Happy Ever After (43 page)

‘Oh, Connie, Connie, Connie. I’m sick of Connie,’ Aimee muttered.

‘She’s probably sick of us too,’ he retorted. ‘She told me she’d have some information for us tomorrow. Places and people we can contact.’

‘Maybe it’s just a phase Melissa’s going through,’ Aimee said, grasping at straws.

‘I don’t think so and, another thing: she heard us arguing and knows we’ve used the “D” word. She’s very upset about it; she told Debbie about it.’

‘For God’s sake, do they know
all
our business?’ Aimee snapped, irately.

‘Well, they seem to know more about our daughter than we do, and what does that say about
our
parenting skills?’ he shot back.

‘And you want us to have another child?’ she said bitterly.

‘Look, this is getting us nowhere, Aimee. We need to focus on Melissa for the time being. Do you agree?’ He stopped pacing up and down the lounge and stood in front of her.

‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. It’s scary, though. Kathryn Lawson’s daughter has been in and out of hospital for the last three years, she’s like a walking skeleton. She only weighs six stone.’ Aimee’s face crumpled, and she started to cry.

Barry sat down beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. ‘Look, we’ll deal with it together. We’ll put our own issues on hold and be there for Melissa until we have her sorted. What do you say?’

‘OK,’ Aimee sniffled, thinking that this was the worst year of her life, new job notwithstanding.

‘And . . . err, Connie suggested we don’t let on she or Debbie knows anything about this or has mentioned anything to us. Connie feels Melissa needs someone she can trust, and she seems to be bonding really well with Debbie,’ he said hesitantly.

‘I suppose it makes sense, although I wish they weren’t involved,’ Aimee said sulkily.

‘In fairness, I think Connie wishes she wasn’t involved either. She has her own life to lead.’

‘Why, what did she say?’ demanded his wife. ‘She doesn’t have to be involved. We can take it from here, tell her, thank you very much.’

‘No, no,’ he said hurriedly, thinking Aimee was such a powder keg these days. ‘She was apologizing for being the bearer of bad news and having to lay this at our door, but she felt she had to,’ he pacified.

‘Oh . . . I see. I suppose it wasn’t easy to tell someone their daughter has a problem like anorexia,’ Aimee conceded. ‘That’s if it is anorexia.’

‘Something’s up, Aimee. She
has
lost a lot of weight and, looking back, she’s stopped eating treats with me when we go for coffee on Saturday mornings, and she never eats with us here. She’s always saying she’s had something earlier,’ Barry pointed out.

‘I never even noticed,’ Aimee muttered, tears starting to fall again. ‘What kind of a mother am I?’

‘You’re a good mother,’ he said stoutly. ‘We lost our way for a bit. We’ll get back on track with her.’

‘I hope so, Barry. Anorexia and bulimia and all those things are very hard to deal with. I’m scared.’

‘I know, me too. But we’ll deal with it together, OK?’

‘OK,’ she agreed.

They heard the front door open, and Aimee went to draw away from him, but he pulled her back. ‘United front,’ he whispered as their daughter clip-clopped down the hall.

‘Hi, Muffin. Where were you until this hour? Your mother and I were just starting to worry about you,’ Barry said lightly.

‘Were you?’ Melissa looked inordinately pleased to see them together on the sofa.

‘It’s getting dark earlier these nights,’ Aimee said, patting the sofa beside her. ‘Where were you?’

‘Hanging out with Sarah.’ Melissa flopped down next to her mother.

‘Listen, I was just thinking – you know this new job I have? Well, I’ve three weeks’ holiday to take. How about we head off somewhere for a few days? Barry, would you be able to manage that?’ She looked at him.

‘For my ladies, anything is possible.’ He smiled at them. ‘Where will we go? It would be a relief to get away from this disaster of a summer.’

‘Any suggestions?’ Aimee looked at her daughter, noting the gaunt hollows in her cheeks and the dark circles under her eyes. She felt sick with terror. How could she have missed what was under her nose?

Melissa’s eyes lit up. ‘I’d love to go to Disneyworld in Paris?’ She looked hopefully at Aimee.

‘How about Disneyworld for a day, shopping for two days and a few days in a hotel in the south of France so your mom can relax and put her feet up?’ Barry suggested.

‘Savage, Dad. Can we, Mom?’ Melissa’s eyes were sparkling.

‘Let’s get on the internet and book.’ Aimee held her daughter’s hand tightly.

