Chapter 12
Mindful of Sam’s good counsel and not wanting to rock the boat further with Myriam, who could be mercurial when challenged, especially about her health, Lauren was determined to approach the subject of her mother’s working holiday as positively as she could.
That evening, having closed the café and performed the routine checks on the stock, she put one of her staple bakes, a Victoria sponge, into the oven, set the timer and then went to find her mum.
Myriam was still at work in her studio, and as Lauren mounted the stairs, she could hear quiet humming. That was a good sign and meant that work must be going well.
‘Hiya,’ she said brightly as she emerged into the attic. ‘How’s it all going?’
Myriam glanced behind her and gave Lauren a smile. ‘Well. Really well. In fact, I’m determined to finish this one before dinner. It’s a commission for the pub.’
‘Ooh, let’s see,’ Lauren approached her mother’s easel and squinted at the canvas, trying to take it in.
A panorama measuring eighteen by thirty-six inches, it was a few seconds before she realised what she was looking at.
The background was a combination of dark blue, with black and grey shades interspersed, and there were white and yellowish pinpricks dotted all over it across the canvas. ‘That’s a constellation map, isn’t it?’
Myriam nodded. ‘Paddy emailed me a couple of weeks ago, wondering if I could do a map of the night sky on the day he and Jen took over the pub. I told him I wasn’t sure how successful it would be, but it was a good challenge. I think it’s turned out all right, don’t you?’
‘I think it’s more than all right.’ Lauren gave her mum a careful kiss on the cheek – Myriam was splattered in paint and she didn’t want to spread it down to the rest of the house. ‘It looks beautiful.’
‘Well, you have to say that.’ But the smile on her face told Lauren her mother was pleased.
‘Where did you find the reference photo?’
‘I asked Lorelai Ashcombe if she had any leads – she asked her granddaughter-in-law, Charlotte, who did a search of the archives at the University of North West Wessex and bingo. The original black and white photos from the mid 1990s were a bit blurry, but Paddy was happy for me to create something a little more colourful, and, well, fanciful.’
‘It’s beautiful, Mum.’ The mixture of pride and envy that Lauren always felt when she saw her mother’s work was at full force now. She always felt as though she was duller in comparison to Myriam, especially at moments like this.
‘I hope they like it. Paddy wants to give it to Jen as a wedding anniversary present – it’s next week, so he’s going to pick it up the day before.’
‘I’m sure they will, Mum. It’s gorgeous.’ Lauren looked again at the canvas. The little details she’d missed the first time, such as the way her mother had added extra, tiny splashes of red and orange to the hearts of some of the constellations, stood out vividly on a second look.
‘So will you be able to give it to him when he calls round next week?’ Myriam continued.
‘Why can’t you do it?’ Lauren glanced back from the canvas to her mother.
‘I won’t be here. I’ll be off on the cruise by then.’
In all of the shock of discovering her mother was sailing away to new climes, Lauren had completely forgotten to ask when the trip actually was.
‘Oh, when do you head off?’ Lauren asked, trying to quiet the worry she could still feel bubbling under the surface.
‘Saturday.’ Myriam smiled.
‘But that’s only five days from now!’
Myriam at least had the good grace to look sheepish. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been chickening out of telling you for weeks.’
‘Oh, Mum!’ Lauren felt an oh-too-familiar sense of exasperation rising.
Her mother was in a far better place, physically and mentally, than she had been since the accident, but she still liked to play vague when it suited her.
And it had obviously worked for Myriam to keep this bombshell right until the last minute.
‘But don’t worry,’ Myriam added hurriedly, obviously having clocked the expression on Lauren’s face. ‘Gary is picking me up, so I won’t have to navigate any public transport by myself. He wanted to make this as easy and stress-free for me as possible.’
‘That’s a relief, at least.’
Lauren looked at the painting again, wishing she could just disappear into the stars her mother had rendered so beautifully on the canvas.
‘It’s going to be all right, darling.’ Myriam’s gentle voice broke into her reverie. ‘I know you’re worried, but I couldn’t be less worried, myself. I’m perfectly okay to do this, and if anything happens, I’m in safe hands.’
Lauren nodded. ‘I know.’ She started to pleat the hem of her baggy, striped jumper, for want of anything else to do with her hands. ‘I suppose, if I’m being honest, I’m a bit jealous.’
