Christmas at Butterfly Cove

by Sarah Bennett

  Cathy held up her hands in surrender. ‘All right, all right, darling, the last thing I want to do is fall out with you. I won’t say another word, and I’ll make sure Nee feels welcome into the family. I really do like her, you know.’ When she touched his arm, he was still so angry it was all he could do not to shake her off. She tightened her grip until he forced himself to meet her gaze. ‘If I’m wrong about this, Luke, then nothing would make me happier. And that’s my truth.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  As they made their way to the dining-room table, Nee found herself caught in a friendly, though persistent, pincer movement by Brian and Cathy, which resulted in her sitting between them and opposite Luke. Their sudden interest in her couldn’t be a coincidence, not after her conversation with Luke in the pantry earlier. She glanced from side to side then widened her eyes at him across the table, but he just flashed his dimples in response. That wide-eyed innocent look was fooling no one.

  Deciding to accept the olive branch, if that was indeed what this was, she turned slightly in her seat to angle her body towards Cathy. Time to make some small talk and see where it led. The table looked beautiful with red-and-white accents offset by the vivid green holly decorating the napkin set across her plate. Seizing on the décor as a suitably neutral topic, she gestured to the candles set in the centre of the table. ‘Doesn’t this look great?’

  ‘Your sister bought all the accessories, so it was an easy job, and I enjoyed the chance to do something,’ Cathy said, as she unfolded her napkin and smoothed it over her lap. She smiled at Nee, a look that held considerably more warmth than she had become used to from her. ‘I think Mia would spoil us all rotten given half the chance.’

  Nee nodded in agreement. ‘She’s always been that way, for as long as I can remember. Like a little mother hen fussing around us. I’m so used to it, I have to make a conscious effort to stop her from doing everything.’ Her gaze travelled to the end of the table where her sister had been pressed into her seat by Daniel to stop her from carrying armfuls of heavy plates and dishes from the kitchen. She saw Mia frown as an oven-proof dish full of roasted vegetables was placed in a position that was probably contrary to whatever mental layout she’d had in her mind, and looked away with a smile. Leaning closer, she lowered her voice to a confiding level. ‘Poor Mia, she might burst something if Daniel keeps fussing at her.’

  ‘I’m sure she’ll make her feelings known if he oversteps the mark. I doubt any of you have any problems expressing yourselves. I’ve seen Kiki handle Aaron well enough, and she’s not someone who strikes me as confrontational.’ Cathy took a sip from the water glass beside her plate, and there was something about her expression which made Nee wonder if Kiki might not have handled Cathy too. She might be the shiest of the three of them, but Kiki could be fierce when it came to defending what was hers. Her confrontation with the provost at their mother’s wake had proven that.

  Cathy tilted her head sideways, pinning Nee with a steady look. ‘If Mia’s the boss, and Kiki’s the mediator, what does that make you?’ There was no malice in the question; she could read only genuine interest in her eyes, but it struck to the heart of the problem. Who was she? With her sisters taking the burden of their parents’ failings upon themselves, she’d been free to fly, free to strike out in the world and follow her dreams. They’d filled her with confidence, a belief she could conquer whatever challenge she faced, and she’d been foolish enough to believe it. Everything had fallen easily for her, so running headlong into failure had left her utterly shattered.

  She knew they still believed in her, and that Luke, too, would encourage her to reach and grab for every opportunity, but she had no confidence in herself any more. Full of arrogance, she’d believed herself invincible, above risk or threat, not the easy, pathetic prey she’d turned out to be. The sounds of conversation, glasses clinking and cutlery against china faded into the background as she took a deep breath and whispered, ‘Lost. I’m lost.’

  Cathy’s hand moved to clasp hers tightly. ‘But not alone, dear. Try and hold on to that at least.’ After another quick squeeze, she released her fingers and turned her attention to Richard sitting on her other side. ‘Could you pass me the potatoes, please? They look heavenly and I’ve put on a loose pair of trousers especially for this feast.’

  With a casual brush of her hand, Nee knocked her napkin off her lap, giving herself the chance to duck under the table and retrieve it. Bloody hell! She had no idea what had possessed her to make that confession – and to Luke’s mum of all people! A flash of black and tan stripes caught her eye and the sight of Tigger trying to wriggle under the table was enough to ward off the rising panic. The puppy froze the instant he realised he’d been spotted. He tucked his face onto his front paws, tail wagging like a windscreen wiper on the highest setting.

