Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (5 page)
I have this scrap of paper with your name and email scrawled on it – so I thought I’d drop you a line. It’s not every day I get to chat to a girl like you. I’ve seen you around before and have always thought you were gorgeous.
I’d love to get to see you again. What are you up to this weekend? There’s a party on this Saturday, if you and Kate are free?
Carter x
From:
[email protected]
Hi there,
It was fun to meet up with you guys too. Thanks for the drinks. Way more fun than we usually have on a Monday night …
The party sounds great, but I have to babysit my little brother on Saturday. LAME.
How about the weekend after, maybe Friday?
Mills x
From:
[email protected]
That’s cool. Friday it is – it’s a date! I’ll be back in touch next week.
Cx
‘OK, you’re right,’ Bea said. ‘I’ve not been feeling myself lately.’
Rachel took a deep breath – so she’d been right to ask. Since she’d seen Bea fall over on Wednesday afternoon, she hadn’t been able to shift the feeling that something was wrong.
‘I’ve been feeling quite dizzy and have lost my balance a couple of times,’ Bea continued. ‘Not just when I stand up quickly. And my hearing’s been a bit off.’
For Bea to admit that she was unwell was significant: she never gave in lightly to illness. Aiden once joked that it would take pneumonia for her to get out the paracetamol, and Milly and Zak definitely knew better than to complain about colds or grazed knees around their grandma.
‘Maybe it’s that viral thing –’ Rachel said, searching for the word – ‘Laber …’
Bea shrugged. ‘It’ll be something like that, yes. Whatever it is, it’s an awful nuisance. Not nice at all. I had a bad spell on the high street the other day. Thankfully John from the hardware shop found me a chair to sit down on until I felt better.’
‘Oh dear, poor you,’ Rachel said, concerned. ‘That doesn’t sound good at all. Have you been to see anyone about it?’
‘I went to see Dr Garrett yesterday, and she gave me a look over. Said it could be a number of things, but I shouldn’t ignore the symptoms.’ Bea fiddled with the buttons on her navy cardigan as she spoke. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing serious,’ she said, on seeing the worry in Rachel’s face, ‘and you know how I hate a fuss over nothing. But she wants me to see a specialist.’
‘OK,’ Rachel said.
‘It’s to rule certain things out,’ Bea said, ‘that’s all. And no doubt by the time they’ve done the tests this viral thing, or whatever it is, will have fixed itself.
‘But here’s the bore,’ Bea added, turning her wedding ring on her finger, ‘the specialist Dr Garrett wants me to see is in London. It’s an Ear, Nose and Throat unit. She said she could refer me to Leeds, if we wanted …’
Rachel touched Bea’s hand as she fell silent. Leeds Hospital was where Bea’s husband David had been taken after his riding accident, and where he had died three years ago. While much nearer by, the hospital held difficult memories for all of them. Rachel thought of Aiden and knew what he’d say; Bea should get the best care possible, in somewhere she felt comfortable.
‘Well, if Dr Garrett says London, then London it is,’ Rachel said, resolutely. ‘And of course you’re not going on your own, you know that.’
Bea opened her mouth as if to protest, but for once she seemed to give in, no words came.
‘When would it be?’ Rachel asked.
‘She’s going to make me an appointment as soon as possible, next week if she can.’
Aiden was sitting down on the edge of the bed, trying to stay calm, but concern was etched into his brow. ‘I’ll find a way to go down with her,’ he said, pushing a hand back through his short brown hair.
Rachel had called Aiden at work in the morning and asked if he could get home in the early evening that night. She’d heard the sounds of banging and hammering in the background, and Aiden was hesitant to cut short his hours on the project, but Rachel had insisted it was important – she couldn’t tell him about Bea when he was tiptoeing in last thing at night.
‘So Dr Garrett has no idea what this could be?’
‘No,’ Rachel said, sitting beside him and putting an arm around his waist. ‘They need to do some tests. It might only take a couple of days – but the doctor says we should allow two weeks, just in case. Your mum seemed quite relaxed, so that’s something.’
