by King, Karen
He shook his head. ‘I’m whacked, babe. It was a brilliant holiday but, wow, we packed some stuff in.’
Lily grinned. They really had made the most of it, and like Seb she was exhausted, but she was desperate to see Emma and Dad and make sure everything was okay. ‘You chill out then. I’ll only be an hour or so.’
‘Take as long as you like. We’ve just had an awesome holiday together. I’m sure I can spare you for a few hours. Give them my love.’
‘You’re such a sweetheart.’ Lily blew him a kiss and was out of the door, the bag containing the duty-free whisky for her dad and the gorgeous plush white unicorn toy with a rainbow mane and tail for Emma in her hand. She had bought a souvenir thimble too, in memory of her mother, and put it in the cherished glass case of thimbles that her mother had collected from the places she had been to, which was now on the wall in Lily and Seb’s lounge.
She dashed around the corner, the front door key already in her free hand.
‘Hi, I’m back!’ she called as she let herself in the door.
Maria came out of the kitchen as Lily stepped in, wiping her hands on a towel, obviously surprised to see Lily standing inside the hall.
Taken aback to see Maria looking very much at home in her parents’ house, Lily stared at her.
Maria gave her a quick smile. ‘Ah, Lily, it’s you. What a nice surprise.’ Then a slight pause. ‘I didn’t realise that you still had a key. I wondered who was coming in.’
‘Sorry if I startled you. I’ve brought presents for Dad and Emma. Are they here?’ Lily asked.
‘That’s very kind of you. They’re both in the garden. I’ll go and call them. Do come in.’
Lily walked into the kitchen as Maria opened the back door to go out into the garden. A cake was baking in the oven, and it looked like Maria had been in the middle of preparing a meal. Very cosy.
Emma came running in, her face creased into a wide grin, and wrapped her arms around Lily. ‘Lilyyy! You’re back! I missed you so much.’
‘I missed you too. Look what I’ve brought you.’ Lily handed her the unicorn.
Emma squealed in delight. ‘Thank you, this is the best present ever!’
As Lily bent down to give her sister a hug, she looked over her shoulder at her father, who had just walked in. He seemed a bit awkward and exchanged a quick glance with Maria. ‘I’ve got you a present too,’ she said. Hug with Emma finished, she handed him the bag with the bottle of whisky in it.
He took it, peeping inside. ‘Thank you, Lily, that’s very welcome. Did you have a good time?’
‘Brilliant. It was so lovely to get away for a bit. And it was so hot!’ Lily stood up, feeling a bit apprehensive. She could sense some tension in the air and her dad and Maria were exchanging looks again.
It was Emma who broke the silence. ‘Maria lives here now,’ she announced. ‘She sleeps in Daddy’s bed.’
Lily stared at her father, stunned. Maria squeezed his arm reassuringly, then said brightly, ‘Why don’t we pop upstairs and get the painting you did for Lily, Emma?’ Maria held out her hand.
‘Oh, yes!’ Emma slipped her hand into Maria’s and they both walked out of the kitchen. It was obviously a ploy by Maria to give Gareth and Lily time to speak to each other.
Gareth fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, not quite meeting Lily’s eye. ‘I know it’s a bit of a surprise for you, love, but it makes sense. Maria spends such a lot of time here… and I need to tell you something. I hope you’ll understand.’ He rubbed the back of his neck and coughed before continuing. ‘We’re getting married next month – the twenty-sixth of November. It’s all booked at the local registry office.’
‘Next month!’ Lily repeated in disbelief. It had only been a couple of weeks since she’d found out that her father and Maria were seeing each other! And now Maria had moved in and the wedding was booked for just a few weeks’ time. Dad had promised her that he wouldn’t rush things, yet here he was running to the altar. It must be Maria’s doing, she thought. She had clearly taken advantage of Lily and Seb being on holiday to hook her dad and tie him down to a date.
‘Yes, we want to be married by Christmas so we can have a proper family Christmas, and start the new year as a married couple.’
Next month. Her father’s words kept going over and over in Lily’s mind. She couldn’t believe it. She stared at him, dumbfounded, struggling to find words to say.
