by Fay Keenan
‘Penny for them,’ Harry said gently, clearly noticing the faraway look on her face.
Kate smiled down at him. ‘Just thinking about how much I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, and how much I don’t want to go back to Cambridge when the holidays are over.’
‘Funny,’ Harry replied, pulling her down towards him for a kiss. ‘I won’t miss you at all. Not one little bit!’
‘Charming!’ Kate’s smile grew wider. ‘Well, I suppose I could try to remind you just how much you will miss me when I’m gone.’ Sliding a little further down the bed, she set about proving him wrong.
45
After a while, both Harry and Kate decided they’d worked up enough of an appetite to have the dinner that Harry had prepared. Mercifully, the lasagne only took half an hour to warm through in the oven, and since both were eating it ravenously, neither worried about the pleasurable and extremely tasty excess of garlic in the garlic bread. That, and a few glasses of a very robust red, left them both feeling even more relaxed. So much so that when Kate looked at her watch, she was amazed to see that it was nearly midnight.
‘I’d better get off,’ she said reluctantly. ‘Tom and Aidan are likely to be waiting up like my surrogate parents, just to make sure you haven’t abducted me.’
‘I’m looking forward to meeting them properly, and not just having to dash off,’ Harry said. ‘From what you’ve told me about them, they’re quite a pair.’
‘Like you wouldn’t believe,’ Kate said. After they’d finally got out of bed, she’d spent some time that evening filling Harry in on how Aidan and Tom had met during the Willowbury Dramatical Spectacular Christmas play a couple of years ago; the same production that had brought Sam and Florence together, too. Aidan’s coming out had been a bit of a surprise to both Sam and Kate, but they’d both been delighted when Aidan and Tom had decided, a few months after Sam and Florence had got married, to tie the knot themselves.
‘I think it took me a week to get over the hangover from their wedding!’ Kate laughed. ‘And although I never thought of Aidan as the – er – flamboyant type, he certainly let his creative side out at the wedding. I’ve never seen so many pink flamingo shaped balloons in one place in my life.’ She paused. ‘Although it was really sweet that some of his army mates set up a guard of honour for them outside the registry office. Tom, despite being head over heels in love with my brother, was thoroughly overexcited by that, although, to be fair, if I’d had a guard of honour like them at my wedding, I might have reconsidered which bloke to marry!’ She could have sounded bitter at this, but, to her surprise, her voice was light and a whole lot more carefree. It was amazing what great sex and a really good meal could do to lift your mood.
‘Sounds like quite a party,’ Harry said. ‘My older brother’s wedding was an altogether more sensible affair. And for sensible read a bridezilla in my sister-in-law who even had a seating plan for the church. Definitely no fun allowed there.’
‘Sounds, er, different,’ Kate said. ‘Of course, three teenage boys and a free bar meant that, despite my admittedly far from best efforts, I was stonkingly hung-over the next day, and Corey had a few glasses of champagne and then threw up all over the en suite in the Travelodge, and guess who had to clear that up? To be fair to him, though, I don’t think he’s touched a drop since, that I know of.’
‘And your other two boys?’ Harry asked, topping up their glasses with the last of the wine.
Kate’s voice softened. ‘Both hardy, sturdy, stoical things who seem to take everything in their stride. Will’s about to start his GCSEs and Tom’s happy so long as he’s within stretching distance of an Xbox or a football. They seem to have handled the divorce a whole lot better than Corey did; but I suppose he was more aware of just how fragile I was when it all came out about Phil and Jennifer. I tried to hide it from the boys, but it was difficult to pretend everything was normal when you’ve just found out your husband, no matter how much you might be bored with him yourself, has gone and fallen in love with someone else.’ She shook her head. ‘But that’s water under the bridge now, and I can tell you for sure, now it’s all done and dusted, I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
‘I’m glad,’ Harry said. ‘Or I’d be seriously questioning this whole evening.’
‘And on that note, I’d better get home,’ Kate said, draining her glass. She stood up from the table, thinking she should feel more drunk but, given the gargantuan helping of lasagne and garlic bread Harry had served her, she felt remarkably steady on her feet.
