Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Vanessa tucked her legs beneath herself as she settled deeper into the corner of the couch, a steaming cup of peppermint tea resting on her thigh.
The afternoon sun shone through the blinds, warming her, but Vanessa still felt cold inside; she had done for days now.
Emma was still at school covering an after-school netball session, but Vanessa was happy about that.
It was something to take her wife’s mind off everything going on outside of work.
Well, outside of her work commitments, anyway.
Even at school, she couldn’t quite escape it all.
Her phone buzzed on the armrest beside her. It was Lauren. Vanessa smiled and answered, setting it to speakerphone and lowering it to the armrest. “Hi, love.”
“You busy, Mum?”
“Not at all.” Vanessa lowered the volume on the TV and sighed. “Just sitting here waiting for Emma to get home…or text me to say she’s got a meeting date.”
Lauren sighed. “Still nothing?”
“Not a word.” Vanessa traced a finger around the rim of her cup. “No confirmation of a meeting, no timeslot, nothing. Just radio silence.”
“It must be driving Emma up the wall.”
“She’s holding up, but yes. She’s also overthinking everything.” Vanessa knew what her wife was doing. She was assuming that no meeting date meant that no meeting would ever happen. “I keep catching her staring into space as though she’s having conversations with herself about it all in her head.”
“She always does that when she’s trying to figure things out,” Lauren said knowingly. “But I guess it’s to be expected if the headteacher has pulled her into the office.”
“She’s trying to be strong, but I can see how much it’s weighing on her. Especially now that the initial shock of finding out about Freya has been replaced with all this not knowing.”
“She called me the morning after she found out about the possibility of a meeting. She said she’s scared of doing more harm than good. She’s worried she’s going to make Freya’s life more complicated.”
Vanessa closed her eyes and shook her head lightly. “I can’t bear all of this. She doesn’t deserve to feel that way. It’s breaking her heart, and she’s convinced that one wrong word will ruin her chances of being in Freya’s life at all.”
“She’s not wrong to be cautious,” Lauren said. “But I also think Freya deserves the chance to decide what Emma means to her. It shouldn’t just be up to everyone else, regardless of rules and social workers, and whatever red tape she’s going to be fighting her way through.”
Oh, Vanessa agreed. Wholeheartedly. But she also knew it wasn’t that simple. Rules, social workers, and red tape were there for a reason. “She knows she’s not alone in any of this. So long as she remembers that, then things will be okay. No matter the outcome.”
“Hey, Mum?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think we’ll ever just have one normal year that doesn’t feel like a constant rollercoaster?”
Vanessa wished she had the answer to that. “I really hope so, sweetheart. I don’t know how much energy any of us has left. The last couple of years have been tough on all of us.”
“They have, but on you more so.”
Vanessa sipped her tea and forced the tension from her shoulders. “I’m alive and I’m healthy. That’s all I care about right now when it comes to me.” Vanessa cleared her throat. “Have you spoken to Rob yet?”
“I… No.” Lauren sighed. “Daisy being at nursery full-time has really helped me to sort out a routine and things. If Rob has to continue travelling for work, then I guess it’ll be okay.
I have more time to focus on other things when Daisy is out for the day, and I don’t feel so stressed at work anymore. ”
Vanessa didn’t particularly like that Lauren was sweeping this all under the carpet, but she knew what was best for her, and Vanessa could only support any decision she made. “If things are feeling better for you at home, then okay.”
A loud knock at the front door had Vanessa frowning as she sat upright. She glanced at the clock, surprised anyone would be calling by. Unless Emma had lost her key…again. “Can you hang on a moment? Someone is at the door.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course.”
Vanessa placed her tea down and crossed the room.
When she opened the door, a woman—early forties, maybe—was standing on the step.
Her gaze was so sharp that Vanessa straightened immediately.
She wore a long black coat, her hands clutched tightly around the strap of a shoulder bag. “Can I help you?”
The woman looked over Vanessa’s shoulder, scanning the hallway as if she half expected to see someone else. “I’m Carmen. Freya’s current…caregiver.”
Vanessa’s stomach lurched. “O-oh.”
“I need to speak with Emma. It’s important.”
