Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (26 page)

Hauling her luggage off the rack above, Laurie narrowly avoided knocking the head of a guy in an Arsenal shirt. ‘Watch it, love,’ he said, in a gruff London accent. Laurie stepped out on to the platform and felt around inside her handbag for her Oyster card. It seemed like a hundred years since she’d last swiped it at a ticket barrier and bustled through. A month ago it had been as natural as breathing, but now she was just like one of those tourists who stand maddeningly in front of the barriers, blocking the way as they work out how to use them.

With a deep breath, Laurie pushed her way through the barrier. Her break from reality was over. She wheeled her case through the station, got a takeaway coffee and searched the departure boards for the next train to Bromley.

When it came to Christmas, Aunt Clara never held back, and the illuminated fat Santa in the front yard showed that this year was no exception. The front room was heavily laden with gold tinsel and the artificial tree up in the corner was weighed down by vast amounts of baubles. On the top, as always, was a fat angel with rosy cheeks, tipped slightly forward. Presents were piled high underneath.

The TV blared in the background. Laurie saw it was
The X-Factor
. ‘Is it the semi-finals?’ she asked, realising she hadn’t caught a single episode while she was up in Skipley.

‘Yeah,’ Andrea replied. ‘It’s been rubbish this year. But there’s this one girl who, they say—’

‘Laurie,’ Clara said, coming back into the room, and interrupting them. ‘Ah, Laurie, Laurie, Laurie,’ she said, in her loud, singsong way. She arranged the mugs of tea on the coffee table and put down a packet of Mr Kipling’s mince pies. She sat down next to her niece and put a hand on her arm sympathetically. ‘Now, I’m glad you’re here, darling, don’t get me wrong. But don’t tell me, is it because you’re going to be all alone at Christmas again?’ Clara said, looking Laurie directly in the eye and then shaking her head in a way that suggested faint despair. ‘No boyfriend, like Andrea?’

‘Mum!’ Andrea said, eyes wide, before looking pleadingly towards her cousin for forgiveness. Laurie’s silence was obviously all the answer she needed.

‘I tell you, you have to think about your life outside work too, you know. You and your cousin, honestly, I worry so much about Andrea sometimes … In your thirties, you two,’ Clara said. ‘Your mum and me, we both had babies by the time we were your age. You don’t have for ever, you know …’

Andrea rolled her eyes at her cousin, bringing a wry smile to Laurie’s lips.

‘Anyway,’ Clara said, turning back to the table, oblivious, ‘your mami. Have you spoken to her? You should call her. She misses you. She can’t understand why you insist on spending Christmas alone.’

Laurie took a big sip of tea and tried to remember why she’d thought it was a good idea to come to her aunt’s house.

‘Why don’t you call her, darling,’ Clara said, pointing to the kitchen where the phone stood on a side table. ‘We get cheap calls to Spain, it’s practically free. You should call her.’

Laurie nodded and got to her feet. Anything was preferable to her aunt’s incessant guilt trips.

‘Ooh, you put on some weight, Laurie,’ Clara said, tapping her on the bottom as she moved past, ‘getting big, this.’

‘I guess I have,’ she said, with a shrug. ‘Actually, I think it suits me.’

She could hear Clara whispering her approval to her daughter in the front room. It was only slightly quieter than Simon Cowell’s crushing analysis.

Laurie took a deep breath, picked up the receiver and dialled her mum’s number.

‘Mum,’ she said as her mother picked up, greeting her in Spanish. She could picture her mum on the balcony of the villa, with its view out towards the pool. ‘It’s me.’

‘Sweetheart,’ her mum exclaimed. ‘What a lovely surprise. How are you?’

She thought of the texts and calls from her mum that had gone unanswered for too long. It dawned on her that she’d allowed everything in her life to become more important than her own family.

‘I’m fine,’ she said. It was never too late, though, was it? An idea came to her, and she decided to go with it. ‘Listen, I’ve been thinking. Do you have any plans for New Year? Because if you don’t, I’d love to see it in with you.’

Laurie and her mum talked for about twenty minutes while Clara and Andrea prepared dinner. Laurie told her about Skipley, the charity auction, the new recipes she’d tried out. She didn’t say anything about Patrick, and her mum didn’t mention anything about her own love life. But Laurie felt a new connection and an understanding between them. Her mum was living the vida … well, not that loca after all, by the sounds of things. She pictured her mum, streaks of grey in her brown hair now, and her petite figure a little rounder with each passing year. Yes, she’d had her troubles, but she’d always tried her best to be a good mother. Laurie thought back to the painful truth she knew, but had never shared. The house in west London where her dad had made his new life.