‘Can I walk you back?’ Harry asked. ‘I’d hate to think of you out on the mean streets of Willowbury without a chaperone.’
‘That would be lovely, kind sir.’ Kate smiled. And in a short time, they were taking a walk through the town, towards Tom and Aidan’s front door. The moon overhead was bright, but the sky was still a warm grey, and the honey-coloured stone buildings had retained much of the heat of the day. There wasn’t a whisper of a breeze in the air, and the stillness brought with it faraway calls of those enjoying a final drink outside the pub and heading off home for the night.
They reached Bay Tree Terrace, and Kate’s attention was drawn to the sorry looking third house on the row, which had lain deserted and unloved for a long time. In all the time she’d been at Tom and Aidan’s, she hadn’t seen anyone, not even the postal workers, going near the place, and she wondered who it belonged to. Obviously, someone who had enough money to live elsewhere and not bother too much about it, from the dust and smears on the windowsill and the peeling paint on the front door. She wondered if Sam or Aidan knew what the story of the place was.
‘Well, this is me,’ she said as they walked up to the path that led to the front door of number one. She paused, still relishing the feeling of Harry’s hand in hers. ‘Thank you for a wonderful evening, Harry.’
Harry smiled in the moonlight, the crows’ feet around his eyes shadowing slightly and making his eyes seem an even deeper blue. ‘It was a pleasure. And I’d love to see you again before you head back to Cambridgeshire.’
‘I’d like that, too,’ Kate murmured. She only needed to step slightly on tiptoes to kiss him again, because of the height of the borrowed sandals from Florence. ‘Tom and Will are coming to stay the day after tomorrow, and I’m not quite sure how long they’ll be here for, whether they’ll stay until we all have to go home, or whether Phil’s having them back for the last week of the holidays, but I’m sure there’ll be a chance or two for us to get together before we all have to go back to the real world.’
Harry suddenly looked concerned, and perhaps a little deflated. ‘I don’t want to get in the way while all of your sons are here,’ he said, running his hands down her arms to hold her hands. ‘And all this talk of the real world reminds me that, at the end of the summer holidays you’re going to be heading out of here.’ Suddenly serious, he gazed down at her. ‘Kate… you can ignore me if I’m getting too heavy too quickly, but I really do want to see you again. And again. And at this point, I’d even consider commuting to Cambridge on a Sunday just to spend a couple of hours with you. I know you’re not looking for anything serious right now, and I totally respect that, but I thought it was only fair to tell you that I don’t do one-night stands.’
Kate’s heart started to beat so quickly that she was frightened it was going to burst from her chest. ‘Surely that’s just the wine and the sex talking?’ she said, trying to make light of Harry’s words.
Harry smiled down at her, and in addition to her heart thumping madly, the curve of his mouth made her knees wobble. Really, all these jokes about being a teenager in love were one thing, but the actual sensations were something else.
‘If I might make an observation,’ he said, after a careful pause, ‘you have every right to feel more confident. I mean every word of what I’ve just said, and if it meant spending even five minutes with you before having to turn around and head back here, I’d happily do three hours across country and back on a regular basis.
’ He shook his head ruefully before adding, ‘But I said I wasn’t going to get heavy, so you can ignore that, if you want.’
In answer, Kate reached up on tiptoes and gave him a long, lingering kiss. When they were still within a whisper of each other, she replied, ‘You’re sweet.’ It was her turn to smile. ‘And, although I could happily spend the whole night out here on the doorstep with you, I’m sure I can feel Aidan’s stare from behind the curtains, so I’d better get in there and face the inquisition.’ She couldn’t resist kissing him again, though. ‘Goodnight, Harry, and thank you.’
As they parted, Kate paused on the doorstep and watched Harry loping off towards the High Street again and kept smiling. It was such a strange feeling, she held a hand to her cheek to feel it. How was it possible that, in such a short time, she could feel so alive again? Putting it down to the weird Willowbury air, which must, she figured, be saturated with all kinds of bizarre substances, mystical and otherwise, she pushed open the front door and prepared to face Aidan and Tom.
