“I thought we had a—” Her reprimand died on her lips when she saw the large bouquet Jane had in her arms. “What the hell?” She took them from Jane and walked through to the kitchen. “Where did these come from?”
“Delivery van. There’s a card attached.” Jane followed her and flipped the switch on the kettle. “It’s weird though; the card is addressed to Lizzie K.”
A thrill of excitement shot down her spine and made her legs wobble. Her nimble fingers plucked the card out of the arrangement of yellow, orange, white, red, and peach hybrid roses. Billy. She was the one person she’d sent something to and signed her name that way.
The centre of her being vibrated at the thought of the tall, raven-haired woman who’d walked in her dreams since the last night of La traviata.
She felt Jane’s body heat behind her as she slid a nail under the seal of the small envelope. “Hey, it’s addressed to me. If I want to share the contents I will.”
Like a little hamster corralling its food, she wrapped her right arm over her head to create some privacy and held the card close to her body, hiding it from Jane’s prying eyes. The message inside was professional, but at Billy’s last words about them working together she once again became over-heated and lowered her arm to fan her face.
“Oh, and I know exactly how I’d like us to work together!”
Chapter Eight
For the remainder of her stay, Billy split her time between her family and Claret. Within a couple of days of receiving the call from Vanessa about the holiday, the film score was complete, and had been sent by email to the producer for his final approval—which came the next day. He was ecstatic with what she’d done and couldn’t wait to hear what it sounded like when they recorded it with the orchestra.
Natalia’s planned shopping trip took two days. Of course, that was Billy’s fault. Instead of them hitting the stores first thing in the morning, she’d insisted Claret was to be taken care of beforehand. By the time she’d returned from the stables and changed, it was nearly noon. Even though she hated to shop and would rather have ordered things from the internet, she now had everything needed for her cruise.
With each day of her vacation that passed, she confronted the demon of her grief. She spent a lot of time in her mother or aunt’s arms as she cried the tears of loss, remembering all the fun times and adventures she and Katie had shared over their thirty-three years of friendship. She knew that with time the hole in her heart would close, and things would become easier…but never be better. There would always be a void.
On her last morning, she packed her car, ready for the return journey to Vanessa’s. She’d be leaving the next day for her cruise, and some of the functions on-board required her to dress in formalwear. All her best suits were back in London.
Her brother, sister, and their children were the only ones absent from seeing her off. Even though it had hurt, she’d asked Tim and Natalia to keep them away. She’d have been a blubbering mess if she’d seen them and had to say goodbye, and it would’ve made driving safely impossible. It was going to be hard as it was with her parents and aunt.
She carried her Rowland to the car and laid it on the backseat. Behind her, Diane stood watching with tears in her eyes. She’d done nothing but dole out motherly advice all morning and fretted about her going abroad once again. “Mum, stop fussing. I’ll be fine! It’s not the first time I’ve travelled and it’s not like I’m going to a warzone or a country where homosexuality is illegal. Besides, I’ll video call every other day so you can see I’m okay.”
Sarah bumped Billy’s hip. “It’s a mother’s prerogative to worry about her children. Let her fuss; she’ll calm down when you’re halfway through your trip.”
When everything was stowed, her parents and aunt gathered in the driveway to see her off. Kisses and hugs were exchanged and a few tears were shed. As she got into the car, Sarah passed her a gift-wrapped package.
“I saw this and thought it would look good on you. Hurry back, Jolly. We’re going to miss you.” She bent down and clutched Billy to her chest then released her. “Don’t open it until you’re back in London. I don’t want to shed any more tears today, and I know you’ll turn me into a complete wreck.”
Billy chuckled and laid the package on the seat next to her. “I promise.” She put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Once on the road, she wound her window down. “You might want to check the bottom of my wardrobe and one of the drawers in the bureau. I’ve left you a little something!”
