by Jo Bartlett
‘You’ve got to get through the parade first, my pretty!’
‘I still don’t understand why I couldn’t be Prince Charming and I had no idea how much tights can chafe.’ Bobby grinned despite his words and Ella caught Toni watching him. However hard she tried to deny that they were more than friends, Toni’s feelings for Bobby were written all over her face.
‘Now you know one of the many agonies of being a woman!’ Ella had to hand it to her colleagues. As well as her closest friends, four more of the team from the midwifery unit made up the remainder of the Seven Dwarfs. Dan was playing the handsome prince to Bobby’s Snow White, and Brae made the perfect burly woodcutter. The parade was always guaranteed to get covered by the local and regional news, but if they had a sufficiently impressive array of costumes, with word spreading it was all in aid of saving the lifeboat station, they might get picked up as the feel-good story tagged on to the end of the national news, or make one of the tabloids. That would boost the chances of getting enough signatures to really make an impact. If the JustGiving page Dan had set up managed to get enough donations through to contribute significantly to the rebuild, that might just sway things too. Either way, they’d feel like they’d given it their best shot.
‘This singing we’ve got to do,’ Gwen, who was playing Sneezy, pulled a face, ‘will it matter if I mime? Only according to my husband, there are feral cats who’d object to the noise I make when I sing.’
‘We’ve got a backing track for all three songs. But I’ve seen you hit the dance floor, Gwen, so you can give the moves your all instead.’ Ella had arranged for their group to be followed by a couple of members of the lifeboat crew, who’d be pulling a small float with a hastily rigged up sound system. One of the crew was a mobile DJ, who was also involved in the Silver of the Sea festival parade that happened every August, and so he’d assured Ella he knew what he was doing. As a result, they’d be accompanied by ‘Whistle While You Work’, ‘Heigh Ho’ and ‘One Day My Prince Will Come’. Ella could hardly wait to see Bobby giving that one his all. If that didn’t make some good video footage, then she didn’t know what would.
‘Shall we get this over with, then?’ Bobby adjusted the long black wig he was wearing, looking like he meant business.
‘Let’s do it.’ Signalling for the others to follow her, Ella hoped everyone else had gone to as much effort as the midwives for this year’s parade. If Port Agnes wanted to keep its lifeboat station, it needed to rise to the occasion.
‘Not many women could pull off a long white beard, but somehow you managed it.’ Brae wrapped an arm around Anna’s shoulders, as they walked towards the community centre after the fireworks that had marked the end of the parade. Jones was at Claudine’s; the woman who ran the doggy day care centre in town was more than happy to look after the little boxer whenever they needed her to. Ella had organised an auction, and she was hoping that a lot of the crowd from the lantern parade would head to that too. They couldn’t miss it after all of Ella’s hard work, but they hadn’t wanted to leave Jones on his own for that long either. Her dedication to saving the lifeboat centre was incredibly impressive, but it came as no surprise to Anna. Ella’s parents were part of the fabric of Port Agnes and, whether she realised it or not, her best friend was a chip off the old block.
‘I’ve got to admit I was glad to get the beard off at the end of the parade. It felt like it was made of fibreglass by then and it was every bit as itchy! I just hope you remember your passion for white beards if I turn into one of those old ladies who can cultivate whiskers of their own.’ Anna moved towards him, somehow knowing that they’d get that far. She hadn’t had one second of doubt about it since Brae had asked her to marry him. Being with him just felt like coming home; there was no other way to describe it.
‘I’m looking forward to growing old with you, whatever that brings.’ Brae dropped a kiss on the top of her head. ‘Anyway, I’m happy to pluck out any stray chin hairs you get, if you promise to return the favour with my ears when I turn into one of those old men.’
‘And they say Hollywood movies don’t represent real love! But you’ve got yourself a deal.’ Anna smiled. It might not be the stuff of romcoms, but this was real love. Being there for each other and seeing beyond the superficial. Unwanted facial hair could do its worst in the years to come; she couldn’t wait to be Brae’s wife.