Vanessa stepped out of the door slightly, closing it behind her just enough to assert herself without seeming aggressive. “Emma’s not home yet. She’s still at work.”
Carmen exhaled a deep breath, as though the answer had just inconvenienced her entire evening. “Right. Well, this can’t wait. She’s been seeing Freya. Speaking to her. I didn’t know. I should have known.”
Vanessa sighed. This really wasn’t her conversation to have. “She’s her teacher. She didn’t know either. Not until recently.”
“That’s not the point.” Carmen’s voice rose. “We’re the ones raising her. Protecting her. And now we have this sudden shift, this teacher with a history and a blood tie turning everything upside down.”
“Emma hasn’t done anything to disrupt Freya’s life. Actually, she’s been doing everything she can not to.”
“Then why am I only hearing about this now?” Carmen stepped closer. “Why did no one inform me that the sister we never knew existed is in daily contact with her?”
God, the way Carmen said that made it feel as though they were being accused of deceit.
It absolutely wasn’t like that at all. “I think you have this all wrong,” Vanessa replied, trying very hard to keep her voice even.
“None of us were told anything about Freya. But since Emma found out, she’s done everything right.
She’s waited for guidance. She’s avoided being alone with her outside of lessons.
She’s…been doing her job and nothing more. ”
Vanessa noted how Carmen faltered slightly, as though the reminder of their biological bond carried more weight than she wanted it to.
Still, Carmen straightened again, her arms now folded across her chest. “Then I want to speak to her,” Carmen repeated.
“Face to face. I want to understand who exactly is trying to worm their way into Freya’s life. ”
Vanessa’s jaw tightened at that. How dare this woman come here and assume she knew Emma or anything about their life together?
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t accuse my wife of such things.
She’s not worming her way anywhere. She’s grieving a family she never had, and she’s trying to be careful.
She’s also trying to make sense of something life-changing.
Freya’s not just a student anymore. She’s her sister.
” Vanessa looked down at the phone still in her hand.
She’d forgotten all about Lauren. But at least by having her on the line, she had backup if it came down to who said what during this unplanned meeting.
“She’s been made aware of a meeting. She’s waiting for that to be set up.
In the meantime, she’s terrified of doing the wrong thing. ”
Carmen’s expression shifted from defensive to conflicted, but her arms remained crossed, her lips pressed together.
“I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be protective,” Vanessa continued more calmly. “But I’m asking you to be fair. Emma didn’t ask for any of this either, and yet she’s doing everything she can to put Freya first.”
Silence.
The very kind Vanessa hated.
Eventually, Carmen said, “When will she be back?”
Vanessa turned her watch towards herself. “Probably in the next half hour.”
The tension in the air faded a little when Carmen held up her hands. “I didn’t come here to start a war. I just want to understand what’s happening before things go too far.”
Vanessa nodded, recognising the subtle shift in Carmen’s tone. “Then if you’d like to come in, you’re welcome to wait for her.”
Carmen frowned. “Oh, I…”
“If you want to speak to Emma, I’m not going to send you away only for you to come back tomorrow and catch her off guard again,” Vanessa said, stepping aside. “Come in, have a seat, and I’ll make us some tea.”
After a brief hesitation, Carmen stepped inside, her posture still tense as she moved through the hallway and into the living room. Vanessa closed the door behind her, keeping calm even though her heart raced. She followed Carmen into the living room and gestured towards the armchair.
Carmen sat down and looked up at Vanessa. “If this is an inconvenient time for you, I can come back.”
“I’ll put the kettle on, and I’ll text Emma to let her know you’re here.” Vanessa strolled into the kitchen and closed the door over, immediately bringing her phone to her ear once she’d taken it off speakerphone. “Did you get all of that?”
“Is that who I think it is?” Lauren asked.
“Yes. She’s just shown up demanding to speak to Emma.”
Lauren scoffed. “I know she’s probably only doing the right thing for Freya, but she needs to lose the attitude.”
“She’s scared. We all are.” Vanessa rested back against the counter as she flicked the kettle on. “But I should go so I can at least warn Emma that she’s here. I’ll tell her to call you over the weekend, okay?”
“Okay. Bye, Mum. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
The moment the call ended, Vanessa pulled up her message thread with Emma.