Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (17 page)
‘I’m not wondering anything,’ Laurie said. ‘Is she a singer? What, in his band?’
‘Look, do you want me to ask him about her?’ Siobhan said. ‘Find out what’s going on, rather than us just guessing?’
‘No!’ Laurie said. ‘Definitely not. Don’t ask him anything. I don’t want him to think I’m snooping around, that I can’t let go.’ The oven timer pinged. ‘Look, Siobhan, I’ve got to go, my dinner’s ready. But thanks for ringing.’
As she got the ham out of the oven, Laurie looked again at all the food she had – the ham alone was big enough for two people, and then she still had all the cheeses she’d picked up at the farmers’ market. What was she going to do, sit here alone gorging herself on the whole lot? Then something else caught her eye – the blackened walls. She couldn’t let Rachel come back to that mess.
A thought flitted into Laurie’s head. She did her best to dismiss it, but, to her annoyance, it wasn’t going anywhere. It was what Ben from the café had said about Diana. She was an interior designer, right? Surely, in return for a nice dinner, she’d be able to offer a bit of advice on fixing things up?
Maybe Diana had her reasons for being the way she was, Laurie reasoned. Perhaps she’d been a little hasty in writing Rachel’s neighbour off so quickly. She hadn’t been that bad at the community centre, she’d even introduced Laurie to the other women – and, Laurie thought idly, Patrick. Her eyes drifted back to the walls – surely Diana would be able to suggest something?
Taking a deep breath, Laurie got up, pulled on her coat and headed over in the direction of what she was pretty sure was Diana’s cottage. She must be mad, she thought, as she walked towards a house that was nearly identical to Rachel’s, only with an even more immaculately pruned front garden. A Christmas wreath hung on the door, just above a bronze knocker. Before she could change her mind, Laurie lifted the knocker and brought it down in a series of quick raps.
When Diana finally opened her front door, she looked almost pleased to have a visitor, and to Laurie’s relief accepted her invitation graciously. In the background the TV blared
Don’t Tell the Bride
into an elegant, Laura-Ashley-inspired vision of a living room, with white sofas and flowered drapes. ‘Wait a second while I grab Alfie,’ she said, going up the stairs. ‘He always likes going to Rachel’s place.’ As she waited in the hallway, wondering who or what Alfie was likely to be, she caught sight of some cardboard in the green recycling box in Diana’s kitchen. She stepped forward to take a closer look. Ha! Laurie thought with a rush of satisfaction. A Domino’s pizza box was poking out the side.
‘Spray paint,’ Diana said, tears of laughter coming to her eyes. ‘You tried to paint over it with that?’ She held up the can in disbelief.
‘I know,’ Laurie said, starting to see the funny side. Diana had been kinder than she’d expected about offering to help. ‘Desperate times. I’ve not painted much myself before.’
‘Listen,’ Diana said, ‘this should be easy enough to fix. It doesn’t take an interior designer, you’ll be able to get everything you need at the hardware store on the high street. Some emulsion will do it, a couple of layers. Take a photo in daylight and then you’ll be able to match the colour better.’
Half an hour later Laurie and Diana were sitting at the kitchen table in the cottage, most of the way through a bottle of Malbec.
Alfie, it turned out, was a ‘chiweenie’ – with the body of a dachshund, the ears of a Chihuahua and – based on this evening’s performance – the appetite of a Great Dane. Under the table, he darted between their feet, trying to catch scraps, every so often emitting a high-pitched yap.
‘You did pretty well, here,’ Diana said, loading her fork up with ham. ‘An improvement on your last effort, anyway.’ A sly smile crept on to the corner of her lips.
‘Thank you,’ Laurie said, not rising to the bait. It had been with a mixture of pride, surprise and relief that she’d realised the meal was not only edible, it was actually quite tasty.
Diana drained her third glass of wine. ‘No, thank
you
,’ she said, slurring her words a little. ‘For inviting me. I know you must have thought I was stuck up.’
It was only because her mouth was full that Laurie managed to maintain a tactful silence.
‘I know that’s what most people think, nowadays,’ she went on. ‘But it’s not that. You know what? It’s just been a really, truly crap year, Laurie. And sometimes trying to be nice, on top of it all,’ she said, banging the table for emphasis, ‘is just too damn difficult.’
