Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (16 page)
‘We’re not hiding, darling. Come in,’ Rachel said. ‘Actually, can you get Zak too? We’ve just had some news about your grandma.’
‘The operation’s today,’ Rachel said to Diana, pacing the living room, phone in her hand. ‘I wasn’t sure if Bea had already told you herself.’
‘No,’ Diana replied, sounding concerned. ‘Actually I haven’t heard from her at all since you left for London, so it’s been on my mind. I’d convinced myself it was going to be something minor, though.’
‘I know,’ Rachel said, ‘me too. I don’t think any of us had bargained on it being as serious as this. But there’s a lot to be thankful for – it’s not cancer. The doctors are optimistic about Bea’s recovery, so hopefully we’ll be back up in time to get things ready for Christmas.’
‘I’m glad to hear it. Do give her my love, won’t you? I’ll send some flowers – something to cheer her up after the operation.’
‘That’s kind of you, Diana. She’ll appreciate that.’ Rachel perched on the end of the L-shaped sofa. ‘So, how is everything going up there? Have you had a chance to meet Laurie yet?’
‘Everything’s fine, work has been really busy in the last couple of weeks. I have met Laurie, yes.’ Diana hesitated for a moment before carrying on. ‘From the look on her face I’d say it’s been a bit of a shock to the system, coming here. But I’m sure she’ll settle in.
She even came down to the community centre today, to help out with the charity collection, so she’s certainly making an effort.’
Rachel’s eyebrows went up in surprise. She tried to picture city-smart Laurie sitting with Diana and Bea’s friend Joyce, in the slightly shabby, basic community centre. The image brought a smile to her face.
‘She’s a bit of a funny one, though, isn’t she, Rachel? Turned up at the centre in a red dress that wouldn’t have been out of place on a catwalk, and stiletto heels. I mean there’s no need for that kind of attire in Skipley really, is there? And she’s … well. Not much of a dab hand in the kitchen by the looks of things, either. That’s all I’ll say. Very different from you, Rachel. I can’t see how you two came to be friends.’
‘Opposites attract, I suppose,’ Rachel said, with a shrug. ‘And old friends, well, even when your lives go in different directions, you have all that history together, don’t you?’
‘I suppose,’ Diana said, sounding unconvinced. ‘Listen, Alfie’s whining for a walk, I’d better take him out. I’ll be thinking of Bea today. All fingers crossed. You’ll let me know how she gets on, won’t you?’
‘Of course, Diana. Speak to you soon.’
Aiden poured their morning coffee into two mugs. ‘What about that Reindeer Wonderland event you mentioned?’ he said. He and Rachel had decided it was better to keep Zak and Milly busy, take their minds off their grandmother’s operation.
‘That’s what I was thinking,’ Rachel said. ‘I suggested it to them. I just need to convince Milly it’s going to be more fun than a trip to Oxford Street.’ Rachel could hear her daughter talking on her phone in the bedroom. She hadn’t been out of her room all morning.
‘Reindeer Wonderland sounds brilliant,’ Zak said, overhearing them and bounding into the kitchen. ‘Ice skating outside, real, live reindeers, are we going, Mum? Please can we go?’
‘Let’s talk to your sister again in a minute,’ Rachel said. ‘But I’m fairly sure it can be arranged, yes, Zak.’
Aiden put an arm around his son and planted a kiss on the top of his head. ‘You be good for your mum today, Zak. And if you see Santa, could you tell him that I’ve been a really good boy this year?’ He paused. ‘And for the record I’d love a yacht. And if he has space on his sleigh, then a Porsche too.’ Zak giggled and leaned in to his dad for a hug.
‘Are you sure you won’t join us later?’ Rachel asked Aiden.
Aiden looked at his son briefly and then back at Rachel. He dropped his voice to a lower, more serious, tone. ‘I thought you understood,’ he said quietly.
‘I do,’ Rachel said. ‘It’s just, it would be so nice if—’
Aiden breathed out slowly. ‘You know I’d love to, Rach. But my head’s still spinning from the quote that last furniture company gave me – I’ve got to find someone else who can install the shelving and units more cheaply. And then with Mum’s operation—’
Zak jumped in right away, ‘Is Granny Bea going to be OK?’
