17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
T he door opened and Willow found herself wrapped in Glenn’s muscular arms before she could speak.
‘Happy New Year. You made it!’ he said, releasing her. ‘No Nate?’
She shook her head, shrugging off her coat to add to the pile gathered on the newel post.
‘Amber said he’d gone, but I still hoped the reason you weren’t answering your phone was you were busy with him.’
‘I was busy ignoring everything. Have you seen the papers? I’ve been lying low.’
‘Easily done in this weather. Thank God that fog has lifted. Never seen it so thick or consistent. Not even in the cities. The older locals were calling it a pea-souper. Amber was convinced they would cancel the fireworks and beach party.’
Willow kept quiet. The intensity of the obscurity spell and its effectiveness impressed her. Only the most intrepid shopper battled down Black Cat Alley. New Year’s Eve was the first day opening after Christmas and usually busy with customers wanting a spell or a candle to enhance their willpower for their resolutions or tea to bring positive change. Today it dwindled to a handful. While she welcomed the low footfall for her own sanity, guilt about her neighbouring traders made her counteract the enchantment. Thank the Goddess she had; she’d forgotten about the beach party, a highlight for Amber and friends. By the time she left the Emporium, the mist had receded and only remained over her building and the entrance to the yard. It knew how to protect itself.
Mellow music from the lounge, where people of all ages mingled, clashed with the deep bass vibrating upstairs. Furniture was pushed back against the wall to give room for dancing, but many huddled in groups chatting. The house absorbed the joyous atmosphere and memories to help make it a home. She faked a smile, longing to be curled up in Nate’s jumper watching movies hidden from any threat, but she’d promised Glenn she would come. She refused to let him down. This party signalled an important milestone for Glenn. He wanted to step away from the grief which held him back for so long and celebrate with his friends new and old. He was unrecognisable from the heartbroken, alcoholic man she first met when he was spiralling into despair. Now his relationship with Amber was strong, his new gardening business was thriving, and he was no longer a loner. Louise would have been proud.
Two teenagers nodded at Glenn as they slid past, taking cans of beer upstairs. Giggles drifted down, followed by a rush of clomping footsteps as Amber descended.
‘Hi Wills. You okay?’ Amber asked as she gave her a brief hug. ‘It’s good to see you—alone.’
Glenn flinched at her rudeness, but his rebuke remained unsaid with the arrival of a squabble of teenagers. ‘I’ll see you later, Dad.’
Before his lecture on safety and rules began, Amber reached up to put a finger to his lips.
‘I know, Dad. I’ll stay safe. Jack will bring me home, won’t you?’ A tall teenager nodded. Amber looked up and grinned. ‘Mistletoe. Time to kiss Willow, Dad.’
To the sound of catcalling, Willow leant up and kissed a stunned Glenn on the cheek, satisfying the mob. With a quick hug, Amber and her friends waved goodbye and jostled each other down the path.
Willow sidestepped more sprigs of mistletoe hanging in the lounge’s threshold to avoid any more unwanted encounters, particularly from Glenn’s lecherous neighbour. Amber had gone overboard. She nodded greetings to people she recognised as she scanned the room, clasping the silver perfume bottle she wore round her neck. Containing a couple of drops of Amber’s potion, it was enough to ground her and keep the panic at bay. She was safe. Rafe was not there. Not that she expected him to be. Always a keen student, Amber, with her own demons to hide from, protected the house with charms and magic. Willow hoped she was right to have faith in her apprentice’s abilities, and they were powerful enough to keep him away.
‘I guess Amber wasn’t a fan of Nate’s then. I thought she liked him.’ Willow accepted the beer Glenn offered and welcomed the bitter taste despite the unease of drinking alcohol while Glenn sipped his Coke. The guilt was her problem; he was determined to show he could be around alcohol without succumbing to its power.
‘It was a shock seeing him there. No warning. Just bam! We arrive at your doorstep and there’s a man draped round you whispering sweet nothings in your ear. I don’t think she ever thought about you and other people before, so the green-eyed monster showed up. She’ll get over it—I liked him. It was good to see you happy and relaxed.’
‘She won’t have to get over anything. He’s gone home. It was nothing. A fling,’ she said.
‘It didn’t look like a fling. Anyway, from what he was saying, he travels up the country often, so it doesn’t have to be just anything. I think— Oh!’ It took a while for him to acknowledge her body language and reluctance to expand on her feelings.
‘Yes, oh. I don’t want to talk about it. There is only an hour left of this year and I intend to leave this year behind and start afresh with no regrets.’
‘No regrets? Is that because you regret sleeping with him or dumping him?’
‘Glenn, you’re my friend and I love you dearly, but leave it. I don’t wish to talk about my love life with you.’
‘That’s a shame, because I was hoping to discuss mine. Get a female perspective kind of thing, but if it’s a no-go topic, I’ll shut up.’
