is lying down while she is sitting astride him, her hands on his bare chest. Aurora and her jumper also appear to have parted company. Her bra is on the floor. Oh my giddy aunt. I only met her for the first time last night and now I’m acquainted with her . . . well, you don’t need me to spell it out.
Lucas looks suitably horrified, but maybe still not as horrified as me. ‘What are you doing home?’
‘I live here,’ I remind him.
Aurora is covering her boobs with her hands – which aren’t quite big enough to do a proper job. ‘Hi, Molly.’
Then we all just stay like statues, unable to break the moment.
Finally, I manage to mobilise my brain. ‘I just have to see to the animals,’ I say, hurriedly. ‘It will take me a while. Ten minutes, maybe longer. Bye.’
I bolt out of the door, taking the dogs with me. I stand with my back to the caravan and can hear myself breathing heavily. That was terrible, awful, traumatic. Did I really just see what I thought I saw? I did. Christ alive. I wanted to get to know Aurora better, but not that well.
I hear movement in the van behind me, frantic scrabbling. I hope that means they’re getting dressed. True to my word, I plan to stay out here for as long as it takes. So I totter across the yard in my ridiculous shoes as I didn’t hang around long enough to put my wellies on. The dogs, however, are happy that they’re out of the confines of the caravan, whatever the circumstances. Yet, now I’m out here, I don’t quite know what to do with myself, so I head into the barn to take a bit of solace with my beloved animals. I’m wearing a dress and silly shoes and it’s the weather for a big parka and boots.
The animals are all snuggled up asleep. Only Tina Turner rouses when I go to their pens. She stands up and comes over to me, ever hopeful that a midnight snack might be on offer.
‘Oh, Tina. What shall I do now?’ I lean against her neck and she lets me. She must know that I’m troubled as she doesn’t even try to eat my hair or my dress.
Never in a million years did I think that, while I was away, Lucas would be doing . . . that. He’s only known Aurora for five minutes. My heart is pounding in my chest. I never expected this to happen, not yet, not on my watch. What would Shelby do? What would he say? Lucas might be of legal age to . . . well. But he’s just a child. And not even my child. Oh, bollocky bollocks.
I stroke Tina’s neck and she tolerates it. Bringing up animals, it seems, is less fraught than bringing up a kid.
A few minutes later, just as deep shivering is setting in, I hear the slam of Aurora’s car door and her engine starts up. Then the gate closes after her and she heads up the lane. I need to catch my breath and marshal my thoughts before I speak to Lucas. I can’t ignore this, but I’m not sure that I’m equipped to deal with it either.
Chapter Twenty-Five
As I’m still pondering my quandary, Lucas appears. He’s got my big coat and my wellies.
‘It’s cold out here,’ he says as he hands them to me.
‘Yes.’ I shrug on my coat, kick off my shoes and slip my cold feet into fur-lined boots.
‘Aurora’s gone.’
‘I heard.’
‘We could walk up the field,’ he offers. ‘If you want to.’
‘OK.’
So we head out of the barn, Lucas shining a torch at the ground as we climb the stile. The dogs squeeze through the gap in the hedge and run ahead chasing each other, so pleased to be on an impromptu walk. I’m not sure whether I am or not. It’s a still night, but it’s freezing out. We walk in silence.
Eventually, Lucas turns to me in the darkness. ‘Well? Aren’t you going to say something?’
‘Fuck, Lucas,’ is all I manage.
‘We did, thanks,’ he says sarcastically.
‘I know!’
‘It’s no big deal.’ He sounds defensive. ‘Everyone does it.’
‘You’ve only known her a short while. You keep insisting that she’s not even your girlfriend. It was the last thing I imagined. I didn’t expect to see you like that.’
‘It just happened.’ Lucas shrugs. ‘What can I say?’
‘I thought I could trust you at home alone.’
‘You can. It’s only sex. I