Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
The morning brought bright sunshine that lifted any gloom from the room. Dark corners and shadows disappeared.
"What's the time?" Rosa asked again.
Billy smiled, raised her wrist, and said, "Ten minutes later than the last time you asked." She closed the space and gripped Rosa by the shoulders, staring into her eyes. "They'll be here when they get here. In the meantime, why don't we have some tea?"
"I'm too agitated. There's so much to do."
"There's nothing to do," Billy reminded her. "They're bringing the food and all we have to do is—"
"Beds!" Rosa said. "We need to organise the beds."
Billy held her palms up. "Okay, will this mean you relax?"
Rosa nodded, then looked down and sighed. "I'm sorry, I know I'm a neurotic ninny. I can't help it. I just… I need to feel in control of something."
"I get it." Billy pulled her close. "We can get the sleeping bags and lay them out in the bedroom for the girls. I already put the duvets in the other room, so we just have to get one later."
Rosa snuggled against her chest. "Thank you."
"I'm just worried they'll work it out."
"Work what out?" Billy asked.
Rosa pulled back and stared up at her. "Us?"
"Well, like I said, I'm not unhappy about that, I'm in this for the long haul…"
"Imogen cannot find out by accident. If we do continue this, and things get serious again, then she deserves us telling her privately and in a proper setting."
Billy nodded. "Okay, yes, you're right…that's… We can do this. We’ve spent the last decade barely acknowledging each other, so it should be easy, right?"
"Agreed. We'll just go back to how we were two days ago." Her palms flattened out over Billy's shoulders, fingers splaying into her hair at the nape.
"Alright," Billy whispered as their mouths came together. "No more…of this," she said before thrusting her tongue into Rosa's mouth with urgency.
They fell sideways and landed in a heap on the couch, the world outside fading away until the sound of laughter and voices broke through.
"Mmph, stop," Rosa said, pushing Billy away as she cocked an ear. "What was that?"
"I didn't hear anything," Billy said, listening harder now. "What was it?"
"Laughing, voices…" Rosa was saying just as the voices got louder again. "It's Imogen." She wriggled herself free from beneath Billy and adjusted her clothes, smoothing down her hair and wiping her mouth. "Quickly, go fix…" She pointed to her own mouth. "You've got my lipstick all over you."
Billy giggled, but got up and moved fast, getting to the bathroom just as the thump on the door came.
"Mums, let us in," Imogen called out.
"Just coming," Rosa said, grinning to herself at how true that might have been had they had another ten minutes.
She yanked the door open and found three cold, rosy-cheeked faces smiling at her.
"Imogen," she said first, pulling her child forward and into her arms. "Happy Birthday."
"Thanks," Imogen said, allowing the hug to go on longer than she usually might. Eventually, Rosa let go and pulled back to look at her. "I'm okay, Mum."
"I know, I just missed you that's all." Rosa turned to the other two. "I missed you all. Come in, let's get you warmed up.” She noted the pile of skis leaning against the railing. “Where are your grandparents?"
"Oh, they're coming," Imogen said, laughing. "You should see them."
Robbie giggled. "It's definitely a sight."
Janka nodded and laughed too. "They should be here any—"
Rosa turned to the sound of what she assumed could only be Meredith squealing in the distance, and just like that, the sled shot out from the trees, skidding across the road.
Schultz twisted and they began the descent down the hundred yards or more before one more twist brought them into the drive of the cabin, Meredith falling off the back in hysterics as they finally came to a stop.
"Oh, Schultz, we should do that more often." Meredith kept laughing as the girls ran back outside to help.