Epilogue SAM
Epilogue
Sam
One year later
Stepping down off the train, Mia grips her bag more tightly and gets her bearings. Worcester station is predictably crowded for the week before Christmas.
‘Here, love, let me get that for you.’ Sam steps down beside her, scooping up her luggage and shooting her a smile.
Mia instantly returns it with one of her own, and Sam has to work for a moment to catch his breath.
When she smiles at him like that, it makes his stomach flip, and little tendrils of happiness dance their way up his spine. ‘Have you spotted your brother yet?’
‘No, not yet. But he promised to be here, and Molly wouldn’t let him back out on a promise.
’ Mia threads her hand through the crook of Sam’s elbow and smiles up at him, gaze straying to the newsboy cap he’s wearing.
Mia gave it to him on his birthday this summer, and Sam’s taken to wearing it more often than not, since it makes her so happy.
She says it gives him a jaunty air. If she likes it, he’s certainly not going to argue.
Sam gently tugs Mia along as he scans the crowd bustling past them for their ride.
‘Oh, did you remember the wine for Mum?’ Mia asks worriedly.
Sam bumps the messenger bag slung over his shoulder. ‘I tucked it in here for safe keeping. Right next to the signed Don Bradman jersey for your dad.’
‘They already love you, you know. You don’t need to butter them up with gifts,’ Mia teases him. Sam grins back at her and then turns slightly to shield Mia as a thick-necked man carrying a wide bag over his shoulder pushes by.
‘Mia! Sam! Over here!’
Mia turns towards Charlie’s voice, searching for her brother. ‘Oh, there he is!’ Sam and Mia navigate their way through the crowd of holiday revellers until they connect with Charlie and Molly.
‘It’s so good to see you!’
‘Merry Christmas!’
‘I love your jumper!’
‘You cut your hair!’
While the girls talk rapid fire, Charlie claps Sam on the back. ‘Glad you could make it again, Sam.’
‘Well, it wasn’t up to you this year,’ Mia pauses in her conversation with Molly to assure him. She smiles up at Sam, her expression softening. ‘There’s no way we were spending Christmas apart.’
‘No,’ Sam agrees, pulling Mia in close and dropping a kiss on the side of her head. ‘We’ve spent way too much time apart already.’
Mia smiles up at him, her eyes sparkling, and Sam feels something inside of him settle. It doesn’t seem like it will ever get old, this feeling of contentment he discovered when he and Mia finally worked things out.
‘How’s your mum doing?’ Mia asks Molly, and the two girls fall back into a boisterous conversation as the two couples head through the station and out to the car park. Charlie directs them to his car, and they load up, everyone still talking a mile a minute.
Halfway to Willowby Manor, Mia interrupts the conversation long enough to comment, ‘This is already so much better than my trip up here last year.’
‘Ah, but it’s a shame you didn’t get to hear how Trudy’s cats are doing,’ Sam says, with an insincere tone of despair. Mia snickers, and then leans in closer to Sam, pointing out little landmarks along their way.
Penny and Martin are waiting in the drive as they arrive, waving excitedly. Everyone tumbles out from the car, and Sam is immediately wrapped up in one of Martin’s bear hugs.
‘Welcome, welcome! So glad you’re here!’ Penny ushers them inside, taking their coats and hanging them on the coat rack, which has already been decked out in its festive glory.
‘Mum, everything looks so nice,’ Mia comments as she slips out of her shoes.
Sam fishes in the top of the suitcase and pulls out her slippers – the pair he had given her last week.
He knew as soon as he saw the goggly-eyed snails with their pink shells that they were perfect for Mia.
She slips them on with a delighted smile.
‘Dad, your tree is spectacular,’ Charlie observes.
They all move into the front room to admire it.
This year, Martin has covered it in sparkling white snowflakes, tiny furry-capped gnomes and pine cones galore.
The entire tree seems to have been dipped in snow as well, and the effect is stunning. A veritable winter wonderland.
‘Do you like it? I spent all year collecting the pine cones. And the tree is flocked – isn’t that unbelievable? I don’t know how they do it, but it looks just like real snow.’
‘Wait, is this tree … fake?’ Sam clutches his heart as Martin laughs.
‘Yes, it’s one of those artificial ones. Turns out Penny was right, and I should have listened to her years ago. We had this sucker up in about thirty minutes. So much easier.’
‘Compromise!’ Penny sing-songs.
‘It looks fantastic, Dad,’ Mia praises. ‘Your best one yet.’
‘Now you can head upstairs and get settled in – oh, not you two.’ Penny waves Sam and Mia back as Charlie and Molly head to the hall to retrieve their luggage.
‘I figured the newlyweds would want to be in the cottage. You’ll want your privacy, I imagine.
’ Penny waggles her eyebrows suggestively and Mia groans.
‘And don’t forget, the reception is Sunday evening. ’
‘How could we forget?’ Mia asks, with just a touch of attitude. ‘I’m cooking the entire menu.’
‘Well, that’s what you get for eloping and not including us in the wedding,’ Penny returns primly.
There’s a moment where Sam worries the two of them might actually start arguing, until Penny’s expression turns sunny once more.
‘Oh, I’m only teasing. I’m so thrilled for the two of you.
You know, last year I wasn’t quite sure what would come from all my efforts, but here we are!
And now that you’re here, we get to celebrate in style! Oh, let me see the ring!’
Mia extends her hand with a shy smile, and her parents crowd around, exclaiming excitedly. After a moment Martin lifts his head and gives Sam an approving smile. ‘Well done, son. You did a great job picking that out.’