‘You will not.’ She dragged him outside into the garden strewn with fairy lights. The house was too noisy for a conversation like this. ‘Tell me more.’
‘I was thinking of going on a date.’
‘That’s great. Unexpected but great. Who with?’
‘No one in particular, but I was thinking one of those dating apps. Know anything about them? I need tips.’
‘No!’ Willow spluttered, choking on her beer. ‘But Rosa’s the queen of them. She’ll be happy to teach you all you need to know.’
‘And maybe teach you? If Nate is out of the picture,’ Glenn responded. ‘It was seeing you happy that gave me the idea. Maybe it’s time.’
‘Maybe it is.’ Knowing Louise and reading her diaries, she knew her friend never wanted him to be alone if something had happened to her. Their love was unique, and no one could replace her, but Glenn deserved another chance at love.
‘What do you think Amber will think? We’ve only just built a relationship. I don’t want to rock the boat.’
‘You saw how she was with Nate and are worried she’d react the same? It might take her a while to get used to the idea, but she knows you love Louise. She won’t be here forever. She goes to uni next year. I think it’s a wonderful idea. You need a life too. It’s time to make new choices, have new adventures.’
A hush descended in the house. The countdown to the end of the year began.
Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
Cheers erupted inside and fireworks exploded in the distance, brightening up the sky with green and red sparkles of light. They clunked drinks together.
‘Happy New Year,’ Willow said in unison with Glenn. Their eyes connected and time paused. The close space between them filled with tension. Was he going to kiss her? Her mind contemplated what it would feel like if he did. How would it compare with Nate? Much to her relief, Glenn stepped back, and she didn’t have to know.
***
Amber ran across the beach, her boots thumping on the compacted sand, dragging Jack with her. She laughed as he stumbled over a rock. She swooped it up and held it up in the light of the blazing bonfire, revealing a fossilised sea creature. ‘A St Hilda’s snake stone,’ she murmured.
‘Do you really need another one?’ Jack asked.
‘Nope.’ But she slid it into her pocket, anyway, smiling as she felt its reassuring weight. No one was ever too old for fossils. They reminded her of her mum and their shared excitement as they went fossil hunting. The original collection they once gathered had disappeared years ago, but Amber’s one grew with every beach walk.
The pair joined the throng of people keeping warm by the fire. Jack slid his arms round her, and she leant back on his chest, watching the flames dance before her. Laughter and cheer seemed to fill the beach as someone switched on some music, causing some to break away to dance. A girl bundled up in a hat and scarf gave Amber a drink—’Mulled cider’—before the crowd swallowed her.
‘You don’t have to drink it,’ murmured Jack against her hair.
‘It’s fine,’ she replied, welcoming the cup’s heat in her hands. She took a sip. Despite it being two years since her dad’s last drink, the association between alcohol and loss of control was strong. She feared she’d slip into an addiction like him, but as she saw the crowd’s joviality, she wanted to be like them. Just for once, it was New Year after all. The warmth tingled her mouth, the taste and intoxicating smell of apple and cinnamon hit the spot. She continued to drink.
‘I think Dad wants to date.’
‘What makes you think that?’ Jack pulled her closer.
‘I caught him looking at dating sites on his laptop. He hastily closed it when he saw me, looking sheepish. I stopped myself saying something.’
‘So, how do you feel?’
‘I don’t know. When I first saw it, I was relieved it wasn’t porn like Angie found on her dad’s laptop but then I could feel myself getting angry. I hated it. Like he was replacing Mum. Me and him work now. I want nothing to change but …’ She gazed at the sea, watching the tide flow in and out. ‘Things are changing. We’re off to uni next year. Dad will be on his own. I don’t want him to be lonely, be sad, or think too much. If he met someone like Willow, it could work.’
‘Well, that explains all the mistletoe dripping from every doorway at yours. I thought it was for my benefit. Not that I need an excuse to kiss you.’
Amber turned to kiss him. ‘But it worked, didn’t it? They’re perfect together; they both enjoy the garden, they’re best friends and they know each other’s pasts. And all about me.’
‘It was a peck on the cheek. Not even a tentative kiss on the lips, Ambs.’
‘Okay, it wasn’t a sizzling passion-filled snog, but it’s a start. It’ll plant a seed. I just need to make sure it has the chance to grow.’
‘What about Nate? Willow seemed pretty happy with him in the photos you showed me.’
‘No. He’s hiding something, I know it. Anyway, he is out of the picture. Crawled back under his rock in London. Willow needs someone like my dad.’ The party mood intensified around them and the countdown began.
Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
A chorus of happy New Year rippled through the crowd along with hugs, slaps on the back and passionate embraces as fireworks exploded above. Colourful stars lit up the sky overlooked by the illuminated Abbey. A tingle of anticipation formed in Amber’s belly. With the promise of uni, Jack, and her dad and Willow getting together, this would be the best year ever.