When the three of them took a step toward the car, she rammed it into gear and tore off, beeping the horn and waving her arm out of the window. If they’d found their presents while I was there, they’d have refused to take them. It’s easier this way. They can yell at me over the phone and not in person. By the time I return they’ll have chilled out and forgotten about it.
As she drove through the village and past the church, she glanced to her right and saw Katie’s cream headstone in the graveyard. She made a snap decision and pulled a fast U-turn then parked in front of the cemetery. I can’t leave and not say goodbye.
She made her way through the headstones and took a seat in front of Katie’s. “Hey, Kate, I’m going to be out of town for a while and wanted to stop in and talk to you one last time.” The image of her friend rolling her eyes and shaking her head filled her mind. “No, I’m not working…well, perhaps a little work, but I’m actually going on holiday. I’ll be on a ship for ten days, then in New York for a further two weeks—that’s where the work part comes in.” She cleared some fallen leaves from the top of her friend’s resting place. “I promise to come back and tell you all about it. I’m sure Aunt Sarah will share the details with you after I’ve called her.” Her shoulders fell forward and she took a deep breath. “I’m a bit scared. The cruise Vanessa’s booked me on is specifically for LGBTQ people, and I think Mum and Aunt Sarah are expecting me to fall in love in ten days and come home with a girlfriend.” She rose onto her knees, then to her feet, and patted the top of the stone. “Oh well, they’re going to be disappointed. They know my view on love. I won’t give my heart to someone I can’t trust.” Billy kissed two of her fingers and placed them on Katie’s chiselled name. “I know—I’m too picky. I promise I’ll come and tell you all about it when I get home.”
Her thoughts went to the small wrapped box on the passenger seat of her car. “I need to head off. I love you and miss you. Please watch over the parents and the family for me.”
Once back in the car, she put the precious package in her rucksack. I wonder why I’ve got to wait to open it.
But wait she did.
Three hours later, she arrived at her destination and pulled her car onto the driveway at Vanessa’s. Her phone was flashing like a homing beacon because every time her aunt or parents’ numbers came up she ignored it, knowing they wanted to bend her ear about the presents she’d left.
She steeled her nerves and took a deep breath, then blew it out forcefully. Better get it over with. Billy picked her phone up and dialled Aunt Sarah’s number first. Her aunt’s bellowing voice belted from the phone as soon as she picked up. Billy winced and held the phone away from her ear.
“But…I thought…we needed to…” Each attempt she made to cut into the conversation was thwarted by her aunt’s insistent ranting. “Okay, knock it off! I get it, I’m naughty and you’re going to get your own back. I understand!”
“I can’t believe you did this. I don’t know how to work these things…you know me and technology don’t get on! I love the simple things in life. I can send and receive emails, and I know how to search for things online. But the things you mentioned in your note are foreign to me.” Sarah paused in her admonishment.
“Take the new laptop to mum and ask her to show you how to use Skype. I bought it so we can keep in contact more often.” Billy rubbed her forehead. She shut her eyes and rested her head back against the headrest. “Please accept it. Tell me you love me and you
’re going to miss me.”
“Did you open my gift?”
Billy took the package wrapped in silver paper that had a white bow lovingly tied around it. “Not yet.” She tugged the bow and the lace-like material fell away. The tape was another thing, and she fought with the layers of it. “Blimey! How much tape did you use? This is more secure than Fort Knox!”
She tore aside the last of the paper and blinked. A beautiful burgundy jeweller’s box sat in her lap. Billy snapped the lid open and gasped in shock. Lying inside, on beautiful black velvet, was a chunky white gold bracelet. Hanging from it and glinting in the light were a small collection of charms. An anchor, a cross, a heart, a treble clef, and finally, a small angel with her wings tucked against her back. The detailing on each small feather was flawless.
Her hand covered her mouth and tears filled her eyes. “Oh, thank you. It’s amazing, and I’ll cherish it always.” One small tear slipped down her cheek. She gushed over the bracelet some more and wiped her eyes. “I need to call Mum and Dad, as they’ve been leaving messages and are probably going to chew my other ear off. I love you, and I promise to call you once I’m settled in my room on the ship.”
