Driving Home for Christmas

by Emma Hannigan

  Darkness had fallen, along with a soft blanket of snow. ‘Paddy! How are we going to get home?’

  ‘G’day!’ Scott had appeared from nowhere. ‘How was the dancing?’

  ‘Wondrous,’ Holly said. ‘Enchanting.’

  His jeep would cope easily with the snow on the way back to Huntersbrook House.

  ‘It turns out Joey’s been discharged,’ Scott said. ‘He called Huntersbrook and Sadie spoke to him.’

  ‘Oh, shoot!’ Holly said. ‘We had our phones off for the performance. He must’ve been trying to call.’

  ‘Sadie told him where you were, and we’re going to pick him up now,’ Scott said.

  ‘Perfect,’ Paddy said. ‘You can give me a hand helping him into the jeep, Scott.’

  By the time they reached the hospital Joey was dressed and waiting for them in a wheelchair.

  ‘Hi, love,’ Holly said, rushing to him and grabbing his bag. ‘Have you packed everything?’

  ‘It’s cool, Mum,’ he said. ‘The nurses did it for me. I’m more than ready to get the hell out of here.’ Scott and Joey chatted as Paddy pushed the wheelchair and Holly led the way, clucking and chatting away

  When they were in the jeep, Paddy announced that he was starving. They’d had snacks at the theatre but nothing that Paddy would consider proper food.

  ‘Would you like something, Joey? Or do you not eat takeaways any more?’ Holly asked.

  ‘Ooh, it’s ages since I’ve had a Chinese. It borders on illegal in Sophia’s books,’ he quipped. ‘I’m going to have the unhealthiest option of all – sweet and sour chicken balls with fried rice, please.’

  ‘Coming right up!’ Holly said. It must have been hard on Joey to split up with his girlfriend so close to Christmas, but she couldn’t help thinking it had been the right move.

  Paddy ran into the Chinese restaurant while Holly, Joey and Scott waited in the warmth of the jeep.

  ‘Sadie has the fire lit so the house will be warm when you get home,’ Scott assured them.

  ‘I can’t wait to have a proper night’s sleep away from the noise of the hospital,’ Joey said. ‘The staff were amazing and they do their best, but it’s like sleeping in a railway station.’

  ‘Hopefully you’ll start to feel more like your old self after a couple of days at home,’ Holly said.

  ‘I might ask you to run me up to Dublin to the apartment tomorrow, Scott,’ Joey said. ‘I need to make sure the gas is turned off and that kind of thing.’

  ‘Sure, mate. Just give me a holler and we’ll go any time.’

  ‘Has Sophia moved out?’ Holly asked.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Joey said. ‘That’s the other reason I want to stick my head around the door.’

  ‘Haven’t you heard from her, then?’ Holly asked.

  ‘Not a dickie bird,’ Joey said.

  ‘Silly cow,’ Scott said. ‘I’ll never get the way sheilas think. Sorry, Holly, you’re a great girl, but in general women are a bloody mystery to me.’

  Joey burst out laughing and for once Holly was silenced.

  ‘Here we are,’ Paddy said, as he hauled himself back into the jeep with the bags of food.

  ‘There’s a sight for sore eyes,’ Joey said a short time later as they pulled up at Huntersbrook House.

  ‘The twinkling lights and familiarity of home are always a good combination,’ Holly said, smiling. ‘Let’s get you inside and we’ll see if the fire is still going.’

  When they went into the living room, they saw that Sadie had banked up the grate before she’d left. A flickering tangerine glow lit and warmed the space.

  Holly grabbed plates and cutlery as Paddy opened the foil containers. Scott fetched bottles of beer for the men and a glass of white wine for Holly.

  ‘Cheers,’ Holly said with a smile. ‘Welcome home, Joey love. You’ll be right as rain again soon.’

  ‘Cheers!’ he said. ‘It’s great to be here, even though I can barely move.’

  ‘Is it very frustrating?’ Paddy asked, as they helped themselves to the food.

  ‘I’m so doped up with painkillers that I haven’t been as fed up as I might have been,’ Joey said. ‘And there’s nothing wrong with my appetite. I’m not going to spend the next couple of months getting fat, but once in a while there’s nothing wrong with a good feed like this.’

