Chapter 30
‘Honestly Robyn, what on earth made you invite me and my mother to the Hogmanay party that David is taking you to?’
Robyn sighed. That wasn’t exactly how the invitation had come about. It had been David’s idea. She suspected it had been to make sure she went. Robyn got up from the sofa. She stood at the lounge window and watched David walking to his van on the gravel drive.
‘Anyone with half a brain would realise he was asking you out on a date.’
‘A date?’ Robyn turned around, trying to act surprised.
Gayle rolled her eyes. ‘I know what your game is.’
Robyn shrugged. ‘Whatever do you mean?’
‘You know very well.’
‘Oh, all right.’ Robyn admitted, ‘Yes, I kind of thought it was a date. At first I didn’t mind the idea, but then I started to get cold feet because …
‘Because …?’ Gayle prompted.
‘Well, I don’t even know whether I should be going out with someone. What if there’s somebody else – and I’m not even aware?’
Gayle breathed a sigh. ‘I see. Yes, that is a bit of a conundrum.’
‘Just a bit!’ Robyn said, immediately regretting that sarcastic remark. It wasn’t Gayle’s fault that her memory wasn’t coming back.
‘Look, Robyn, rather than thinking of it as a date, just have a night out and enjoy yourself. It will do you good, being around young people for a change.’
‘But I love being here with you and your mum, in this big old house.’
Gayle smiled. ‘And I love having you here. But still, that doesn’t stop you having a night out. Besides, I’m not going to be on my own.’
‘You’ve got your mum.’
‘And Nick what’s-his-name.’
Robyn pursed her lips, and said in a small voice, ‘Addison. Nick Addison.’ Robyn turned to the window, half-expecting to see him turn up, but it was still too early if he worked nine to five. As expected, she didn’t see him arriving outside the house. But her attention was drawn to David. ‘Oh dear.’ Robyn put a hand to her mouth.
‘What is it?’ said Gayle rising from her armchair.
Robyn had just seen David slip over on the gravel on his way to the van.
‘Has my new guest arrived?’
‘No.’
Robyn watched David get up slowly, as though he was having trouble. He turned to look at the house and check if anyone was watching. Robyn moved out of sight of the window. She sensed that he wouldn’t want to have been seen. She stole another glanced out of the window and saw David bent over, rubbing his knee. She had the impulse to run out and check he was okay, but somehow she didn’t feel it would be the right thing to do.
‘Everything all right?’
‘Er, yes – fine.’ Robyn decided not to mention what she’d just witnessed. She had a feeling that the last thing David would want was anyone making a big deal of it – especially Gayle, a former nurse. Robyn pictured her running out of the house with a first aid kit.
‘I’ll go and wash the mugs.’
Robyn nodded. Once Gayle had left the room, she stole another glance out of the window. She watched David limp back to his van. She was surprised he’d caused himself an injury from slipping on the gravel. He reached the back of his van, opened the door, and was just reaching in for something when he stopped and looked back at the house again.
Robyn moved quickly away from the window, wondering why she was behaving so childishly. Then again, why did he seem to be checking that no one was watching?
She stole a glanced out of the window again as David closed the door on the back of the van. He was leaning heavily on a walking stick. She watched him as he climbed into the van, using the walking stick as a lever.
As the van engine rattled into life, Robyn moved away from the window in case David caught her in his rear-view mirror.
‘Gayle,’ Robyn called out as she ambled down the hall to the kitchen. Gayle was busy washing up the mugs, together with the breakfast dishes which had been left from that morning.
‘Oh, here – let me help.’ Robyn darted to the tea towel and picked up a spoon from the draining board to dry the crockery and cutlery.
Robyn glanced at Gayle. ‘What do you know about David, and his career?’
‘What, the ice hockey thing?’ Gayle put a soapy mug on the draining board, and Robyn picked it up.
‘He had some sort of injury, didn’t he?’ Robyn recalled reading about David in the newspaper article about her car accident.
Gayle put another mug on the draining board. ‘I don’t know much about it; only that an injury ended his career. That was what the papers said, anyhow. You read the paper, honey; you know as much as I do.’