46
Kate wasn’t sure if she had felt disappointed or relieved when neither Tom nor Aidan were in evidence downstairs when she’d got back last night. She wasn’t a great talker about her emotions, and although a friendly ear would have been a nice thing, it also might have confused her even more. She’d grabbed a pint glass of water, brushed her teeth, poked her head around Corey’s bedroom door, relieved that he was asleep, even if he’d dropped off with his phone in his hand, and then she’d crashed out, sleeping better than she had in a very long time despite the few glasses of red wine. In fact, she hadn’t woken up until gone eight. Sunday had been spent chilling with Aidan, Tom and Corey, and checking in with Sam and Florence, who were hoping to bring baby Mia home the next day. It turned out to be one of those lazy, family days, and just what Kate needed to slow down and process everything that had happened in the weeks she’d now been in Willowbury. She also needed to get the spare rooms ready for Tom and Will’s visit, although since they were bringing sleeping bags and airbeds, there wasn’t a great deal to do. They would be arriving late afternoon Monday, and Kate couldn’t wait to see them.
Monday morning came, after another good night’s sleep, and when she wandered down to the kitchen, she found a note from Tom and Aidan saying that, since there was ‘bugger all except your crappy muesli’ in for breakfast, they’d gone to the Cosy Coffee Shop for the Full English and she was welcome to join them when she ‘eventually dragged herself out of bed’.
Kate grinned. Even on paper, Aidan could make her laugh. He’d always had the ability to make her cry tears of helpless laughter, and it was something she really missed now that they lived so far apart. Perhaps she would join them for breakfast, and see if Corey fancied a fry-up, too. Being a teenage boy, he had the appetite of a ravenous Labrador, and she was sure he’d say yes.
Abandoning the coffee she was making, she headed back upstairs to the spare room that Corey had claimed as his own. Distracted momentarily by her phone, which pinged with a message just as she pushed open Corey’s door, she smiled as she saw Harry’s name flashing up on the screen with a thank you and lots of kisses for Saturday night. Glancing up only as she entered the room, she was surprised to see Corey’s bed made and the curtains open. He’d obviously headed out to Vale Volumes already, or maybe he’d just gone for a walk. Oh well, Kate thought. Perhaps she’d get him a take-out sausage sandwich and a coffee and drop them into the shop on her way back from breakfast with Aidan and Tom.
Heading into the café twenty minutes later, she immediately caught sight of her brother and his husband at a corner table, both of them reading a newspaper each and enjoying a coffee. Tom saw her first and waved her over.
‘Couldn’t resist the lure of a proper breakfast, then?’ Aidan teased as she sat down. ‘I mean, with all the work you’ve done on the house since we’ve been away, I’d have thought you’d have been starting your day with something a little more substantial than that rabbit food in the cupboard.’
‘Unlike you, brother dear, I can’t just eat and drink what I want any more,’ Kate said, ‘but since you’re offering a more decent breakfast, I figured I’d take you up on it.’
‘Harry didn’t offer to make one for you, then?’ Aidan waggled an eyebrow at her.
‘I didn’t want to leave you babysitting Corey in your own house all night,’ Kate said, before realising she’d effectively walked into the knowing smiles that both Tom and Aidan now gave her.
‘So how was your, er, night?’ Aidan asked. ‘You were pretty late home.’
‘Who are you, Dad?’ Kate shot back, and then felt the familiar dull pain of remembrance laced with love at the memory of their late father, who’d been such a quiet, reserved and gentle presence in their lives.
‘Oh, no judgement.’ Aidan grinned. ‘You’re entitled to a bit of fun. I just never saw you as the holiday romance type.’
Kate blushed, despite her best efforts not to. ‘It’s not like that.’
‘Really?’ Aidan broke off as Jack came over to the table with two plates of his famed Willowbury Warmer Full English breakfast. Kate swiftly requested another plateful, surprisingly hungry, and a takeaway sausage sandwich and coffee for Corey.
When Jack had walked away again, Aidan returned to the interrogation. ‘So if it’s not a holiday fling, what is it then?’
