by Rose, Alison
Alex shrugged. ‘We’ve both been busy I suppose. You’ve shared your music with the world. We’ve both been married and had children. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I swear time speeds up. It seems like there are never enough hours to do everything you’re supposed to do.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Speaking of which, I need to be back at the church for a wedding rehearsal soon,’ she sighed regretfully. She usually enjoyed this aspect of her work, but today she wanted to spend some precious time with her unexpected guest.
‘A wedding?’ he asked. ‘Yours?’
‘Goodness, no! Didn’t Katie tell you what I do? I’ll be officiating tomorrow. I’m the village priest.’ She still found it a surprise sometimes that God had called her to such a responsibility.
Johnson shook his head. ‘No. She said something about a family business,’
‘That’s her little joke, I’m afraid. David was the curate – a priest-in-training – in my grandparents’ church when I met him. After he took on the parish here I began to explore my vocation. In his last years he was priest-in-charge and I was the curate. Now it’s just me.’
Alex watched the shock wash over him, registering first as a blank look, followed by a slight shake of his head as his mind rejected the idea, then the inevitable withdrawal as reality set in. He sat straighter in his chair, effectively pulling away from her. She was suddenly out of bounds. She had seen it all before. Not in the same context of course. She didn’t make a habit of kissing men. As both a priest and a widow, she had a reputation to maintain. But she knew from experience that a man could be perfectly friendly with her one minute, and then backing off and shutting her behind a fence as soon as they knew her occupation. She assumed that they either thought she would be trying to convert them, or that she shouldn’t be mixing with members of the opposite sex.
‘It’s all right,’ she sighed. ‘It’s not catching. You don’t have to worry.’
‘About what? I thought you just said you were a priest. Are you sick?’
She smiled as he leaned forward again unconsciously searching her face for signs of illness.
‘Some people think so, but no. I’m perfectly healthy. Just a little tired of getting the same reaction every time I tell someone my job. I’m still a woman, you know.’
‘I thought you were supposed to wear some sort of uniform.’
She reached into her pocket, extracted a thin white plastic strip and inserted it into both ends of her mandarin collar.
‘There you go. One authentic dog collar. Do I look the part now?
‘I guess. I thought you had to wear black.’
She looked down at her lemon blouse.
‘Not any more. The only colour I can’t wear is purple. That’s reserved for bishops. Oh, and red might upset the Roman Catholics.’
‘Don’t priests have to take a vow of chastity?’
‘Not in the Church of England.’
‘So you and me could have a wild time and it wouldn’t get you into trouble?’
‘Oh, it could get me into trouble all right. And I doubt if the Bishop would be very impressed either,’ she laughed. With another sigh, she raised a hand to his cheek, smiling into his eyes. Johnson nuzzled her palm, turning his head slightly to kiss it. Alex felt the heat of his warm breath flow through her body, making her shiver with need. It had been so long since she had experienced a tender moment like this. Unsure what to do, she moved her hand away.
‘I’m a normal woman with a very special job. If you were considering such a proposition, you need to think it through carefully.’
‘Can we at least be friends? You were my best friend once.’
‘Of course …’
‘This is where the “but” comes in, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘OK, so sock it to me. What’s the “but”?’
‘There are several actually. We haven’t seen each other for …’
‘Nearly forty years.’
‘Right. Oh Lord, that sounds so long, doesn’t it? Forty years. OK. So how on earth have we managed to slip into …’
‘The same old ways?’ he asked, a thoughtful look on his beautiful face.
‘Yes, that’s it. That’s it exactly. We’ve slipped into the same old way we used to be. I can’t believe it’s been so easy. Especially after …’ She faltered, remembered pain surging up momentarily before she pushed it away.
‘After the way we split?’
‘Yes. I thought I’d never be able to face you again without dying of the hurt. But it hasn’t been like that. It’s wonderful to see you.’
‘Maybe we needed to wait this long before it could be like this.’
