‘Feel’ better for that?’ Jessie asks gently, turning from the worktop.

Nathan nods. ‘Sorry. Don’t know what came over me.’ He gives an embarrassed smile as he takes the mug she holds out to him from her hand.

‘No need for apologies, better out than in, as they say! Although…’ Her eyebrows wiggle.

He chuckles. ‘Now, normally, I’d agree with you.’

‘Hmmm yes…your little problem. Shall we take this in the front room and be comfy?’

Nathan nods, blowing to cool the surface of the cocoa and taking tentative sips as he follows her through the hall. ‘Mmmm.’ He murmurs appreciatively.

‘You’ll burn your chops!’

‘Probably’ Nathan agrees with a rueful smile and sets the mug on the low table in front of the sofa as he sits next to Jessie.

‘Some things never change!’ Jessie smiles indulgently. ‘You never did have any patience. Right!’ She pats a hand on his knee. ‘Let’s hear it then. No more shilly-shallying, I’ve got a bed to go to and you’ve got to get up in the morning.’ she grins ‘With me, I just hope I’m going to get up in the morning. At my age you can’t be certain.’

‘Je-ess! Don’t talk like that.’ he says, his voice low and full of reproof.

‘We’ve all got to go sometime. Don’t be so serious. Besides, I ain’t goin’ nowhere ‘til I’ve heard this bloomin’ story. I’m not about to conk out yet.’ She laughs. ‘So, what’s the big deal, then?’

‘There isn’t one.’ Nathan lifts his mug and curls his hands around it. ‘Not what I’d call a big deal at any rate, basically, she was as high as a kite.’

‘You mean…. drugs?’ Jessie looks appalled.

Nathan nods and sips his cocoa.

‘Nathan, she’s fifteen. You don’t call being on drugs at that age a big deal?’

‘Well…yes…I suppose it is…but….’

Jessie touches his arm. ‘I understand.’ She says softly. ‘I watched you go through it remember? Believe me, it was a damned big deal at the time. We all thought we would lose you.’

Nathan bows his head. ‘Not something I’m proud of but I can sort of appreciate how…’

‘It’s still a big deal’

‘But if you saw what I see sometimes…’

‘I’m glad I don’t! So, what happened exactly?’

Nathan sighs ‘We were just finishing up for the day’ he begins, drawing the skin on top of his cocoa to the rim of the mug with a finger before taking another sip. He turns his face to her. ‘We’d had a really great afternoon, got hell of a lot done, mostly because we hadn’t had any interruptions. She’d taken off about lunchtime so we hadn’t had her to contend with. You’d be surprised how much time that took up! Not just me trying to shake her off but the other guys would spend more time staring than grafting. Jeeze! Talk about there for the taking!’

‘Bit of a madam?’

‘You could say that and used to getting whatever she wanted. Didn’t go down well that I wasn’t playing. I could tell that but she still kept trying it on.’

‘Probably thought she’d wear you down in the end.’

‘Yeah, probably worn a few ends down already.’ he mutters

‘Nathan!’

‘Sorry.’ he makes a moue. ‘Anyway, there was just me and Davo left when she turns up again. Got dropped off by some bloke in a flash car right next to where we were working. Made a big thing of it, like I should be jealous or something. Comes dinksing up, all teeth and legs and wants to know if there was anything I needed.’ Nathan sighs again. ‘And Dave, the prat, nudges me and says something like I was saving myself for later.’ he groans.

Jessie looks at him enquiringly.

‘I’d got plans.’ he explains, reddening slightly. ‘We’d sort of been talking about it.’

‘But you don’t mean….not with her?’ Jessie asks carefully.

‘God no!’ Nathan shakes his head, wiping his mouth and putting his mug down. ‘I was going off straight from work; bag was in the car. I’d…er…met someone.’

‘Ooh! A dirty weekend.’ Jessie hunches her shoulders and sniggers. ‘I always wanted one of those.’

‘I’d laugh if it wasn’t so funny.’ He glances at her, his eyes flashing.

‘Sorry.’

‘So you should be.’ He gives a tight-lipped smile and aims a playful punch at her arm. ‘Anyway, I’m pretty positive that’s how it all came about. Dave knew what she was after; he’d been ribbing me for days but what with him knowing I’d met…. this woman…. If only he’d kept his mouth shut!’

