The sun was wintering low in the sky, the glare forcing Jenna to wear her sunglasses. She took the approaching bend slowly, wondering as she did so if this was the place where Luke and Danny went off the road.
‘That’s what I like,’ Hazel said beside her. ‘A careful driver.’
Jenna took her eyes off the road just long enough to send her passenger a quick smile.
‘Thanks for coming along with me today. I’m not sure I would have actually done this if you weren’t with me.’
‘No problem,’ Hazel said. ‘It struck me that you needed to. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t come and keep you company? You never know, this old guy could be some kind of pervert. If there’s two of us you’re bound to be safer.’
As the holidays had dragged on, Jenna’s mind had gone more and more to the events of the past – Danny, Luke, the old man she met at the court. And to Danny’s parents. And she knew she wouldn’t be able to think straight until she’d sorted it all out in her head.
She said as much to Hazel when they chatted online, and Hazel offered her company and support when she’d said the time had come to talk to Uncle Sandy.
Taken aback by how keen she was to help, Jenna agreed. It would be nice to meet Hazel in person, after all her support over the previous weeks.
When she saw her waving as she pulled into the car park, Jenna was surprised. They must be in the same age bracket, but time had been kind to her. She looked like she’d just left university a matter of months ago. When she’d looked at Hazel’s photos on social media she’d thought her youthful looks were down to the use of a filter, but it was clear the lucky woman didn’t need any.
‘Hey,’ Jenna said. ‘Nice to see you in the flesh after all this time.’ As she spoke she fought for memories of her during their time at university. But came up blank. Which wasn’t so odd, really. There were so many people who’d come and gone in her small circle of friends over the years she spent there. It was very plausible that they had met and Hazel hadn’t made an impression. They were all still finding out who they were at that age. Some used that to blend into the background, others tried everything to stand out. Hazel must have been one of the former.
‘Oh, man, it is so good to get out of the house. Feels like I’ve been indoors for years.’ Hazel gave her a quick up-and-down of assessment. ‘You look well.’
There was a grudging admission in her voice that surprised Jenna.
As if she recognised she’d allowed too much honesty to leak into her speech, Hazel added a qualification. ‘For someone who’s looking after an invalid mother, you actually look amazing.’
‘You’re being too kind,’ Jenna replied, then paused. ‘Thank you for doing this, Hazel.’ She exhaled. ‘I’m feeling a little nervous.’
‘Why?’ Hazel asked.
‘What if I find out something that I really don’t want to know?’