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“But you have them all on computer?”

“Of course; it’s just not the same. I see Jack doesn’t feature in many, so I’m guessing he’s the photographer.”

“Usually. But the younger children like taking photos too. They’re just not very good at framing or focus, so we tend to edit them out before ordering prints.”

Martha smiled. “Your eldest daughter—Paige, is it? She’s very pretty.”

In spite of rolling her eyes, Jenna felt a rush of pride. “She doesn’t seem to think so, but I guess that’s part of being her age. Would you like another coffee?”

“Oh no, thanks, I really should be going.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d hoped we might make that lunch today, but once again time’s running away from me.”

As they walked out to Martha’s car, Jenna said, “Thanks again for coming all this way. It was so much simpler to understand the changes than if you’d sent a set of instructions.”

“I’m afraid one will be on its way,” Martha warned, “but hopefully it’ll make more sense now you’ve seen how it works.” She held out a hand to shake, her pretty dimples showing as she smiled. “It was lovely to see you.”

“To see you too,” Jenna replied, meaning it. Hearing her mobile ringing, she made to turn back before realizing how rude it would seem.

“It’s OK, go ahead,” Martha encouraged, taking out her own phone as she got into the car. “Give me a call if there’s anything, won’t you?”

After assuring her she would, Jenna ran back to the kitchen and picked up just in time. “Hi, darling, sorry,” she said. “I was just seeing Martha out.”

“Right. Good. How did it go?” Jack asked brusquely.

“Fine. She’s very good at explaining things.”

“She’s supposed to be. So what did you chat about, apart from the technical stuff?”

“Nothing much, really. The kids, photographs…She thought Paige was very pretty.”

“She’s right, she is. So it went well?”

“Were you expecting it not to?”

“No, of course not. I just wondered, that’s all. Was Bena there?”

“No, she had to take Aiden back to the hospital this morning. She’ll be in later. How are things going with you? Is your mother…?”

“Hang on, sorry, I’ve got another call coming in. I’d better check who it is.”

After clicking off her end Jenna picked up Martha’s empty coffee cup and carried it to the sink. She was glad to have spent some time with her, though she had to admit she didn’t feel she knew her any better as a result of it. In fact, thinking back over the morning, she was starting to sense that there might have been more to Martha’s visit than the demonstration of a new computer system. Though what that could be presumably only Martha knew.

—

It was Friday evening. Jenna and the younger children were around the table having their tea when the back door opened and Jack burst in as merrily as Santa on Christmas Eve.

“Daddy! Daddy!” the twins yelped, and immediately dashed to throw themselves at him.

“We weren’t expecting you for at least another hour,” Jenna commented, putting down her fork as she got up too.

“Dad! I came in third in spelling,” Josh shouted out proudly.

Jack beamed. “Way to go, little man.” He balanced a twin on each arm as he kissed Jenna.

Catching the beer on his breath, her eyebrows arched knowingly.

“It was just the one,” he promised, “but I’ll have another now I’m home.”

“Another what?” Flora asked, rubbing her fingers over his stubbly chin.

“Beer,” he growled, pretending to bite her.

“I’ll get it! I’ll get it!” Wills insisted, sliding to the floor.

“Grandma’s gone to t’ai chi,” Flora informed him.

His eyes sparkled with laughter. “Has she now? I expect she’ll be very good at it.”

“We do t’ai chi in school sometimes,” Josh announced. “It’s really slow, so Grandma should be OK. Oh yes, and it’s good for breathing, and she needs to breathe at her age, doesn’t she?”

Laughing as he went through to drop a kiss on Josh’s head, Jack said, “She certainly does. And where’s Paige?”

“Where she always is,” Josh complained, “upstairs in her room.”

“We’ve called her,” Flora told him, “but she’s ignoring us. I started on a new reading book at school today.”

“You did? What’s it called?”

“Um…oh yes, I know.
A Wee Bit of Trouble.
”

His eyes rounded with amazement. “You mean they’ve written a book about you?”

Flora squealed with laughter and flung her arms round his neck. “I’m not trouble,” she insisted.

“Yes you are,” Wills assured her, bringing a beer for his father. “I finished my book too, Dad, and I’m already on page three of my next one. And I did a painting for Mum, didn’t I, Mum?”

“You did, and it’s your best one yet,” she replied. “A lovely abstract. I think we’ll put it up in our office.”