  ‘Speaking of which,’ Holly said, as she delved into the chicken in black bean sauce, ‘we need to work out what food we’ll need to tide us over the Christmas break.’

  ‘Well, the turkey, ham and spiced beef are being delivered by local farmers tomorrow and on Christmas Eve. All that remains is the general grocery shop,’ Paddy reminded her.

  ‘I wouldn’t mind getting that out of the way tomorrow,’ Holly mused. ‘The girls will be here on Christmas Eve with their guests and I want to be around then.’

  ‘We’ll go first thing in the morning,’ Paddy promised.

  As they chatted, the snow continued to fall.

  ‘I hope everyone makes it home for Christmas,’ Holly said worriedly, as she went to the window to look out.

  ‘They will,’ Paddy assured her. ‘When has this house ever been quiet at Christmas?’

  He was right. Huntersbrook House was the place to be at Christmas time.

  Later Holly perched on the edge of the stool at her dressing-table. ‘What are we going to do, Paddy?’ She hadn’t wanted to raise the subject, but she couldn’t put it off any longer.

  ‘I don’t know, love. I’ve tried everything. None of the farmers are looking for extra land right now and the estate agents say nobody is buying it. The main problem in Wicklow, though, is that it’s nearly impossible to get planning permission.’

  ‘Unless we can think of some drastic way to raise some money we’ll have to put Huntersbrook on the market in the new year,’ Holly said. She had been praying for a miracle to dig them out of the debt that was swamping them. But now she was being forced to realise that Huntersbrook would have to be sold.

  The wonderful day they’d shared, walking hand in hand down Grafton Street, followed by the magic of the ballet, seemed like a bittersweet dream. She wanted to curl into a ball and hide from the world.

  26

  Blue Christmas

  Dear Maggie

  I’m worried about you. You didn’t respond to my last email, which is very unlike you. I tried phoning that number you gave me when you left at first, but it doesn’t seem to connect. Please send me a quick line or two to let me know you’re okay.

  Your faithful friend,

  Sadie

  As he lay back against his pillows Joey wondered how he’d reached such a low point in his life. He was delighted to be home but he missed Sophia. She was difficult, certainly, and his family had no time for her, but he’d really thought she loved him. It was an awful kick in the teeth to realise she could toss him aside so easily.

  He was looking forward to seeing Pippa and Lainey and spending Christmas here at Huntersbrook but he couldn’t shake the sadness he felt at losing Sophia. She hadn’t so much as texted him since she’d stormed out of the hospital. Today was the day they had been due to fly out to the Canaries. Looking at his watch he figured she’d be boarding the plane to Lanzarote around now. He’d stupidly thought she might call him before she left. When his mobile phone pinged with a text his heart leaped. He glanced at the screen and was disappointed to see it was from Clive.

  He threw the phone onto the bedside table without reading the message and tried to get comfortable. It was lovely to have a soft duvet rather than the scratchy hospital blankets, and the Wicklow silence engulfed him as he fell into a deep sleep.

  The following morning the smell of bacon wafting from the kitchen woke him. As he struggled into the wheelchair, which was beside his bed, and made his way to the door, he cursed. Wheeling with one arm meant he did a lot of circling. It was exhausting.

  His hair was already growing back where he’d been shaved for the stitches on his head but the plas
tered arm and leg, with the impressive black eye, made him look pretty scary.

  ‘Oh, sweet Jesus, you have been in the wars,’ Sadie said, blessing herself. ‘How are you feeling today, pet?’

  ‘I’ve been better, Sadie, but it’s good to be home,’ he said.

  ‘Will I take you somewhere?’ she asked.

  ‘Not unless you want to accompany me to the toilet.’

  ‘I’ll leave you to it and see you for your breakfast,’ she said, scuttling back to the safety of the kitchen.

  By the time he’d had a makeshift shower in the small downstairs bathroom and dressed himself, he was starving.

  ‘Good morning!’ Holly greeted him. ‘Just in time.’ She banged a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of him.

  ‘Thanks, Mum,’ he said. ‘It’s so good to be home. I can’t imagine a time when I’ll be too old to enjoy Huntersbrook. We’re so lucky to have it.’

  ‘Yes, indeed …’

  Once breakfast was over Joey was wrecked again. Everything he did was tiring. It was beyond annoying. ‘I’m such a useless git but I need to go and lie down again.’

