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  She was going to spend Christmas with her sister Phoebe and husband, and her two beautiful nieces this year. Her dad and his partner Maria were going to France to stay with friends, and her brother was travelling around Australia.

  Christmas Eve arrived and Jess started to pack up her car for the drive to her sister’s. She wondered what Dan was up to. It wouldn’t be a very happy Christmas for him, she thought. Even if they had managed to sort it out, it would be hard for Alex to trust him now. She threw the last bag into the boot and went back into the house to make sure everything was locked. Noting that she had forgotten to switch off her laptop, she quickly checked for any new messages. She looked at the screen and did a double-take. Her heart began to beat faster as there, sitting in the inbox, was what she had been waiting for, for the past three weeks.

  Chapter Ten

  Alex turned over and snuggled up against the warm, soft body next to her.

  ‘Morning,’ she whispered.

  She luxuriated in the fact that Evie wasn’t in the next room so there would be no crying out for milk today. She was soothed by the gentle love-making of the night before and for the first time in weeks felt content.

  Finding out about Dan had been a complete shock, but in some ways a relief. They had been playing happy families for so long. She was frustrated that she hadn’t been getting the respect she deserved as a partner or mother, and was glad it had all come to a head. She could now concentrate on making Evie’s life as happy as possible and fulfilling her potential as a stand-up comedienne, something she had always wanted to do.

  ‘Morning, gorgeous girl. How much time have we got before Evie is back?’

  ‘Hours and hours yet,’ Alex replied dreamily.

  Alex melted into the slow and loving kiss from her partner’s soft mouth. She pulled away and put her finger against those lips as if to shush them, and moved slowly and deliberately down her partner’s body. Her tongue caressed every inch of perfect, sweet-smelling flesh. As she licked and teased an inner thigh, she became completely turned on by the groans of pleasure that ensued.

  ‘Good, so good,’ Sal murmured.

  Chapter Eleven

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Jess

  Hope you’re doing OK. Just wanted to send you a little note to say that Alex and I have split up. We did our best to work it out but we realised that we’ve been living a lie for quite a while now. I would love to see you again. If you fancy a drink sometime next week, text me!

  Happy Christmas!

  Dan x

  Jess began to dance around her small living room.

  ‘Happy Christmas, Jessica Morley!’

  She sang ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ with such gusto at the Christmas Eve carol service that Phoebe laughed out loud and got glared at by the rest of the congregation. Georgina, Jess’s eight-year-old niece, looked on in horror, thinking that finally Auntie Jessica had gone completely mad.

  She decided to hold out on texting Dan until that evening as she had kept Emma’s hunter-gatherer comment in the back of her mind. He could now wait for the wonderful Jessica Morley to contact him!

  She poured herself a large sherry and drafted a text.

  Happy Christmas, Mr Harris.

  Drinks next week

  sounds good x

  Short and sweet, perfect. Not giving anything away but saying that yes, she wanted to meet him. She was happy with that. Send!

  Although she was bursting to, Jess had managed not to tell her sister about Dan just yet. Phoebe was five years Jess’s junior. She was shorter than Jess, at just five feet two and had inherited their father’s blond locks, which she always wore tied up in a ponytail.

  ‘It’s easier this way.’ Was her standard reply when Jess insisted she showed off her long, fair tresses every now and then.

  Phoebe lived a charmed and happy life. She had never been very ambitious; in fact she had wanted to start a family from the minute her periods had started. She had married Glen when they were just eighteen and they were still as much in love with each other now as on the day they met. Glen had inherited his father’s successful catering business and, from the day that Georgina was conceived, Glen insisted that Phoebe should not have to do another day’s work in her life, which of course delighted her.

  Jess knew her wise and far more sensible younger sister would think she was completely mad even entertaining the idea of dating a twenty-three-year-old boy. Especially when all she ever harped on about was meeting the man of her dreams, settling down and having children before she was forty! Hmm, three months to go. She’d have to get a move on!

