way his eyes crinkled showed her he was joking, and for the first time ever in her life, she felt rather beautiful.
As the rest of the guests arrived – the Kavanaghs, and two
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