  ‘You just take it easy,’ Holly fussed. ‘It’ll take time and patience to get yourself back on track, Joey.’

  As he lay in the living room, studying the tree and its decorations, he admitted to himself that he’d been living on a knife edge for some time now. Sophia wasn’t easy to be around. He knew he probably had tons of quirks and habits that bothered her but now he was away from her he felt as if he’d let go of a breath he’d been holding for ages. He hadn’t been allowed to bring friends home after training because she cycled on her turbo-trainer in the living room. Burgers were as bad as heroin. And there was the constant questioning: how many kilometres had he cycled that day? How fast had he swum in his trials? There was no time for relaxing or, he suddenly realised, having fun. Sophia was always in competition mode.

  ‘Dad and I are off to the supermarket,’ Holly said, appearing in the living room. ‘Scott has just arrived to take you to the flat now if you’re up to it.’

  ‘Great. Catch you later, Mum.’ The sooner he got this out of the way the better. At least Scott was a bloke and wouldn’t be asking him how he felt every five seconds, like his mother or one of his sisters. He’d go in, grab some stuff and get the hell out of there.

  Scott helped him into the jeep and they zoomed back towards the city centre.

  ‘Are you single?’ Joey asked him.

  ‘Yup. Had a girl back home but she couldn’t decide whether or not she loved me so I made the decision for her,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘I told her if she needed to think about it that deeply she couldn’t care.’

  ‘Right,’ Joey said, impressed. ‘No regrets?’

  ‘Nah, mate. I reckon I’m better off on my own than with someone who sees me as a conundrum.’

  Joey laughed. Scott had a point.

  As Scott rolled him into the apartment, Joey could hardly believe his eyes. ‘She’s stripped the place bare!’

  ‘It’s looking pretty minimalist, all right,’ Scott said, wandering into the bedroom. ‘Did you have a mattress in here?’

  ‘She’s taken my pans,’ Joey shouted from the kitchen. ‘She doesn’t even cook!’

  ‘Lucky escape, mate. Better to pay in bedclothes and stuff and know where you stand, eh?’

  At Joey’s direction, Scott stuffed clothes and a few other things into a bag.

  ‘Let’s get the hell out of here,’ Joey said, sighing deeply.

  ‘You’ll be good, mate,’ Scott said, putting his hand on Joey’s shoulder for a moment. ‘You’ve got the best family back at Huntersbrook. That’s what really matters. Anything or anyone else you pick up on the way is a bonus. But you’ve got some decent folk in your life.’

  Scott flung the bag over his shoulder and pushed Joey to the lift. By the time they were back in the car and driving towards Huntersbrook Joey felt a lot happier. Scott was right. He had so much to be thankful for. Sophia was welcome to all that stuff. No matter what she’d stolen, none of it would make her happy until she took a long, hard look at herself. He wasn’t going to let her spoil his Christmas.

  27

  Have Yourself a Merry

  Little Christmas

  Even though she knew there was going to be a positive outcome from their meeting, Pippa’s heart was pounding as she knocked on Briana’s door.

  ‘Pippa, come on in,’ Briana said, looking hassled. ‘Sorry it’s so busy. I’ve been in the office less than an hour and I already want to go home. Please tell me you’re here to cheer me up.’

  ‘I hope so!’ Pippa said. ‘I’d like to think we could do some great business together.’

  ‘Judging by the look on your face, you’re as excited about this as I am.’

  They arranged for a couple of the floor staff to help move the framed pictures from Pippa’s car, and Briana paid for them as promised. ‘I just love these,’ she said, as she stacked them in her office. ‘You have a great eye, Pippa, and I reckon this is the start of a very lucrative career for you.’

  ‘I sincerely hope so,’ Pippa said. Not only could she return Lainey’s money but, more than that, she felt in control. ‘Once I can see the key pieces from each collection and get a feel for the look and vibe each designer is aiming for I can start sketching.’

  ‘We can give you an office here or you can work in your own space.’

  ‘If I use my own space the money would need to reflect that,’ Pippa said. Her heart was thumping and she felt rather ill, but Joey had insisted she charge for her services properly.

  ‘If you don’t demand respect from the word go you’re on the slippery slope,’ he’d explained. ‘Don’t be a pushover.’

