‘And I think that Iris and William were made for each other.’ I was thrilled that something beautiful had grown from Reggie’s passing.
‘Piffle!’
‘Not piffle! What’s more, I reckon there’ll be wedding bells before spring is over.’
Ruby sat forward, her pale liver-spotted hands gripping onto the arms of the chair. ‘Do you really think so, Callie?’
‘I’m pretty certain of it. Reggie’s death was a shock to us all and a reminder to grasp every moment as you never know when there’ll be no moments left to grasp.’
Ruby released her grip on the chair arms and slumped back, staring out of the window. ‘I suppose you’re right.’
I bit my lip. She suddenly looked very frail and quite lost in the huge chair. Had my reminder of the fragility of life been inappropriate for a woman of Ruby’s years? She was such a lively, vibrant individual, so full of crude comments and fascinating anecdotes, that it was easy to think of her as one of my besties rather than a woman rapidly approaching eighty-five.
As if reading my thoughts, she looked up and smiled brightly. ‘I used to grasp more than my fair share of moments back in the day. And other things. Did I tell you about the time when I was caught in a rather compromising position with Lord Finton Kingsley…?’
And she was back in the room. Phew! But as I cleared the pots away, the expression on Ruby’s face haunted me. Although she liked to make out that she didn’t care for Iris’s company and ‘tolerated’ rather than liked her, I was certain it was a front. Over the years, she’d recounted many stories of life in the circus, followed by dancing then acting, but all the tales featured men. I couldn’t recall any stories about female friends. With her stunning looks and risqué career choices, I wondered if she’d struggled to earn the trust or respect of other females. Perhaps they’d viewed her as a threat. Or perhaps she was one of those women who simply didn’t find joy in the company of other females. However, I’d seen her deep in conversation or in peals of laughter with Iris on far too many occasions to believe that theirs wasn’t a genuine friendship. I was convinced that Iris was the first proper female friend in Ruby’s life, and that the real reason she turned her nose up at the idea of Iris finding love with William was because she was terrified of her friend moving out of Bay View. Poor Ruby. I couldn’t bear the thought of such a wonderful woman feeling lonely like that. If only there was something I could do.
19
‘What do you think? Is it straight?’
I took a few paces back and surveyed the eight-foot Christmas tree standing proudly in the middle bay window of the residents’ lounge. ‘I think so.’
He joined me and nodded. ‘Looks good. I chose well.’
I nudged him in the ribs. ‘Who chose well?’
‘Okay, okay, you chose well.’ He put his arm round me and gave me a gentle squeeze. ‘I suppose you’ll want my help decorating it.’
‘Only the high bits. And you can only place the baubles where I tell you.’
Rhys laughed. ‘Really? Is this where it starts?’
‘Where what starts?’
‘The revelation about the real Callie Derbyshire? Am I about to discover that you’ve lulled me into a false sense of security over the past few months, making me believe you’re all relaxed and lovely when you’re actually a control freak who insists on symmetry on the tree and combs the pine needles?’
‘Combing pine needles? No! Is that a thing?’
Rhys shrugged. ‘I bet someone out there does it. Nowt so queer as folk, as they say. Nice avoidance of my question, though.’
I gave him another playful nudge. ‘I promise I’m not a control freak. I just like the tree to look pretty and it doesn’t if you don’t distribute the colours and styles of bauble.’
Rhys raised an eyebrow. ‘Yes, I was right. It’s starting…’
‘Ha ha. We’ll decorate it when my shift ends. Is that okay? You aren’t seeing Megan tonight, are you?’ I hoped I’d managed to keep the tension out of my voice as I said her name. It didn’t bother me that Rhys had a daughter; we both had relationship histories. What bothered me was that I’d never met her. Izzy had created a ‘rule’ around not introducing new partners to Megan unless it was ‘really serious’ in case it confused her. Megan wasn’t even a year old yet. How confused could a baby get? Rhys agreed it was silly, but he was terrified that Izzy might start restricting his access if he challenged it, so he kept quiet. What did ‘really serious’ mean anyway? Together for over a year? Living together? Married? I dreaded to think. It made things difficult for Rhys and me, though, creating the only tension in an otherwise amazing relationship.