‘What have I let myself in for?’ Barry groaned, but he leaned down and lightly kissed the top of his wife’s head, and then gave Melissa the biggest hug he’d ever given her as they trooped into the dining room to gather around Aimee’s computer.

‘Look at the time, Connie – it’s well after midnight.’ Drew stared at his watch in surprise.

‘It only felt like an hour.’ She yawned and stretched. It was a sultry night, and they had sat out on the deck and she’d lit candles and Chinese lanterns to lend some atmosphere.

‘You’re easy to talk to.’ He smiled at her.

‘You’re pretty easy yourself,’ she complimented back.

‘I can’t remember the last time I talked so much. I don’t usually spend hours chatting. You have a knack of drawing people out.’ Drew stood up reluctantly. ‘I had a lovely evening, Connie, thank you,’ he said quietly.

‘On one can of beer,’ she laughed.

‘It was the company.’

‘I had a lovely evening, too. Thanks for listening to my moans about Barry and Aimee. It was great to get it off my chest.’

‘Any time. Make sure to bring Melissa to visit Frisky.’

‘I will. Thanks, Drew.’

‘I guess I better go.’ He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

‘How chaste,’ she teased as she stood up.

‘I’m a shy country boy.’ His eyes glinted in the moonlight, and he turned her face to him, stroking her jaw with a long, tanned forefinger before leaning towards her, his intention unmistakable.

‘Are you sure you want to? Maybe I was being forward,’ she said hastily.

‘I love forward women,’ he said huskily, and bent his head and kissed her, lightly at first, with soft butterfly kisses which were gentle and tender, then, more deeply, with a passionate, hungry kiss which she returned ardently.

They drew apart breathlessly. ‘I thought you said you were shy,’ she murmured, pink-cheeked.

‘I am,’ he assured her. ‘Maybe if we kiss again, I’ll get over it.’ He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly for a second time before resting his chin on the top of her head and holding her tightly to him. She leaned her head against his chest and listened to his heart beating beneath her cheek. It was the strangest feeling. She felt that she’d come home.

‘I’m going to go now,’ he whispered against her hair, ‘because, if I don’t, it’s more than kissin’ we’ll be doing. And I want us both to be comfortable with what we’re doing and where we’re going.’

‘Well, you better go quick then, because I like what we’ve been doing up until now, and I’m very comfortable,’ she said slowly, wishing he would stay but knowing that what was happening between them was too important to rush.

‘Me too,’ he said, kissing the tip of her nose. ‘You sleep well, Connie, I’ll see you soon.’

‘Night, Drew.’ She stroked his cheek. ‘I’m so glad we met.’

‘Me too,’ he said. ‘Very glad.’

They walked arm in arm around the side of the house to the front gate, and she stood waving him off with a grin the size of a melon slice on her face. She felt a surge of wild joy. It had been a long, long wait, but she knew with certainty that she and Drew Sullivan were going to be together for the rest of their lives.

Drew drove into his driveway and patted his golden Labrador, Tusker, who stood up lazily and pattered down the steps of the veranda that ran the length of the house. His tail wagged ecstatically, and he looked at his beloved master with total adoration.

‘Hello, boy.’ Drew bent and tickled the dog’s ears, let himself into the house and headed for the kitchen. He took a bottle of beer from the fridge, opened it without even bothering to put on a light and headed back to the veranda to sit down in the rocking chair. Tusker curled up beside him as Drew stretched his legs, and took a swig from the bottle.

He smiled, thinking of the past evening. Who would have ever thought that he’d meet a woman like Connie? He’d known the minute he’d laid eyes on her that she was special. He’d felt completely at ease in her company. They had so much in common and, best of all, she had a sense of humour that matched his own. They ‘got’ each other. It was amazing. He felt as though he’d known her all his life. How rare was that, Drew wondered, to meet another human being and, in such a short space of time, to feel a connection that touched mind, body, soul and divinity? He’d wanted to make love to her and spend the night with her, but he wanted to be absolutely sure it was what she wanted; he didn’t want to take advantage. He was no monk – he’d been with women since his marriage broke up – but this was very different. Lovemaking would come in its own good time. He would woo her, Drew decided, as well as teaching her to ride. The clouds had thinned and parted, and a cluster of stars shone brightly in the inky darkness. A shooting star streaked across the firmament. ‘Thanks, Mam.’ He raised his face to the sky. ‘I couldn’t be happier.’