‘Perhaps,’ she agreed. ‘Do you know I’d hardly thought about you for ages, then this week a friend mentioned your tour, and Kate met you, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since.’
‘Same here. One look at Kate, and I was a kid again.’
‘I even watched a DVD of Grease the other night. It brought back so many memories.’
Johnson laughed. ‘I haven’t seen that movie in a long time. When I did, I spent the entire show remembering our time together – the movies, the dances, the football games, the fun we had. Do you remember learning those stupid dance steps, Sandy?’
‘You’ll have to tell Katie about that – she doesn’t believe I’m capable of dancing. David had two left feet, so I haven’t done much over the years.’
Johnson was silent for a moment. ‘I never said earlier. I’m sorry for your loss. Kate said you were very happy with her dad.’
She nodded, a sad smile lighting her face. ‘We were. He was a lovely man. I miss him.’
Johnson swallowed, feeling like a heel to resent a dead man. But his young heart had dreamed of a life with Sandy, only to lose her. The unknown David had had the life he had wanted with the girl he had wanted. But he was glad that she had been happy. Alex glanced up at the kitchen clock. Time was moving too fast. ‘I really do have to go soon, but I shouldn’t be more than an hour. Can you wait here?’
Johnson followed her gaze to the clock on the wall and bit back a curse. He shook his head. ‘Sorry, honey. I’ve got a car coming – we’re heading North tonight.’
Disappointment threatened to bring tears to her eyes, but she swallowed hard and blinked them away. She had known when he arrived it would be but a fleeting visit. She just wasn’t ready to let him go again yet.
‘Oh. What a shame. It’s been so lovely to see you, Johnson. I expect you’re terribly busy.’
‘You still go all English when you’re upset.’
She was about to deny that she was upset, but then she looked into his eyes and saw her own disappointment mirrored there. ‘Yes, I suppose I do,’ she whispered.
‘I don’t know when I’ll be free again. This tour is a bitch.’
‘You make a lot of people happy with your music, Johnson. I expect they all want to see you in the flesh.’
‘I guess so. I get a kick out of performing too, although it gets harder to be away from home the older I get.’ He took her hands. ‘I want to see you again, Sandy. I feel like we’ve hardly had a chance to get reacquainted. I feel like I’ve found something special again, and I want … need to be with you, to find out if it’s real.’
‘Is this a good idea? I mean, you’ll be going away soon. My life is here.’ She searched his face, her voice a little desperate as she asked ‘Are we going to hurt each other again, Johnson? ‘
He closed his eyes and leaned down, resting his forehead on hers. ‘I don’t know.’ he responded softly. ‘I just know that I want to take a chance. To find out if there’s anything left after all these years. Don’t you think we owe it to ourselves, Sandy?’
She was silent for a moment, breathing in his scent. Remembering how much she had loved him once. She realised that she too needed to find out if this was meant to be. She nodded, praying that this time, whatever happened, they could at least survive without the pain that had accomp
anied the end of their youthful romance. In answer, Johnson bent his head and kissed her with a yearning which matched her own. When at last they reluctantly moved apart, Alex knew that she had to see this through.
‘Yes, Johnson,’ she agreed. ‘We owe it to ourselves.’
Chapter Eight
The next morning Kate was woken early by the phone. After an almost sleepless night she had finally dozed off just as day was breaking. She groaned as she reached blindly for the telephone. ‘It’s Saturday morning. This had better be good or I’m hanging up,’ she snapped. She recognised her mother’s laughter.
‘Sorry darling, I forgot you like a lie-in at the weekend.’
‘Mum! What time is it?’
‘Just gone nine. Do you want me to ring back later?’
‘Er … no. No, of course not. I just … give me a minute. I … er … had a bit of a late night.’
‘A good one, I hope. But perhaps not, judging by your telephone manner this morning.’
‘Oh, you know. A bit good, a bit bad …’
‘A bit wiggle-waggle,’ her mother finished, chuckling at the old family joke. ‘Do tell! Or is it something you shouldn’t share with your mother?’