‘Don’t worry, honey,’ Rachel said, ruffling Zak’s brown hair and trying to push aside her own fears. ‘After her operation, Granny Bea is going to be ready for anything.’
Rachel, Milly and Zak’s first stop was the outdoor ice rink, close to the entrance. Rachel queued up at the boot-hire stand, and Zak and Milly sat down on a bench to watch couples and families sweeping around the ice with varying degrees of elegance.
‘A pair of size 5s, size 4s and size 13s please,’ she asked the surly female stall attendant, handing over her Uggs, Milly’s DMs and Zak’s trainers.
‘Here,’ the woman said, dumping three pairs of skates unceremoniously on the counter. Rachel started to wonder if this had been the best place to bring Milly and Zak. It had been years since she’d been ice skating and she was sure she’d be spending half the time on her bum.
Rachel walked back to the bench and knelt in front of Zak, helping him get his small feet into the ice skates as Milly put on her own. There was a faraway look in Milly’s eyes.
After a shaky start, all three of them were soon gliding around the rink – Milly had a real talent for it. Rachel slowly started to remember the ice skating she’d done when she was younger and was able to lead Zak around. As Milly spun in the centre of the fairy-lit rink, a wide smile on her face, for a moment all of Rachel’s worries disappeared.
‘But he definitely liked it, didn’t he, Mum?’ Zak said cheekily. He had smuggled Rudolph Junior a mini mince pie while Rachel was distracted.
‘You really mustn’t do that again, Zak. Like the reindeer keeper said,’ Rachel said, trying to keep a straight face, while out of the corner of her eye she could see Milly failing to stifle her giggles. ‘I mean, imagine,’ Rachel continued, ‘if he ate mince pies from everyone who came in here he’d soon be far too fat to take off.’
‘And then,’ Milly chipped in, ‘how would Santa deliver all of our presents?’
Rachel took a bite from her own mince pie, then shook off a small lump of mincemeat that had fallen down on to her snowflake scarf.
She put her arms around her daughter and son and they walked towards the elaborate enchanted lake in the middle of the park, with Santa’s grotto in the centre of it. A few metres in front of them was the jetty, where green and white-clad elves rowed visitors out in sleigh-shaped boats.
‘Now, who’s up for rowing out to the grotto?’ she said, pointing to the lake ahead of them. Families and couples wrapped up in duffel coats and bobble hats were piling into the little boats captained by elves. Zak and Milly didn’t waste a minute, they raced each other across the park, towards the water, their laughter ringing out.
From:
[email protected]
Hi Milly,
I’m not being funny, but it’s been a couple of days and I haven’t heard anything from you. Have I done something wrong? What’s going on?
C x
From:
[email protected]
Hi Laurie,
Me again. Can I ask your advice? About this guy. I don’t know – he was so nice at first, and now he’s just being well – intense. He seemed really cool when we met, but that was only once. My friend Kate called me today and said he’s been asking her and some of my other friends about me. What do you think I should do?
Milly x
From:
[email protected]
Hi Mills,
Hmm. So he’s really keen. Nice, but also a bit of a turn-off, right? Maybe give it a bit of time, play it cool, see if he chills out a bit. It’s good (and of course a sign of his fantastic taste) that he obviously really likes you. As you’re away from home, you have some space to make up your mind, right? Wait and see, I reckon.
Good luck,
Love,
Laurie xx
Rachel had expected to find Aiden at home when they got back, but the flat was empty. She settled Milly and Zak down with their tea and left the room to call him.
‘Rach,’ he said, picking up almost immediately.
‘Hi,’ she said. ‘Where are you? How did it go today?’
‘I’m on my way back from the hospital,’ he said. There was the trace of something in his voice that she barely recognised, it sounded like fear. ‘It didn’t go well.’
‘What do you mean?’ Rachel said, her heart starting to race. ‘Didn’t they remove the tumour?’
‘No, It’s not that …’ His voice broke. ‘Something happened in surgery, Rach. Something went wrong.’
Rachel’s hand flew up to her chest. ‘What do you mean, wrong?’