‘Or if you’d done the same.’ Jessie says mildly. ‘I can never understand why men need to brag. Is it some sort of macko thing?’

Nathan grins. ‘Macho? No, not really, and I hadn’t been bragging. He was grumbling about having to go and visit his mother-in-law and asked me what plans I’d got. That’s all.’

‘So this girl, she thought the later thing was all about her?’

‘Reckon you got it in one.’ he says dully.

‘So then what happened?’

‘She disappeared into the house, Dave went home and I went for a shower in the pool house.’

‘And then?’

Nathan groans, hesitating a long while before speaking. ‘So, I’m in the shower…..and….’

‘Mmm?’

‘Gimme a minute!’ he retorts, his face growing even redder. ‘This is like…difficult. Bet you never had to tell your granny stuff!’

Jessie colours.

‘Sorry, didn’t mean to sound so crabby.’ Nathan squeezes her hand gently.

‘It’s not that.’ Jessie says, blotting her nose on the back of her other hand. ‘That’s about the nicest thing you could ever have said.’

He looks puzzled for a few seconds. ‘The ‘granny’ thing?’ His fingers lace between hers and he squeezes more tightly, giving her hand a little shake. He smiles fondly. ‘The best I’ve got. Thought you realised that.’

Jessie shakes her head, smiling through the tears that threaten. ‘No, I thought we were just…… mates.’

‘My granny mate.’ Nathan shakes her hand once more. ‘Come on you daft sod. Don’t go getting all slushy on me.’ he growls.

‘Yes, right, ok, sorry.’ Jessie sits up straight, taking her hand from his and wiping her eyes beneath her glasses. She sniffs, lets out a deep breath and clears her throat. ‘Do carry on’ she says imperiously.

Nathan grins. ‘Ok, but don’t look at me.’

‘Don’t look at…?’

‘Uh uh!’ he lifts a warning finger.

‘Oh, alright!’ Jessie grumbles and stares up at the ceiling. ‘That do?’

‘You needn’t go that mad, just don’t..’

‘Look at you. Yes, I got that bit. You were in the shower?’ she prompts.

‘Yeah…I’m in the shower, head full of shampoo, eyes shut…’

‘And thinking about your weekend no doubt.’

‘Oi! No looking includes no interruptions!’

‘Well, pardon me!’

‘Shut up.’

‘Yessir! And?’

‘I felt this hand on my arse!’

‘Oh, Nathan, you didn’t!’

‘I thought I told you…’

‘Ooops!’ She looks up at the ceiling again.

‘I hadn’t heard a thing what with the noise of the water. I jumps about six foot, swings round and she’s standing there, naked as a jaybird and telling me how she knew I couldn’t hold out and to move over!’

Jessie sits up abruptly, agog. ‘Hussy! What on earth did you do?’

‘Pushed her out of the way to get to the basin.’

‘To be sick?’

‘No, to wash the bloody soap out of my eyes! It was stinging like shit and no way was I getting back in that shower.’

‘And then?’

Nathan sighs. ‘You just can’t stop with the questions can you?’

‘I can go if you want me to.’

‘Nah. I can’t get any more embarrassed than what I am, at least you haven’t laughed.’

‘I know what the end result is and that’s not funny at all.’

He starts to chuckle. ‘It IS bloody funny now I’m actually telling it. Most of it at any rate.’

‘Go on, I’m enjoying this!’

‘So there I am bent over the sink trying to get the crap out of my eyes and she comes up and grabs me from behind!’

‘From behind, not your behind?’

‘From behind’ he confirms, looking at her from under lowered brows, his colour rising even further. ‘Hands all the way round sort of from behind.’

Jessie presses her lips together, her eyes dancing. ‘Oooh dear!’

‘Yeah, oooh dear! Easy for you to say, might’ve been different if it’d been anybody else but my first reflex was to twist away. If I hadn’t been all soap and dripping wet, she could have done me serious damage!’

Jessie puts her hand to her mouth.

‘Do NOT laugh!’ Nathan grunts warningly but his eyes crinkle as he leans back, resting his neck on top of the sofa cushion, a smile playing on his lips as he relives the scene. Rolling his head to one side, he grins. ‘It was totally nuts!’

‘So you said.’ Jessie agrees drolly.

                                                                                                             continued......

Dell Cottage,

Washbrooke Lane

Chapter One