‘Just dinner with a friend,’ she said, unwilling to say exactly who she’d spent the evening with.
‘That’s nice, dear.’
She wondered whether she should warn her mother that she’d told Johnson Brand where he could find her, but Alexandra’s next words made the information redundant.
‘I’m sorry I woke you up, Kate, but I’ve been up for hours and have been dying to tell you. Johnson Brand came to see me yesterday! Can you believe it? He just turned up in the village and knocked on my door! Well of course you can believe it – he told me he asked you for my address. Why on earth didn’t you warn me, darling?’
‘He came yesterday?’
‘About seven o’clock. I’d just got back from Maggie’s. She finally persuaded me to have my hair cut, by the way. I forgot to tell you when you called last week. We’d been into Bath for the day and I’d bought some new clothes, and had my make-up done and everything. If he’d turned up a day earlier, he’d have found a frump in an old tracksuit. I was so relieved, Kate! I’d have hated him to see how old and tired I’ve been looking lately.’
The news that Johnson had taken advantage of the same break in their busy schedule to visit her mother in Wiltshire unnerved Kate. He must have headed out the minute he put the phone down.
‘Mum, you’re beautiful, whatever you’re wearing.’
Her mother laughed. ‘Thank you, darling. I know you mean it, and I shouldn’t be vain. But the last time I saw Johnson I was young, firm, and gorgeous. Now I’m soft and well on the way to being middle-aged, and to have him turn up when I’m feeling fabulous from a make-over did my self-esteem the world of good.’
‘So,’ she had to ask. ‘How did it go?’
Her mother was silent for a few moments.
‘Mum?’
‘It was lovely. He’s hardly changed a bit. A bit broader in the shoulders perhaps, and he’s got a bit of silver in his hair now, of course.’ She giggled. ‘He got a bit of a shock when he saw my hair.’
‘Mmm. I can imagine if the last time you saw him you had hair like mine.’ Mind you, Kate was aware of the odd stray white hair amongst her own locks already. ‘But it’s a lovely shade – almost silver.’
‘Yes, I suppose it looks OK. The hairdresser raved over it. She cut it much shorter than I expected. It’s looking quite spiky this morning. I just hope I can recreate the style myself.’
‘Short? Wow, Mum, you really have had the works, haven’t you? Can you take a picture on your mobile phone and send it to me? I can’t wait to see it.’
‘I’ll see what I can do. But forget my hair – why on earth did you tease him about the family business? He got such a shock, the poor love.’
Kate burst out laughing. ‘Freaked out, did he?’
‘You are a wicked girl. He didn’t expect it, that’s for sure.’
‘So, what next?’ Kate asked after they’d finished giggling.
‘Oh, I don’t know. I expect he’ll be far too busy with this tour to bother with me. I’m just a blast from the past, a curiosity. It was lovely to see him though. Something else to tell the grandchildren, if ever I get any.’
‘Well, don’t hold your breath,’ Kate laughed. ‘I’m in no rush to settle down.’
When the call ended twenty minutes later, Kate lay in bed, phone in hand, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. She hadn’t expected Johnson to act so quickly. He must have walked out of his hotel straight into a car and headed for Wiltshire as soon as they had finished talking yesterday. And judging by her mother’s mood this morning, he had been more than welcome. It had been a long time since Alexandra had displayed such animation. It had been as though someone had turned off a switch inside her when Kate’s father had died. She had carried on, ministering to her flock and being there for everyone. But she hadn’t been there, not really.
Kate didn’t know whether to laugh or cry that the first person to make her mother giggle in over two years was the man who’d broken her teenaged heart. The man who was now a multi-millionaire rock star, as far removed from the life of a village priest in rural Wiltshire as you’re likely to find.