‘Of course he did,’ Mia agrees, smiling up at him.
It took Sam months of hunting to find it, but eventually he discovered the perfect ring: a gorgeous, vintage oval alexandrite surrounded by a crown of sparkling diamonds.
As soon as he’d seen it, he knew it had been made for Mia.
‘Mum, we’ll just get settled in the cottage and then we’ll come back up and get to work.
I can make the biscuits to set out too.’ She and Penny swap looks, and Mia leans into Sam, a touch of sadness colouring her expression.
Two weeks after her one hundredth birthday, Aunt Gertie had finally passed away.
Sam hauls their luggage down to the cottage while Mia skips ahead, unlocking the door and stepping inside.
‘Oh, someone’s laid a fire already, how lovely. And they refinished all the woodwork – it looks so nice! Sam, will you just put the bags upstairs in the bedroom?’
‘Of course,’ he calls out, taking the steep stairs at the back of the kitchen with care. He’s just manoeuvred the mammoth suitcase into place on the trunk at the foot of the bed when Mia comes in behind him.
‘I’m going to go ahead and get changed,’ Mia says, unzipping the bag and rummaging through it.
Sam crosses over to the dresser and looks down at the gleaming surface. ‘Hey, what did you do with the note?’
‘It should be taped to the back of the frame,’ Mia replies absently as she slides off the clothes she wore on the train.
Sam lifts the picture frame from the dresser, smiling at the scene pictured there. ‘John really was a good-looking guy, wasn’t he?’
‘He would be so happy to hear you say that,’ Mia says, her voice muffled as she pulls her sweater over her head.
Turning the frame over, Sam removes the note that’s written on thick cream paper. He unfolds it and reads it again – wonder spreading over him just like it did the first time Mia showed him the note last year.
Hullo, Mia! (And Sam, if I’ve done my job correctly!)
If you’re finding this note, hopefully it means that you couldn’t find me (although we all know how terrible Mia is at finding misplaced things!).
And if you can’t find me, then maybe I’ve finally, finally passed over.
Because, let me assure you, you both mean too much to me to ghost you! (Mia, did I use that right?)
First of all, Sam, my deepest apologies for trying to drive you crazy.
If I had any access to money, I’d reimburse you for the speaker you ruined.
I hope I didn’t rattle you too terribly with the singing.
I will say, though, the bananas and the pens were Mia’s idea.
Be mad at her if you want. Oh! And your missing socks are on the top of the wardrobe in your room.
Mia, I can’t begin to tell you what it meant to me to have your company over the last week.
It’s been horribly lonely all these years, and I do feel like I missed out on many hilarious haunting opportunities during the decades I was stuck here.
After seeing how much fun it was to mess with Sam (again, Sam, so sorry about that) I realized how much enjoyment I eschewed by trying to be an ‘honourable ghost’ all those years.
Thanks for steering me in the right direction, Mia.
Sam, you had better take care of Mia, or I will send someone back from the other side to haunt you all over again.
Just kidding! I know you think the world of her.
I hope the two of you find so much joy and happiness together.
Sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye in person as it were, but I’m certain you’ll find this note, and the glasses I left by the picture your mum found.
Mia, they look better on you than they ever did on me.
Sam, you keep your paws off them! You don’t have the cheekbones to pull them off. But seriously, all my love.
Don’t ever take each other for granted.
JHH
Sam folds the note and replaces it in its pocket at the back of the frame, setting the picture back down on the dresser.
He can’t help the smile that creeps over his face as he looks at John grinning back at him from the picture.
Meddlesome though he might have been, Sam has to give the man a lot of credit.
‘Sam, will you zip me up?’ Mia comes up beside him, turning so her back is to him.
He tugs the zip up the smooth curve of her back, his thumbs brushing her soft skin.
He can’t stop himself from bending forward and placing a kiss at the base of her neck before he releases her.
Mia turns around and sets her travel jewellery case on the dresser. ‘Thank you.’
‘My pleasure,’ Sam says without hesitation. And he means it. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for the girl – his wife! – standing at his side. He’ll never get over the fact that Mia found the courage to let him back into her heart.
‘We can’t dawdle,’ Mia is saying. ‘Mum will start losing her mind. There’s too much to do, and you know how she gets.
’ She flips open the case and places the large hoops she was wearing inside.
Lifting her grandmother’s earrings from one of the compartments, she carefully fastens them in her ears. ‘How do I look?’
‘Amazing,’ Sam says. ‘Incredible. Spectacularly wonderful.’
Mia giggles. ‘You and your words.’ She slides her arms around his neck and goes up on tiptoe, smiling at Sam. ‘I love you, Sam.’
‘And I love you, Mia,’ Sam replies. ‘I always will.’
Mia lifts up a little higher to kiss him and Sam’s eyes slide closed. He soaks up this moment rich with the gift of Mia’s love.
Hand in hand, they head downstairs and out of the cottage. On the path up to the main house, Mia says, ‘I miss Aunt Gertie. It seems weird not to have her here, toddling about.’
‘Well, you promised to make her biscuits,’ Sam reassures her.
‘That would have made her very happy.’ He looks up at the towering house and smiles.
‘And something tells me that Aunt Gertie hasn’t gone far.
As she always said, this house is too old not to be haunted, and I’d bet Aunt Gertie has whipped all the other ghosts into shape. ’
Mia snuggles into his side as they head towards the house. ‘I bet you’re right.’