Owning Jacob - SA Read Online Free PDF Page B

thought he could guess. She resented him. Before he had come along and spoiled things, Sarah and Jacob had been part of her extended family. Sometimes he felt she thought they had hem her family. Jessica had treated the smal one-bedroom flat that Sarah had moved into after Jacob was born as a second home.
    She would drop in unannounced for meals, stay overnight, and answer the phone as if she lived there. Once, when he and Sarah had been seeing each other for only a few months, Jessica had let herself in and found him there alone, preparing dinner.
    She had stopped dead. 'What are you doing here?' He gave her a grin because he knew that would infuriate her. 'Cooking. What about you?' She ignored his question. 'Where's Sarah?'
    "Jacob's got a cough. She's taken him to the doctor's.' She had stood in the doorway of the lounge, on the other side of the work surface that separated it from the tiny kitchenette.
    He saw her take in the makings of a dinner for two spread out next to the open bottle of wine. 'She didn't tel me.'
    'It wasn't something she'd planned in advance.' Seeing her there, plain and heavy in her midwife's uniform, he'd relented.
    'Do you want a glass of wine? She shouldn't be long.' Her eyes flashed to him again. Her mouth tightened. 'No.' Without another word, she had turned and left.
    "Poor old Jessica,' he had joked to Sarah one evening. 'I think she's jealous of me.'
    'Of course she isn't. She's just shy with people, that's al .'
    "With men, you mean. If the woman was any further in the closet she'd be in Narnia.' Sarah pushed him. 'Don't be rotten. And you're thinking of wardrobe.'
    'Okay, she's a wardrobe lesbian.' She laughed, but he could see she was uneasy.
    'Come on, you know she is,' he said, teasing but exasperated too. 'Admit it, it's no big deal.' Why go on about it, then?'
    I'm not going on about it. I just can't see why you won't admit it.' It genuinely puzzled him. They both had gay and lesbian friends, so Sarah's defensiveness towards Jessica's sexuality seemed odd. 'You two don't have any dark secrets, do you?' His smile dropped as Sarah turned on him. 'No, of course we haven't' Don't be stupid!' She had flushed angrily, her freckles standing out more han ever.
    'It was a joke,' he said, surprised.
    'I know, but you shouldn't laugh at her.'
    'I wasn't laughing. Wel , not much.' The red was fading from her cheeks, but she stil seemed
    ..Jihappy.
    'There wasn't anything between you, was there? I mean,
    :'s none of my business,' he added, hurriedly. 'I just wouldn't rant to upset you without knowing why, that's al .'
    'She's a friend, that's al . I suppose I just feel a bit protective awards her.' Ben couldn't think why. Jessica was more than capable f looking after herself. But after that he tried to keep his pinions of her to himself.
    Even so, when they'd moved to the house in Camden he nad made it clear that he didn't want Jessica to have a key.
    He needn't have bothered, because she'd hardly been there.
    I"here was too much of him in it. Sarah had only spoken ) her once or twice in the past few months, and without al y thinking about it Ben had been quietly pleased that the vo of them were final y drifting apart. Friends or not, Sarah ways seemed subdued when Jessica was around.
    And now, he thought, reaching the right door number, ley had both lost her.
    He paused to catch his breath before knocking. When I realised the bumping of his heart wasn't just exertion he tienched his fist and rapped on the door. There was no answer.
    A smal spyhole was set in the centre of the door, and he had the sudden feeling that Jessica was watching him through it He knocked again, harder. This time, after only a short wait, the door was opened.
    Jessica regarded him without expression. Sometimes, when she was with Sarah and didn't know he was looking, she would smile and for a transient moment achieve an animation that was close to prettiness. That was rare, though, and she wasn't smiling now. She wore her