‘What do you say, Matty? Shall we all pile in together? I promise not to snore.’ Her smile came easier when he responded to her forced silliness with a giggle.
‘Charlie snores.’
‘Do not!’
‘Do too!’ Matty grunted and groaned and snuffled like a pig until Charlie started to laugh.
The ball of tension in Kiki’s stomach loosened a fraction more and she met Aaron’s eyes over the children’s heads. He winked, just the tiniest flicker of movement, and it filled her with renewed hope. She wasn’t on her own, it seemed to say. Maybe he had a speck of dust in there and she was reading too much into it, but she’d take it anyway.
He pointed over her shoulder. ‘The spare room’s the door behind you. Bathroom next to it. I’m at the other end of the landing. Do you need me to bring anything up for tonight?’
Thankfully, she’d had the foresight to put together a little overnight bag while she’d still believed herself in control of everything. ‘There should be a blue holdall somewhere. If you don’t mind?’
‘I know the one you mean. I’ll be right back.’ He started back down the stairs. ‘Just don’t blame me for the wallpaper.’
Kiki nudged open the bedroom door and set Charlie back on her feet to free her hands to find the light switch. The warm glow from an old-fashioned peach-coloured fringed lampshade filled the room with soft light. An honest-to-goodness four-poster bed with a carved headboard dominated the middle of the room. A matching dark-wood chest of drawers and wardrobe filled the spaces on either side and a smaller dressing table sat under the window.
Huge pink roses covered the faded wallpaper, making her smile at Aaron’s earlier remark. Matching curtains, including a frilly pelmet, framed the windows and lighter patches on the carpet showed where the furniture had been rearranged. It was definitely not a room designed for, or by, a man, but she found it altogether charming. Just how a country cottage bedroom should look.
Aaron tapped on the open door and peeked in. ‘I’ll leave your bag here. Have you got everything you need?’
She looked at the children who were already clambering onto the bed. ‘I think so.’
He tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. ‘I’m going downstairs to sort a few things out. Just shout if you need anything, otherwise I’ll see you in the morning.’
A lump formed in her throat. Thank you seemed a barely adequate response to his unwavering support today. Taking in a complete stranger and her two children didn’t seem to have fazed him in the slightest. Regardless of his casual assurances, they would be a huge disruption to his life, even if the children were as good and quiet as church mice. The bed behind her started to squeak and Charlie giggled in a way Kiki knew meant she was doing something naughty. Church mice, eh?
The corner of Aaron’s mouth quirked up. ‘I’ll leave you and the Butterfly Cove Formation Trampoline Team to it then. Night.’
Heat prickled the top of her chest and up her throat. ‘Thank you. Sorry. Night.’ She waited for Aaron to leave then closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. She’d made this new bed and they would all have to make the best of it. The future could wait until tomorrow. Sleep first, think later.
‘Right, I’m counting to three and by the time I finish there had better be two children ready to put on their pyjamas. One…’ The squeaking stopped, and Kiki swallowed her sigh of relief. Never mind all the things on her list she wasn’t sure about, being a good mother was the one thing she did know how to do.
Sharing a slightly sagging mattress with two wriggling little bodies might have been a far cry from the top-of-the-range orthopaedic king-size bed she shared with Neil, but Kiki couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well. She rolled her shoulders, aware only by its absence of the aching knot of tension that usually rode the top of her spine.
Tugging a powder-blue T-shirt on over her head, she scooped the mass of her hair out from the collar and began to weave it into a thick plait. Impractical it might be, with the ends trailing to the base of her spine, but she couldn’t bring herself to cut it. One of the few good memories she had of growing up was the hours her mother spent brushing and playing with her hair. The rhythmic strokes from the silver-backed brush had seemed to soothe Vivian, and Kiki had sat at her feet relishing the calm moments.
Appearance had been everything to Vivian, and when Mia proved too wilful to be moulded into a perfect little doll, it had fallen to Kiki to meet their mother’s expectations. Ribbons and frills, even lace-edged socks—she’d let Vivian style and dress her exactly as she wanted, desperate to be a good girl, to make her mummy happy and keep the smile on her face.