‘Not tonight. I’m all yours tonight.’ Rhys gave me a playful wink.
‘Then we’ll have to be quick with the decorations so I can make the most of you.’
‘Oh my goodness! That’s stunning.’ Ruby clapped her hands together later that evening before sitting in one of the armchairs. ‘Best tree ever.’
‘Thank you,’ I said, placing some empty bauble packets into a plastic crate. ‘My assistant had a few dodgy bauble placement moments, but I think I managed to re-educate him.’
‘Ooh! That’s pretty.’ Iris appeared and took a seat opposite Ruby. ‘You’ve done well.’
Ruby looked Iris up and down. ‘To what do we owe this pleasure? I do believe we had your company last night too. No hot date tonight?’
‘Not tonight. He’s away visiting his sister and won’t be back until tomorrow, as you’re perfectly aware. I don’t see William every night, you know.’
‘Wouldn’t bother me if you did.’
‘Wouldn’t bother me if it bothered you,’ Iris retaliated in an unusual display of feistiness.
I half-expected Ruby to respond with something ridiculous like, ‘wouldn’t bother me if it bothered you that it didn’t bother me’, so I was relieved when she straightened her crocheted silver cardigan instead and uttered one word: ‘Poker?’
Iris smiled. ‘I’ll get the cards.’
‘For matchsticks or pennies,’ I reminded Ruby. ‘You know what happened last time.’
‘Silly Angus should have—’
But she didn’t get to finish her sentence because Iris squealed like a little girl from the other side of the lounge. ‘William! You’re back!’
He kissed her on the cheek then handed her a bunch of flowers. ‘I couldn’t bear two nights in a row without my darling girl, so I came back early.’
Iris sniffed the flowers then they hugged. So sweet. A gentle sigh beside me made me turn round to look at Ruby. Was it my imagination or were there tears in her eyes? She looked up at me and cleared her throat. ‘Looks like poker’s off the agenda this evening. Just as well. I’m tired and an early night beckons. You wouldn’t be a darling and make me a cup of tea, would you?’
‘Of course.’ I pointed to the plastic crates. ‘I’ll need to put these away before anyone trips over them. Shall I bring a cuppa to your room?’
‘Yes please.’
‘I can make your tea, Nanna,’ Rhys said.
Ruby shook her head vigorously. ‘My darling boy, I love you very, very much, but I’m not so enamoured by your tea-making attempts.’
Laughing, Rhys said, ‘In that case, I’ll walk you to your room instead.’
Ruby smiled. ‘I’d like that. Thank you.’
‘I’m worried about Ruby,’ I said as I snuggled up to Rhys in bed back at my flat that evening. ‘She’s been really quiet lately. I think she’s lonely.’
‘Nanna? Quiet? Lonely? I don’t think she knows the meaning of those words. How can she be lonely? She’s got loads of friends at Bay View.’
‘You can be surrounded by people and still be lonely.’
‘True. But I don’t think that’s the case with Nanna. Is this because Iris abandoned her tonight?’
‘Partly.’
‘You don’t need to worry about that. She told me she was relieved that William had arrived because Iris had
kept her up until the small hours of this morning playing poker and she’d nearly nodded off in her soup at teatime.’
‘And you believed her?’
‘Of course I did.’ He squeezed me and kissed the top of my head. ‘I love that you worry about her, but I really don’t think you need to. If she’s been quiet, it’s because she’s tired. She’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep. Plus, you know how much she loves Christmas. Now that the tree’s up, she’ll be so excitable that you’ll long for her to be quiet again.’
‘I hope so.’
‘I know so. Night, night.’
But I struggled to get to sleep. I wasn’t imagining it. Something had definitely changed with Ruby since things started to get serious between Iris and William and I didn’t like it.
20
‘What are you doing out here?’ Rhys stood up and removed his heavy-duty gloves a few days later. He tossed them on top of the overflowing wheelbarrow next to him and wiped the sweat off his forehead. ‘It’s freezing.’