Robyn looked disappointed.
‘You’re seeing him later. Why don’t you ask him?’
Robyn didn’t think that would be a good idea. Back in the hospital, during his visits, they’d had an understanding – they didn’t talk about the past. That suited Robyn – for obvious reasons.
Now she’d seen David with a walking stick, which he’d never mentioned, and had witnessed the way he’d kept glancing at the house, checking no one had seen him slipping on the gravel, she understood why he didn’t want to talk about his past. The injury that had ended his ice hockey career was still causing him problems. She did wonder what had happened, but she wasn’t going to ask.
Robyn continued to wipe up, her head swimming with thoughts.
‘If you go any faster, you’ll be wiping the dishes before I’ve had a chance to wash them,’ Gayle quipped.
Robyn saw herself reaching for the mug that was in still in Gayle’s hand. She snatched her hand back. ‘Sorry.’
‘I think someone’s had quite a long, eventful day, don’t you?’ Gayle smiled at Robyn.
Robyn agreed, ‘I know it’s only the middle of the afternoon, but would it be daft if I had a nap?’ She yawned. She was tired.
‘I think that’s a good idea. Remember, you’re still recovering from that accident. Go have a rest. You don’t want to be tired for the Hogmanay celebrations this evening.’
Robyn folded the tea towel, placing it on the rack.
‘The celebrations go on well into the early hours.’ Gayle finished the dishes and dried her hands. ‘And there will be dancing, plenty of dancing to the ceilidh band.’
‘The what band?’
‘Ceilidh – it’s Scottish Gaelic for a gathering or, in the case of Hogmanay, a party, obviously. There’s always a band, playing traditional Scottish folk music. These bands are very popular at all sorts of celebrations, including weddings. That’s why dancing is one of the highlights of the evening.’
Robyn wished she knew if she liked dancing. She wondered why David hadn’t mentioned it, especially as it appeared to be one of the highlights of the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Gayle folded the tea towel and hung it on a rack above the Aga. ‘Didn’t David mention it?’
Robyn shook her head.
‘Hmm.’
‘What’s hmm ?’ Robyn was always irritated by an answer like that, which wasn’t an answer but an unsaid thought. She preferred it if people just spoke what was on their minds.
‘Oh, nothing.’
‘Come on, Gayle, I know it’s not nothing .’ Robyn persisted.
Gayle studied her for a moment. ‘I think your David—’
‘He is not my David.’
‘All right, but it’s obvious he is fond of you. Now maybe there has already been someone special in your past …’
Maybe , thought Robyn. That was what she found disturbing. She didn’t know, and she guessed Gayle understood this. What if she still loved another and didn’t know it? What would happen if she started to fall in love, and then found out she still loved someone else? Worse still, what if she’d made a commitment? What if she was engaged?
Robyn didn’t want to think about that. Surely, if they were that special, she’d remember them?
Gayle eyed her. ‘Let me just say that if you were with someone else, and your relationship was that important, then why were you alone in that car at Christmas?’
Robyn took this in. Of course, she’d considered this. But there was something more; something that she hadn’t confided in Gayle. She hadn’t told her that she’d been pregnant at the time of the accident.
‘There – you see? It does make sense, doesn’t it?’
Robyn nodded, even though she knew things were a lot more complicated.
‘So, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t give David a chance – is there?’
Robyn sighed, wishing she’d confided in Gayle. But she hadn’t, and she really didn’t want to bring it up now. She felt quite tired, and just wanted to crawl into bed for a couple of hours. Before she went upstairs, she had a question. ‘How come you’re so keen to get me and David together?’
‘Oh, let’s just say I like to play matchmaker.’
‘Matchmaker.’ Robyn thought that was an absurd answer.
‘Oh, all right. I like you and I like David. and I think you would make a lovely couple. I’m a romantic at heart. I’d like to see my two new friends together. That’s all. Besides,’ Gayle smirked, ‘it’s kinda cute, a love story in the making, and I like to think I had some hand in making it happen.’
Robyn didn’t quite see how. It wasn’t like Gayle had introduced them.