‘Anything in particular you’ve got your eye on at the auction? I’m struggling to find the perfect wedding present for you, so if there is something it would do me a massive favour.’
‘I don’t need any big gestures for the wedding, especially not after you buying Amber. It’ll be enough for us to officially be a family. That bit of paper might not mean a lot to some people, but it does to me.’ Anna looked up at him as she spoke.
‘I’m so sorry I never got to meet your parents.’ Brae’s eyes locked with hers. ‘I’d have thanked them for raising such an amazing daughter and I’d have promised I was going to do everything in my power to be the best husband I can.’
‘They’d have loved you.’ It wasn’t just an empty platitude, she was sure it was true. Everyone loved Brae, but the only thing her parents had ever wanted for Anna was for her to be happy, and Brae ticked every box on that front. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him, only pulling away when a group of teenagers walked past making kissing noises, and one of them shouted ‘get a room’.
‘I suppose we ought to go in and check out the auction to see who buys your lot.’ Anna reluctantly stepped back. Brae had donated an auction item of a fish and chip supper for two, once a week, for a whole year.
‘I just hope there’s someone out there who’s as relaxed as me about turning their six-pack into a dad bod, just for the love of fish and chips.’
‘Ella seemed pretty confident it would go down a storm; she’s made it one of the top lots.’ Anna slipped her hand into his. Their relationship probably seemed like a whirlwind to anyone else, and they’d been together less than two years. The social worker she’d spoken to at the adoption agency had sent out some more information in the post and she discovered they’d have to have lived together for a least two years before they could even be considered to start the adoption process. It had been a relief in a way, taking the pressure off needing to make a decision until things had calmed down again after the wedding.
There was a big crowd inside the community centre, which meant squeezing in along the back wall to get a spot where they could see the stage. Ella was up there already, microphone in hand. She might have hated the attention she got when the video of the wedding that never happened went viral, but she was getting really good at taking centre stage for events like these. The thought of having to do that made Anna’s stomach churn. She’d been asked several times if she was planning to make a speech at the wedding, especially as her dad was no longer around to make the traditional father of the bride speech. But she wanted to enjoy the day, which wouldn’t happen if she knew she had to make a speech.
‘Okay, our first lot is an occasion cake of your choice made by Mehenicks’ Bakery at any time over the next twelve months.’ Ella looked out to the crowd as she extolled the virtues of her parents’ cake-making, although anyone who’d ever tried one of their cakes would need no convincing. ‘It could be for any event: a birthday, wedding, christening, or even just a good old-fashioned get-together. I’ve grown up having a Mehenicks’ cake for my birthday every year and I can testify just how good they are.’
‘Would it be wrong to bid on that, if we haven’t got an event coming up when we could use it?’ Brae patted his stomach. ‘It was lovely of Ruth and Jago to offer to make a cake for the wedding, but the trouble is any day is a good enough excuse for me to want a Mehenicks’ cake. The auction offer won’t quite take us round to our first anniversary, but I think we should have one of Jago and Ruth’s cakes every year to mark it anyway.’
‘Me too, but let’s bid on the cake in the auction too. I’m sure we can think
of something to celebrate between now and next summer. At least I hope so!’ Anna knew exactly what she wanted to celebrate, but she was determined not to say the words out loud. There’d be no more talk of adoption until they got back from their honeymoon and in the meantime she’d carry on taking the Clomid. Brae had got himself into a blind panic reading some research about the slight possibility of an increased risk of cancer with long-term use of the drug, so they’d agreed on six months as a maximum and even that had taken a lot of persuasion on her part. There was no way he’d agree to any longer, even if her doctors did.
‘Right, I’ll start off the bidding on the cake at thirty pounds.’ As Ella called out, Brae raised his hand. Luckily, at almost six feet four, there was no danger of him being missed, even right at the back of the room.
‘Brilliant, any advance on thirty pounds?’ Ella had barely got the words out of her mouth, before someone near the front shouted a response.
‘Fifty!’
‘Great, Brae, can you counter that?’