If the tears started, then the begging started, the insidious little whispers that put Kiki in the worst dilemma possible. Ignore them and Mummy would work herself up into a terrible state; obey them and Daddy would give her that look of disappointment and despair. He never told her off, never raised his voice; he just looked sad and that was somehow worse than anything.
Splashing and laughter from the bathroom next door dragged Kiki from the shadows of the past and she shook her head to dispel the last of them. Drawing back the delicate floral curtains, she let the blue skies and promised warmth they heralded soak into her.
Today would be a good day.
Another, bigger splash. Then, ‘Char-lie!’ and she hurried from the bedroom to see what devastation the children had wrought in the bathroom.
A soggy towel, now bundled up in the bathtub until she could find the washing machine, and a change of dress for her daughter had been the only casualties of the children’s bathroom antics. They sat next to each other at the round kitchen table, munching away at their Cornflakes. It was a day of miracles, apparently. The basic cereal would have caused mutiny at home, but neither had batted an eyelid when Aaron looked up from his own half-eaten bowl to offer the box to them.
Sipping a weak cup of coffee, Kiki tried to plan out the things she needed to do. Each item added to her mental list prompted two more until the squirmy feelings of panic were stirring in her belly. She glanced around the room, wondering where she’d left her bag the night before. A sharp sting from the raw skin on her lower lip reminded her chewing it was a bad habit she kept meaning to break.
‘Now’s your chance.’ Aaron’s three words from the previous evening echoed in her mind. If she was serious about making a new start then perhaps it was time to make another list. A private one, of things she wanted to change about herself, as well as goals to aim for. She needed to find her daybook and write them down.
‘Have you seen my bag?’
Aaron swallowed his final mouthful of cereal and frowned for a second. ‘On the sofa, maybe?’
She left the cosy kitchen and padded down the hall. The red tiles were cool under her bare feet and she added finding her slippers to her mental to-do list. Turning left, she entered the living room. The dark-leather three-piece suite looked out of place against the flowery walls and pale yellow carpet. A bit like Aaron himself, a huge masculine sprawl in the delicate, feminine cottage. A giant flat-screen TV hogged the space between the fireplace and the window and the sofa and chairs were orientated to face it.
Her bag nestled in one corner of the three-seater, in the exact spot she’d dropped it when they first arrived. She could hear Aaron’s low voice from the kitchen and the higher tones of the children as they chatted with him. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, she sat on the sofa. The supple leather gave beneath her, inviting her to sink deeper into its comfortable depths. Curling her legs underneath her, Kiki dug in her bag until she found her daybook and slid the pen out of the holder in the book’s spine.
She scribbled a quick list of the most important things to do that day—sorting out the children’s rooms, unpacking, food shopping for the next few days. Mia would be able to point her in the direction of a supermarket. There was bound to be a local paper she could pick up while she was there to see what jo
bs were available. She made a note of it on her list.
‘Mummy?’ Charlie called, and Kiki clicked her pen with a wry smile. The self-improvement list would have to wait until that evening once the children were asleep. She clicked the end of her pen again and scribbled ‘wine’ at the end of her impromptu shopping list. Neil didn’t approve of drinking during the week, and Kiki had always shied away from strong spirits, fearful whatever weakness Vivian carried might have been passed down to her. But sitting in the garden with a cold glass of white wine while she tried to map her future didn’t sound like the worst idea she’d ever had.
‘I’m coming, poppet.’
They piled out of the car at Butterfly House just as Madeline and Richard’s old estate pulled up behind them. Kiki found herself engulfed in a fragrant hug from Madeline while her husband reached over to pat Aaron on the shoulder before hunkering down before the children. They chattered a mile a minute, telling him all about the cottage and the sleepover in Mummy’s bed the night before. He had such an easy way with them, asking questions and listening closely to their responses.
Madeline disengaged from their embrace, but kept a loose arm looped around Kiki’s waist. ‘I think he was nearly as excited as them about today,’ she said with a fond smile.