‘Mrs Baxter, how are you?’ It was Mrs Meadows, the woman who’d shared a ward with her a few months ago. They smiled at each other in recognition in the corridor of the private clinic they both attended. Lily had come for an eye check-up, and Mrs Meadows had been for her six-monthly visit to see her geriatrician. ‘A lovely man, indeed, and very handsome. Not like the rip I went to for my heart trouble recently,’ she informed Lily, holding open the door for her. ‘How are you getting on, Mrs Baxter?’ She settled into step beside Lily as they walked down the long driveway to the main road.

‘Well, it’s been a hard enough time, Mrs Meadows,’ Lily explained. ‘My daughter, Judith, was in a bad car accident and nearly died. She’s still in hospital but coming along grand.’

‘Well, God help you!’ Mrs Meadows exclaimed. ‘Are you in a hurry home or would you have time for a cuppa? We’re so close to the Botanics, and it’s a fine day.’

‘Do you know, that would be a treat.’ Lily was delighted with the invite. Although the other woman didn’t know it, Moira Meadows had been her great inspiration, the one who had shown her how a positive attitude and a degree of bravery could enhance and enrich a life. Had she not met her, Lily felt sure she would never have had the courage to change. When she’d heard her talk about living on her own with not a bother, and not allowing herself to become dependent on her sons, Lily had felt ashamed, thinking of how she’d clung leechlike to Judith. Moira Meadows had been a shining example to her, although she would never know it.

Twenty minutes later, the pair were sitting at a window table, sipping tea and eating hot buttered scones with jam. It was a rare, glorious sunny day, and the windows of the refurbished palm house sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. The tropical border was ablaze with colour, and they had decided to go for a walk after their repast. Judith had told her mother not to come visiting because of her appointment with the eye specialist, so Lily was in no rush home.

Mrs Meadows listened intently as Lily described the events of the past couple of months, confiding how nerve-wracking it had been to live on her own at the beginning and how daunting to venture back into the outside world.

‘Well now, aren’t you wonderful, Mrs Baxter?’ she praised. ‘And hasn’t Judith’s accident been a blessing in disguise for you both? There you are, getting on with your life, setting Judith free, and now she’ll have a whole new life ahead of her with her own roof over her head and independence. It’s a strange thing, but I’ve often found that sometimes, what seems like a terrible hardship can be a most valuable gift.’

‘Well, do you know? When you look at it like that, I have to say you’re right, Mrs Meadows. I’d never thought of it that way before.’ Lily nodded in agreement, enjoying her chat with the other woman immensely. ‘And why have you to see a heart specialist?’ she asked, feeling it was rude to spend the whole time talking about herself.

‘I need a stent put in,’ Mrs Meadows declared. ‘But I can tell you one thing, the fella I was sent to was the rudest little ornament I ever met. If there’s ever anything wrong with your heart – and I hope there won’t be – never go to a fella called Davenport. When I think of the impudence of him, it galls me, Mrs Baxter. Galls me. But I gave him his answer, I can tell you.’ Her eyes shone triumphantly at the memory, and Lily listened avidly, marvelling at her companion’s pluck.

‘What happened?’ she inquired, taking a ladylike sip of tea. Mrs Meadows needed no second urging.

‘In I goes to his posh office – my son insisted on me going private, even though it costs an arm and a leg,’ she explained. That wouldn’t be Tom, Lily thought sarcastically, but said nothing, and Mrs Meadows continued. ‘Hello, doctor, said I, holding out my hand to shake his – good manners, like, Mrs Baxter.’ She looked at Lily for affirmation.

‘Indeed,’ said Lily.

‘
 
“I’m not a doctor, I’m a professor,” said yer man, a big tall fella with a head of white hair on him and a nose like a crow’s beak. But I had the measure of him while he was there, looking down his snout at me.

‘
 
“You’re not a doctor?” said I. “Oh dear!” I was being sarcastic, of course.’

‘Of course,’ tittered Lily, wishing she could be so outspoken.

‘
 
“I
am
a doctor but I’m a professor, my good woman,” he snapped, just like that. “My good woman,” he called me, in a very sneery tone of voice. Something was surely biting him that day, but he picked the wrong woman to give impudence to,’ declared Mrs Meadows.

‘He certainly did, he was a foolish man indeed,’ smiled Lily, enjoying the tale.