The line went silent for a moment.
‘Mum didn’t come around from the anaesthetic, Rach. She’s in a coma.’
CHAPTER
15
Wednesday 6th December
Laurie put on a red gingham apron and cast her eye over the array of ingredients laid out in the cottage kitchen. Outside it was a dark winter evening, but inside the cottage it was bright and cosy.
She tried to ignore the muddied mess of the kitchen walls, made worse by her attempts to cover up the initial smoke damage. She really hadn’t held back at the farmers’ market at the weekend, and there was a lot of food left over – the only problem was that she didn’t have a clue what to do with any of it.
She scanned the recipe books on the kitchen shelf, looking for something simple enough for her to manage. She pulled one out, a hand-made hardback, with gold lettering across the cover. She saw right away that it wasn’t an ordinary recipe book – on the cover were the words:
Bea’s Countdown to Christmas
. She thought then about Rachel’s emotional phone call earlier that evening – she’d called to say Bea had fallen into a coma. Laurie had insisted that they stay in her flat as long as they needed. They needed to be there, and she’d find something to keep her busy in Skipley.
Laurie sat down and opened the book. Inside were prettily handwritten Christmas recipes with dates next to them. It was all so organised – Laurie saw that according to Bea’s plans, some of the dishes, like the Christmas cake, should already have been prepared.
The recipes looked simple enough for even Laurie to follow. She found one for glazed ham and figs that looked grand and impressive in the illustration, and checked she had all the right ingredients.
She poured a glass of wine and sipped it as she went, preparing the ham and figs according to the step by step instructions. Cooking wasn’t all that hard, was it? She looked at the half-drunk bottle of red wine on the counter. Perhaps that was the secret. She put the food in the Aga, being careful to set the oven timer – no way she was going to get caught out this time.
The landline phone rang.
‘Laurie.’ Siobhan’s warm Irish tones couldn’t have been more welcome. She curled up in the squishiest armchair there and poured herself another glass of red wine as they talked.
‘How’s it all going?’ she said. ‘How are you coping out there in the countryside? Are you starving?’
‘No,’ Laurie said. ‘Actually, I’m cooking a meal right now. A proper one.’
‘Crikey,’ Siobhan said. ‘Have you been brainwashed?’
‘Nope,’ Laurie replied. ‘There’s just not much else to do around here. Danny’s cut off access to my work email, so I can’t even check my messages.’
‘And you’re OK about that?’
‘I wasn’t at first,’ Laurie said. ‘But now – actually I don’t really mind that much.’
‘Well that’s good to hear. And how are the locals?’
‘Oh, some are nice. Not all of them welcome outsiders with open arms, but I’m working my way in.’
‘How? Bake sales?’
‘Noo …’ Laurie laughed, ‘actually, no … I’m doing some charity work.’ She carried on talking over Siobhan’s laughter. ‘How’s school going anyway?’
‘Oh fine, most of my Year Tens are coming to the after-school art club now. It’s chaos – but hopefully we’ll get a few more passes this year.’
‘Sounds good. And have you met Rachel?’ Laurie asked.
‘Indeed I have,’ Siobhan said, ‘we went to Jay’s gig together the other night.’
‘Oh, you did?’ Laurie asked, feigning nonchalance.
‘Yes – she’s lovely. First time I’d been out in ages, actually. I’ve been, how can I say it, a bit tied up lately.’
‘Tied up?’ Laurie said. ‘It’s P.E. Man, isn’t it?’
‘Yep. Ed. Totally into it.’
‘I knew it!’ Laurie, said. ‘I can’t believe you’re deserting me. Sorry – what I mean, of course, is good for you, you deserve it. I mean, Christ, it’s been long enough coming. Right – I want the full run-down when I’m back.’
‘Absolutely.’
Laurie paused for a moment, thinking of Jay, the gig they’d all been to without her. ‘How’s everything else in the block?’
‘Do you mean how’s Jay?’
‘No, I don’t,’ Laurie snapped back, defensively.
‘Well, not that you care, but he’s fine, I think. I haven’t seen him much lately. He’s been doing more of his furniture stuff, I think. Are you wondering about that blonde girl, the singer?’