Glancing up from his crouch, Richard sent them both a wink. ‘I’m looking forward to a beach football rematch.’
The children bounced around him like a couple of eager puppies, and Kiki knew when to surrender to the inevitable. ‘Half an hour on the beach, and then you must come inside. Matty, you have some reading to catch up on for school.’
Richard pushed to his feet. ‘If you give me his books, I’ll make sure it gets done.’ He held out his hand to Charlie. ‘And you can draw me a picture while Matty does his work, can’t you, Sweetpea?’ He shouldered the small rucksack Matty used for school and off they went down the garden.
‘Well, that’s the last you’ll see of them for the morning. I should have warned you Richard is a complete softy when it comes to little ones.’ There was something wistful in Madeline’s tone and Kiki noticed a sheen in her eyes. The two of them were such bright, vibrant characters, it would be easy to forget they must have seen their fair share of the ups and downs life brought to everyone.
Aaron rubbed his hands together. ‘Right, while he’s distracted by the children, I’m going to steal you away, Madeline, my love.’ He gave her an outrageous wink, chasing the sadness from her face in an instant.
She raised a hand to her throat, fanning her face and fluttering her eyelashes. ‘Are you going to whisk me away on a hot date, darling boy? How exciting!’
Before Kiki had time to ask where they were going, or when they might be back, she was standing alone on the driveway watching Madeline’s grubby old car rumble away. She glanced around; a flat-bed truck full of equipment and tools sat outside the open door of the barns, the noise of construction and men’s laughter ringing in the clear air. Richard and the children had vanished from sight down the steps leading to the beach, leaving her alone and feeling a little surplus to requirements. The back door to the house stood open so she turned towards it, hoping to find that her sister at least wanted her company.
The kitchen was empty. Bowls and mugs stacked on the draining rack beside the sink and a teapot in a bright-pink cosy sitting on a cork mat in the middle of the table were the only signs of recent occupation. Dumping her bag on one of the wooden chairs, she wandered into the hallway and rested her foot on the bottom of the stairs. ‘Hello? Mimi?’ she called out.
‘Kiki Dee? I’m in the beach room, darling!’ Mia had shown her the four guest rooms on the first floor the previous day, so she understood the reference and began to climb the stairs. Each one had been decorated according to a different theme—beach, forest, traditional country cottage, and a breathtaking master suite of rooms filled with bright silks and opulent furnishings they were calling the harem.
She paused on the threshold of the fresh, bright room and marvelled at her sister’s style and ingenuity. Mia had never shown much interest in interior design before moving to Butterfly House, but she’d put together four unique and beautiful spaces. Maybe Kiki should take up Aaron’s suggestion of reviving the vegetable patch. She would enjoy the research around what to plant and when as much as digging her hands into the soil. It would be the first thing she added to her self-improvement list that evening.
Mia was trying to wrestle a huge feather quilt into a taupe-and-gold-striped cover and Kiki hurried over to give her a hand. The colours captured the different shades of the sand on the beach to perfection. A gauzy white canopy floated over the bed, like gentle clouds against the pale-blue ceiling. Together they made short work of dressing the bed, piling a mountain of pillows and cushions against the white-pine headboard.
Mia stepped back to survey the completed bed with a critical eye, moved forwards to tweak a couple of cushions, then gave a small nod of satisfaction. It looked so comfortable and inviting, Kiki could have happily crawled between the sheets there and then. ‘Just the day bed and then it’s all finished in here.’ Mia pushed her spiky fringe off her forehead. ‘Thanks for your help. Now Daniel is so busy with the conversion, it’s a rush to get all the rooms ready in time.’
‘I’m happy to help any time you need it. Housework is one of the few things on my skills list.’ She hesitated, wondering if it was too cheeky to ask, but then ploughed on anyway. ‘I don’t suppose you’d be looking for a chambermaid?’