‘Would you like some mulled wine, Lily? Or a cup of coffee and a slice of walnut cake? It’s ready to come out of the oven now. Emma helped me make it,’ Maria offered, coming back with Emma. She was clever – going out for long enough for Dad to tell her about the wedding but not long enough for Lily to talk to him about it.
‘I stirred it and licked out the bowl, like I used to with Mummy,’ Emma said.
It was as if Maria was stepping into her mother’s shoes. Resentment started building up in Lily again. The scheming woman was a fast mover. She knew it was best not to openly oppose the situation as that would cause an unwanted divide between her and her father and Emma. But she didn’t trust Maria. It was all moving too fast. It was as if now Maria had got her claws into Dad, she wasn’t going to let him go. Keep calm and play this cute, she told herself. If Maria thought that Lily had accepted her, she might relax and show her true colours.
‘A coffee would be lovely, thanks. Milk and one sugar.’ Lily pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, putting her bag on the floor beside her.
‘Look, here’s the painting. You can put it on your wall.’ Emma held up the piece of paper she’d been holding.
‘Thank you, darling.’ Lily took it off her and spread it out. Three people were in the centre of the painting, and she could see instantly that they were meant to be her father, Emma and Maria. They were all holding hands, Emma in the middle. To the right of the picture were two more people, which she could see by the short blonde hair for the man and medium-length light brown hair for the woman were Lily and Seb. Above them all was a big white cloud, with a blonde-haired woman peeping out, sending love hearts down to the group below. Mum. Underneath the picture were the words ‘My Family’. It was far too advanced and detailed for Emma to have done it by herself; clearly Maria had helped her. And how clever of her to include their mother sending love down to them, showing her approval.
Tears sprang to Lily’s eyes. ‘It’s beautiful, Emma.’ She folded it carefully and placed it in her bag.
‘I hope you aren’t upset about the wedding, Lily. I’m not trying to take your mother’s place, I promise. I just want to be your friend.’ Maria smiled at Lily, her dark brown eyes impossibly sincere. ‘And to be a mother to Emma too, of course.’ Her gaze flickered to Lily’s sister, but Lily saw her expression momentarily change – from warm and loving to something else.
‘I… er…’ Lily stammered.
Suddenly her father glanced at the kitchen clock and exclaimed. ‘Oh God, is that the time? I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to leave you girls to it. I’ve got to dash out for an hour to meet a client. I’m so glad you had a lovely holiday, Lily. And I’ll catch up with you over the weekend, okay?’
Lily couldn’t believe that her father hadn’t come round to see her and discuss his marriage plans just the two of them, instead of dropping them on her like this, and was now dashing off without even talking to her about it. She took a breath. She had to be an adult about this.
‘Okay. Dad. Why don’t you come around tomorrow for a meal. We can have a catch-up,’ she suggested.
‘I’d love that. Sort out the details with Maria. I must dash now, love.’ Gareth kissed Emma, gave Lily a wave and was gone.
‘Here you are.’ Maria passed Lily a mug of coffee then sat down beside her with a cup of decaf. ‘It’s very kind of you to invite us over for a meal, especially after you’ve only just come back from holiday. You must tell me all about it. I’ve heard it’s lovely in the Dominican Republic.’
Lily tried to hide her upset and r
esentment, answering Maria’s questions about her holiday and concentrating on talking to Emma, but all the time her mind was buzzing. How had Maria managed to trap her father so quickly?
Well, I’ll be watching, and if Maria steps one foot out of line, I’ll be onto her.
After half an hour Lily couldn’t stand any more, feeling uncomfortable in her childhood home for the first time in her life. ‘I have to go now, it was only a quick visit. See you all tomorrow. Shall we say about four?’
‘Perfect.’ Maria stood up as Lily did. ‘Thank you for popping in.’
‘Bye, Lily.’ Emma ran over to hug her. ‘Thank you for the unicorn.’
‘You’re welcome. You must come and have a sleepover soon.’
‘Oh, yes! Can I come tonight?’
Lily was about to agree, delighted for a chance to spend some time alone with her little sister, but Maria butted in. ‘No, darling, not tonight. We need to talk it over with Daddy first.’
