Chapter 20
Claire returned home later that afternoon, feeling wonderfully relaxed and refreshed.
After a glorious morning in bed with Luca (they had returned to his room as soon as Ali had left), she had taken him out for a massive brunch.
She had worked up a hell of an appetite, and she didn’t know if it was the sharpness of her hunger or because all her senses were heightened after sex but food had never tasted so good.
Luca had surprised her by sitting beside her on the cushioned banquette instead of taking the seat opposite, and she had spent a large part of the meal eating one-handed as he held her other under the table.
It confused her that he would do something that felt so romantic and lover-like when he had warned her not to think of him in that way.
But then she reminded herself that he was just a very tactile person and it didn’t mean anything.
He had gone back to his sexy, easy-going self once she had convinced him that she wasn’t going to read anything into it.
So she just relaxed and enjoyed it for what it was, taking pleasure in the warmth of his hand on her leg, allowing herself to lay her head on his shoulder and indulge in the closeness for a little while.
It felt like the end of a lovely holiday, and she was sad that she wouldn’t be spending the night with him.
He had become such a permanent fixture in her life over the last couple of weeks, and even though she knew she would see him again in a few days, she couldn’t help feeling a bit wobbly when it came time for her to leave.
‘What are you going to do for the rest of the weekend?’ she asked, as they stood outside the restaurant.
‘I won’t know what to do with myself without you coming round, taking your clothes off and luring me into bed all the time.’
‘I’m sure you’ll think of something.’
‘I suppose I could do some work.’
‘Well, have fun, whatever you do.’
‘You too. Thanks for brunch,’ he said, before giving her a lingering goodbye kiss. And then he was gone, disappearing into the crowd.
Claire spent the rest of the day shopping, cleaning and cooking, and went to bed alone that night, missing Luca dreadfully and trying not to fret about what he might be doing – or who with.
The next morning she went to collect her mother, laden with boxes of chocolates, cards and flowers for the staff, on Espie’s instructions. When they had distributed the gifts and said their goodbyes, Claire wheeled her mother out to the car and helped her in.
‘I thought we might invite everyone over for dinner this evening,’ Espie said, as Claire pulled out of the car park.
Claire’s heart sank. She had been looking forward to a quiet few days with nothing to do, no visits to make and just the two of them for dinner. ‘Everyone?’ she asked.
‘The whole family,’ Espie said eagerly. ‘You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No, of course not. It’d be nice.’ She knew her mother was probably dying to have a get-together and let her hair down after weeks at the mercy of institutional regimes.
She had been forced to relinquish control of so much lately.
It had been heartbreaking to watch her power and autonomy being steadily eroded, her vivacious spirit constantly thwarted by a body that wouldn’t cooperate.
When she and her brothers were children, their house had been the one where everyone congregated, and their friends had always been welcome to stay for dinner at a moment’s notice.
Espie was a brilliant and enthusiastic cook, and no one had ever left their house hungry.
Having the family over for dinner wasn’t a lot to ask, and at least it was within Claire’s power to make it happen.
‘So, what’ll we have?’ Espie said. ‘I could murder a nice roast with all the trimmings. I haven’t had a proper roast in ages.’
‘I’ll do one, if that’s what you fancy,’ Claire said, suppressing a weary sigh.
The whole family coming for a roast dinner – that would mean she’d have to go shopping again as soon as she had her mother settled in at home, then spend the rest of the day peeling, chopping and cooking.
Still, she couldn’t begrudge her mother a welcome-home dinner. It seemed the least she could do.
She wasn’t feeling quite so sanguine about it later that morning as she peeled and sliced her way through mountains of vegetables.
She tried to practice mindfulness meditation, making an effort to be in the moment, just chopping the vegetables, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit aggrieved that she was going to all this trouble for her brothers and their wives, when she already knew they would take it for granted.
They didn’t appreciate the work that went into entertaining because they never did it themselves.
She could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times she had been invited to either of their houses for dinner.
She sighed as she prepared the sauce for the cauliflower cheese that her mother always insisted on because it was Neil’s favourite.
It was her favourite, too, but she wished that, just once, someone would make it for her instead of the other way around.
She really was her mother’s daughter, she thought, as she surveyed the table groaning with food.
There was enough to feed an army. She had made apple tart last night for her and her mum, and before that there would be roast beef, cauliflower cheese, carrots, peas, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and gravy.