Myriam reached out and hugged her. ‘Your time will come, darling.’ She pulled back and looked her daughter in the eyes.
‘I never imagined a man, especially not someone as wonderful as Gary, would ever come and sweep me off my feet, take me away to such glorious places. But if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.’
Lauren shook her head. ‘It’s not that.’ She almost left it at that, fearing that what she was about to say next would make her sound like a spoiled child.
But she and her mother had only ever been honest with each other and now wasn’t the time to make an exception.
‘I suppose I’m jealous that you want to spend time with Gary and not me.
What if when you come back you don’t need me any more?
What if you decide that you want to go and live with him back in North Manchester? Where does that leave me and the café?’
‘Oh, you silly billy!’ Myriam’s expression turned from incredulity to sympathy in an instant.
‘As if I’d ever leave you and the café. Gary means a lot to me, Lauren, and who knows where this might lead?
But you are my daughter and I love you beyond anything else.
I’m not going to go gallivanting off back to Manchester just because Gary has asked me to go on a cruise with him.
I will always be here for you, my darling.
But, just like the café was your dream, the chance to see new places, paint them and, even more excitingly, teach other people how to paint, is something that I have wanted to do for such a long time.
You do understand that don’t you, Lauren? ’
‘Of course I do!’ Lauren reached out and hugged her mother tightly. ‘And I know I’m just being silly.’ She gave a slightly shaky laugh.
‘Darling, you really don’t need to worry.’ Myriam’s reassuring tone raised Lauren’s spirits as it always did. ‘And besides, I hear FaceTime even works on riverboat cruises. If you need a bit of a chat while I’m away, all you have to do is call.’
‘Unless you’re otherwise involved…’ Lauren teased playfully.
Myriam laughed. ‘Cheeky. And,’ she continued, ‘I’m sure if you get really stuck that gorgeous guy from the house on Willowmere Lake would be more than happy to give you a hand!’
‘What?’ Lauren’s face burned. ‘What do you know about him?’
‘Oh, nothing, darling. I just happened to pop down to the café the other day when he came in, and I saw you serving him. It’s not often we get new blood in the village, and he seemed very attractive. Perhaps you should get to know him better.’
‘As if, Mum! He’s got more than enough to do looking after those two boys of his. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it.’
‘I looked after you single-handed for more years than I could count,’ Myriam pointed out. ‘Just because he’s a man, it doesn’t make him less capable of looking after his own children, you know.’
Lauren shook her head. ‘That wasn’t what I meant.’
‘Wasn’t it?’
Lauren paused. Perhaps, on some level that was exactly what she meant.
Did she feel more admiration for Marc because he was male and looking after his two sons?
If he’d been a widow, would she have looked at him in the same way?
She was a little ashamed of herself. Perhaps she really was judging him by a double standard.
‘Anyway…’ Myriam interrupted Lauren’s thought process ‘…if you’re all done here, I could use your help in deciding what I’m going to take on this jolly working holiday. Do you have half an hour to help me sort out my wardrobe?’
‘Absolutely.’ Lauren grinned.
Myriam grinned back. ‘I know it’s not the done thing to admit, but I want to make sure I look fabulous, especially since I’m going with Gary. It’s about bloody time he got his act together. And if he doesn’t, I’m going to make sure that I give it my best shot to encourage him!’
‘Mum!’ Lauren clapped her hands over her ears. That was too much information. All the same, she was jealous that her mother was obviously far closer to starting a relationship that meant a lot to her than she was.
Lauren was surprised when her thoughts drifted back to Marc.
Maybe it wasn’t just admiration that made her keep thinking about him.
He was an attractive guy with that crazy mop of curly brown hair, his wiry, slightly too slim frame that would benefit from a few more slices of cake, and the gentle, patient manner he had with his boys, even when they must have been driving him absolutely bonkers.
If her mother could make plans with Gary, perhaps she ought to be a little braver with her own love life.
That didn’t necessarily have to be with Marc, but maybe she should get out there more, try to meet someone she could have a relationship with that didn’t just involve serving hot chocolate and cake.
While Myriam was away, she could broaden her own horizons a little, join an evening class or something?
Christ, how old am I? she thought. All the same, there had to be something she could do to get herself out of the rut she was in. Resolving to check the local social media pages for something new she could do, she hurried to help Myriam sort out the things she would need for her trip.