Thirteen
Rachel hurried out to the car with Molly in her arms before she could embarrass herself by saying something inappropriate. She’d meant to be on time, but lunch had gone on longer than usual… and there had been that last glass of champagne… followed by more coffee as all of the group, apart from Liz, were driving. Had Luke known she was a bit tipsy? At least she hadn’t disgraced herself by asking the question which was foremost in her mind. Was he married? Was his wife with him in Pelican Crossing? Two questions, she realised. But what difference would it make? She wasn’t in the market for a man, and Luke Findlay wasn’t for her, never had been. But a girl could dream.
Back home, Rachel examined the little dog, noticing a shaved area behind one ear. It must be where the tick had been located. She settled her pet, who had lost her normal liveliness, onto the dog bed and placed a bowl of water close by. Then she made herself a cup of tea and chose a seat where she could keep an eye on Molly. She was pleased to have her home, though worried about how listless she was. But she had to trust Luke knew what he was doing, and she was well enough to be here. Three weeks, he’d said. How was she going to cope with Molly being out of action for three weeks? And tomorrow the Christmas tree would be delivered, and Gemma and Indie would be arriving to decorate it, filled with excitement. Maybe, she thought, she could make a spot for Molly in her study. The two terrors rarely went in there. It had actually been Kirk’s study, and Rachel had taken it over when he passed, and when she started her B&B business. Once her current guests left at the end of the week, she was free of visitors until mid-January, allowing family time over Christmas – and space for Alexander… and his surprise.
It was a month since she’d heard from him, and he hadn’t answered her repeated texts and calls. It would be typical of him to just turn up one day, although he did know about his mother’s guests, so would surely give her advance warning of his arrival. It was as if he’d read her mind. Rachel was just thinking about her son when her phone pinged with a text.
Flat out here. Arriving 23rd. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Much love.
It must be early morning in London. Perhaps she could catch him. This lack of information was irritating. Rachel pressed his number on her speed dial, only for it to go to voicemail as usual. Then she tried WhatsApp, but again there was no reply. Damn the boy! He knew how much she wanted to hear from him. This must be some surprise if he was refusing to communicate with his mother and sisters. Although she wished he was arriving earlier, she was pleased he was arriving on the twenty-third. He’d be here for their traditional Christmas Eve dinner… and Christmas Day. Rachel hoped he didn’t plan to leave again as abruptly as he had on his last visit.
*
Next morning, Rachel was awake long before her guests and, after checking on Molly, decided to take a short walk on the beach before making breakfast. She’d done most of the preparation the night before and only needed to cook the eggs, bacon and toast that her visitors preferred.
It felt strange on the beach without Molly running beside her, stopping every now and then to sniff at something the waves had brought in, or to leap into the waves after a stick she’d begged Rachel to throw for her. It took Rachel some time to realise that, this morning, she wasn’t alone on the beach. At the far end of the beach, a tall figure was running down towards the ocean, a large dog at his side. As she watched, both man and dog leapt into the water and began to swim swiftly out to sea.
Rachel stood for a moment watching their movements before it dawned on her. The only other house facing this stretch of beach was Bob Reed’s. The man and dog must be Luke and… what did he call his boxer? Nelson, that was it, a noble name.
Rachel wasn’t sure how she felt about seeing them there, on what she considered to be her beach. It was as if it had been invaded. Bob rarely came here, preferring the more populated surf beach off Main Street. Rachel glanced around, but there was no sign of Luke’s wife. Perhaps she wasn’t into an early morning swim. Rachel pictured an elegant woman preparing breakfast for her husband’s return. Thinking of preparing breakfast made her realise it was time for her to do the same. She hurried back home.
To Rachel’s annoyance, this morning everything seemed to go wrong. First, Molly didn’t want to move from her usual spot in the kitchen to the study, only persuaded by a special beef treat. Then, one of the teenagers decided she didn’t want the breakfast Rachel had provided, and would prefer poached, rather than scrambled eggs and hash browns instead of bacon. Fortunately, Rachel had a packet of frozen hash browns in the freezer and it was easy to poach a couple of eggs, but it delayed her morning routine. Thank goodness she only had two more mornings of this group, she thought, as she forced a smile to her face and served the alternative meal to the sullen teenager.
The Christmas tree was due to be delivered between nine and ten, and Rachel had barely finished her own breakfast of the leftover scrambled eggs and bacon when she heard the truck drive up at quarter to nine. Molly heard it too, and managed a small bark, no doubt eager to know what was happening. Rachel popped her head into the study on her way to the door. ‘It’s okay, Molly. Only the Christmas tree, nothing to worry about,’ she said, chuckling at herself for giving this explanation to a dog. But Molly was more than a dog. She was Rachel’s companion, a member of the family.