Luca could do with a feed like this, she thought, and wished she was cooking for him instead of her ungrateful family.
At least he would appreciate it. And then she thought, Why not?
There was no reason she couldn’t invite him.
After all, it was her home and she was the one doing all the work.
Besides, her mother would be delighted. Much as she loved having the family and old friends around, nothing gave her more pleasure than meeting new people.
Claire knew that anyone she wanted to invite would be welcome – and she was sure her mother would like Luca.
Of course, he might not want to come. But she could ask him.
She wiped her hands on a tea towel and was on her way to the sitting room to run it by her mother when the doorbell rang. She thought she could hear children’s voices outside, but it was only twelve thirty, and she had told everyone dinner would be at six.
So she was surprised when she opened the door to find Michelle, Neil, Holly and Cian standing in the porch. Holly and Cian zipped past her into the house with excited cries of ‘Nana! Nana!’
‘Go easy,’ Michelle called after them. ‘Nana’s a bit weak at the moment.’ She and Neil stepped inside as a bewildered Claire stood back.
‘These are for Espie,’ Michelle said, handing Claire a huge bouquet.
‘Thanks. Um… Mum’s in there,’ she said, gesturing to the sitting room. ‘You’re very early. Dinner won’t be ready until—’
‘Oh, we’re not staying,’ Michelle explained. ‘We’re off to the garden centre for the afternoon, but we thought we’d drop the kids off here so they can spend some time with their granny.’
‘They hate being dragged around the garden centre with us,’ Neil said. ‘It’s so boring for them.’
‘Mum’s still a bit tired,’ Claire protested, ‘and she’s supposed to be taking it easy. And I’ll be busy making dinner.’
Michelle gave a brittle laugh. ‘Welcome to my world,’ she said. ‘When you’re a mum, you have to get used to doing twenty different things at once. And I’m sure Espie would like to spend some time with them,’ she added reprovingly. ‘She hasn’t seen them in ages.’
And whose fault is that? Claire wanted to shout. But she gritted her teeth and said nothing.
‘We’ll just pop in and say hello,’ Michelle said, ‘and then we’ll be off.’
Claire followed them into the sitting room. Her mother was sitting in an armchair with one leg elevated, and Holly and Cian were quizzing her about her false hip while trying to climb on top of her.
‘Can we see it?’
‘No, it’s on the inside.’
‘Does it make you go really fast?’
Espie laughed. ‘No, it makes me go slower at the moment.’
‘That’s no use!’
‘You’re very early,’ Espie said to Neil and Michelle, as they came in. ‘Have you come to help Claire? That’s very nice of you.’
Claire hid a smirk. Her mother knew damn well that it would never have occurred to either of them to help out.
‘Oh, er… no. We’re off to the garden centre,’ Michelle said.
‘We’ll be back in time for dinner,’ Neil added helpfully.
‘Well, that’s the main thing,’ Espie said. ‘As long as you’re here to help eat it, it makes it all worthwhile.’
Michelle looked confused, as she often did around Espie.
She was always off balance with Espie’s acerbic humor, and never seemed quite sure whether she should take offence or not.
‘We thought we’d drop the kids in with you for the afternoon, we knew you’d love to see them,’ she said. ‘They were dying to see you.’
‘And I was dying to see them too,’ Espie said, smiling at her grandchildren.
‘Mum,’ Claire interrupted, ‘I was thinking of asking a – a friend over for dinner as well. Is that okay?’
‘Oh.’ Michelle turned to her, frowning. ‘I thought it would be nice just to have the family today.’
‘Of course, love,’ her mother said breezily. ‘Have anyone you want – you don’t have to ask.’
‘You don’t want to overdo things, Espie,’ Michelle said. ‘You’re only just out of the hospital.’
‘Claire’s the one doing all the work,’ Espie said, fixing Michelle with a beady eye, ‘so if anyone’s going to be overdoing things, it’ll be her. I’ll be sitting here like Lady Muck, getting waited on hand and foot, like the rest of you.’
‘But it can be very tiring, having a big crowd around you – family’s different, isn’t it?’ Michelle said. ‘You don’t have to make an effort.’
‘You know I love having a big crowd in the house,’ Espie said, adding predictably, ‘the more, the merrier.’