  The tablecloth stirred beside her and she glanced sideways at Brian, who’d bent down beside her. ‘Everything all right?’ he asked quietly, and she nodded towards the dog with a grin. ‘Ah.’ Brian’s face disappeared, to be replaced a few seconds later with his hand, a sliver of turkey breast dangling from his fingers. Tigger shuffled forward until he perched directly under the juicy titbit and sniffed it warily. The meat dropped to the floor, and he pounced on it, tail a blur of happiness.

  Feeling a little more settled, Nee sat back up to find Luke frowning at her. ‘All right?’ he mouthed at her, and she nodded before accepting a plate laden with slices of roast meat from Brian. He tipped her a wink which she returned. Not alone. She grasped the promise like a lifeline.

  With everyone’s plates loaded, it was time for the crackers. Arms crossed in front of them like they were about to break into ‘Auld Land Syne’, they attempted to pull them all at once, with varying degrees of success. Nee ended up with two stub ends and no prize, while Luke whooped with delight over winning a miniature deck of cards and a pocket bottle opener.

  ‘If I didn’t win, that means I don’t have to wear a hat, right?’

  Nee’s question was met with hoots of derision as Daniel picked up a still-furled orange hat and flicked it across the table at her. A bright-pink paper crown already adorned his black cropped hair at a jaunty angle. ‘Get it on, you party pooper.’ A quick glance around showed she was the only one without a crown – even Maggie had one set delicately atop her perfectly set and styled hair. Laughing, Nee unwrapped the hat and put it on to a round of applause.

  ‘Can we eat now?’ Aaron’s plaintive appeal and hangdog expression made Kiki shake her head at him.

  ‘It’s been, what, an hour since you last ate?’

  He cast her a bashful smile. ‘Maybe ten minutes. I might have sampled a couple of sausages wrapped in bacon. Quality control and all that.’

  Kiki mock-sighed. ‘If you fed any to the dog, you’re staying up all night with him, not me!’ From the corner of her eye, Nee saw Brian duck his head as though fascinated with the food on his plate. She fixed her eyes on her own, knowing if she glanced his way for a second they’d give the game away. Lucky for them, Matty sent a spinning top he’d been trying to master flying off the tablecloth to land with a plop in the gravy boat. Silence reigned over the table for a long moment.

  ‘Nice shot.’

  Nee goggled. Of all the people to step in and rescue the boy, she’d never have expected it to be her dad, who’d always been a stickler for good manners at the table. Whatever scolding words might have been on Kiki’s tongue froze as she stared across the table at Nee, her jaw dropping open and the shock in her eyes reflecting Nee’s own. Giving Matty a quick glance which said she’d speak to him later, Kiki used a teaspoon to fish out the toy and place it on the saucer below the gravy boat. ‘Shall we eat?’ she asked. ‘Before all Mia’s hard work goes to waste?’

  Stuffed to the gunnels, and probably another mouthful past that, Nee was grateful to be on clear-up duty as it at least gave her the chance to stand up for a few minutes. Together with Maggie and Richard, she ferried the serving dishes and dirt
y plates from the dining room to the kitchen. Pausing to survey the mess, Maggie sighed at the scene of devastation before them. Taking an apron from the back of the door, she carefully hooked it around her neck, then straightened her shoulders with a look of determination on her face. ‘Right, I’ll sort out leftovers. Nee, do you want to scrape and stack, and Richard can rinse and load whatever will go in the dishwasher?’

  ‘Sounds good.’ Nee smiled her thanks when Richard handed her an apron, before taking a pink, frilly one for himself and putting it on. He placed the scraps bucket for the compost within easy reach for her and started collecting the cutlery – leaving her a large serving spoon to use. They worked in companionable silence, broken only by the soft strains of something classical coming from the radio. Ever-organised, Mia had left a stack of plastic boxes with snap-lock lids on the board next to the fridge for the leftovers, and they were soon full and stored in the fridge.

  ‘I call that a job well done,’ Richard said after rinsing the last plate, stacking it and turning the dishwasher on.

