Chapter 36
TWO MONTHS LATER
Mia had never been so nervous. Not when she’d stood in the lawyer’s office and addressed the seven women to tell them about the boxes left behind by their great-grandmothers, and not when she’d walked into that bar and asked for Joe on her arrival in Paris.
This time, her creativity and her heart were on the line, and it was terrifying.
Her hand shook as she held the cue card she’d prepared, as she looked at the small crowd that was gathered, silent and waiting for her.
But as she opened her mouth and struggled to find the words, there was a movement beside her and she looked up to see Ella standing next to her.
Ella quietly slipped her hand into Mia’s, their palms pressed together and their fingers linked.
And then she looked to her left and saw her mother, her smile telling Mia that everything was going to be okay.
‘You can do this. Just breathe,’ her friend murmured. ‘We’re all here for you.’
Mia cleared her throat and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the touch of Ella’s hand and taking strength from her warm skin pressed to hers. And just like that, she slipped the card into her pocket and decided not to read what she’d rehearsed.
Ella was right; everyone was here for her, and she was going to speak from the heart.
‘When my great-aunt Hope died, she left behind more than one mystery. I’ve often wondered how different things might have been if my family had spent more time with her before she passed, or if I’d asked her more questions.
But I’ve come to understand that everything about the last few years has happened for a reason,’ Mia said, smiling as Ella squeezed her hand and encouraged her to keep going.
‘I’ve come to realise that the seven women who received little wooden boxes hidden by my aunt for all those years might not have come into my life if any one thing about Hope’s life or passing had been other than what it was, and I’m so very grateful to have met you all.
We might never fully understand why those boxes remained hidden,’ she said, looking at the women gathered in the front row, at the way they all smiled back at her, ‘but I’m so fortunate to count you all as friends. ’
Mia slowly let go of Ella’s hand and gestured to the first portrait.
They were each placed on easels, displayed through the foyer of the gallery, and tears pricked her eyes as she looked at them.
It had been a long time since she’d seen her work displayed, and she still couldn’t quite believe that she’d pulled it off.
‘Some of you will be wondering about the significance of these portraits in this room, and why they’re not for sale.
But the truth is that these photographs represent something very personal to me and to some very special women.
There would be no opening tonight without them, because without them I wouldn’t have found my way back to the woman, the creative, I am today.
So I would like to thank Ella, Georgia and Charlotte, Claudia, Lily, Blake and Rose, for giving me permission to share their stories with you tonight. ’
There was a gentle burst of applause, and Mia caught her breath again and faced the audience.
‘However, the collection I have on display in the main gallery tonight has been a long time coming. They’re photographs taken many years ago from an extraordinary trip I took to Canada to capture wildlife, and I would like to announce that a share of the proceeds from all sales will go to Refuge, a charity that my great-aunt Hope was passionate about.
Because without her, I simply wouldn’t be here at all. ’
As the crowd began to murmur, Mia felt a hand in hers again, and before she knew it, Ella was hugging her and telling her how proud she was of her.
‘There was so much more I could have said, so much more—’
‘It was enough,’ Ella said, squeezing her one last time before letting go.
‘And if there’s more to say, you can say it to us over dinner later.
I know you think you owe us all something, but you don’t, Mia.
If anything, we all owe you. You changed all our lives when you gave us those boxes, and that means more than words can say. ’
Before she could reply, her attention was diverted by her editor coming up to congratulate her, and then there was a steady stream of people wanting to talk to her about her collection and ask questions.
And before she knew it, the gallery owner had come to whisper in her ear that there was only one photograph left for sale, which had Mia exhaling and feeling tears prick her eyes for an entirely different reason.
All those years of hiding the photographs away, even though she’d known they were her best work—and now they were out there in the world and being loved by everyone who saw them. Ethan would have been so proud.
But all the people who’d been gathered around her seemed to disappear when she saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall.
Instead of his usual uniform of jeans and scuffed boots, he was wearing a suit with an open-necked shirt, and he looked even more handsome than the day she’d first laid eyes on him.
Joe.
Mia couldn’t see anyone else as she walked towards him.
She hadn’t invited him tonight because she wasn’t sure whether she was ready for him to see her work; to see her like this.
Or maybe it was because she’d worried that if she ever saw him again she couldn’t bring herself to walk away.
But there he was, somehow, standing on the other side of the room, watching her.
‘How are you even here?’ she whispered once she was close enough.
‘That wasn’t exactly the welcome I’d been expecting,’ he said, as he flashed her one of his too-gorgeous smiles. ‘I thought you’d at least compliment my choice of clothes first.’
Mia laughed. She couldn’t help it. From the moment they’d met, Joe had brought a lightness into her life, had made her feel alive again, and just standing in front of him brought it all back to her.
‘You look…’ She stood back and shook her head, not knowing what to say. ‘You look fantastic.’
‘I don’t dress up for just anyone, Mia,’ he said. ‘I didn’t even wear a suit to my sister’s wedding.’
Her breath caught as he touched her cheek, his thumb gentle as it brushed across her skin.
‘How did you know to come here?’ she asked.
‘Because someone named Ella called the bar and told me that I needed to,’ he said. ‘And I’m so pleased she did.’