‘You’re going to Spain!’ Aunt Clara exclaimed, delighted to hear the news. ‘Well, don’t make another move until I’ve spoken to Liliana at the flight company. You know the deals she can get. Internet schminternet,’ Clara said. ‘Nothing can beat my friend Liliana Gomez.’

Five minutes later, Clara was back. ‘Twenty-five pounds one way!’ she announced triumphantly as she stepped back into the room. ‘Ah, no need to thank your Auntie Clara,’ Clara said, coming to give Laurie another smothering hug.

‘Thank you, Aunt Clara,’ Laurie said.

‘You leave on Christmas Day, in the evening,’ Clara said, looking at what she’d noted down on a pad, ‘and you’ll come back on the tenth of January. Seeing as you say you don’t want to do anything for Christmas, you may as well take advantage of the cheap flights, eh? It’ll be a nice break for you, darling.’

Laurie sat down for Aunt Clara’s famous paella. As she smiled and laughed and talked about what she would do when she got out to Spain, what she would eat, what the weather would be like, she felt excited about the trip. But a thought nagged at her conscience. After dinner, she would do it, she thought. There was one more phone call she had to make.

CHAPTER
29

Wednesday 20th December

‘Mills,’ Rachel said, knocking on her daughter’s bedroom door, ‘I’m just going downstairs to deliver the Christmas biscuits. Are you sure you won’t come too?’

‘I’m all right, Mum,’ Milly said, opening the door a crack. ‘See you in a bit.’

Rachel stopped by Siobhan’s flat first, and knocked on the front door. She could hear giggling, music and voices, one of which sounded decidedly gruff and manly. So this must be the P.E. teacher Siobhan had been talking about, she realised. It was probably best not to interrupt. She left a package of biscuits on the doormat outside the flat with Siobhan’s card.

Next she popped downstairs to the ground floor, to Lily’s. Zak, who had gone down there earlier, opened the door. He was beaming. ‘We got Lily’s family on Skype,’ he said.

As Rachel stepped into the flat, she saw the kitchen table and counter tops were full of food and drink that Lily must have bought in for Christmas Day.

‘This way, Mum,’ Zak said, pulling Rachel’s hand and leading her through into the living room. Lily was leaning into her laptop, smiling and waving. ‘Hello, Rachel,’ she said, looking up, ‘come and see how wonderful this thing is. Meet my grandchildren – look, you can see their little faces!’ Rachel walked around and peeked over her shoulder to look at the screen. A boy and two girls’ faces were crowded into the screen and they were all talking over each other excitedly. Zak stood back from the screen, smiling proudly.

‘Oh,’ Lily said, looking away from the screen. ‘And Zak’s just told me the good news about your Bea!’ she said, smiling at Rachel. ‘What a Christmas present that is. You couldn’t ask for more, could you?’

Rachel put a hand on Lily’s shoulder. ‘Thank you, Lily. Your support has meant the world to us.’

Lily turned back to her grandchildren. Rachel passed her son the Christmas parcel she’d put together, not wanting to interrupt. ‘Will you give this to Lily when she’s finished?’ Zak peered through the cellophane at the festive treats inside. ‘Don’t worry,’ Rachel said, ‘I saved you some. Just come back upstairs when you’re done here.’

Rachel looked down at the one remaining Christmas parcel in her hand. Saying goodbye to Zak and giving Lily a wave, she headed back out of the door. She walked up the stairs towards Jay’s flat. The last present was for him.

‘Bea’s woken up,’ Rachel said.

‘That’s amazing!’ Jay replied, a wide smile on his face. ‘Come in, sit down. Tell me everything. Let’s open these now and have some over coffee,’ Jay said, taking the biscuits into the kitchen.

Rachel nodded. A few moments wouldn’t hurt. The treats made a gentle clattering sound as Jay put them on to a plate.

‘I’ve just been downstairs at Lily’s,’ Rachel said. ‘She’s been doing a lot of preparing for Christmas Day. Looks like you guys are going to have quite the feast in store.’

Jay spooned ground coffee into a cafetière. ‘Oh yeah?’ he said. ‘I can’t wait.’