  Christmas Day came and went without incident. Georgina and Annabel shrieked the whole way through it and Jess was actually quite glad to get into the comfort zone of her Audi to drive the 50 miles back home. She had decided to travel back on Boxing Day to miss all the traffic, and was excited at the prospect of eating all the cold leftovers that Phoebe had packed up for her. She would scoff and watch crap telly for the rest of the day – bliss.

  She turned on the radio and sang along with Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’. Just as she was pulling up outside her house she received a text.

  You free tonight by any chance? Yours at 7? Dan x

  Bored with playing the hunter-gatherer game, Jess turned cavewoman and replied straight away.

  Cool. See you then. Jess x

  So much for slobbing around the house eating cold stuffing. She had to find an outfit, get bathed, get perfumed, and get ready to entertain!

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘Mate, are you sure you know what you’re doing?’ Matt enquired. He was seven years older than Dan and sometimes he felt like a big brother to him, rather than a friend.

  ‘You’ve just come out of a four-year relationship and you’re thinking of meeting up with someone else already, sixteen years your senior. It’ll end in tears, you mark my words!’

  ‘Matt, she’s hot. I just know from the other night the sex will be amazing. She’s fun too. I could do with a laugh.’

  ‘Rebound and all that though, mate. Just don’t get into something you can’t get out of.’

  ‘Look, I’m only going to meet her for a quick drink and then I’m going to Henley to see Dave later. It’s his sofa’s turn tonight. I just want to chat through what happened the other night. I did sort of leave her out in the cold a bit. It’ll be fine.’

  ‘Go and have fun then. Happy Christmas and all that. See you New Year’s Eve as planned, yeah?’

  ‘Sure. Bye, mate.’ Dan turned off his mobile and headed towards Warfield. He didn’t want Alex to know where he was. If she phoned, he wasn’t sure he would be able to lie convincingly. Although they had split fairly amicably he didn’t want to cause her upset by realising he was meeting Jess, in her eyes the catalyst to the end of their relationship. He would call and check Evie was OK later.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When the doorbell rang, Jess double-checked herself in the mirror, blew on her palm to check her breath was minty fresh, and ran downstairs to answer the door. Dan was better-looking than she remembered. He had obviously made an effort too, wearing dark Levis and a freshly ironed black shirt.

  ‘Well, hello, Ms Morley. Fancy seeing you here.’

  ‘Evening, Mr Harris. Do come into Morley Mansions.’ She swept her arm past him in welcome.

  They smiled at each other.

  ‘Good to see you,’ Jess said, feeling like she had reverted to a nervous teenager.

  ‘You too. I’m officially on the rebound so I thought just a quick drink maybe?’ Dan smirked. ‘I’m staying at a mate’s in Henley tonight so you have me for precisely two hours.’

  Jess felt like she was going to cry with disappointment but hid it gamely.

  ‘Sounds good to me. Why don’t we go out for a drink then? It will be really quiet as it’s Boxing Day and I don’t ever buy Stella in.’

  Dan laughed. ‘Cool by me, I’m happy to drive a
s I’m going on after.’

  Jess moved an old McDonald’s wrapper and Coke can on to the back seat and placed a tired-looking dolly at her feet. Her chariot roared into life.

  ‘The Horse and Hounds in Ringfield would be cosy at Christmas-time, I reckon. OK with you?’ she said.

  ‘Cool, cool, I know where that is. Hold on, Mrs Robinson.’

  And hold on she did. Jess clung onto the door handle for fear of her life. She looked briefly to her side, checking to see if Jenson Button had got into the driver’s seat. The vibration of the souped-up exhaust on Dan’s old Golf GTI made her legs wobble and she thought she might be sick with fear as they approached a roundabout at 70 miles per hour. She struggled to hear what he was saying over Eminem’s rant booming out of the eight well-positioned speakers, and then realised Dan wasn’t talking to her at all, but was reciting the rant of his American idol.

  She felt like she needed a bottle of wine and a straw when they eventually parked up.

  ‘Stella?’ Dan offered.

  ‘Large glass of red for me please,’ she replied shakily.