Laurie saw her neighbour in a new light. She hadn’t planned on getting Diana plastered – but if she’d known it would reveal the real Diana, she might have.
‘I’m over it, really I am,’ Diana said, taking another sip of wine. ‘But seriously –’ she shook her head mournfully – ‘you think you know someone …’
‘… and they leave you for a man?’ Laurie ventured.
‘How did you …?’ Diana squinted tipsily and waggled her finger in Laurie’s direction.
‘Just a hunch,’ Laurie lied.
‘I mean how could I not have realised, right?’ Diana said, sweeping Alfie up on to her lap and stroking his bat-like ears.
‘He may not even have known, himself,’ Laurie said. ‘Anyway, now you can move on to better things.’
‘You’re right, you know,’ Diana said, stroking Alfie’s head so that his eyes looked even bulgier. ‘Actually, since Richard left the business has been going from strength to strength, so he did me a favour on that front.’
‘What kind of interiors do you specialise in?’ Laurie asked.
‘Oh, I do everything really – cottages, windmills, barns …’ she said. ‘Been doing it for years, but with a bit of a push behind the marketing it’s really taking off at last. Aiden and I have worked together on a couple of barn projects. You know, I keep telling Rachel she should get involved.’
‘Really?’ Laurie asked, surprised. She’d always assumed Rachel was content being a stay-at-home mum.
‘Yes – genius, she is. The way she’s decorated the kids’ rooms here – all her own ideas.’ Laurie smiled, thinking of the pirate ship in Zak’s bedroom. ‘I’d like to be able to offer that kind of thing – and I’d be happy to pay for her to have a bit of training. You can teach the details, but you can’t teach flair – and that’s what Rachel’s got. Anyway, work on her for me, will you? She keeps coming up with excuses.’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Laurie said, resolving to bring it up with Rachel the next time they met. Rachel had always been the last person to realise her own talents.
‘And in the meantime,’ Laurie said, getting up, ‘I think it’s time for dessert.’ Diana nodded in agreement and Laurie got a tub of caramel pecan ice cream out of the freezer. She cleared away the supper plates and then brought the tub over along with some bowls and spoons.
‘So that guy today,’ Laurie said, nonchalantly, as she tried to ease a spoon into the rock-hard ice cream. ‘Patrick. Are you … er …’
‘Am I interested?’ Diana said. ‘Well, I won’t deny he’s attractive …’ A slight blush crept on to her face, ‘but he’s far too young for me. I’m in good nick, I know –’ she swooshed her hair playfully and smiled – ‘but I’m not deluded. I’m forty-six.’ She shrugged. ‘Patrick’s just a bit of eye-candy, that’s all.’
Diana leaned towards Laurie conspiratorially. ‘I did do a little research, though, I have to confess,’ she said, in a stage whisper. ‘And I happen to know he’s single. So the path’s clear.’
‘Oh no,’ Laurie said, shaking her head, ‘I wasn’t asking for me.’ But then again, she thought, Skipley had become just a fraction more interesting.
‘It’s none of my business,’ Laurie said, looking critically at the baggy outfit Diana was wearing. ‘But have you lost weight recently?’
‘Oh, yes, I did a bit. The divorce diet, after Richard left,’ Diana said, looking down at her body and then back up with a shrug.
As Diana helped Laurie load the dishwasher, Laurie noticed how the white blouse and loose navy slacks she was wearing swamped her.
‘It’s just,’ Laurie said, standing back and tilting her head, ‘it strikes me that your clothes are too big for you. Come with me,’ Laurie said, putting the cutlery she was holding down and leading Diana over to the hallway mirror. ‘Look at this,’ she said, starting to pull back the fabric so it hugged Diana’s figure more closely. She peeked over Diana’s shoulder so that the two of them could see the difference.
‘Oh God, you’re doing that Gok-thing, aren’t you?’ Diana said, laughing.
‘I might be,’ Laurie replied. ‘But, seriously, Diana, look at all this extra fabric. Let me take these in for you. I’m sure I saw a sewing machine up in Milly’s room.’
Diana looked at her suspiciously, and then, as she saw that Laurie wasn’t going to take no for an answer, her defences gradually dropped. ‘OK,’ she said, with a smile. ‘Do your worst.’
‘Anything else back at yours?’ Laurie asked.