“I’m going to do a painting for Mum too,” Flora declared. “Mine will be of Waffle.”

Hearing his name, Waffle lifted his head and wagged his tail.

“Has anyone fed you tonight?” Jack wanted to know.

As though understanding, Waffle got to his feet and wagged a little harder.

“His paw’s nearly better now,” Wills informed him. “He can probably take the boot off next week.”

“Has anyone fed him?” Jenna asked, looking around.

“Paige might have,” Josh offered. “She usually does.”

“Go and check with her,” Jenna instructed. “And tell her Dad’s home, so she has to come down for tea.”

“I’ll go,” Flora cried, dashing for the stairs before anyone could beat her to it. She had no competition; the boys were nowhere near as interested in what might be going on in Paige’s room as she was.

“I’m here!” Paige shouted over the landing. “And yes, I’ve fed Waffle. Someone has to or the poor thing would starve.”

Relieved she’d emerged, no matter what kind of mood she might be in, Jenna called out, “Do you want mash with your lamb chops or chips?”

“Whatever,” Paige retorted, scooping Flora up as she reached her.

“Will you tell me your secrets?” Flora whispered in her ear.

“Only if you’ll tell me yours,” Paige whispered back.

Flora’s eager nod quickly turned to a frown. “I don’t have any,” she confessed.

Laughing and hugging her, Paige set her down in the kitchen and regarded her mother.

“What?” Jenna prompted, raking a healthy helping of mash onto Paige’s plate.

“Nothing,” Paige replied. “Is that mine?”

“Yes. The other one’s Dad’s, so you can take that too.”

“Ah ha, here’s my little beauty queen,” Jack declared, reaching for Paige as she brought his plate.

“Oh, Dad,” she groaned. “I am so
not
a beauty queen.”

“Now, that’s just where you’re wrong. How can you not be when you look just like your mother?”

“She’s ugly,” Josh muttered.

Paige turned to Jenna. “Is he talking about you or me?” she demanded.

“You!” Josh shouted.

“She’s not ugly, she’s beautiful,” Jenna admonished.

“How can she not be beautiful when I already said she looks just like her mother?” Jack added.

Paige rolled her eyes. “He is
sooo
corny. I don’t know how you can stand it.”

“It’s hard, but I manage,” Jenna admitted.

“Dad?” Josh said, drawing out the word. “What’s a condom?”

“What?” Paige shrieked. “How do you know about things like that?”

“I heard someone talking about them in school.”

“But you’re only eight,” Paige protested, “and anyway we’re eating, so we definitely don’t want to talk about
that.
”

Loving the way Jack’s laughter made Paige’s eyes shine, Jenna returned to her own meal just as Josh was saying to Paige, “Everyone’s coming to watch me play football tomorrow. Will you come too?”

Eyes glued to her mobile, she said, “Can’t. I’m going surfing with my friends.”

His face fell.

Seeming to pick up on his disappointment, she added, “Sorry.”

“It’s all right,” he said, shrugging.

“It would mean a lot to him,” Jenna said quietly.

“Mu-um,” Paige said through her teeth.

“I know!” Josh cried brightly. “Why don’t we all go surfing after the game? We can meet Paige there. Where are you going?”

“No way am I going surfing with you lot,” Paige stated firmly.

“Why not?” he demanded.

She regarded him as if he were crazy. “You mean apart from all the potential for embarrassment?”

As Jack and Jenna burst out laughing, Wills said, “Me and Flora can do body boarding, can’t we, Mum? Mum, where’s my board?”

“In the garage.”

“Can I go and see it?”

“When you’ve finished your tea. We had a lovely email from the school today about Paige,” Jenna told Jack. “Apparently Miss Kendrick, the English teacher, is putting Paige’s short essay about daffodils in the school magazine.”

Jack’s eyes lit up. “That’s marvelous,” he declared. “I’ve told you before, you’re following in your mother’s footsteps with your literary talent.”

“My essay’s hardly in the same league as a
novel,
” Paige pointed out. “And it’s just dumb putting it in the magazine. No one’ll want to read it.”

“You’d be surprised,” he responded knowingly. “What’s happening about our tourist video?”

“It’s
my
video, and I’m still editing it. I only have two ICT lessons a week, so it won’t be ready for ages.”

“We’ve got daffodils in our garden,” Wills piped up. “Can we pick some, Mum?”

“I don’t think so.”

