Dark Mirrors
Page 30
“I see I’m not the only guest,” Maloney noted, looking towards Julie.
“I know,” Esmée beamed. “She’s great! And Mum loves her! Come on, I’ll get you some food!” Leading him to the table, she offered him the spare seat opposite Julie before heading back to the smoking barbeque.
“You really need to sort that out,” Fin warned her from beside Tom.
“God, I know,” Esmée shrugged, filling a plate for him. “He’s a good guy, but . . .”
“But what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We’ll see . . .”
“Have you kissed him yet?” Tom asked devilishly.
“No!” Esmée said quietly, looking over her shoulder to make sure he hadn’t heard.
“And why not?” he asked, and she replied with a look that warned ‘don’t push it!’
“Leave her be!” Fin retorted, digging him in the ribs with her elbow, only to repeat his question: “So, why not?” Then she and Tom broke into immature sniggers.
Grinning, Esmée grabbed a slightly incinerated burger, turned and walked away, her head held high.
The remainder of the afternoon came and went. Esmée sat and observed the characters around her, enjoying the mood and relishing the smiles. She had done the right thing, of that she was sure, and that is what made all of this possible. From behind she felt a hand squeeze tight on her shoulder.
“All right?” she asked as Fin threw herself into the empty chair.
“Jesus, I’m wrecked!” Fin moaned, kicking off her shoes. “And my hair stinks of smoke. It’s hard work, this barbeque lark!”
“Thanks for helping out today – you two played a blinder!” Esmée responded while stroking her young son’s hair as he snuggled into her lap, fast asleep.
“Anything for you, m’dear!”
“For me or for him?” Esmée grinned, nodding towards Tom who was munching away on the last of the prawns.
“Whatever!” Fin responded with a smirk. “He’s all right, is your brother!”
“You’re not so bad yourself!” Esmée said.
A blushing Fin swatted the compliment away with her hand. “Ah, stop now!”
“No, seriously, Fin, thanks for everything these last months – you’ve been so good to me.”
“You don’t need to thank me! I’ve only done what any friend would do. You’d have done the same for me.”
“Yeah, except you wouldn’t have been so thick as to end up in my situation!”
“Ah, for God’s sake, Esmée, cut yourself some slack! You weren’t to know. And you’ve done an incredible job, you know that, don’t you?”
Esmée shrugged, but had to admit as she surveyed the scene in front of her that she’d done all right.
“Couldn’t have done it without you,” she replied gracefully.
Fin reached across, took hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She didn’t let go, but held onto it and they sat in silence letting the conversations around them filter in and out.
“Look at that,” Fin said after a while, nodding towards the centre of the garden where Amy sat cross-legged on the blanket while Beth brushed her hair and was introduced to each of her twelve almost identical Barbie dolls.
“She doesn’t know herself,” Esmée mused, smiling affectionately at her chattering daughter. “She thinks Beth is just hers.”
She sat and contemplated the two girls, Fin’s hand still covering her own, and whispered, more to herself, than anyone else: “From darkness comes light.”