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to Afghanistan after Christmas.’

      ‘Jamie?’ Kezzie said. She knew Eileen had a daughter, Christine, but hadn’t realized there was another son.

      ‘My youngest son, he’s in the marines,’ said Eileen proudly, holding out a picture of a handsome young man in uniform. He looked impossibly young to be going to war.

      ‘That must be scary,’ said Kezzie.

      ‘I try not to think about it, if I can,’ said Eileen. ‘Otherwise I’ll go mad with the worry of it. But he’s one of the reasons I want to restore the war memorial, to remind people it still goes on.’

      ‘Time to get ours back then,’ said Niall.

      ‘The summer fete next year is all in aid of restoring the garden and play area,’ said Eileen. ‘And we’re trying to pressurize the council to give us our memorial back. They say they haven’t got the money to restore it, so we’re trying to shame them into it.’

      ‘Surely we don’t have to wait for them to start tidying up the garden though?’ said Kezzie. ‘We should get cracking and dig over the beds before the winter sets in and it’s too cold.’

      ‘Oh, if I know the Parish Council, they’ll be still debating that next spring, won’t they, Tony?’ said Eileen.

      ‘Sad, but true,’ said Tony with a grin.

      ‘Time we took matters into our own hands then, isn’t it?’ said Kezzie, grinning. ‘Just as well I’ve had practice breaking and entering.’

      Chapter Eleven

      ‘So?’ said Troy, as Lauren came downstairs after she’d got dressed.

      ‘So what?’ said Lauren, as she put the kettle on, her embarrassment making her tetchy.

      ‘Have you thought any more about me seeing the girls?’

      ‘I’ve thought about nothing else since last night,’ said Lauren. ‘Look, you can meet them, but not yet. I need to sit down and talk to them about you. And we need to take it slowly. You can’t expect them to welcome you with open arms.’

      ‘Why? What have you said about me?’

      ‘Don’t flatter yourself,’ said Lauren. ‘I don’t talk about you that often. They know they’ve got a dad, but that you’re not around. Some of their friends are in the same situation and they know Sam hasn’t got a mummy, so they don’t ask a lot about you. But they’re likely to be shy, so don’t expect too much.’

      ‘So when can I see them?’

      ‘I’ll let you know,’ said Lauren, determined that if this was going to happen, it was going to be on her terms. ‘They’re going to be back soon, and I don’t want them to see you without any warning. So push off now, and I’ll give you a ring when you can come back.’

      Troy got up slowly, as if reluctant to leave. He positively oozed charm and sexuality and Lauren had to fight very hard to counteract the strong feelings of desire that were stirring within her.

      ‘And us?’

      ‘What about us?’ said Lauren. ‘There is no us. You made that quite clear four years ago.’

      ‘So I can’t hope for anything?’ He moved closer towards her. She could smell his aftershave; a musky smell that reminded her of the tangled beds, and lusty afternoons, they’d spent together in the heady days in her second term at university when they’d first known each other. Don’t. Don’t think of that. She forced herself to concentrate on something else, but Troy wasn’t making it easy for her.

      He brushed his lips across hers, and the touch of his hands on her shoulders was enough to make her want to give in and pull him straight towards her. But looking over his shoulder and seeing the picture Joel had taken of the twins on their first day at school, brought her to her senses. A sudden vision of herself in a hospital bed, unable to move after a caesarean with two screaming babies in cots beside her, swam before Lauren’s eyes. What was she thinking letting him worm his way in here again? She had to be stronger than that.

      ‘No,’ she said, pushing him away firmly. ‘You can’t. You had your chance and you blew it.’

      ‘We’ll see,’ said Troy, blowing her a kiss as she bundled him out of the door. ‘I can be very persuasive.’

      Lauren shut the door behind him and leant back against it, her heart pounding.

      Joel came to pick Sam up after work, and for once he was not late. He was exhausted though; it had been a long and harrowing day as people had started to get wind of the planned cuts to services. Everyone was on edge, not just about their jobs, but about the people they were going to have to let down. Joel had heard countless stories about vulnerable people being left without services they needed that day, and it was heartbreaking to have to tell people the cuts were going to have to come from somewhere. Sadly it didn’t look like they were coming out of the Chief Executive’s salary. As usual Joel had been in a hurry that morning, which had meant that there had been no time for either him or Lauren to mention the awkward scene from the previous day. He wasn’t sure who had been more embarrassed, Lauren or him, by their last encounter, so he decided the decent thing was to pretend it hadn’t happened.

      ‘Has Kezzie mentioned she wants to do up the Memorial Gardens?’ he said by way of conversation, as he watched Lauren change Sam’s nappy for the last time.

      ‘She did say something about it,’ said Lauren. ‘There, all lovely and clean, Sammy boy.’ She tickled his tummy and he giggled. Joel felt a spasm of envy. Lauren made it look so easy, but Joel still felt out of his depth when Sam was having a tantrum. He wished more than anything that Claire was here to tell him what to do.

      ‘We were talking about the playground as well,’ said Joel. ‘I hadn’t realized what a state it’s in. We think we should try and get that renovated too.’

      ‘Now that is a good idea,’ said Lauren. ‘The kids need a proper play area. I’ll have a chat with Eileen about it next time I see her.’

      ‘Great,’ said Joel. He looked closely at Lauren; she seemed a bit pale and withdrawn.

      ‘Everything all right?’ he asked.

      ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’ said Lauren, though she didn’t look great. There were dark circles round her eyes and she looked tired.

      ‘You look a bit worn out, if you don’t mind me saying,’ said Joel. ‘If it’s anything to do with what happened yesterday, I’ve forgotten it already.’

      ‘Oh, that,’ said Lauren, blushing puce. ‘No it’s not that. I just haven’t slept well for the last two nights.’

      ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’ said Joel. ‘I imagine yesterday was a bit of a shock for you what with Troy turning up out of the blue.’

      ‘Ah yes, the return of my wonderful ex, no I’m probably not OK, but I just have to work out how to deal with him.’ Lauren sighed.

      ‘I hope you sent him packing. He doesn’t deserve you,’ then, embarrassed, ‘Sorry, I’ve probably said too much.’

      Lauren gave a sad smile.

      ‘No, you’re right,’ she sighed. ‘It’s not as easy as that though, is it? He wants to see the girls.’

      ‘Don’t let him,’ said Joel. ‘Why should he suddenly arrive and expect everything to be the way he wants it?’

      ‘I’ve spent the last two nights lying awake thinking the same thing,’ said Lauren. ‘But despite everything he is their dad, and they have a right to know him too.’

      ‘But he could let them down again,’ argued Joel, thinking privately that on past performance he was bound to.

      ‘He says he’s changed, and that he really wants to make it

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