The teacher from St Barnabas was standing in the middle of the room, wearing a Christmas jumper; it had a huge reindeer’s head on the front, with a black bobble nose, googly eyes, velvet antlers and what appeared to be a red flashing collar. It was one of the most tasteless things Eve had ever seen.
‘Wow!’ said Daniel. ‘Look at that – it’s brilliant. I want one!’
They were late, as always, and there was barely even standing room at the back of the lounge. Eve squeezed herself in, apologising as she knocked into elbows and trod on toes, then pushed Daniel forward through the crowd ahead of her, so he could see. From her spot by the wall, she could just make out the top of a white head, which might or might not be Flora.
Today, the sofas and armchairs had been turned so that the residents sitting on them were facing into the room, with some of the children from St Barnabas perched amongst them, others standing at the back or fidgeting cross-legged on the floor at the front. Their parents had clearly come out en masse to support today’s concert, along with the residents’ relatives, and there were so many people in the room that the windows had steamed up. Crammed together like sardines, people were jostling against each other as they tried to shrug off their coats in the warm, wintery fug.
The singing wasn’t bad. They sailed through O Little Town of Bethlehem and Away in a Manger, then one of the children did a warbling solo at the start of Silent Night. As she finished, an older voice took over: slightly quavery on the top notes, but strong and steady. Daniel pushed his way back through the people standing between them to grab Eve’s hand excitedly, whispering: ‘That’s Granny singing!’ before ploughing back to his spot at the front again.
Eve was amazed. Her mother could sing, but she’d never heard her perform like this. When Eve was a child and the two of them were driving somewhere in the car, they used to sing along to whatever was on the radio. They usually listened to Radio 2 – sometimes Radio 1 if Eve could persuade Flora to put up with what she called the ‘stupid DJ chatter’ – and when a song came on that they both loved, Eve would spin the volume dial, and they’d sing out at the tops of their voices. They had been word-perfect to Love Shack and, to this day, hearing that song took Eve back to the complete happiness her ten-year-old self had felt on those car journeys.
But that was a lifetime ago. As an adult she’d only heard Flora’s voice on a handful of occasions: mostly when she was standing beside her at weddings or funerals. Or when her mother was singing loudly in an otherwise silent doctor’s waiting room.
There were several more carols, each one applauded enthusiastically by the onlookers, then the teacher thanked everyone for coming. ‘It has been an honour to be involved in this,’ he said. ‘Being able to bring old and young together in this way has been so special. And we’ve all learnt such a lot from it – and from each other. We’re hoping the children will continue to come to Three Elms at least once a month to meet up with their new friends here.’
It took a while for Eve to work her way through the groups of people standing chatting and, when she got to Flora’s side, she realised her mother was also wearing a Christmas jumper: bright blue with a snowman knitted onto the front. It was several sizes too large for her and hung in baggy folds down past her thighs.
‘Daniel, this is my friend, Olivia,’ Flora was saying. ‘She and I have been spending quite a lot of time together over the last few weeks.’ The two children eyed each other cautiously. ‘And her parents are here too,’ said Flora, turning to Eve. ‘Hello darling, did you enjoy it?’
‘That was fantastic,’ said Eve, smiling at the young couple standing beside her. ‘Olivia was great, they all seem to have had a wonderful time taking part in this.’
The children were being called over to the door by their teacher, and the girl turned to Flora and threw herself at her, squeezing her arms so tightly around her neck that Flora shrieked with laughter. ‘Sweetheart, you’ll strangle me!’
‘Coming into Three Elms has been so good for her,’ said Olivia’s mother, as the girl ran off. ‘She isn’t settled at school and we worry she’s a bit lonely. She doesn’t have a grandmother of her own anymore, so it’s lovely the two of you have struck up this friendship.’
‘I’ve enjoyed it too,’ said Flora. ‘I don’t have a granddaughter, so we’re perfectly matched.’
‘Well, you’ve got me!’ said Daniel.