Gayle raised her eyebrows. ‘You’re here – aren’t you? In this house, where David can still visit you?’
‘Ah.’ Robyn smiled. ‘I see what you’re up to. Like a modern-day fairy godmother?’
‘Hey, now we’re talking – and you’re Cinderella who lost her memory and …’
‘Slipper,’ Robyn corrected.
‘I know that.’ Gayle playfully slapped her arm. ‘And David’s your Prince Charming.’
‘David – my Prince Charming?’ Robyn raised her eyebrows at Gayle. ‘He’s not really a Prince Charming, is he?’
Gayle shook her head. ‘More like Prince Miserable, sometimes.’
‘That’s not fair. He has been through a lot, losing his career and—’ Robyn halted before she mentioned the slip on the gravel outside, and the walking stick she’d seen him using.
‘Ok – I’m only joking with you.’ Gayle put her hands on her hips, ‘Aren’t we the protective one?’
‘Of course not,’ Robyn said in a don’t-be-absurd tone of voice.
‘Hmm.’
Robyn turned around and headed for the hallway. She paused in the kitchen doorway. ‘How did we get on to this, anyway?’
‘Don’t ask me,’ Gayle threw back. ‘Ah, hold on. It started with you wanting a nap, then it got on to the dancing at Hogmanay. You were asking me why I thought David hadn’t mentioned it.’
‘And …?’
‘I guess he didn’t want to scare you off in case you thought it sounded like …’
‘Like what?’
‘A date, which it is. Obviously.’
Robyn thought they’d already established that it was a date. That didn’t explain why he hadn’t mentioned the dancing, though. Perhaps it was simply the case that he was worried it would put her off if she didn’t like to dance.
Gayle added, ‘And where there’s dancing, there’s almost always a slow dance, at some point, to wind things down.’ Gayle grinned. ‘However, when it comes to the ceilidh band, they often have the slow dance at the beginning.’
Robyn rolled her eyes. She decided it was probably that prospect that had put him off mentioning dancing or the band; he was probably worried that she might not be interested in a slow dance with him. In fact, the idea appealed to her very much. She avoided Gayle’s gaze, feeling embarrassed at the thought.
Robyn looked at the time by the clock on the kitchen wall. There was something she wanted to do before her evening out with David.
‘Gayle, after I’ve had a little nap, would there be time for you to drive me into town?’ she asked.
‘You don’t have to take anything with you to Hogmanay.’
‘Oh, I wasn’t thinking of that.’ Robyn felt guilty that it hadn’t even occurred to her. ‘I just wanted to visit the library.’
‘The public library?’ Gayle said in surprise. ‘What’s wrong with the library here?’
‘In the house?’
Gayle nodded.
‘You know very well,’ Robyn folded her arms. ‘It’s ok if self-help books are your thing.’
‘Well, they are,’ said Gayle.
‘I know that.’ There were also a lot of medical books, which Robyn wasn’t interested in either, although the thought did suddenly occur to her that there might be something worth reading about her memory loss.
‘So, what are you looking for in the public library?’
Robyn shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Just some news articles.’
‘About your accident?’
‘No, not mine – David’s.’
‘Why?’
‘I just wanted to look at old newspapers, to find out more about David’s past.’
‘But honey,’ Gayle threw her arms up in the air, in exasperation, ‘why don’t you just ask him? Date night is the perfect time to get to know one another better.’
Robyn still felt uncomfortable, Gayle using the word date , even though there was no escaping the fact that a date was what it was.
‘Well?’
Robyn looked at her shoes. ‘I get the feeling he doesn’t like to talk about his past.’
Gayle shook her head. ‘Well, don’t you two make a pair.’
Robyn looked up. ‘How do you mean?’
‘David won’t talk about his past and you can’t.’ Gayle let out a deep breath. ‘What do you guys talk about?’
It wasn’t what they talked about, but what they didn’t talk about that was bothering Robyn as she wandered up the stairs, Gayle’s words ringing in her ears. Although she could quite understand David not wanting to talk about his injury, which she now suspected was worse than he was letting on, she sensed that there was something else he was keeping from her.