  They took a seat in the corner next to a beautifully lit Christmas tree.

  ‘I still love Christmas, you know,’ she said dreamily.

  ‘And you’ve certainly been around for a few,’ Dan joked.

  ‘Hey, less of the cheek, you.’

  Their legs touched and Jess felt that same spark of electricity she had felt on her sofa that first night. Dan didn’t move away.

  ‘Being honest with you, Jess, I actually arranged to see Dave later as I knew that we’d be at it like rabbits if not. And as I am officially on the rebound, that wouldn’t be acceptable, now would it?’ He looked right into Jess’s eyes to gauge her reaction.

  She held his gaze. ‘No not acceptable at all.’ She squirmed in her seat, imagining already what it would be like to be at it like rabbits.

  ‘How are you anyway?’ she went on.

  ‘I’m doing OK actually. I would only admit this to you, but I feel like I’ve got my life back again. I’m actually genuinely really, really happy. Alex and I were not going anywhere. I was beginning to despise being with her. Eventually Evie would have picked up on the bad vibe, but as it happens, she’s young enough to accept what’s going on without hopefully disrupting her life too much.’

  ‘Well, I’m really glad you’ve come out of it OK.’ She took a large gulp of wine, and then went on. ‘So, are you going to get your own place? I guess there are only so many sofas you can sleep on.’

  ‘The plan for now is that we all stay in the house we are in until the lease runs out at the end of Feb – separate rooms obviously. It seems the best compromise at the moment, as I’m not sure if I can afford a place on my own since we’ll have to pay for Evie to go to nursery now. When the time comes I’ll have to sort out what I’m gonna do house-wise.’

  Jess liked the maturity of Dan where Evie was concerned. He always wanted the best for her and, for someone so young, she thought that was a lovely quality.

  ‘Another Stella?’ Jess enquired.

  ‘Jeez, Jessy, you knocked that back.’

  She had indeed downed her wine very quickly. She intended to have at least two more before she set foot in that car with Jenson again.

  ‘Better have a half as I’m driving and its Christmas and all that.’

  They chatted and flirted until Dan suddenly remembered Dave. ‘Shit, I’d better drop you back.’

  Dan took a large toke of a joint when he got back in his car. Jess also took a big slug of it and proceeded to cough for five minutes, to Dan’s amusement. Jess was thankful that it mellowed him out as, instead of a booming rapper, Ian Brown’s F.E.A.R came out of the multiple speakers and normal driving was resumed.

  ‘Do you want to come in for a coffee before you go?’ Jess enquired, not wanting to lose the exhilarating company of this young sexy man.

  ‘Mrs Robinson, surely you should be offering me alcohol.’

  Dan actually did not want to go anywhere. Just the thought of getting Jess naked and touching her full, pert breasts was all he could think about. He watched her walk through to the kitchen, her firm little bottom looked amazing in her tight jeans and he felt an immediate stirring in his loins. He shouted through to the kitchen.

  ‘I’m gonna call Dave. OK if I stay with you for a bit?’

  ‘A bit of what?’ Jessy flirted. ‘Sugar?’ she enquired.

  ‘I was thinking more spice,’ Dan replied cheekily.

  Jess walked into the lounge and put the coffee cups down. Before she’d even had a chance to sit, Dan grabbed her towards him. He went straight for the buttons on her crisp white shirt and, instead of unbuttoning it, he ripped it open and some buttons fell to the floor. He kissed her passionately and longingly. Jess responded with as much force. It was as if they’d just been told they were the last two people on the planet and the world was going to end.

  ‘I want to taste you,’ Dan murmured. He moved down her body, kissing her ample breasts. His tongue deftly teased her erect nipples and Jess groaned with pleasure as their lovemaking commenced.

  They came together. Dan closed and opened his eyes as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

  ‘Fucking hell, Jess. Happy bloody Christmas!’

  Chapter Fourteen

  ‘Matt, mate, it’s me, you got a minute?’

  ‘Hang on a sec, let me put you on hands free. Well?’ Matt enquired.

  ‘Mate.’ Dan hesitated.

