Page 79 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

‘Right.’ Lily nodded. ‘I’ll talk to her later. I’m just glad she and baby are OK.’

‘Absolutely,’ said Rose. ‘Thankfully, it was just Braxton Hicks.’

‘I’d better get going,’ said Will. ‘I’ve got flooring to lay. Are you around later to give me a hand?’ he asked, looking at Jack.

‘Of course,’ said Jack.

‘I must head out to my club,’ said Rose.

‘I’ll give you a lift,’ Skye told her. ‘I’ve got to get some more paint in town.’

As the family began to get ready, Lily cleared her throat to carry on. ‘Actually, I need to speak to someone about the job…’

But nobody was listening. Lily’s shoulders sagged in dismay as she realised that handing in her resignation was going to be delayed.

Jack found himself pleased, and hoped to talk her out of it once everyone had left.

Left alone in the peace of the kitchen a while later, Jack watched as Lily sank into a chair, deep in troubled thought.

‘You OK?’ he asked, sitting opposite her across the table. ‘Is it the hangover?’

She shook her head. ‘I need to hand in my resignation but I don’t want to wake up Annie when she’s resting.’

‘I still think you’re overreacting,’ he told her.

‘I’m really not. It’s all such a mess.’

He studied her for a moment. ‘Right, how about you put your lists to good use for once?’

She looked up at him, confused. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘List your problems. Here. Now.’

She looked at him with fearful eyes. ‘I can’t,’ she whispered.

‘I’m not going to judge you,’ he told her. ‘I’m the last person to do that.’

She took a deep breath, still hesitating.

‘Start with the small stuff if it helps,’ said Jack.

He waited as she paused before speaking.

‘Lauren the maid walked out yesterday,’ she finally said.

‘So get another maid,’ he told her.

But Lily shook her head. ‘It’s not as simple as that. Lauren is Megan’s niece. She’s family. She’s a sweet kid…’

‘But…?’ he asked.

‘But she’s a rubbish maid,’ said Lily, with a groan. ‘Not rubbish, actually. That’s unfair.’

‘So play to her strengths,’ he told her. ‘What can she do?’

‘Baking, but that doesn’t help anything.’

‘OK. Well, you probably need to talk to Megan to try and keep the peace,’ said Jack. ‘Next problem?’