‘To be absolutely honest, Aidan, I’m not sure.’ Kate leaned back in her chair and fell quiet for a moment. ‘I like Harry a lot. But he’s here, and it looks like I’m going back to the annexe at Mum’s soon to try to get on with the rest of my life. It doesn’t add up, really, does it?’
‘Do you want it to, though?’ Aidan asked. ‘I mean, you were going to meet someone else after Phil at some point. And there’s something to be said for getting back on the horse after a fall. That doesn’t mean you have to buy the horse, stable it and put it out to stud for the rest of your life, does it?’
‘That’s a crap metaphor for a girl who loved ponies.’ Kate laughed. ‘And I doubt Harry would take kindly to the idea I was just using him for practise or, er, stud purposes!’
‘He’s a bloke, isn’t he?’ Aidan grinned more widely. ‘And you’re not exactly undateable, sis.’
‘Thanks,’ Kate said dryly.
‘I think what my darling husband is trying to say is that perhaps you don’t have to keep thinking about the big, complicated, future stuff,’ Tom interjected. ‘If you like spending time with Harry, then just enjoy it for what it is. Think about what happens later, well… later.’
Kate thanked Jack as he returned to the table with coffee and a plate of breakfast, and a sausage butty wrapped in layers of greaseproof paper. Tucking in hungrily, she relished the decadence of a breakfast not cooked by herself. ‘I know I should just take things as they come, but it’s so hard after being married for so much of my life. I mean, after Phil, I never imagined I’d sleep with anyone ever again, and here I am, flinging out my inhibitions while basically homeless, and in a fairly precarious position job wise until word gets out about my new business. It’s all freaking me out, to be honest.’
‘But you’ve enjoyed spending some time here, and meeting Harry is a bonus?’ Aidan asked. ‘I mean, we’ve been saying for ages that you should come and stay. I know it’s been a bit of a working holiday, but you have had a good time, haven’t you?’
‘Yes, definitely,’ Kate said between mouthfuls. ‘In fact, if I had the nerve, I’d…’
‘You’d what?’
‘Oh, it’s a stupid idea,’ Kate muttered. ‘And there’s no way you’d want me and the boys upping sticks to this part of the world, anyway.’
Aidan put his knife and fork down and regarded Kate intently. ‘And why would I not want that?’
‘Well, you and I… we’ve never been what you’d call close, have we? I mean, you and Sam were thick as thieves as kids, and as I said at the weekend, I was just the boring older sister who spoiled all your fun. You wouldn’t really want m
e hanging about, getting in the way, even now, would you?’
Aidan regarded her levelly. ‘I’d love it if you and the boys were closer. If being on tour in the military taught me anything, it’s how important family and friends really are. And whether you decide to stay in Cambridge or do move somewhere else, I’m here for you.’ He shifted his gaze to Tom, who was also smiling in Kate’s direction. ‘We both are. Although I might draw the line if you try to bring Mum to live with you!’
‘Fair enough,’ Kate said, touched beyond words at Aidan’s admission. ‘She’s dead set on seeing out her days in her house, anyway, and to be honest, through sheer force of will she’ll probably outlive us all!’ Realising, too late, that this might not have been the most tactful of things to say to a brother who very nearly lost his life in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, she flushed uncomfortably. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s not that I forget what happened to you, but seeing you happy and settled, it’s easy to put it in the background these days.’
‘As it should be,’ Aidan said gently. ‘You can’t live your life looking back, Kate, and you can’t be afraid to take risks sometimes. Can’t you just trust your own instincts for once?’
Kate shook her head and gave a hollow laugh. ‘It’s not that easy to trust again after the man you married walks out to be with another woman. Something like that makes you super wary about everything, believe me.’
‘So wary you throw your knickers at a bookshop owner’s bedroom wall?’ Aidan’s eyes were twinkling.
‘Well, okay, perhaps I have been a little bit more reckless than I usually am, but that’s probably because I don’t see being here as permanent – I mean, it was a six-week working holiday I’d planned, not an up-sticks-and-start-a-new-life kind of adventure. But the longer I’m here, the more I keep wondering what the hell I’ve got to go back to Cambridge for, apart from Mum, of course.’