CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
When it was time to go home, Rori and Kurt came to collect me and drove me back to Rori’s place.
Kurt went off to a meeting at twelve and Billy came round, and soon after that, Rori said she was going over to Ada’s to help her with a clear-out of her hall cupboard. I’d told her about my newly-awakened memory of kissing Billy and this ‘helping hand for Ada’ sounded like an excuse to leave me alone with him. Not that I was about to object!
We curled up on the sofa together and Billy insisted on bringing me a blanket, even though I told him that having his arms around me was keeping me perfectly warm.
In the end, we shared the blanket and lots more besides, revisiting that kiss a dozen times over. I made the mistake of murmuring that his kisses were making my head spin deliciously because he then decided we couldn’t take any more chances.
‘You’ve got a head injury. We can’t have it spinning like that.’
I chuckled. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you? I can never tell.’
‘No, I’m not joking!’ He looked quite stern. ‘You’re still recuperating, Blossom. We need to be sensible.’
‘Okay. But for how long?’
‘As long as it takes,’ he said decisively, wrapping his arm firmly around me. ‘Now, snuggle in and watch the movie. We’re getting to the good bit.’
A car drew up outside a little later, interrupting our snuggle, and Billy stood with a reluctant sigh and went to the window. ‘It’s Rori – and Ada.’ He turned to gauge my reaction.
‘Oh, hell.’ At once, I felt flustered, my lovely afternoon with Billy melting away. ‘What’s she doing here?’
‘She’s come to see you, I imagine.’ He gave me a warning look. ‘Be kind.’
‘Does she deserve my kindness?’ I retorted.
‘I don’t know. But why not be the bigger person in all of this?’
‘Well, I’ll try. But I’m not promising anything.’
He grinned affectionately. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’
Rori came in first, being all bright and breeze (but clearly stressed to the eyeballs wondering how my meeting with Ada would go). Ada followed, carrying a box that looked as if it was full of DVDs. ‘Where shall I put this, Rori?’
Rori took it from her. ‘I’ll sort through it all and take what I don’t want to the charity shop.’ She turned to me. ‘Maybe you should have a look in case there’s anything you want, Blossom?’
‘Maybe.’ I gave Ada a stiff little smile and she sat down in the chair opposite.
‘How are you?’ she asked.
‘Same as last time you saw me,’ I said airily. ‘On the mend. Which is why they’ve let me come home.’
I was actually shocked at how pale Ada looked. And old. She seemed to have aged ten years in the last week. In spite of everything, I felt a tug of emotion. She might not be my biological mother, but she’d been ‘Mum’ all my life and that wasn’t going to stop just because the truth had emerged. I loved her. I just didn’t particularly like her right now.
And I definitely didn’t have the strength to start talking about everything.
‘I need to rest,’ I told her brusquely. ‘The doctor said I needed a quiet and peaceful environment in which to fully recover.’
She smiled apologetically. ‘And here I am, disrupting your afternoon.’ Tears filled her eyes. ‘I just wanted to make sure you were all right. That’s all. But I can see that you are, with Rori and Billy to support you. So I’ll go and leave you to rest.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, in a much softer tone. ‘I’ll see you soon.’
She nodded and walked out. And I heard Billy murmur to her as she left the flat: ‘She’s still not herself after the accident.’
I glared at him when he came back in. ‘Why were you apologising for me? If I need to apologise, I’ll do it myself!’
He sat down next to me and in spite of my irritation, a little thrill rippled through me at the touch of his thigh against mine. He pulled me closer and kissed me. Then he drew away and smiled. ‘You, Blossom Sunshine, are so bloody prickly these days. Like a little hedgehog.’
I snorted with laughter.
‘Any by the way, did you only start fancying me because I’ve lost my fat belly?’ He patted the stomach in question. ‘It’s true, isn’t it?’
‘What?’ I gazed at him in horror. ‘Of course it’s not true! I was always jealous of you and Jenna, although I admit it took me ages to realise that the reason why was because I wanted you for myself!’
‘Really?’
I smiled. ‘Absolutely.’
He snuggled closer with a happy sigh. ‘Well, that’s all right, then.’
I could never resist Billy’s cheeky smile – but now its effect on me was to render my legs temporarily unfit for purpose. So it was just as well I didn’t need them right then, lying on the sofa in Billy’s strong arms...
*****
Billy stayed over but he insisted on sleeping on the sofa so that I’d get some proper rest.
I chuckled when he suggested this. ‘I’m not some delicate china doll, you know.’
‘No, you’re not. You’re far more precious than that and in the absence of a doctor, I am he! I will not have your recovery compromised by excitement of any kind, Miss Sunshine. Is that clear?’
I groaned. ‘Okay, doctor. But answer me one question.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Why are doctors so boring?’
‘No, they’re not. What about Doctor Who?’
‘He doesn’t count. He’s not a medical doctor.’
‘Well, neither am I, but while you’re in my care, you need to follow doctor’s orders and rest!’
‘All right. You win.’ I smiled happily at him. I was so lucky to have Billy in my life. He didn’t bring me romantic gifts like homemade flapjack or whip up a pasta dish from garden ingredients, like Trevor did. He did much more than that. He cared about me – really cared. He knew just by looking at me that I needed my bed.
Because despite my protests, the day’s excitement had taken its toll. I was feeling wiped out and longing for sleep...