‘Ah,’ Diana said. ‘Are you sure you’re up for the challenge?’
CHAPTER
16
Thursday 7th December
‘Fionn wasn’t like the other lions,’ Milly read out loud, from a hardback book. ‘From the moment she separated herself from the pride and approached me across the plains of the Masai Mara, I felt a connection – she wasn’t aggressive, she was trusting of me, and I instinctively trusted her. I knew that I was putting my life at risk, just by standing there, but as Fionn nudged my hand gently with her head, with that first contact, I felt sure we were going to be very good friends.’
Rachel looked over at Bea as she lay in the hospital bed. For a moment you could believe that she was just sleeping. As always, she had her gold locket on around her neck, the photo of her late husband David close to her chest. As she breathed the locket gently rose and fell.
But Bea hadn’t woken up since the operation yesterday. Aiden was sitting in a chair by her side, holding her hand in his. Dr Patel had told them that it might help to talk to Bea, that it was possible she’d be able to hear their voices. But she hadn’t been able to tell them anything more. She said it was impossible to predict if, and when, Bea’s condition would improve.
‘Do you really think she can hear me?’ Milly said, closing the book.
‘I’m sure of it,’ Rachel replied, putting her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. ‘And that book was a good choice, she’s always liked reading about Africa.’
Silence fell around the bedside. Even Zak was quiet, staring up at his grandma with a sad look in his eyes.
‘Mum,’ Aiden said finally, ‘we brought you a little radio. A digital one, you know how I keep saying you should have one. Well, here it is.’ He reached down to get it from the floor and put it up on her side table, plugging it in but not switching it on. ‘You can listen to Radio 4 now, I know you wouldn’t want to miss
The Archers
just because you’re not well.’
Rachel had a lump in her throat as she heard the strain in Aiden’s voice. She reached over to take his hand, but he turned away.
‘How about we all go over to Brockwell Park and get some fresh air,’ Rachel said to Milly and Zak when they got home. ‘Maybe check out the playground?’
‘Yes!’ Zak said, his eyes lighting up. He dashed out into the hall to put his trainers on.
‘How can he be like that,’ Milly said, ‘with Granny so ill?’
‘He cares. You know that, Milly. But we can’t just sit around worrying about Granny – she wouldn’t want that. We’ll go and see her when we can, and the rest of the time she’ll know we’re thinking of her. But we need to keep ourselves strong for her.’
Milly shrugged sadly.
‘Come on, Mills,’ Rachel said, picking up her plate and putting it on the side. ‘Jay said there’s a girl your age downstairs, in the basement flat, called Nikki. What do you say, shall we call on her?’
‘OK,’ Milly said, a little reluctantly. ‘Let’s do that.’
‘I’m just taking the kids out,’ Rachel said, putting her head into the living room, where Aiden was sitting. ‘Hopefully it’ll give you a bit of space to think.’
‘Thanks,’ Aiden said, bent over his laptop on the sofa. ‘That would be good. We’re having a nightmare with the carpenters we brought in.’
‘Good luck, sweetheart,’ Rachel said, touching his arm reassuringly.
With winter coats, hats and scarves on, Rachel, Zak and Milly trooped down the stairs. The stairway continued on down to the basement, and Rachel started to lead the way. She bent to look down at the floor below; it was darker down there and there was a faint smell of damp.
‘Mum,’ Milly said, from her position in the entrance hall. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Flat number 1, Jay said.’
‘Yes,’ Milly replied. ‘But what, are you going to call on her yourself? Don’t be embarrassing. I’m fifteen, not Zak’s age.’
‘Oops,’ Rachel said, coming back up. ‘You’re right. Sorry.’ She held her hands up in surrender. ‘How about Zak and I wait here and then you can just nip up and tell us what your plans are.’
‘Better,’ Milly said, and went downstairs. Rachel tilted her head slightly towards the stairwell. After the door opened she could hear teenage giggles. It sounded positive.
Milly came up the stairs a moment later. ‘Me and Nikki are going to go to TopShop,’ she said. Rachel leaned over the banister and saw a girl with cropped blonde hair with a pink streak. She gave a little wave.
‘I’ll see you and Zak back at the flat later,’ Milly said.
Rachel tried to shrug off the feeling of rejection. ‘OK. Be back in time for dinner. Have you got your—’
‘Yes, I’ve got my mobile, and my wallet,’ Milly sighed.