‘Dad won’t mind, Emma often stays at ours, it’s her second home.’ Lily gave Maria a frosty look. Then, not wanting to create a bad atmosphere in front of her little sister, she crouched down to speak to Emma. ‘Maybe you can come next weekend.’
‘Yes, please!’ Emma threw her arms around Lily’s neck and gave her a big hug.
‘See you very soon.’ Lily gave her sister a kiss, grabbed her bag and nodded to Maria.
Maria followed her to the front door. ‘Goodbye, Lily. Do let us know when you’re going to be popping in again,’ she said with a tight smile as she shut the door behind her.
In other words, don’t just let yourself in. It was a wonder Maria didn’t ask for the key back. She’d probably get Dad to ask her for it. Lily walked along the street and around the corner, upset and fuming.
‘That woman has only gone and moved in while we were away!’ she exclaimed as soon as she walked in.
Seb looked up from his phone, startled. ‘Woah, that’s a bit quick. But maybe it’s for the best,’ he added. ‘Then they can make sure they get on before they get married?’
‘Oh, she’s got that all sorted too. She’s pushed Dad into arranging a date – and it’s next month. The twenty-sixth.’
Seb raised his eyebrows. ‘That soon?’
‘Too bloody soon! I can’t help thinking that Maria has targeted Dad, sneaked her way in while he’s grieving and vulnerable.’
‘Don’t jump to conclusions, babe. Maybe they just don’t want to wait. You know what it’s like when you find someone you really connect with.’ He gave her a grin.
Like us. She and Seb had met at a nightclub and instantly connected, and she’d moved into his flat a few months later.
She shook her head. ‘It’s not the same. Dad’s still grieving, he’s not thinking straight. And what about Emma? She needs time to get used to a new mother figure.’
‘I can understand why you’re worried. But it’s your dad’s life, Lil. And you know he adores Emma and would never do anything that would upset her. You’ve got to stand back and leave them to it.’
‘That’s easy for you to say, it’s not your family!’ Lily exploded, Seb’s laid-back manner infuriating her. ‘Dad could be making the biggest mistake of his life and I’m supposed to just stand by and let it happen?’
‘I know it’s hard, but yes. You’ve got to leave your dad to it, Lil.’ Seb got up and came over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and as she nestled into his shoulder, the tangy smell of his aftershave sweeping over her, she felt herself relax a little. Seb meant well but he was wrong. Getting married was a big decision that Dad wasn’t in his right mind to make yet.
She had to talk to him, convince him to take things slower, to live with Maria for at least six months before taking the big step of getting married. Give himself a chance to make sure that Maria was as perfect as she seemed. She’d get her dad to come and look at the berries forming on the holly bush when they came over tomorrow – that would give her an excuse to talk to him alone and persuade him to take things slower. She could suggest a summer wedding; that would allow enough time for things to cool off.
8
Lily
Seb went shopping for supplies the next morning while Lily did the holiday washing and had a quick tidy up. She’d decided to do vegetable lasagne with garlic bread and salad, followed by ice cream sorbet. It was one of Emma’s favourite meals and Maria was a pescatarian so it would be fine for her to eat too. Everything was under control with minutes to spare. Dead on four o’clock, they arrived, her father carrying a bottle of very good wine, Maria a huge bunch of colourful flowers, and Emma a box of chocolates.
Seb opened the wine and served it up – apple juice for Emma and Maria – while Lily served dinner and they all sat down to eat. It was a pleasant afternoon, and the wine flowed as did the conversation. Gareth and Maria wanted to know all about their holiday and looked at the photos with enthusiasm. Lily couldn’t help noticing how gentle Maria was with Emma, listening patiently to her chatter and jokes, how she looked her father in the face whenever they spoke to each other, how she touched his arm or his hand reassuringly.
Is it all an act or is Maria as fond of them as she seems? Lily thought, wondering if she had judged the situation wrong and her dad and Maria did really love each other. Even so, it was still wise to persuade him to wait a few more months before they got married.
‘I’m fascinated by your work, Maria. What made you go into beauty care, and especially the care of cancer patients?’ Seb asked.