  Daniel appeared loaded with dessert bowls. He plonked them down with an apologetic smile. ‘A job half done, sorry. Aaron’s on his way with the glasses too.’

  ‘I knew it was too good to be true. The bowls can wait for the next load, but we’d better deal with the glasses.’ He snapped on a pair of rubber gloves. ‘Right then, Nee, my darling. I’ll wash and you dry. Deal?’

  ‘Deal.’

  ‘Is there something I can use to wipe down the boards, whilst you two do that?’ Maggie asked. Richard stepped to one side to give her room, and Nee retrieved some kitchen spray and a clean cloth from beneath the sink, and then they were off again. By the time Mia and Kiki walked in with the remains of a chocolate log and half a trifle they were done.

  ‘Oh, I can’t believe how great it looks in here. Thank you!’ Mia’s relief at not facing a mountain of tidying up was palpable.

  Nee stepped forward to take the dish from her hands. ‘I think we’ll just wrap this and put it in the fridge as is. Someone’s bound to want some more at teatime.’ She studied the fine lines bracketing her eldest sister’s eyes. ‘You look done-in. Why don’t you go and have a nap? We can sort out coffee if anyone wants one.’

  Mia’s mouth pursed in a look of stubborn determination, and she might have protested had Kiki not stepped in. ‘Go on. Dad’s eyes were drooping at the table. If you have a lie-down, then anyone else who wants one won’t feel so bad.’

  Knowing she was beaten, Mia raised her hands up in surrender. ‘I suppose you two are going to bully me until I agree?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  ‘Count on it.’

  Nee and Kiki spoke over each other, and they all laughed.

  With Mia dispatched upstairs, together with an ever-watchful Daniel, Nee and Kiki made their way to the front room. Maggie and Richard headed for the sitting room to watch the Queen’s speech after Kiki informed them Madeline and George were already in there. They walked into the big, family room to a clatter of plastic and Matty’s exasperated shout of his sister’s name. ‘I told you not to touch it!’ Red-faced and with angry tears glittering in his eyes, Matty scowled at the little girl, who promptly burst into noisy sobs.

  ‘Oh, God.’ Kiki dashed forward to scoop Charlie up, while Brian leaned over to speak in a low, soothing voice to Matty.

  ‘But she ruined it,’ Matty half-wailed.

  ‘I know, I know, but we can put it back together again. She just wanted to play.’ Brian lifted the boy and settled him on his lap. ‘Look, this section’s mostly intact. It’ll just take a few minutes to set things right again.’

  Charlie continued to cry like her heart was breaking, unintelligible words punctuating her sobs. Nee gestured to her harried-looking sister. ‘Let’s take her upstairs for a minute.’

  ‘Good idea.’ Kiki followed her back into the hallway. ‘Can you grab the holdall for me, and then check Matty’s okay? It’s so unlike him,’ she said over her shoulder to Aaron, who’d joined them.

  Retrieving a blue bag, Aaron handed it to Nee, then paused to stroke a finger down Charlie’s damp cheek. ‘He tried to tell you you were too little to play with the Meccano, didn’t he, poppet?’ The little girl buried her head in Kiki’s shoulder and wailed some more.

  Kiki raised her eyebrows at him over Charlie’s head. ‘And she wouldn’t be told, am I right?’

  ‘Yep. You know our girl, stubborn as a mule.’ After pressing a quick kiss to Kiki’s temple, Aaron returned to the front room, and Nee led the way upstairs to her room.

  Her sister waited until the door was shut behind them before setting Charlie down and kneeling in front of her. ‘Stop that, now.’ The firm tone was not one Nee had often heard from her usually gentle sister, but it did the trick. After a couple more indignant sniffles, her niece subsided into silence.

  ‘Good girl. Now then, did Matty ask you not to touch his Meccano?’

  Charlie ducked her head, muttering, ‘I wanted to play.’ Nee had to admire the little girl’s spirit. Worried she would ruin Kiki’s masterful handling of the situation with an ill-timed smile, she went into the bathroom to clean her teeth.

  By the time she returned, Kiki had Charlie out of her dress and into a cosy-looking onesie with an adorable set of bunny ears on the hood. ‘All better?’