‘Right then,’ Rachel said, pulling on her mittens. ‘Nice to meet you, Nikki,’ she called down the stairs.
Milly gave her a glare. ‘See you later.’
Rachel sat on a low wall and watched Zak scale the climbing frame. He’d made a couple of friends already, and was pointing out to them the best way to get to the top. Rachel took a sip from her takeaway coffee, and then held it with both her gloved hands to warm them. Zak looked over at his mother and gave her a wide smile, and Rachel waved back. In an instant she saw that Zak, her little boy, was growing up quickly.
Would there come a day when Zak, like Milly, would be longing to get away from his family? Rachel sighed wistfully at the inevitability of it. After all, Milly had once shared everything with her mum and dad – from hopes and dreams to schoolyard jealousies and squabbles, but these days her moody silences were becoming more and more frequent. Rachel drank her coffee slowly, looking around at the other parents and children in the busy playground – did other mothers find it this hard to let go?
As she drained the cup, she called out to Zak that it was home time.
Milly came home just before six with a new striped scarf, and some thin bronze hoop earrings.
‘Wow,’ Rachel said. ‘I like those. Hold them up.’ Milly pushed her hair back and held one up to her ear. ‘They suit you,’ Rachel said. ‘So you got on with Nikki then?’
‘Yeah,’ Milly said. ‘Nikki’s really cool. She was telling me about this art workshop that Siobhan from next door runs – she’s a teacher at Nikki’s school. It’s after school on Fridays, and she thinks it would be OK for me to go too. Can I?’ Milly’s face was bright; she looked happier than she had done in days.
‘I don’t see why not,’ Rachel said. ‘So long as Siobhan doesn’t mind an extra heap of trouble turning up.’
Milly gave her a look.
‘I’m teasing,’ Rachel laughed. ‘A very talented heap of trouble, I meant.’
‘And, Mum,’ Milly said, ‘there was one other thing. Nikki asked me if I wanted to go to Camden with her at the weekend. Is that OK?’
Camden. There was a market, wasn’t there? She didn’t know much about it really.
‘Let me check with your dad,’ Rachel said.
‘Pleeaase, Mum,’ Milly whined, putting on a winning smile.
Rachel put her hands up, laughing. It was good to see a flash of the happy daughter she knew. ‘OK, OK, you can go.’
From:
[email protected]
Sorry I haven’t been in touch. It’s been kind of busy here, and my grandma has got really sick. Anyway, we’re all trying to keep going as normal. I made a new friend, a girl who lives downstairs. She lives with her dad and he’s pretty relaxed about letting her do things. I’m kind of jealous about that.
It’s a bit weird being down here right now as it’s getting Christmassy and we normally decorate the house around now. But my gran’s really ill, so we don’t know when we’re coming back at the moment.
I’m going to go now, supper’s ready. I hope everything is good with you.
Milly x
From:
[email protected]
There you are! Hello.
Am I imagining it, or are you kind of hot and cold with me, Milly? Do you not want me to call you? What’s going on? I mean I know you said your gran’s ill, but I don’t understand why you’ve changed so much. Can you send me your number?
Cx
CHAPTER
17
Friday 8th December
‘How do I look?’ Diana said, emerging from the toilets and swirling around in her newly tailored red dress. Laurie had taken in the waist and lowered the neckline a little, then brought the existing straps together, turning the dated style into an elegant halterneck.
‘Wow,’ Laurie said, bringing her hands together. Diana was beaming. The other women smiled appreciatively.
As Diana went to get changed again, Laurie settled down next to Joyce and began bagging up more winter coats. Joyce turned towards her.
‘Lovely job you did on Diana’s dress,’ she said. ‘You couldn’t do something with this old blouse of mine, could you? I mean, if you’re not too busy?’ She held the fabric of the blouse away from her body and sat back slightly so that Laurie could get a proper look at it. The shape was flattering, but it had lost its colour – and something about it was stuck in a mid-80s rut. ‘I hardly ever buy new things, you see,’ Joyce said. ‘Not on my pension.’
‘Sure,’ Laurie said. ‘I can have a go. But don’t kill me if you hate it.’
Joyce gave her a wink. ‘With this old thing?’ she said. ‘The only way is up.’