Maria’s face lit up as she explained how she wanted to help women look beautiful, all women no matter their size, age or health. ‘When a woman feels bad about herself, her spirit sinks, she feels unloved and depressed. I want to help women feel good about themselves so that they can get the best out of their lives,’ she said. ‘I especially wanted to help women with cancer because a dear friend of mine died from cancer some years ago.’ She paused as if to compose herself. ‘She was distraught when the after-effects of the chemo made her lose weight and her hair fall out, her eyelashes and eyebrows too. So I started giving her makeovers to show her that she could still look beautiful. It was lovely to see her eyes sparkle again, to see the smile on her face.’ She paused again and tears glistened in her eyes. Lily realised that this friend’s death had hit her hard. ‘That’s when I decided that I wanted to specialise in beauty for cancer patients. And I wanted the treatment to be free, so I focused on attracting wealthy clients to my salon, which meant that with the higher revenue I could afford to put aside one day a week to give free treatments.’
Maria looked so passionate and sounded so genuine that Lily felt a lump form in her throat, remembering how kind Maria had been to her mum. ‘That’s a very generous thing to do. It must cost you a lot of money. Especially as you visit clients in their homes too, like you did Mum.’ Lily swallowed. Now she was the one trying to compose herself.
Maria picked up her glass of apple juice and took a sip before replying. ‘Yes, I do that for clients when they become too ill to come to the salon. Those are the times they need to feel beautiful the most. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to do more than a couple of home visits a week. I wish I could offer my treatment for free every day but’ – she took another sip of juice – ‘we all have to eat and live.’
‘What you do is marvellous, Maria. You must stop thinking that it isn’t enough. Stop driving yourself so hard.’ Gareth placed his hand on hers and they exchanged a warm smile.
‘How long have you had the salon?’ Seb asked.
‘Ten years now. I opened it right after my friend died,’ Maria replied.
‘What did you do before then?’ Lily asked. ‘Have you always worked in beauty salons?’
‘Mostly,’ Maria replied vaguely. ‘How about you, Seb? Have you always been a plumber?’
She’s deliberately changing the subject, Lily thought, annoyed. She had a few more questions she wanted to ask Maria about her past, but it seemed that Maria was determined not to tal
k about it.
Suddenly Emma started coughing. They all looked over and Lily saw that she seemed to be struggling to swallow a mouthful of food. ‘Spit it out, Em,’ she said but Maria had pushed back her chair and was now standing behind Emma, frantically patting her back, panic all over her face.
‘It’s okay,’ Emma spluttered, finally stopping coughing. ‘I’m okay.’
‘Are you sure? Here, have a drink of water.’ Maria looked absolutely panic-stricken; her face was white, her hands trembling. It seemed a bit of an overreaction.
Emma obligingly drank some of the water. ‘A bit of lasagne went down the wrong way,’ she said.
‘Do be careful, Emma. You must chew your food carefully. I’ve warned you about this before. It’s so easy to choke on something,’ Maria said.
‘She’s all right, love. Stop panicking,’ Gareth reassured her.
Maria sat down again but Lily noticed that she kept looking at Emma until all the food had been cleared from her plate.
Maria seemed so worried, Lily wondered if she’d once been with someone who’d choked to death. Was there a tragedy in Maria’s past? Was that why she was so overprotective of Emma? She knew nothing about Maria’s family or life. They had only met a few times. Surely her family would be invited to the wedding; it would be interesting to meet them.
‘Do you have any brothers or sisters, Maria? Will any of your family be coming to the wedding?’ Lily asked when dessert was finished.
A cloud seemed to pass over Maria’s face as she shook her head. ‘I’m an only child and my parents are dead,’ she replied, pre-empting Lily’s next question.
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ She felt awkward now. Although, maybe that was why Maria was so eager to move in with her dad, to have a substitute family.
‘It’s fine, it was a long time ago.’ Maria finished her drink and went to get up. ‘Now do let me load the dishwasher.’
‘That’s very kind of you but Seb and I will do it later. Seb, can you make a coffee for everyone, please, and take it through to the lounge? I just want to show Dad the berries forming on the holly bush he bought us. We won’t be long.’