Chapter 40
The next day the air was scented with heavenly notes of star anise and ginger as the sisters worked in the kitchen.
It was Christmas Eve and they had divvied up a long list of tasks that needed to be done to prepare for Christmas dinner.
Lucy was stirring the glaze for the ham while Faith was making the cranberry sauce.
Even though it would only be the three of them at dinner this year, they wanted to make sure everything was perfect.
The sisters would keenly miss Elizabeth and Kyle’s presence at their table tomorrow and knew the day would be difficult, especially for Lucy.
‘Hey, earth to Faith,’ Lucy said, waving a tea towel in front of her sister’s face.
‘Oh, sorry,’ Faith said, coming out of her trance and placing the wooden spoon that she was using to stir the cranberries down on the counter.
‘That sauce is about to be incinerated if you don’t turn down the heat,’ Lucy warned, pointing at the pan bubbling on the hot plate.
‘Whoops,’ she replied, quickly removing the pot from the Aga.
‘Are you okay? You’re away with the fairies!’
Faith couldn’t help grinning. ‘I can’t stop thinking about Jack,’ she admitted.
She was on a high every time she thought of their magical evening.
Lightning bolts shot through her as she remembered their kiss.
Her skin still tingled from his touch. Time and distance had disappeared so it was as if they had never been apart, as their bodies instinctively remembered one another.
‘You’ve been in a dream world all day,’ Lucy teased.
‘Everything felt so right last night, it was so perfect. It was just like we were when we were teenagers,’ Faith gushed.
‘Well, you’re certainly acting like a lovesick teenager now,’ Lucy quipped.
Suddenly Faith was flooded with guilt at how tactless she was being.
She didn’t want to rub her happiness in her sister’s face.
Here she was savouring every moment of her kiss with Jack the night before, while her sister’s heart was in tatters.
‘Have you heard from Kyle?’ she asked, trying to be sensitive to what her sister was going through.
Lucy shook her head dejectedly. ‘Nothing. I think his silence tells me everything I need to know.’
‘I’m sorry, sis.’ Faith was full of sympathy. They both knew that if Kyle wanted to sort things out, he would have returned Lucy’s call by now. He’d had enough time.
Lucy sighed. ‘I’ve decided that I’m going to put him out of my head for the next few days and try and enjoy Christmas, then in January I’ll face the inevitable and tell him about the baby.’
Faith smiled sadly at her sister. ‘That sounds like a good plan. No matter what happens, you’re going to be okay.’ She rubbed her arm. ‘You’re a Brennan – we’re made of strong stuff.’
Lucy pursed her lips in an attempt at a smile and placed her hands on her stomach, where beneath her fingertips her baby was growing, blissfully unaware of all her worries. ‘I guess so.’ She attempted a smile.
‘Have you heard from Mum yet?’ Faith asked, changing the subject. ‘I wonder what time she’ll be here.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘I haven’t heard anything from her since she high-tailed it back to Dublin. I guess her new job is going well,’ she said sarcastically.
Faith checked the clock on the wall and saw it was lunchtime. She bit down anxiously on her bottom lip. ‘I thought she’d be here by now, to be honest. If she doesn’t come soon she could get caught in the snow that is forecast.’
Lucy shook her head in despair. ‘Knowing Mum, she’ll probably stay in the office as late as she can before making the journey to Inishbeg Cove,’ she said bitterly.
‘Well, once she’s here for Christmas Day and the three of us are together again, that’s all that matters to me.’