‘Have you ever seen Mum worried?’ Aiden said, raising an eyebrow and forcing a smile.
Even during the hard times, like when David had died, Bea would somehow be the one calmly holding them all together. Rachel remembered what Bea had said to her at his funeral: ‘I’ve had more love in the last thirty-five years than most people have in a lifetime. We made each other very happy while we could. That’s what matters to me.’
‘I’ll speak to Simon tonight and see if I can …’ Aiden reached for his iPad and flicked to his schedule. ‘Right, let’s see.’ Rachel looked over at the screen and saw day after day of meetings and tasks, blocked right up until the evenings.
‘Aiden,’ Rachel said, putting her hand over his as he flicked to the next week in search of space. ‘Stop.’
He turned to look at her, creases at the corners of his hazel eyes. ‘I’m sure if I just—’
‘Look, we both know you can’t afford to take the time off at the moment,’ Rachel said. She had seen the accounts herself – the business’s finances weren’t looking good. Just one project falling through could be enough to push the company under.
‘It’s OK,’ Rachel said, giving his arm a squeeze. ‘I’ll go with her.’ She’d already thought through the other options and dismissed them – Bea’s friends had their own commitments and most of them wouldn’t be physically strong enough to cope if Bea were to faint on the journey.
Aiden’s eyes met hers and she knew they were both thinking the same thing. ‘But Milly and Zak …’ he said. Aiden’s current project was two hours’ drive away. The school run would be an impossibility. ‘We’re going to have to take them out of school, aren’t we?’
‘Yes, I think so,’ Rachel said, with a heavy heart, after weighing up the options. Zak had been so excited about his role as a Wise Man in the nativity play, and Milly was only just settling in to her new school. ‘I’ll talk to their teachers tomorrow and get some extra work to take with us.’
‘I’ll speak to Simon and delegate what I can to him,’ Aiden said, glancing back at his calendar, ‘if you can get Mum down in time for her appointment next Wednesday, I should be able to get to you by the weekend.’
Rachel stroked the rough stubble on Aiden’s cheek and kissed it softly. ‘We’ll work it out, Aid,’ she said. He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
Aiden had gone to bed early for the first time in weeks. Rachel watched him for a moment, his breathing deep. In sleep, the worries of his day seemed to disappear and he looked completely relaxed.
She wandered through to their en suite in her checked pyjamas, tying her thick blonde hair up in a loose top knot. She thought about the trip to London and started to add up how much it would cost.
In recent months they’d downscaled on a lot of things, and as they had always been fairly careful with money, they still had a small cushion. But – Rachel tried to count on her fingers, holding her toothbrush in one hand: two adult and two children’s train tickets, all bought last minute, then two weeks’ accommodation in a London hotel for her and the kids, food and travel … It would come to hundreds of pounds. Aiden wouldn’t be paid the final tranche for his current project until next year. His was their sole income and their bank balance was low. Even if they chose a cheap hotel, accommodation would put a major dent in the modest amount she and Aiden had put aside for Christmas. There had to be a better way of doing this.
A thought popped into her mind – of course. Laurie. It was a big favour to ask, Rachel knew that. But what were old friends for, if not for helping you out at times like these? And Laurie was Milly’s godmother after all – even if that was pretty much in name only. Perhaps now was the time for a bit of bonding. Rachel’s mind buzzed with the idea – this just might work.
Rinsing her mouth out and pulling on her dressing gown, Rachel crept past her sleeping husband and headed back downstairs. She took a seat at the kitchen table, lifted the lid of her laptop and, when it sprang to life, clicked to open the browser. She tapped in the address for Facebook. She’d joined a while back and uploaded photos of the kids, in response to requests from her friends and family. She hadn’t checked much since then, though, and only had a handful of friends on there. But Laurie was one of them. With a sleek dark bob and smoky eyes, she looked almost like a model in her profile photo.