“Okay, I love you, too. And…thank you for your gift.”
Using the heel of her palms, she rubbed her eyes, and then slumped down in her seat as she pressed the quick-dial button for her parents’ number.
“Belinda Maria Christian! What the hell have you done?”
Billy took a deep breath and shook her head. “Say thank you and enjoy! I know you and Dad have always wanted to try the VIP membership at the golf club, so I took care of it, as you wouldn’t indulge yourselves. You’re both covered for five years.”
There was silence on the other end of the line, and then she heard a soft sigh from her mother.
“Oh, love, I didn’t want to stress you out, but this is such an extravagant gift. We’re both over the moon, and your father hasn’t stopped dancing a jig in the garden since we found them.”
“You both deserve that and more. Please, Mum, enjoy, and let me in on your guest pass the next time I’m home.”
“You’ve got it!”
She smiled at the excitement in her mother’s voice. “Good. I’m at Vanessa’s, so I should head inside. I want to go over everything she’s arranged for my holiday. I’ll call you in a couple of days. I love you.”
After her mother’s goodbye, she ended the call.
The front door opened and Vanessa stepped out to greet her. “Bill! I’ve missed you!” She squealed and ran to Billy as she got out of the car and engulfed her in her arms. “You look amazing. I think your break has done you a world of good.”
“It has.” Billy stepped out of her hug. “Let me get my stuff.”
With that, Ashleigh and Harley came out of the house.
“They’ll get it for you.”
Billy chuckled as both children bowed their heads and walked obediently to the back of the car.
“Okay, what did they do or break now?” She retrieved her backpack and keyboard from the car and carried it inside the house. The living room was dark despite the bright daylight outside. She wondered why until she saw a sheet of plywood over the window above the couch. Orange, pink, and blue streaks of paint on the walls added a slightly Jackson Pollock vibe. The colours extended to the furniture and the cream carpet that had only been down three months. Her mouth fell open. “What the holy hell happened in here?” She gazed around the room to take in the carnage. The backpack strap slid from her shoulder and her bag fell to the carpeted floor with a dull thud.
“Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum out there got hold of their father’s old paintball guns and decided to try them out. Steve is as much to blame as they are as he can’t remember if he emptied the cartridge of balls before he packed them up! He’s also being punished and is at the hardware store buying new paint. Tomorrow he’s taking me shopping for a new sofa and carpet.” Vanessa’s hands landed against her hips when she saw the expression on Billy’s face. “Don’t you dare laugh!” She pointed a menacing finger in her face.
With a step back from her irate friend, Billy raised her hands in surrender, but her lips still trembled with the effort of holding in her laughter. “I’m sorry.” But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop a small giggle. “Why does all this shit only ever happen to you?”
“It’s because I’ve got an irresponsible husband who’s going through a mid-life crisis, acting like a teenager, and two actual teenagers who egg each other on to do stupid things! But this is the last straw.”
It wasn’t like her friend to lose her cool. Vanessa was normally level-headed—she had to be in the business she was in. But even she had her limits.
“However,” Vanessa continued, “I did manage to pull a really big guilt trip on Steve. He’s paid for us to go to a spa resort for the afternoon. By the time you get on the coach tomorrow, you’ll be bronzed, buffed, and waxed. Ready for your trip… and anything else that might occur on board.” She added a wink and wiggled her eyebrows.
Billy lost the fight with her sense of humour and leaned forward to release the most cathartic roar of laughter. “Oh, God, what the hell is with you?”
Vanessa stood and shrugged her shoulders. “What?”
Billy shook her head and picked her backpack up. Unable to look at her friend, she followed Ashleigh and Harley up to the spare room Vanessa and Steve let her use. Poor Steve, he’s going to be working his arse off for about three weeks to get the living room back to normal. God help him if he screws up! It’ll cost him more than a spa session to get out of it.