The kettle boiled. ‘Just a shame that you guys can’t be there. You’ll be back at your house by then, won’t you?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It looks like we might be.’ Rachel was only just starting to believe it.

Jay’s mobile buzzed on the kitchen table. ‘Sorry, do you mind if I get this?’ he asked. Rachel nodded that it was fine and he picked up, stepping away and walking into the living room as he answered.

Rachel went back to her coffee and gazed out of the kitchen window. Jay’s telephone conversation drifted through the doorway.

‘Actually, it’s funny you should ask that,’ she heard him say to the person at the other end. He walked back into the kitchen and looked directly at Rachel. ‘Because she’s here with me right now.’

‘Thanks for coming, Rach,’ Laurie said.

The fact that she was there didn’t mean anything, Rachel thought to herself. She would give Laurie half an hour and that was it. She checked the clock on the wall. Five-thirty p.m. She’d be back at the flat by 7 p.m., in time to make Milly and Zak dinner.

Perhaps this had been a bad idea. But when Jay told her that Laurie was back down south and desperate to meet up with her, it would have looked childish to say no. They’d arranged to meet at a pub in Clapham Old Town, one full of people just out of the office, winding down for the holiday with glasses of wine.

An awkward silence hung over their own table. Laurie’s blouse was crinkled, her hair flicked up on one side, and she looked tired.

‘I came because I wanted to update you,’ Rachel said, her tone businesslike. ‘Bea’s woken up from her coma, she’s getting better. So you can have your flat back.’

‘That’s wonderful,’ Laurie said, putting her hand on her heart and smiling. ‘It must be a huge relief.’

‘Yes, it is,’ Rachel said. ‘It really is.’

‘I’m sorry I wasn’t honest at the time,’ Laurie said. ‘About, you know.’

Rachel bristled – an apology wasn’t going to fix things this time.

‘Rach, I can’t stand this … this distance with you,’ Laurie said, looking her in the eye.

‘That’s not fair,’ Rachel said, finally snapping. ‘I’m allowed to be angry with you, Laurie. Give me that, at least. You lied to my face every day of our friendship.’

‘I didn’t,’ Laurie said, wounded. ‘I just didn’t tell you the whole truth, all the time.’

Rachel thought of Aiden, pictured Laurie and him together, the image she hadn’t been able to push from her mind since finding the note. She’d thought she couldn’t face hearing the details, but not knowing them was even worse.

‘I have to know, Laurie. What happened with Aiden?’

‘What
happened?’
Laurie said, furrowing her brow.

‘Yes. When you were together, for how long – whether it was while—’

Laurie cut her off, shaking her head. ‘Nothing happened, Rach.’

‘Nothing?’ Rachel said, feeling numb.

‘Nothing,’ Laurie repeated.

‘But—’

Laurie stepped in to explain herself. ‘But I still should have told you that I had a massive, crippling, cringeinducing crush on Aiden too,’ she said, wrinkling her nose before continuing. ‘It wasn’t fair to listen to you talk about him and pretend I was a disinterested party. Because the truth is, if he’d shown the remotest interest in me back then, I would have gone for it. Sisterhood or no sisterhood.’

Rachel listened, but couldn’t join the dots. Yes, it was supremely weird to think of Laurie fancying Aiden. Even twenty years ago. But that wasn’t the story she’d been expecting. She was still waiting – for the Laurie-and-Aiden-together part.

‘So you were never,’ Rachel forced herself to ask, ‘you know …?’

‘What?’ Laurie asked.

‘You never, you know, kissed him …’ Rachel’s mind was racing. ‘Nothing ever happened?’

Laurie shook her head rapidly. ‘Oh God, Rach, no. No way.’ She laughed, dismissing the thought with a wave of her hand. ‘I never stood a chance in hell. You know how it was for me at school –’ she pulled her face into an awkward, geeky expression, her teeth goofy, eyes crossed, and in spite of herself, Rachel smiled – ‘I was desperate to be accepted, liked. Aiden was nice to me. I carried on being a bit stalky for a while. I’d write him all these little notes about how much I loved him, sometimes as if we were really going out, then I’d hide them. I never actually had the guts to tell him. The letter you found must have been one of those. Eventually, Brandon – you remember Brandon, don’t you?’ Rachel remembered Aiden’s cocky, short-tempered friend from school. She had to admit she hadn’t shed a tear over leaving him behind in Bromley.