Chapter 48
CHAPTER 48
Beau was in the sitting room, lighting the log burner, hoping Tamar would soon come down from looking after Niamh. When she finally did, she was wearing a big woolly jumper over her dress and thick socks on her feet.
He’d never seen a woman look more beautiful.
‘Is she OK?’ he asked.
‘I think so,’ said Tamar. ‘I thought I’d better sit with her a while, in case she was sick, like Rey said, but she seems to be settled now. She’s fast asleep. I’ll go up again in ten minutes and check on her.’
‘Meanwhile, let’s get comfy,’ said Beau. ‘I’ve lit the fire and opened a bottle.’
With the log burner roaring, his head back against the sofa and Tamar next to him, Beau realised that for the first time in ages, he felt completely contented. All the appalling things that had happened over the past months were still floating around in his head – now with the latest weirdness of Charlie and his mum added to it – but in this scenario, with Tamar at his side, he felt he could handle it.
For a moment he let himself just enjoy that feeling. The light flickering from the flames, the squashy sofa – and her. And then he just couldn’t hold it any longer. He leaned forward to put his glass down on the coffee table and turned towards her.
‘There is another reason I’ve been celibate all this time,’ he said, taking one of her hands and stroking it, looking down at their joined fingers for a moment and then up at her. ‘I don’t want to be with anyone else. I only want to be with you, Tamar. I’m so in love with you.’
Tamar put her glass down and moved towards him, putting her arms tenderly around him and pulling him close. ‘Oh, Beau,’ she said, running her hand over his head – he was glad he’d lost the wig to Olive’s melon. And then she put her lips on his and they kissed, for a long time, falling back onto the sofa and surrendering to it. When they pulled apart, they stayed lying where they were, their hands entwined, gazing into each other’s eyes.
‘My mum’s going to kill me,’ said Beau.
‘Why?’
‘She made me promise I wouldn’t make a move on you, right at the start, when I first met you.’
‘She did? Why?’
‘She said you’d been through a lot, and you didn’t need to be harassed by a love bandit like me. And she was right, because I was a total arsehole then – but it’s been very good for me, because the more I got to know you as a person, as a friend, the more I understood I wanted to be with you – and I do mean be with you, not just... you know...’
Tamar laughed. ‘What you did with Niamh?’
‘Touché,’ said Beau. ‘That was the old me. I’m over that. What I really need is to properly be with someone. You.’
And she kissed him again.
Despite Rey’s best efforts – he tried to get a Demolition Disco going, with everyone taking a turn to choose a track to dance to – the energy was a bit flat after Charlie got back. And it didn’t help that Olive didn’t have a smart speaker and he had to play the music on his phone.
‘I really don’t mind if you all want to piss off,’ said Olive, after they’d had pudding. ‘It’s been a bit of a weird one.’
‘Let me quickly text Beau for an update,’ said Sophie and her phone soon pinged with his reply. ‘He says: Niamh is fine, asleep in bed – on her side, thank you Rey . Tamar is keeping an eye on her and we’re not to worry.’ She smiled at the group. ‘He adds: Keep on raving, party people .’
‘I tried,’ said Rey. ‘And we still haven’t played “Get Lucky”...’
‘I love you all,’ said Agata. ‘But I think I would like to go home now. Charlie, would you kindly take me?’
‘I’ll help you clear up, Olive,’ said Cicely, as they left.
‘I’ll help too,’ said Sophie, ‘but listen, as this has been a bit truncated, and you and Charlie are staying here, Cicely, why don’t you all come for brunch at our place tomorrow? I’ve got enough bacon and sausages in my freezer for an army. I’ll text you all in the morning, just to confirm everything’s cool with Niamh.’
Working as a team, it didn’t take long do the clearing up and Sophie was soon putting on her wrap, ready for the short walk home.
‘It’s funny Charlie’s not back yet,’ said Cicely, kissing her goodbye. ‘But I’m going to head up to bed.’
‘He’s probably having a brandy with Ags,’ said Olive. ‘She doesn’t sleep much. Spends most nights on the chair in her sitting room, dozing, as far as I can tell.’
‘See you all in the morning,’ said Sophie and headed out.
Beau had left the kitchen lights on, so she went in to turn them off – and got a shock. Charlie was sitting on one of the stools at the island.
‘Oh!’ said Sophie. ‘Hi...’
‘I hope I didn’t frighten you,’ he said, standing up. ‘A strange man lurking in your kitchen, but if you will leave your front door key under a plant pot...’
He came over to her, putting his arms round her, pulling her close. ‘I dropped Ags off and came here to wait for you.’
And then he kissed her. Sophie felt herself melt away. Nothing mattered except her and Charlie and the moment. When she opened her eyes again, it took her a beat to register where she was.
In the pink kitchen. Which finally felt like hers.