The thought of the pampering session caused her to groan. Her muscles twitched at the thought of a deep tissue massage. It’s going to be heaven.
Chapter Nine
Billy pulled the white t-shirt over her head and slipped her bronzed arms in. The spa had been exactly what she needed, and as Vanessa had promised, she was completely ready for her holiday. The excitement in the pit of her stomach felt like a kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering around.
Inside the door of her bedroom at Vanessa’s stood her bags. Her rucksack, a suitcase, her briefcase, her Rowland keyboard, and her new camera bag were waiting to be taken downstairs out to the car.
The Canon EOS 5D Mark III was a special gift to herself; she’d bought it while on one of the shopping expeditions she’d done with her family. The store she’d gotten it from was closing down and she’d stumbled into a room filled with half-price lenses and came away with quite an assortment. Now, she couldn’t wait to record some memories.
Her briefcase held the digital recordings and sheet music for the Service of Remembrance. Everything had to be perfectly timed, and after she returned from the States, she needed to meet with the Director of Music for the Coldstream Guards, Major Simon Walsh, to go over the final order and timings.
Instead of driving to Southampton to board the ship, there was a shuttle coach leaving from Victoria Station that would take passengers there. It would take a couple of hours to get there, which would give her time to relax and listen to the music for the service.
The house was alive with movement, as the children had school and Vanessa and Steve had to go to work. Before she went into the office, Vanessa was going to drop her at the coach.
A loud crash and Vanessa’s scream from downstairs made her jump and clutch her chest. What the hell was that? She jumped down the steps two at a time and sprinted into the kitchen. Vanessa had her mobile pressed to one ear, a tea towel in her left hand, and the large platter Steve had served the toast and eggs on lay in a hundred pieces at her feet. “Ness? What’s going on?”
Steve appeared with a dust pan and brush in his hand and knelt in front of his wife. “I’m not sure. She dropped this, disconnected her call, then screamed and pumped her fist in the air and waved the towel around like it was a pom-pom. Then she called someone else. Your guess is as good as mine.”
“While she’s dealing with,” she
pointed at the phone, “whatever that is, I’m going to put my things in the car.”
She took her time loading her bags into the large silver Volkswagen Tiguan. If the call was important, she didn’t want to be a fly on the wall and hear something she shouldn’t.
She slammed the boot shut after she’d dragged out as much time as she could. A second maniacal squeal issued from the house. She’s obviously off the phone now. When she jogged back inside, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but the sight of Vanessa and Steve dancing around the kitchen table shocked her.
“What the hell?” When they stopped and turned their attention to her, she put her hands on her hips. “What was the squeal about? I thought something was wrong!” She scrubbed her face with her cupped hands and sat down on a nearby stool. “Why are you dancing a Polka?”
Vanessa emitted another squeal. She released her husband and jumped onto Billy’s lap. She kissed her cheeks and squished her into a bear hug. “I’m so happy. That was the call I’ve been expecting for three months.”
Although Vanessa only stood at five-foot-four, she was incredibly strong. She slid from Billy’s lap and pulled her to her feet, where she set them both in motion, spinning her through the living room, then back into the kitchen.
Billy wore a silly grin when she stumbled back to sit down. She basked in Vanessa’s euphoria and observed her dance skills while her friend pranced about like a prima ballerina.
After three minutes of watching her go around, and around, and around, Billy grasped her shoulders and pushed her against the wall to make her stand still. “You’re making me dizzy and driving me mad!” She bent at the knees to look into Vanessa’s eyes. “What’s going on?”
Vanessa shuffled from one foot to the other. Her hands came up and framed Billy’s face. “It was the chairman of the committee responsible for The Proms.”
Billy put her fingers around Vanessa’s wrists and forced them down. “What did they want to talk to you about?”
Composing Love Page 8