It didn’t take long for the two men from the Christmas tree farm, from which she had been buying her trees for more years than she could remember, to unload and set the tree up by the window in Rachel’s living room. It was an excellent service, not only did they deliver and place the tree where she wanted it, but they collected it again after Christmas. When they had gone, she made herself the tea she hadn’t had time for earlier and took it into the study to be company for Molly. The little dog showed her delight to see her by nuzzling close when Rachel settled at the desk. She fired up the computer to check for any bookings which had come in since she last looked, pleased to see her January and February dates were now filling up.
‘Sorry, Molly, I need to leave you for a little while,’ she said, but when she looked down, she saw the little dog was asleep.
Rachel spent the rest of the morning pulling out the boxes of Christmas decorations and placing them by the tree. Then she checked that all the lights were working. By the time she’d finished, it was time for lunch which she ate out in the courtyard, taking a newly awake Molly out with her, but ensuring she didn’t stray far from where she was sitting. Luckily, the little dog showed no desire to make her customary rounds of the garden, content to lie at Rachel’s feet. Then, after a small snack, she happily went back to her bed in the study, much to Rachel’s relief.
It was such a pleasure to see Gemma and Indie’s excitement when they walked in to see the tall tree sitting by the window. Rachel was sure their whoops of delight could be heard as far away as the vet clinic on the other side of the bluff, though she stifled that thought as soon as it surfaced.
‘Where’s Molly?’ the twins asked in unison. ‘Is she still in the vet hospital?’ Indie asked.
‘No, she’s back home. But remember how I told you she needed to be kept quiet?’ Both girls nodded solemnly. ‘She’s in the study.’
‘Can we see her?’ Gemma asked, jumping up and down in excitement.
‘Maybe, but only for a few moments, and you need to be very calm and still.’
‘You need to do what Grandma tells you,’ Jess said. ‘Be good for her, or you won’t be allowed to decorate the tree.’
The girls became very subdued. ‘We promise,’ Gemma said for both of them.
‘I’ll be off now, Mum,’ Jess said, giving Rachel a hug. ‘See you later. We’re going now, girls,’ she said, as both Gemma and Indie ran over to hug her. ‘I’ll take this one out of your way.’ She picked up Emily, who had been sitting quietly on the floor, and left.
When she’d gone, Rachel took the twins in to see Molly. They tiptoed in very quietly and hugged the little dog, before tiptoeing back out again. ‘She will be all right?’ Gemma asked anxiously, when Rachel closed the study door behind them.
‘Of course. She just needs peace and quiet while she’s getting better.’
The girls seemed to accept this and were soon happily engaged in decorating the lower branches of the tree. Rachel would do the upper branches later, once they had gone home. But before they left, she added the lights and turned them on to a chorus of oohs and aahs from the twins.
By the time Jess picked up the twins, Rachel was exhausted. She checked in on Molly and made sure she had enough to eat and drink then despite her tiredness, she went back to finish the tree decorations. She never liked to leave a job half done, and it would be lovely for her guests to see the finished tree when they returned that evening. Once she had finished, she collapsed into one of her comfortable armchairs with a glass of wine.
When her phone rang as she was preparing to go to bed, Rachel thought it would be Steph, and was surprised to see Liz’s number. It was unlike her friend to call her this late, and they’d only seen each other the previous day.
‘Liz, is everything okay?’ she asked, immediately fearing the worst, though she had no idea what that might be.
‘Very okay. How are you?’
‘I’m fine.’ Rachel was puzzled by the note of excitement in Liz’s voice. ‘Molly came home yesterday, and Gemma and Indie helped me decorate the tree today. I’m just about to go to bed.’
‘Glad I caught you. I wanted you to know what I discovered today.’
Rachel waited. Liz was renowned for her ability to discover gossip. What was it this time that couldn’t wait till their next lunch… or even till next day?
‘It’s about the new vet. He grew up here, then went to Sydney… and he’s widowed.’ Liz announced the last fact with what amounted to glee.
‘So?’ Rachel didn’t reveal that she’d known the first two, and that he’d been Becky’s first boyfriend and her first crush.
‘So? So, he’s available!’
‘Liz!’ Despite the tiny flutter in her stomach at the news there was no elegant wife with Luke, Rachel couldn’t help feeling annoyed with her friend. ‘You called at this time of night to tell me that? I don’t know how often I need to tell you I’m quite happy with my life the way it is. I know you, Poppy and Gill claim to have found your happy ever after a second time around, but…’
Liz didn’t wait for her to finish. ‘I know you always say that, but I also remember something you once said to me… when I said I was happy with my grandchildren.’
Rachel flinched. She knew what was coming.
‘You said grandchildren were no substitute for the companionship of a good man, and they wouldn’t keep me warm in bed at night.’ Liz chuckled.
‘I may have said that, but I didn’t mean it to refer to myself.’ But Rachel knew it was a weak response. Liz was right. She’d been right. She did often miss having someone to cuddle up to at night , she thought, trying to dismiss the image of Luke Findlay which appeared behind her eyes.