  Briana didn’t seem fazed by what she’d said and agreed they’d have the contract drawn up and ready for approval straight after the Christmas break.

  With the cash in her hand for the sketches, Pippa found it incredibly difficult to walk directly to her car and drive away without treating herself to a little something. A couple of months ago she’d have blown the whole lot on an evening dress or gorgeous pair of boots.

  Hesitating for a moment, she remembered the ads she’d seen on television advertising the latest must-have high-end lip glosses. They came in several shades, but there was a special Christmas one with a shimmer through it. An invisible force attempted to drag her towards the escalator and the beauty hall section. She could buy one for Mum and Lainey. She reckoned Sadie had never owned anything like that either. She’d appreciate it if Pippa bought her one, surely.

  She went as far as the counter. The huddle of excited shoppers spurred her on. They were all chatting animatedly about what a wonderful product the lip gloss was.

  ‘It’s our best seller ever,’ the über-glamorous woman behind the counter was saying.

  ‘I’ll take one of each colour,’ a girl around Pippa’s own age said, and pulled her wallet out of her Jimmy Choo handbag.

  ‘Next, please,’ another assistant called. Her and Pippa’s eyes met. ‘Yes? Can I help you?’ she asked.

  ‘I’d like some of the lip gloss, please,’ Pippa said firmly.

  ‘Sure, how many would you like? They come in five colours. Of course, the pièce de résistance is this one.’ She held out a sampler of Christmas Bauble. ‘It’s the most divine red and contains real gold, providing a flattering and wonderful glow to the complexion,’ she parroted.

  ‘I’ll have two of those and three others,’ Pippa said, her voice shaky. ‘This one, this one and that one.’ She pointed to her chosen colours.

  ‘Would you like me to gift-wrap them for you?’ the woman asked.

  ‘That’d be super,’ Pippa said, feeling the familiar buzz that shopping gave her.

  ‘I’ll bind them in the cream and black House of Fashion logo paper, and would you like our traditional black ribbon or red for Christmas?’

  ‘I can’t decide,’ Pippa said, getting flustered. ‘Maybe
some in red and some in black.’

  ‘Perfect! I’ll just take for those before I start wrapping. That’ll be one hundred and seventy-five euro, please, madam.’

  ‘Pardon?’ Pippa said, as terror shot down her spine. ‘How much?’

  ‘One hundred and seventy five euro,’ the woman said, without blinking. ‘They’re thirty-five euro each, madam.’

  The Pippa of old would have justified the cost by thinking all sorts of things. It’s Christmas, it’s designer, it’s worth it, I’m worth it, we’re all worth it … But the money she’d just earned and the pit she’d just dug herself out of had awoken in her the voice of reason.

  ‘I’m terribly sorry to mess you about,’ she said, with her heart thumping, ‘but I didn’t realise they were so dear. I can’t actually afford them.’

  ‘No problem,’ the woman said politely. ‘Would you like to take just one Christmas Bauble?’

  Although she really, really wanted it, Pippa knew she didn’t need it. She’d bought bright red lipstick in Duty Free on the way back from New York. ‘I’d better not,’ she said regretfully. As she walked away from the counter, stood on the escalator and headed towards her car, Pippa felt something she wasn’t used to. She realised it was pride.

  Smiling, she got into the car and started the engine. As well as the makeup adverts on television, she’d also seen one by a large supermarket chain. They had all sorts of offers on gifts. She knew the rule was to keep the presents small this year at home, but she still wanted to bring something fun.

  A few minutes later she drove into the car park, grabbed a trolley and skipped inside the shop. Fair enough, the experience didn’t match that of the House of Fashion – there were no assistants offering her squirts of expensive fragrances – but the music was certainly seasonal and her shopping wasn’t going to cost her an arm and a leg.

  She started the present-buying in the chocolate aisle. Selection boxes were practically free, so she tossed fifteen into her trolley. Then she made for the bathroom essentials area, thinking that hand cream or shower gel might go down well. Perhaps it was the contrast with the beauty counter, but none of the bottles looked great and they weren’t that cheap either, so she stuck to the kiddie theme. To go with the selection boxes, she picked out her favourite family games: Twister, Buckaroo, Scrabble, Monopoly, Jenga, Operation, Ker-plunk and Guess Who? Two of each would cover everyone, including any extra visitors.