‘Let’s go to one hundred pounds,’ Brae called out and the offer was immediately countered.
‘Two hundred!’ Whoever it was at the front of the room really wanted that cake and, if the bids were going up by a hundred pounds a time, it might well turn out to be fifty pounds per slice. Brae turned to Anna and she shook her head. There was plenty of time for them to bid on other things and show their support, but there was no point paying a crazy amount for the cake. Just because they didn’t get it, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t have good news to celebrate. Now wasn’t the time to start buying into her mum’s superstitions.
The rest of the lots received a similarly enthusiastic response, with Brae’s year’s supply of fish and chips reaching a very respectable £800. It was a pre-submitted internet bid on a commission of one of Dan’s paintings that made the top money of the night, though, at a staggering £4,000. When Ella finally read out the total for the money raised by the auction, it was impossible for Anna to feel anything but delighted, even if she and Brae hadn’t managed to secure any of the winning bids.
‘Tonight we’ve made £7,980!’ Ella couldn’t keep the grin off her face either as she made the announcement from the centre of the stage. ‘We’ve also added over a thousand signatures to our online petition to keep the lifeboat station in Port Agnes open, but we’ll be posting pictures of all tonight’s events on our social media pages. Please share them if you can, to help push the petition over the magic 10,000 signatures before Parliament goes into recess for the summer. Thanks again so much for coming tonight and especially to those people who were so generous in their bids, and those who donated items for the auction. I was lucky enough to be born in Port Agnes and tonight is just one more reminder of why it’s the best place in the world to live, with the best people. Thank you again and goodnight all!’
‘She’s done brilliantly, hasn’t she?’ Brae raised his voice to be heard as people around them began to file out of the community centre and back onto the street. ‘Do you want to wait and speak to her?’
‘I think she’s being mobbed by fans!’ Anna looked towards the stage as she spoke, reaching down when she felt her mobile vibrate in her pocket and looking at the screen. ‘Oh God.’
‘What is it?’ Brae’s voice was instantly filled with concern.
‘I don’t know if I’m worrying for nothing, but it’s a text from Luke Scott asking if I can go over to their place when I’ve got a minute and see Tamara and the baby, but he told me not to worry if it’s too late tonight. They were only discharged from hospital today, and Toni was going to pop over in the morning as it’s my day off.’
‘Isn’t that the lady whose baby had the cleft lip?’ Brae was always there when she needed to offload after work, and it was obvious now that he actually listened to what she said. Being at Belle’s delivery had been difficult, because of how much it had impacted on Tamara. While they’d managed to persuade her to take the baby to the hospital in the end, Anna knew it wasn’t that simple. The anxiety and depression that Tamara had suffered from over the years, which had contributed to her eating disorders in the past, couldn’t just be flicked off like a switch. A thoughtless comment or a sideways glance from a stranger, could be enough to trigger a reaction from Tamara that would be beyond her control, or any rational conversation. Mental health was far more complex than that.
‘Yes, that’s her, but they seemed to be doing really well last time I saw them. I just hope they’re okay.’ Anna was about to ask Brae if he’d mind her popping over to the Scotts’ place before they went home, despite it being so late and Luke telling her not to worry, but she didn’t get the chance.
‘Let me drive you over there on the way back. I’m not going to get Jones until the morning, so we’ve got no rush to get home, as long as they’re okay with it.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course, just text Luke to make sure it’s not too late for them and I’ll wait out in the car for you.’
‘I know I keep saying it, but I love you so much.’
‘Finally the woodcutter gets the girl, instead of the handsome prince!’
‘You mean he gets one of the less memorable members of the seven dwarfs?’
‘There’s nothing forgettable about you.’ Brae put his arm around her again, as they headed out of the community centre. Anyone who said happy endings were just for fairy tales had it wrong.
‘Are you sure they don’t mind me coming in?’ Brae looked at Anna across the top of the car.
‘No, Luke told me to bring you in. Unless you’d rather wait in the car?’ Anna didn’t have any worries about Brae saying the wrong thing. He was far too thoughtful.