When Joe kissed her, it was like they were back in France again. Everything else disappeared until it was just them; his hands cupping her cheeks and her mouth moving softly against his.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ he murmured when he finally pulled away, their foreheads pressed together. ‘But you should have invited me yourself.’
She didn’t want to ruin the moment by telling him that she hadn’t known if she wanted him there, or that she didn’t want to ask him and then be devastated if he didn’t come.
Or a host of other reasons that had seemed logical in her head but now felt ridiculous.
Because he was here now, and that was all that mattered.
‘You live in Paris.’
He laughed, but it sounded more like a grunt. ‘And you live in London.’
‘We both have lives and jobs and—’
‘We can move.’
She breathed and he exhaled and they just stood like that until she finally found the courage to speak again. He made it sound so simple, but she knew it wasn’t so easy as just falling in love.
‘Do you want to move?’ she whispered.
Joe pulled her tight against him and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
‘I want to be with you, and that’s all that matters.
I don’t care about how we make that happen, and I need you to know that it was never a charade, Mia.
Not from the moment I saw you walk into the restaurant the night of the party. ’
Those words warmed her heart, but it still didn’t change all the obstacles that stood in their way. ‘But your bar, your family, my life here—’ She paused to breathe. ‘We barely know each other.’
He leaned down and kissed her, stealing her words and making her forget all about her worries.
‘We have the rest of our lives to get to know each other. Now show me the photographs,’ he said, letting her go and taking her hand.
‘Just show me the collection, talk me through it, and we can figure everything else out later.’
She knew what collection he was referring to. He already knew about the women displayed in the foyer; he wanted to see her Canadian photographs. He wanted to see the photos she’d taken with Ethan, the photos she’d told him still haunted her.
And there was one that she was more scared of showing him than any other, but if they were going to do this, then it was time to show him everything about who she was and where she’d come from.
But instead of worrying, Mia bravely took his hand and walked him silently through the room, past endless photographs with tiny gold stickers to indicate they were sold, until they reached the final one.
It was a self-portrait of her with Ethan, of them smiling, with the rugged beauty of the landscape they were there to discover behind them.
It was her favourite photograph of all, and she imagined that, no matter what else came next, it always would be.
‘It’s the only one that hasn’t sold,’ she said, as much to herself as to Joe.
‘It hasn’t sold because it’s supposed to stay with you,’ he said, gently, turning her to face the photo and wrapping his arms around her from behind. ‘This photo belongs to you, Mia.’
‘I—’
‘Do you still love him?’ Joe asked.
Mia’s heart began to race, because this was not a question she wanted to answer. But it was one she couldn’t lie about, either. Not to Joe. They had no future if she couldn’t be honest with him.
‘Yes. I think some part of me will always love him.’
‘Then keep it for yourself and hang it on your living room wall or in your kitchen,’ he said. ‘Look at it every day and smile at what you had instead of hiding from it. There’s nothing wrong with honouring that memory.’
She turned in his arms and looked up into eyes that managed to see her more than anyone else had in a long time.
‘That wouldn’t upset you?’
He arched an eyebrow and shook his head. ‘I’m not afraid of your past, or the man you loved. And if I was, that would be my problem, not yours.’
She stood on tiptoe and whispered a kiss to his cheek, wondering how she’d ever walked away from him the first time. ‘Thank you.’
‘I think our alone time is over,’ he said, turning her around so that she could see the seven women watching them, their eyes as wide as saucers.
Mia laughed and shook her head as Ella waved to them, clearly pleased with herself for the role she’d played in getting Joe to the gallery.
Thank you, Mia mouthed.
You’re welcome, Ella mouthed back.
‘I think it’s time you met my friends,’ she said, slipping her palm into Joe’s. ‘They’re practically frothing at the mouth waiting to say hello.’ Then she laughed again. ‘Oh, and I should probably introduce you to my mother.’
She grinned at him, catching his eye as they walked, her heart full as they crossed the room. But it was even fuller when she saw the gallery manager, and she broke away from Joe just for a moment.
‘The final portrait,’ Mia said. ‘I’ve decided not to sell it. I’d like to keep it for myself.’
‘Of course, Mia,’ she said. ‘I’ll have it taken out to the storeroom for you straight away.’
She looked back at Joe, who was already shaking hands and charming the seven women who were waiting for her.
But instead of joining them, Mia lifted a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter and stood, watching them, taking a sip and savouring the feel of the bubbles tickling her throat, indulging in being the one observing for just a moment.
And she let herself think of Ethan, and how happy he’d have been to see her surrounded by so much love. By the friendships that had come to mean the world to her. When she glanced to her left, she imagined him there, raising a glass as his eyes met hers.
It was the first time she’d been able to think about him so openly without feeling sadness, but she realised that he’d given her such a gift.
He’d been a kind and loving partner; he’d set the benchmark for what it meant to be happy and in love, for the type of man she expected. For the life that she wanted again.
And for that, she would be forever grateful.
‘Join us?’ Joe asked, holding out a hand and pulling her from her thoughts.
Mia took it without hesitation, moving happily to his side, one arm looped around his waist as he kissed the top of her head.
‘I’m so pleased you came,’ she whispered to him.
‘I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.’
The best thing was, she believed him.