  Kiki nodded. ‘I think so. Miss Charlie understands her brother is very good at sharing, but that he’s also allowed to keep some things just for himself, don’t you, darling?’ Charlie didn’t look entirely convinced, but she nodded in agreement.

  Nee bent down to pick up the discarded clothing, folded it up and put it in the holdall. Straightening up, she showed Charlie the DVD she’d found tucked inside the bag. ‘Why don’t we go downstairs and watch something nice on the telly?’

  ‘Elsa!’ All smiles in an instant, Charlie let Nee pick her up and they trooped back downstairs. As soon as they re-entered the front room, there was only one person on Charlie’s mind. ‘Aaron, Aaron!’ She held out her arms to him, straining to be let go. Nee put her down quickly before all the wriggling caused her to drop her, and the little girl dashed across the room to where Aaron and Luke sat side by side on the wide sofa.

  ‘Here’s my little bunny!’ He scooped her up and held her close so they could rub noses. ‘All right, now? No more fuss?’

  She shook her head, a solemn look on her face. ‘No fuss.’

  ‘Good girl. Have you said sorry to Matty for spoiling his robot?’ Biting her lip, she shook her head again.

  Matty crossed the room to plonk himself down next to them as soon as Luke shifted up to make a space for him. ‘It’s all right, silly bunny. I didn’t mean to shout.’

  ‘Sorry.’ She wiggled over to put one arm around her brother’s neck and a soft sigh of relief whispered around the adults in the room at disaster averted and the return of peace.

  ‘What’ve you got there?’ Luke nodded to Nee, and she held up the Frozen DVD with a grin.

  ‘I’ve never seen it, have you?’ Her excitement was met with a groan from both brothers, making her laugh. ‘I want some snow on Christmas Day, even if it’s only on-screen.’ The never-ending rain was still pouring down outside.

  Cathy glanced up from the huge crossword she’d found in one of the newspapers. ‘Oh, I haven’t seen it either. Put it on so I have an excuse to put this wretched thing down.’ She glared in disgust at the crossword, then held the paper out to Brian. ‘You’ll have to finish it off.’

  Her husband settled on the arm of the chair, put on a pair of dark-framed glasses and frowned at the puzzle. ‘That’s not how you spell ‘myrrh’, my love. Should be two r’s and one aitch.’ He jumped up again as she went to swat him with the paper and he snatched it off her with a laugh. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.’ Nee couldn’t stop her own laugh when Cathy stuck out her tongue at his retreating back.

  She set the DVD up, and joined Luke, who’d slid from the sofa to sprawl on the floor, settling herself between
his stretched-out legs, her back to his chest. The kids were snuggled into Aaron, eyes already glued on the screen, and Kiki climbed over her and Luke to join them on the sofa.

  Luke’s arms closed around her, tugging her closer still. ‘This is nice,’ he whispered in her ear, and she nodded. Content, a little drowsy, and surrounded by the warmth of her family, she rested her head on his shoulder and let the magic of Disney sweep her away to a magical land of ice and snow.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gritty-eyed, Luke studied the canopy above the bed in the room he’d designed for the woman beside him. The incessant rain pattered against the window, adding to the restless feelings which had been stirring in his gut since the conversation with his mum before lunch the previous day. He loved Nee, and she loved him – had told him, and shown him as much. So why wasn’t he curled around her in the warm cocoon of their bed and dreaming of their future?

  Because maybe his mum had a point.

  He’d convinced himself his intentions had been entirely honourable when he’d proposed they spend Christmas together. That he’d be helping heal the bonds between Nee and her family, as well as with him. Lying there, in the stillness of the dark, it was hard to hide the truth from himself. He’d hoped that by showing her how good life was with everyone they loved around them, she’d find it too difficult to walk away. Christ, he was a manipulative bastard.

  As though sensing his tension, Nee stirred and placed a hand on his arm. ‘What’s the matter?’

  Here was his chance to admit the truth and give her a choice. All he had to do was say the words, admit the dark truth behind his intentions, give her the honesty he’d demanded from her time and again. ‘Nothing. The rain woke me up, that’s all.’ A coward, and a bastard.

  ‘Bloody weather,’ she mumbled, already mostly asleep. ‘Snuggle down and forget about it.’ She curled her back into his side, nudging against his hip until he rolled and pulled her against him. ‘Mmm, better?’