Chapter Ten
Madeline climbed out of her car and arched an eyebrow at the large green DIY store in front of them. ‘When you promised me a hot date, Aaron, I’d set my sights a bit higher than a trip around Homebase.’
He held out his arm for her, and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. ‘I’ll buy you a cappuccino and a slice of millionaire’s shortbread from the café when we’re done.’
She laughed. ‘You know the way to a lady’s heart, dearest. Now, what exactly are we doing here?’
The children had been good sports that morning when it came to choosing their rooms, but it hadn’t occurred to Aaron until he’d tried to see through their eyes how unsuitable the décor was for them. He hadn’t looked beyond the practicalities of enough rooms with beds when he’d offered them a place to stay. He couldn’t do much about the wallpaper, not in the next couple of hours at least, but he wanted to try and make it a bit more welcoming for them.
Unfortunately, he had no clue where to start. ‘I want to spruce up the rooms for Matty and Charlie, everything is a bit impersonal and old-fashioned. Something nice for them to come home to tonight.’
Madeline squeezed his arm. ‘You’re a good man, Aaron Spenser. Did anyone ever tell you that?’ He ducked his head to hide the sudden rush of colour to his cheeks. It wasn’t a big deal, just a few bits and pieces. Nothing more than any half-decent person would do.
She dropped his arm and stepped in front of him. A fierce glint shone in her blue eyes. ‘Bloody hell, no one has, have they?’
He scrubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the sudden knot of tension there. That was the trouble with Madeline—she saw too much. It was easy to get caught up in the funny, flirtatious façade and forget the razor-sharp mind that lurked behind her smile. ‘Dad’s great.’
Hoping that would put an end to it, he grabbed a trolley and tried to steer around her. Uncaring that they were blocking the entrance doors, she grasped the side of the trolley, leaving him no choice but to stop. ‘But not your mum?’
He wasn’t going to do this here. Not in front of a load of random strangers, maybe not even if they were somewhere more private. ‘Luke’s mum.’ Tugging the trolley free, he shoved his way through the automatic doors. His long stride carried him away from her and he entered the first aisle he came to. Trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart, he stared blindly at a collection of plumbing fittings and pipework. It was one thing to tell himself he’d let the past go an
d moved on; it was another thing to actually do it. He hadn’t stopped caring that Cathy kept herself distant from him; he’d just shoved it to one side and ignored it. The way he always did.
The soft squeak of Madeline’s deck shoes alerted him to her presence a moment before her soft touch on his arm. ‘I’m sorry, darling boy. Like Mia says, I’m a meddling old bag. I won’t say I didn’t mean to pry, but the last thing I want is to upset you. To upset any of you. You’re all so precious to us, it brings out the worst in me.’
Sincerity and concern shone through her words, chasing the anger and upset away. It was hard to be angry with someone for loving you. He covered her hand with his own. ‘You hit a nerve, Mads, and it was a lot rawer than I expected.’
‘I’ll leave it be then. But not for ever. I won’t have you hurting if there’s something that can be done about it.’
He sighed and lifted her hand to press a kiss into the centre of her palm. ‘I don’t think there’s anything to fix, and that’s the hardest part to deal with.’
Madeline studied him for a few moments more and he fought the need to flinch away from her uncompromising stare. He’d done nothing wrong, done everything he could to bridge the gulf between himself and Cathy, and yet the little boy inside still squirmed. His relationship with his stepmother was a failure, and Aaron liked to win. Top of the class, first pick for a sports team, outstanding work appraisals. His whole life felt driven by the need to prove his worth to the one person who would never acknowledge it.
After an interminable moment, Madeline shook her head and took charge of the trolley. ‘One of these days you’ll let me know what’s going on in that head of yours.’
‘It’s mostly filled with thoughts of rugby and cakes, Mads.’ He added an extra dose of Somerset burr to his voice.
She snorted. ‘Don’t think you’re fooling anyone with that country bumpkin act, my boy. Come on, let’s see what we can find to brighten those rooms up.’ Grateful for the reprieve, he let her lead the way.
Wedding Bells at Butterfly Cove Page 8