‘I’m on my break and I thought you might like a drink.’ I handed him the mug of coffee, then pulled my coat tightly around me, trying to shield myself against the biting wind.
‘Not that I’m not grateful, but you don’t normally bring me a cuppa, so I’m guessing there’s something on your mind.’
‘I wanted to see my gorgeous boyfriend and bring him a hot drink on an icy cold day.’
‘Callie! Spit it out.’
Damn! He knew me far too well already. ‘Okay. So, I’ve been thinking…’
‘Yes…?’
‘It’s about Christmas. I know it’s still five weeks away, but with us putting the tree up this week…’
‘Yes…?’
‘My Christmas Day shift finishes at two and I wanted to check you’re still okay to spend the rest of the day with me.’
‘Yes. I’m looking forward to our first Christmas together.’ He cocked his head onto one side and smiled. ‘But you already knew that. What else?’
‘Well, I was wondering if you could ask Izzy if we can see Megan at some point during the afternoon. I know Izzy’s got her stupid rules, but we’ll have been together for four months by then. Surely that’s long enough for her to see it’s not just some casual fling that’s going to “confuse” Megan.’
Rhys sighed, as if to say, Not this again!
‘I’m only thinking of you,’ I said, rubbing my icy hands together. ‘It’s not fair that you don’t get to see your daughter on Christmas Day, especially when it’s her first Christmas.’ Rhys spent every other Sunday with Megan, occasional Saturdays if he wasn’t working, and random days during the week which Izzy usually dropped on him last minute, often putting paid to plans that Rhys and I had for time together. Although Christmas would fall on Sunday, it wasn’t his Sunday to have her.
‘Who says I won’t get to see her?’ Rhys asked.
‘It’s not your Sunday for her. I just assumed…’ I bit my lip as I tailed off. Something about Rhys’s expression told me I wasn’t going to like what he said next.
‘Izzy invited me round to be with Megan when she opens her presents.’
My stomach churned as I imagined the pair of them laughing together while their baby daughter ripped up shiny wrapping paper, like a perfect family. ‘Oh! When was this discussed?’ I tried to sound positive.
‘When I saw her last night.’
‘And you were going to tell me when exactly?’
Rhys shrugged. ‘Probably tonight.’
I knew that the right thing to do was to smile brightly, tell him I was thrilled that he was going to spend Christmas morning with his daughter, kiss him and head back to work. But my gob was in overdrive as usual and I just couldn’t seem to shut up. ‘You didn’t think to tell me when I saw you this morning?’
‘We didn’t have time to talk, and we weren’t alone.’
True. We’d only seen each other briefly whilst making a drink in the staffroom and he’d been called away for a delivery so he genuinely hadn’t had an opportunity to tell me. Didn’t stop me being pissed off at the news, though.
‘How cosy. Mummy, Daddy, and baby playing happy families together on Christmas morning.’ I winced at my sarcastic tone.
‘Don’t be like that,’ Rhys called as I turned and tramped back up to the building, tears pricking my eyes.
I stopped and spun round. ‘What do you expect, Rhys? I’m not allowed to meet your daughter and your selfish cow of an ex has you at her beck and call. How do you expect me to react?’
‘You’re being daft. What do you expect me to do? Turn down a chance to spend my daughter’s first ever Christmas with her?’
‘No! I’m glad you’re spending Christmas with her. You should spend Christmas with her. But I expect you to tell Izzy that you’re serious about me and insist that it’s time I met Megan. Unless you’re not serious about me after all. Is that it?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Then tell her.’
I waited for him to give me some sort of reassurance that he’d raise the subject, but he just stood there, frowning. With an exasperated shrug in his direction, I stormed back to the building, muttering under my breath and refusing to give in to the tears.
‘He’s told you then?’ I jumped as Ruby appeared whilst I was aggressively wiping my feet at the back entrance. She must have been watching us from the residents’ lounge.
