A December to Remember (82)

Stu took her cold hand and kissed it before standing up. She stayed where she was.

“Goodbye, Heavenly-Stargazer Rosehip North.”

And with that, he strode round to the passenger side of his brother’s car and climbed in. The engine sounded loud in the quiet street. Paul gave Star a wave that was part salute and drove slowly out of the village.

She rested her chin in her hands, closed her eyes, and took a few deep steadying breaths. Nostalgia was an intoxicating perfume that could cloud judgment. She had loved him for a long time, but there were no roads that led back to him now. Maybe there were none that led to Duncan either. But she needed to be true to herself, and if that meant going it alone, well, that was good too; she’d never been afraid of her own company. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a pair of long, denim-clad legs in front of her. She looked up to find Duncan standing there. He held out his hands and she took them, allowing him to pull her up to standing. Her legs were stiff with cold, and her knees ached.

“He’s gone.” She didn’t trust her own voice yet. “Into rehab. He just wanted to apologize, go in with a clean slate, I guess.”

“I thought he might be asking you to get back with him.”

She sighed. “That too. But I said no.”

Neither of them spoke. She was suddenly very tired.

“Thank you for sitting out in the cold. It was very kind of you to watch over me.”

“My pleasure,” said Duncan.

“Well. Good night.”

He nodded once, turned, and walked away.



* * *





She undressed and climbed into bed. There was sadness, yes, but her decisions were sound, and they were the right ones for her. She had freed herself from Stu and she would give her sister a baby—there was much comfort in that.





41





“This is very gentlemanly of you, Patrick, but you really don’t need to walk me home. You can see the cottage from the high street,” Simone said.

“It’s no bother. You can never be too careful.”

“All right, you got me.”

“It’s nice having you and Aunty Star here. Mum really loves it.”

“I never thought I’d say it, but I like being here.” She paused. “I feel like I haven’t been the best aunty to you and Verity. I’ve not been very present for the last few years.” She felt embarrassed, ashamed even, of the distance she’d kept.

Patrick shrugged. They were almost to the picket fence of the cottage.

“You’re here now.” He took a hesitant breath, and Simone sensed he was steeling himself to say something. “Aunty, is my mum serious about Joe?”

Ahh, there it is, she thought. She found herself caught between the truth and a promise. She didn’t want to lie to Patrick, but there was no way she was going to break her sister’s confidence.

“What do you mean?” she asked, stalling for time.

At that moment, a woman rose up from behind the arbor. Simone’s heart gave a thud and she was suddenly weak, as though all her bones had rubberized.

“Evette? What are you doing here?” Just to see her wife’s face was like walking into the light, dazzling and regenerating.

A flash lit the two.

“Got it!” said Patrick triumphantly, looking down at the photograph he’d just taken on his phone.

“What’s going on?” she gasped. She was delighted and suspicious all at once, she couldn’t take it in.

Evette smiled. “Star told me I should surprise you. I told her you hate surprises, but she was insistent. She said you’d all worked really hard on the winter solstice festival and that it would be a crime for me to miss it.”

Simone laughed and threw herself at her wife, kissing her and then squeezing her in a bear hug before kissing her again.

“Well, I’ll be off,” Patrick said cheerily. “Hope you weren’t waiting for too long on that cold bench, Evette. That’s a recipe for hemorrhoids.”

“Cheeky shit.” Evette laughed.

“It’s good to see you again, Aunt Evette.” Patrick grinned.

“You too, sweetheart.”

“And what was your role in this little deception, young man?” Simone asked, smiling, still clinging to her wife as though she might disappear if she let go.

Patrick waved his phone at her. “Paparazzi.” He grinned. “Aunty Star wanted to see your face when you saw Evette.”

She rolled her eyes. “Heavenly-Stargazer inherited the North mischief gene.”

“Aren’t you glad she did?” Evette asked, squeezing Simone’s hand.

She looked at Evette. She couldn’t believe she was here. It had been a long time since her heart had been full of anything other than melancholy, but right now it was singing a glad tune. “Yes,” she replied. “Yes, I am.”

Patrick wandered back out onto the high street. His whistling “Let It Snow” carried on the crisp night air and could still be heard even as Simone, smiling, pushed the door to the cottage closed and turned to face her wife.

“I’ve missed you,” she said.

“Me too,” Evette agreed. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“Not yet.” She was hungry for her wife, and she was gratified to see Evette’s lips twitch into a wicked smile.