‘Perhaps it’s the make-over,’ she mused. ‘Maybe she was already on the way up, and Johnson’s visit when she was feeling good about herself was the icing on the cake.’ She hoped so. Her mother was vulnerable, and Kate would never forgive herself if Johnson hurt her.
After last night she could understand how she had fallen for the younger Johnson all those years ago. She had always prided herself on being level-headed when all of her friends had been getting hot and bothered over their men-folk. But Paul Brand had got her very hot and bothered. That definitely wasn’t on her agenda! The last thing she needed was some smooth-talking, sexy American turning her head. She’d worked hard for her position at the paper, and if she wanted to get on she needed to keep her focus. There was plenty of time to worry about falling in love when she’d secured her own column on the paper. And anyway, Paul Brand was a bad bet. He wasn’t the keeping kind.
She rolled out of bed, heading for the shower, but halted as she reached for the controls. What was she thinking? How could she think of love and Paul Brand together? She hardly knew the man, and wasn’t even sure if she liked him!
With an angry twist she turned on the water. As she stripped off her pyjamas she tried to focus on the things she needed to do this weekend. The man had left her at her door last night and headed off for Birmingham or somewhere. He wouldn’t be back. End of story. She stepped into the steam-filled cubicle and gasped as hot water hit her skin.
But it wasn’t the end of the story, was it? She still had his father’s offer to consider. The opportunity of a lifetime. If she took it, it would move her closer to her dream. But if she took it, she’d be working in close proximity with Paul Brand for the next three months. There was also the situation with her mother to consider. She’d said she didn’t expect to see Johnson again, but Kate had a feeling that one short visit wouldn’t be enough for him. Her mother was a beautiful woman, inside and out. He’d been far too keen to get reacquainted as soon as he knew where she was. If Kate went on tour with him, there was even more chance that he’d rebuild his links with her mother. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Just as she saw no future between herself and the son, she couldn’t imagine anything lasting could come out of prolonging the reunion between their parents. Her mother was sure to get hurt, and Kate couldn’t bear that.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that she should refuse the assignment. She might have been able to handle it if it were just a case of keeping out of Paul Brand’s way, but the added complication of her mother and Johnson Brand’s renewed friendship (no way could she contemplate the concept of a romance between them!) was just too much. Much as her jo
urnalistic mind mourned the lost opportunity, her heart wanted to get herself and her mother as far away from the Brand men as possible.
And it wasn’t just their attentions she was worried about. They were news, however closely they guarded their privacy. She wanted to write about the news, not be it. The thought of paparazzi watching their every move made her ashamed to be a journalist.
Kate spent the rest of the day doing her usual weekend jobs of cleaning and laundry, changing her mind about the tour, and then back again with alarming regularity. By the time her flat was gleaming and her clothes washed and ironed she was going stir crazy.
‘I might as well go and see the new haircut!’ She exclaimed, grabbing an overnight bag and stuffing in her wash bag and a change of clothes. She was out of the door within a few minutes.
Chapter Nine
It did her good to get out of London. Her mother was pleased to see her, and by the time she returned to the flat on Sunday evening Kate was feeling a lot calmer. Alexandra did indeed look fantastic after her makeover, but she was still her mum. Kate felt reassured that Johnson Brand wouldn’t be able to sweep in and break her heart again.
Her mother’s quiet strength helped her to see that maybe she’d over-reacted to the impact of meeting the Brand men for the first time. Nevertheless, she still wasn’t sure about the wisdom of the assignment.
The matter was taken out of her hands when she arrived at work on Monday morning. She was greeted with a huge bouquet of red roses and baby’s breath, and the catcalls of her colleagues.
‘Kate Armstrong, you dark horse!’
‘Way to go, Katie’
‘Never thought you had it in you!’
With a groan, she dumped her bag on her chair and stood, hands on hips, contemplating the florist’s confection on her desk. Her first joyful reaction had been that Paul had sent them. But she pulled her thoughts up swiftly, remembering that it had been his father who had called on Friday when she’d given up on hearing from the son.