“OK. Mum? What’s a condom?”

“Don’t tell him, please!” Paige cried, covering her ears.

As Jack and Jenna laughed again, Wills said, “But I have to know or I won’t ever learn.”

“It’s something people use when they’re making babies to stop them catching diseases,” Josh explained.

Astounded, Jenna said, “I thought you didn’t know what one was.”

“And I wouldn’t exactly describe them that way,” Jack added. “What they’re—”

“No, Dad, don’t, please,” Paige begged. To Wills, she said, “Mum and Dad don’t really know what they are. If they did, there wouldn’t be so many of us.”

Jack gave a shout of laughter. “Touché, Paige,” he conceded.

Clearly trying not to laugh, she simply shrugged and carried on texting as she ate.

“So who are you going surfing with?” Jenna ventured as Flora came to sit on her lap.

“Just some friends,” Paige replied. “You know, Charlotte and everyone.”

“Which beach are you going to?” Josh asked.

“No way am I telling you. You’ll turn up.”

“But we’re not embarrassing, are we, Dad?”

“We try not to be,” Jack assured him.

“Can we take Waffle?” Flora asked.

“Of course. We wouldn’t leave him at home, would we, boy?”

Closing in for a head rub, Waffle whopped Paige with his tail.

“You’re Waffle’s favorite,” Flora told Paige.

“Because I feed him.”

“So does Dad. He does it most, don’t you, Dad?”

Jack was reading a message on his own mobile.

“Dad!” Flora cried.

“What?”

“I said—”

“Sorry, I heard you. I think you’re right, Paige is his favorite.”

“Is she your favorite too, because she’s the oldest?”

“We don’t have favorites,” he insisted, which was true, they didn’t, though Jenna did sometimes wonder if Paige might have the edge for Jack.

“Paige is my favorite,” Flora decided. “And Mummy and you and Josh and Wills and
Waffle.
Oh, and Grandma.”

“Speaking of grandmas,” Jenna said, “how was your mother?”

Jack sighed and put down his phone. “No change. I think she was glad to see me, though.”

“What’s the matter with Grandma Moore?” Wills asked.

“She had a stroke,” Jenna reminded him.

“What’s a stroke?”

“It happens when blood can’t get through to the brain.”

“She can’t speak, can she?” Flora asked.

Jenna shook her head.

“So how do you know when she’s hungry?”

“Or when she wants to go to the toilet?” Josh added. “Or what she wants to watch on telly? I wish Flora and Wills would have a stroke so they didn’t always get to watch what they want. I’m never allowed to choose.”

“Yes you are,” Wills cried. “And anyway, you’ve got your own television.”

As the predictable row broke out Paige picked up her plate and took it through to the kitchen. To Jenna’s relief she’d managed two-thirds of it, more than she’d got through the past couple of nights.

“I hope you’re not leaving us,” Jack called after her.

“I’ve got homework,” Paige replied, keeping her back turned.

“Please tell me you’re not spending all your time in chat rooms,” Jenna commented, following her out.

“I go on them, like everyone else,” Paige retorted. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Just as long as you’re not using any sites you know we wouldn’t approve of.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not stupid.”

Jenna eyed her warily. It was true, Paige wasn’t stupid, but as her mother, Jenna was never going to take anything for granted.

“Mum, stop looking at me like that,” Paige complained. “I just chat with my friends, and kids from other schools who are studying the same subjects. It’s all perfectly legit.”

“Make sure it stays that way—and if anyone you don’t know tries to get you to do anything…”

“It’s cool, OK? I know the rules, I’m not going to let myself be groomed or stalked or anything that you’re thinking. Oh God, will you listen to them? Why do they always have to scream?”

“Because they’re young. You were once, but now you’ve grown up into a grumpy teenage girl who tries not to laugh at our jokes but can’t really stop herself even when she’s totally embarrassed and wishes we were anyone’s family but hers.”

“It’s spooky how you read my mind,” Paige informed her. Treating Jenna to an exaggerated smile, she disappeared off upstairs.

It was much later in the evening, after hot-water bottles had been filled, stories read, and goodnight kisses dished out, that Jack returned to the kitchen to find Jenna checking her to-do list. “Paige seems in a better mood tonight,” he commented, going to put the kettle on.

Jenna nodded. “Thank goodness. It’s lovely when she laughs, isn’t it? I always feel myself relaxing, which is when I realize how tense she can make me.”