  ‘Come on, Danny boy, spit it out.’

  ‘She’s bloody amazing; I have never had sex like it in my whole life. All night – we were at it all night and it just got better every time. She’s gorgeous Matt. Her body is surprisingly really fit too.’

  ‘So what’s the vibe, Dan? You seeing her again?’

  ‘I can’t not. I really like her. It’s not like she seems old or anything. We actually get on really well, we’re at a level. She makes me laugh.’ Dan tailed off. By describing Jess, he realised that he really did like her.

  ‘And does she realise it’s a bit of fun?’

  ‘Jeez, Matt, I’ve only stayed with her once, it’s not marriage. She knows I’m on the rebound. I told her that. It’ll be fine.’

  ‘Just be careful, hey, for both your sakes. You’ve got a lot going on in that head of yours at the moment and, from what you’ve told me, she sounds like a decent lady.’

  ‘She’s a big girl, Matt, she can handle herself. She’s certainly not stupid. In fact I can thoroughly recommend the older woman.’

  They both laughed.

  ‘See you New Year’s Eve.’

  ‘Yeah, see you, mate.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  ‘Coffee, Jess?’ Emma shouted through to the lounge where she was playing Peppa Pig Houses with Laura, Em’s youngest.

  ‘Tea please, ta. I’ll be through in a minute. Just giving Baby Pig George his dinner and putting him to bed.’ Laura shrieked with delight.

  Jess and Emma sat down in the kitchen.

  ‘Pray tell, dear friend, what the duces is happening? You look like the cat that got the cream.’

  ‘He’s bloody gorgeous!’ Jess exclaimed. ‘I’ve never experienced love making like it. I just can’t explain the feeling, it’s like suddenly I’ve found a creature who presses all the buttons mentally and physically.’

  ‘And how does he feel, do you reckon?’

  ‘Well, I think he feels the same. I don’t think you can do it with someone like we did the other night and it just be pure sex. It was just too real and too special. And I just know he felt it too,’ Jess reassured herself. ‘He did say that he was on the rebound though and that maybe it would be better if we only saw each other as mates in future, until he sorts himself out a bit.’

  ‘OK, so Jess that is a warning sign if ever I heard one.’

  ‘But Em, I know he doesn’t mean it. He wants me as much as I want him, I just know it. He’s just being sensible.’

  Emma h
ad her knowing look ready. ‘Jess, please be careful. I love you and I know it all seems wonderful at the moment, but you need to be realistic here. He’s told you how it is.’

  ‘Em, I’ve spent two nights with the bloke.’

  ‘Yes, Jess, but I know you so well and from the way you’re talking you are so going to fall in love with him.’

  ‘What are you doing tonight anyway?’ Jess enquired changing the subject.

  ‘We can’t get a babysitter so we’re going to see it in at home, just the five of us. And you?’

  ‘I’ve actually got all the new magazines that are out, a bottle of Chilean Red, and I’m going to stay in. I can’t be arsed to go through the rigmarole of the whole forced New Year’s Eve enjoyment thing. I go to enough parties with work.’

  ‘You know you’re always welcome round here. What’s Lover Boy up to anyway?’

  ‘He’s going round his mate’s house with Alex and Evie, ’cos they can’t get a babysitter and neither of them will compromise. Matt’s girlfriend will be there too, so it’ll be just the five of them, how cosy.’

  ‘You bothered by that?’ Em asked.

  ‘Weirdly no. I know there is no way anything would happen between him and Alex now. There’s too much water under the bridge and anyway, even if it does, what can I do about it? Right, I’m going to head home to my magazines and copious amounts of alcohol.’

  ‘Lucky you, I shall go and bath these bairns of mine.’

  Jess got home and ran herself a deep bath. She wanted to call Dan but thought she should let him come to her. She pushed his comments about being mates to the back of her mind. That was not what she wanted at all.

  Midnight arrived and so did the text she prayed may come through.

  I don’t mean to be blunt,

  but you’re beautiful. Happy New Year

  Mrs. Robinson X