‘Yes, of course I have,’ said Flora, pulling him into a hug. ‘And you are my very best boy.’
He nodded, looking serious. ‘It’s okay, Granny, I don’t mind sharing you,’ he said. ‘Olivia can have a bit of you as well. Especially when I go to Glasgow – then she can have you all of the time, if she wants.’
Flora looked confused, and Eve quickly changed the subject, saying goodbye to Olivia’s parents and suggesting to Flora that they move out of the crowded lounge.
‘That was great, you’ve got a lovely voice,’ she said, one hand through her mother’s arm, the other clutching Daniel. ‘But you didn’t tell me you were doing a solo. Did you have to audition for that?’
Flora turned to look at her. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, did that schoolteacher choose you, or did you just volunteer for it?’
Flora was shaking her head. ‘I don’t know what you’re going on about, Eve,’ she said. ‘I can’t sing for toffee. Why would I want to sing a solo in front of a room full of strangers?’
There were a handful of people in the library, but it was quiet and less stuffy than the lounge. As they walked in, Eve saw Barbara sunk into one of the deep armchairs; she was reading a book, and lowered it as she saw them coming. She was also wearing a Christmas jumper: it was identical to Flora’s, but several sizes smaller, so the head of the snowman was stretched tightly across her chest and the sleeves ended halfway up her forearms. Eve had no idea how she’d managed to squeeze herself into it, but getting it off again was going to be a challenge.
‘Ah, there you are,’ said Barbara. ‘Is that wretched carol thing over at last? I could hardly concentrate on my book with all that racket.’
Flora lowered herself into a chair beside her. ‘It was actually very lovely,’ she said. ‘And all the better for not having you there, yowling alongside us.’
When the two women were sitting side by side, it was very obvious that each would be better off wearing the other’s jumper. Eve wondered if she ought to say something, but it would only complicate matters. Besides, she didn’t want to be the one who had to try and extract Barbara from the massively stretched snowman.
‘The children were a delight,’ said Flora. ‘Real little angels.’
Barbara sniffed and picked up her book again. Eve noticed she had managed to get hold of a Jilly Cooper. ‘I am far too busy for that sort of nonsense,’ she said. ‘I’ve got to a very exciting bit where Rupert is having a lot of casual sex.’
‘Goodness!’ said Flora. ‘Lucky Rupert.’
‘What’s casual sex?’ asked Daniel. ‘Can I get some?’
When they got home, Eve unlocked the front door and sent Daniel inside, then went next door and rang the bell. Jake answered, holding a wooden spoon and wearing an apron with a picture on the front of a woman’s body in a bikini.
‘Hello stranger!’ He grinned. ‘Nice to see you. Do you fancy coming in for spag bol?’
She laughed. ‘Nice offer, but I need to get Daniel sorted. Thank you though. I just wondered if Katie was free to babysit tomorrow night?’
Jake shrugged. ‘No idea, my delightful daughter doesn’t generally tell me her plans in advance. She’s due back soon though, I’ll ask her to pop round if you like?’
‘That would be great.’ Eve couldn’t help noticing that he had a lump of bolognaise sauce in his fringe, and she reached up to wipe it away.
‘Oh, thanks,’ he said. ‘I’m not the neatest chef. I wouldn’t eat that bit if I were you, it probably needs cooking for longer. So, are you going anywhere nice, tomorrow night?’
Eve nodded. ‘I am, actually. I’m going out for a drink, to that rather nice wine bar down on the corner.’
He nodded. ‘I know it. The rather nice wine bar has got a rather nice Chablis on offer at the moment. You ought to try it.’
‘Thanks,’ said Eve. ‘That sounds good. Do you drink a lot of Chablis?’
Jake grinned. ‘Not on my salary,’ he said. ‘But every now and then a special occasion demands it.’
‘Good,’ said Eve. ‘Because this is a special occasion.’ He looked confused. ‘You’ll need to drink some Chablis tomorrow night,’ she continued. ‘Because you’re coming out with me, to that rather nice wine bar on the corner.’