by Carla McKay
And so here Judith was looking up at everyone who came into the restaurant and hoping that the Jean she was about to see was really a happier woman than the one she had known in France. The door opened and Jean walked in, smiling in happy anticipation. The two women embraced and then Jean began to explain about the small boy she had in tow. ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ she said, ‘I’ve brought Joe, my grandson, with me as he’s got an unexpected half day at school – something to do with a teachers’ strike – he’s very good in restaurants and he’ll be happy to sit here with us and have a pizza.’
‘Of course I don’t mind,’ said Judith. ‘But I didn’t realise you had a grandson… oh…,’ the truth dawning, ‘is he Sarah’s son?’ She turned to greet Joe properly. ‘Hi Joe…’, she started, then stopped suddenly, blood rushing to her face when she saw his distinctive, unmistakable pale eyes. ‘Yes,’ said Jean calmly, watching her. ‘I knew you would know when you saw him. It is what you think. It’s taken me a long time, but I’m over the shock now. He’s such a dear little boy…’, she put her hand to her throat and her eyes watered a little. ‘Run over there,’ she said to Joe now ‘and see if you can find us some menus.’ She watched as Joe skipped over towards the counter. ‘He’s himself,’ she said, composing herself and turning back to Judith, ‘he’s Joe, he’s gorgeous and I love him dearly.
About the Author
Carla McKay is a journalist, reviewer and former fiction editor of the Daily Mail. She lived for half a year in a small village in the Languedoc, France, which inspired this novel. Currently she divides her time between London and Oxford.
Copyright
First published in 2012 by
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ISBN 9781906142933
The moral right of Carla McKay to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrigh, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior consent of the publisher. A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library.
Copyright © 2012 by Carla McKay