Laurie had a glamorous life, a successful career, stunning clothes. Rachel knew that from the photos – glossy shots taken next to catwalks and at parties during London and Paris fashion weeks. Rachel wasn’t envious, she was proud of her friend. Laurie’s life? Rachel reached up a hand to touch her uncontrollable blonde mop and smiled – for starters, she’d never, ever, have the hair for it.
Rachel clicked the box to send her friend a new message.
Hi Laurie,
How are you doing? It’s been a hundred years, I know.
I hope everything is good with you, hon. Sorry this is out of the blue, but I’m actually writing to ask you a favour – a big one. Am bit desperate!
My mother-in-law Bea is sick and has been referred to a specialist clinic in London. Any chance me and the kids could come and stay with you for two weeks from next week, the 29th of November?
Rachel recalled fondly the gift that Laurie sent her for her last birthday – a black leather belt with a bronze, swallow-shaped clasp. It was Milly who had spotted the brand – Seamless – and pointed out that Laurie must have designed it herself. Rachel didn’t have many things that it went with, but it had pride of place in her wardrobe.
Rachel got the impression her old school friend was doing pretty well for herself these days, and while she hadn’t seen Laurie’s London flat yet, Rachel imagined it to be elegant and spacious, located in one of the chic neighbourhoods Laurie had always aspired to: Primrose Hill maybe.
The last time Rachel had seen Laurie was at their mutual friend Jane’s wedding the previous year. Before coming to the wedding Rachel had grabbed the only smart dress that still fitted her – a flowery empireline maxi. It was tight, she knew, in all the wrong places – after Zak had come along she had given her slim waist up for good. Laurie had been wearing a one-shouldered scarlet dress set off with old-gold chunky bracelets glinting on her olive skin, her dark hair perfectly styled. When they’d kissed hello, Laurie had smelled nice, sort of expensive.
Laurie would have a couple of spare rooms, wouldn’t she? Living alone, she might even appreciate some company. Taking a deep breath, Rachel sent the email off into cyberspace. She got up and went to make herself a mug of cocoa to take up to bed with her – it would help her to doze off more easily.
The milk boiled, the gentle bubbling the only sound in the otherwise silent cottage. She stirred it into the cocoa powder in her mug and returned to her laptop to shut it down.
As she went to close the page, a little red box showed that she had a new message waiting. She clicked on it – she shouldn’t be surprised, Laurie had always done things quickly.
Rach, hey!
It’s good to hear from you. I thought you might have been kidnapped by the W.I.
Rachel shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She liked being part of the W.I., and actually some of her best friends in Skipley were members. It wasn’t half as stuffy as people thought.
Well, if they force you to pose nude, I hope they give you some big cupcakes, you’d need them (you lucky thing).
Rachel’s defences instinctively dropped and she smiled. Laurie was model-thin, but she had always been envious of Rachel’s bust – in their early teens Laurie’s body had settled at a 34A, while Rachel had just kept going, right up to a DD. Her boobs weren’t quite where they used to be, but they were the part of her body she liked best.
So, anyway, nice surprise and you know what, your timing is spot on. You’d be welcome to stay at the flat.
Excellent, Rachel thought. She read on.
But listen, Rach, I’ve had an idea that might work even better.
You guys need to be in London, and I could really do with a change of scene. Why don’t you come and stay here – and maybe I could have a break in your cottage?
Rachel took in the proposal. A house swap – she knew a couple of friends who’d arranged holidays that way and swore by it. It wasn’t a bad idea – she and the kids would be able to come and go as they wanted, visiting the hospital, without being in anyone’s way. For the few days Aiden was in Skipley he could stay at Bea’s, leaving the cottage free for Laurie.
She took a sip of cocoa then smiled and tapped back her reply.
‘Great idea,’ she wrote. ‘You’re on.’
CHAPTER
5
Friday 24th November
‘I think I might have just suggested something ridiculous,’ Laurie said, scooping bubbly milk off the top of her mocha with an antique silver spoon.