‘I don’t often get the chance to see you doing your job, so I can’t wait. I just wanted to make sure Tamara won’t feel uncomfortable with me being there. Maybe we should have a code word if you think things are getting difficult for her, and I can excuse myself.’
‘Most people have code words for entirely different reasons, you know.’
‘I’m saving those for our honeymoon!’ Brae laughed and followed her towards the Scotts’ front door. It was almost impossible to believe that they’d be touching down in Florida in a couple of weeks’ time. They’d been looking forward to it so much and Anna still couldn’t wait to be alone with Brae, but she had to admit she felt more than a pang about leaving Jones behind. Luckily Ruth had offered to have him stay with her and Jago, so that their dog, Daisy, could keep him company. It had made Anna feel a lot less guilty when Ruth had said she’d take them to the beach every day and that it would be great fun for Daisy to have another dog to play with too. It would be like Jones was having a little holiday all of his own and, next time they went away, he’d definitely be coming with them.
‘Thanks for coming.’ Luke had a smile on his face when he answered the door, which had to be a good sign.
‘It’s no problem. We had to come past on the way home anyway.’ Anna turned slightly. ‘This is my fiancé, Brae.’
‘Nice to meet you. Although I’m already a big fan of your fish and chip shop, so you might well have seen me in there.’ Luke shook his hand.
‘I’m sure I have, but it’s good to meet you properly too and congratulations on Belle’s arrival.’ Brae followed Anna’s lead and slipped off his shoes. Luke had requested it when Tamara was in labour, but he didn’t have to ask this time.
‘Thanks, it’s been a bit of rollercoaster, but it’s amazing. Come through to the front room. Tam’s in there with the baby.’
‘How’s she doing?’ Anna couldn’t read the expression on Luke’s face and his words didn’t give much of clue either.
‘Have a look for yourself. That’s why I wanted you to come over.’
Anna almost pushed past Luke in her haste to see Tamara and Belle. She just wanted everything to be okay for the young family. Belle’s condition was such a tiny thing compared to what some children went through and, more than that, it was eminently fixable. Tha
t didn’t stop it being huge for Tamara, though, and scary if Belle was struggling to feed.
‘Tam, Anna’s here, with her fiancé, Brae.’ Luke held open the door to the room, letting them go in ahead of him.
‘Thanks so much for coming over.’ Tamara looked up and smiled. ‘I felt so bad for not thanking you properly when Belle was born, I wasn’t thinking straight.’
‘You don’t need to thank me.’ Anna couldn’t stop smiling either, as she watched Tamara cradling the baby in her arms.
‘Yes, I do. If you hadn’t been so patient with me, I’d have closed down and refused to go to the hospital with Belle. Then I wouldn’t have been around to listen to any of the information they gave me.’ A flush of colour spread across Tamara’s cheeks. ‘I’ve been managing to feed her myself and she lost a bit of weight at first, but she’s half a pound above her birth weight already.’
‘That’s brilliant and nearly all babies lose weight after they’re born, so you’re doing fantastically.’
‘What’s even better is that all the other tests came back clear and the specialist said the cleft lip should be a relatively easy fix.’ Luke looked down at the baby as he spoke. ‘There was another family in there whose baby was born with a cleft lip and palate. He had something called Pierre syndrome, I think it was. The poor little thing had to have a feeding tube in his nose.’
‘Pierre Robin Syndrome.’ Anna nodded. It was linked to babies born with both a cleft lip and palate, and it could cause trouble with their airways. So Luke’s gratitude about the relative simplicity of Belle’s cleft lip was completely understandable. ‘And how are you both doing?’
‘I’ve restarted my anxiety medication because they’ve said it won’t affect the baby while I’m feeding her myself, and I’ve asked the hospital to refer me to the postnatal mental health team.’ Tamara bit her lip. ‘I’m okay at the moment, but I don’t want to take any chances, so I’d rather put the help in place before I let things get on top of me this time. Belle needs me and I want to be the best mother I can for her.’