‘Told me what?’ I said, refusing to catch her eye. ‘I was just taking him a drink, but it was freezing so I came back in.’
Ruby wrapped her slender fingers round my arm and waited until I looked at her. ‘Callie, darling, I was an actress. I’ve studied human behaviour. He told me earlier that he’s seeing Megan on Christmas morning and now he’s told you, hasn’t he?’
‘He might have done,’ I muttered.
‘He loves you, you know. So very, very much. Izzy’s no threat.’
I looked into her pale eyes. Were my fears that transparent?
‘I know,’ I whispered. ‘It’s just that…’
‘It’s just that they’ve got something to bind them together forever, that you don’t currently have?’
I nodded.
‘You’ll have your own family in time, darling. But only if you don’t let the green-eyed monster control you like that again.’ She patted my arm then wandered off down the corridor.
I turned to look out of the door again, hoping to give Rhys a wave, but there was no sign of him or the wheelbarrow. Crap! I’d never been jealous of anyone before, but there was absolutely no escaping that jealousy was the emotion I felt. Ruby was right; if I didn’t get it in check, it would eat away at our relationship and I could lose him. I wasn’t prepared to risk that.
I didn’t see Rhys for the rest of the day, but only because I was snowed under with my new role – not because I was deliberately avoiding him. My colleague, Pete, and I had both secured team leader positions on the back of Denise’s recommendations. A third team leader, Odette, had been recruited externally. We had processes to put in place and plans for recruitment and training, working closely with the weekend manager, Gillian, and our relief manager, Ian, who was covering in Denise’s absence. I’d never been busier.
Rhys finished work a few hours before my shift ended, when it turned dark, so usually went back to his place – a rented room in a friend’s house – to shower and change, before returning in his van to pick me up. We were meant to be having dinner at my flat that evening then going into Whitsborough Bay for a few drinks. As my shift ended, I wasn’t sure whether he would be waiting for me thanks to my stroppy behaviour. Butterflies flitted in my stomach as I grabbed my bag from my locker and made my way to the entrance. Please be there. The sliding doors opened and I stepped outside but there was no sign of him.
I waited for ten excruciatingly slow minutes, smiling politely as various colleagues left, wishing them a great Friday evening and pretending nothing was wrong. He wasn’t coming. I reluctantly pulled my bag ont
o my shoulder, wrapped my scarf a little more tightly around my neck, and set off on foot in the direction of home.
Halfway home, I became aware of a vehicle slowing down beside me. Rhys?
But it wasn’t him.
‘Well, well, well,’ said a male voice. ‘It’s the homewrecker who likes to get people sacked.’
My pulse raced and a wave of nausea hit me. Tony.
‘What do you want?’ I demanded, continuing to walk.
‘An apology.’
‘From me?’
‘Do you see any other homewreckers around here?’
I stopped and stared at him, hands on my hips. I knew that even Tony wasn’t stupid enough to get out of the car and try something on whilst we were on a well-lit busy road, but it didn’t stop my heart hammering. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I’m looking at one. Now are you going to piss off and leave me alone, or do you want to get arrested for kerb-crawling?’
‘You and gardening boy would love that, wouldn’t you? Getting me into more trouble with the police.’
‘We didn’t get you into trouble. You did that yourself.’
I set off walking again, but he kept the car in pace beside me.
‘I owe you one for what you did to me,’ he snarled. ‘I’d watch my back if I were you.’
‘Is that a threat?’
‘It’s a promise.’
I stopped walking and gave him the stoniest stare I could manage, trying to exude confidence whilst my legs shook uncontrollably. ‘It sounds like a threat to me. I think the police would be very interested to hear that you’ve breached your restraining order and you’ve been threatening me.’
He stared at me for a moment before hissing, ‘Fat bitch,’ then flooring the accelerator.
The shaking had moved from my legs into my whole body and I slumped down on a nearby garden wall the moment he disappeared from view, gulping in cold air, trying to steady my racing heart.
I jumped as my mobile rang. Rhys! Thank goodness for that. ‘I’m so glad it’s—’
Making Wishes at Bay View Page 11
