Having already discussed the plans for decorating the night before, when William showed up the next morning, the women had already emptied the attic of all the boxes marked Xmas. Due to Laura’s aversion to heights, Toni and Bill had agreed that they would do the exterior of the house, while Eleanor and Laura would begin inside. As the boxes were brought downstairs, the ones marked Inside had been put in the lounge, while the ones marked Outside had been placed in the front hall. When Bill walked into the house and noticed the stack by the front door significantly smaller than the one in the lounge, he glanced at Toni and winked. Unfortunately, his cheerfulness was short-lived.
Explaining she had purchased a few new things, Eleanor led them down the hall to her home office, and sliding open the pocket doors, she happily pointed to the stack of LED lights sitting on the floor. A short time later, bundled up and carrying insulated cups of coffee, Toni and Bill trudged out into the brightness of a chilly winter morning.
When Eleanor had decided to move from the city to the country, her goal had been to find a small cottage tucked somewhere off the beaten path. She wanted to enjoy quiet nights and star-lit skies without the noise of traffic or neighbors who played their music loud enough to rattle windows. She had spent several years searching through listings for homes situated around the cities in which she worked, and like so many other prospective buyers, many of her weekends had been spent at open houses, grimacing at the decorating tastes of others.
Discouraged and tired, she was driving away from yet another open house when she saw a For Sale by Owner sign on the side of the road. Peering through some overgrown weeds, she noticed a gravel driveway, and carefully maneuvering her car around the underbrush, she came upon a stone cottage covered in ivy. At first, sighing at the fact that it was almost twice as large as what she wanted, she, nonetheless, rapped on the door. Three hours later, she left holding a purchase agreement in her hand.
Built before World War II, the house had seen its share of conversions, both inside and out. While the stone façade for both the house and detached garage remained as it had been some eighty years before, the windows, doors and roof had all been upgraded only a few years before Eleanor moved in. After signing on the dotted line, her first order of business was to have all the ivy removed, and once a few spots of mortar were repaired, and the trim around the windows and doors received a fresh coat of paint, the old house didn’t look so old…at least not on the outside.
Enlisting her daughter’s help, over one very long weekend, they had worked at cleaning the house from top to bottom, and once the painters were finished the following week, Eleanor’s not-so-little country cottage was quickly becoming a home.
In order to capture as much natural light as she could through the small, boxy windows set deep into the stone, all the walls and ceilings had been painted white, while colors to match the décor of the rooms had been chosen for the trim. The oak flooring, darkened by years of wear and varnish, had been stripped, sanded and re-coated and now its honey-color helped reflect the light streaming through the window panes.
Having seen her share of interior design horror stories in her many years as an estate agent, Eleanor’s approach to decorating the lounge was simplistic and comfortable. Knowing that the focal point of the lounge would be the wall covered in stone holding one of the three fireplaces in the cottage, she purchased a broad-striped area rug with bands of tan and cream to cover the floor, the colors matching with the natural sandstone almost perfectly. The creamy hues repeated in the upholstery covering the sofa and chairs surrounding the hearth, and an over-sized burnt-orange ottoman acted as the coffee table, with the shade repeating in the throw pillows scattered on the sofa, as well as in the curtains surrounding the windows.
Careful not to go over the budget she had given herself, while Eleanor had sold most of her old furniture to make room for the new; several pieces in dark walnut were kept and now acted as accents in the room. Given the size of the lounge, her favorite reading chairs now sat opposing each other near the two windows on the front wall, and a tiny table on which to place her nightly cup of tea stood in between. Bookcases that had once stored her child’s board games had been painted white and placed along the walls, with each shelf now holding pictures and mementos gathered through the years.
Returning from the kitchen with two cups of coffee in her hand, when Eleanor saw her daughter standing by one of the front windows, she grinned. “You know, if you keep checking on her, we’ll never get anything accomplished.”
“It’s just that she’s out of her element here,” Laura said, turning away from the window. “And she has problems when it comes to strangers.”
“I don’t think I’d classify your father as a stranger. True, they only just met last night, but it seems to me that they’re getting on rather well.”
Eleanor was right. The night before, although hesitant at first to join in the conversation around the dinner table, as the evening wore on, Toni’s anxieties seemed to fade. By the time the meal was over, she was easily conversing with both Eleanor and Bill, and when he had arrived at the house that morning, Toni greeted him with a handshake without batting an eye.
“Yeah, I guess,” Laura said, glancing out the window again. “But he is a man…”
Rolling her eyes, Eleanor walked over and pulled Laura away from the window. “Laura, I know that Toni has certain issues when it comes to being around men, but this isn’t just any man. This is your father. I know you don’t know him very well, but I do, and they’ll be fine. Now, stop worrying about what’s going on outside and help me get this room in order. Okay?”
Looking around at the stacks of boxes scattered about, Laura said, “Okay. Let’s get to work.”
“That’s my girl,” Eleanor said, handing Laura a cup of coffee. “Now, have a sip of that while I go fetch the step stool.”
A few minutes later, Eleanor returned, and seeing the amused look on Laura’s face, she asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Apparently, Bill isn’t the only man you know,” Laura said, holding out her hand.
Confused, it took Eleanor a few seconds to realize what her daughter was talking about. “Oh my,” she said, taking the navy blue boxers from Laura. “Can I ask where you found these?”
“I was moving the magazine rack out of the way. They were behind it.”
“I see,” Eleanor said, crumpling the boxers in her hand. “Well, let me just put these in the laundry, shall I?”
Before Laura could say a word, her mother left the room, and immediately Laura’s smile returned. At first, shocked to discover the undergarment, the more Laura thought about what it could mean, the happier she became. Through the years, her mother had dated a few men, but none had been around for long, and as far as Laura knew, none had ever visited her mother’s bed…until now. Believing that Eleanor had finally found someone special, Laura was overjoyed, but she wasn’t yet willing to share that information. After all the years of telling her mother about her love affairs, it was time to turn the tables…and the screws.
“So, care to explain?” Laura asked when Eleanor came back into the room.
“Explain what, dear?”
“Well, it’s not every day that a daughter finds out that her mother is sleeping around,” Laura said, quickly clamping her lips together to stop her smile from escaping.
“I most certainly am not!”
“Mother, there was a pair of boxers hanging off the back of the bloody magazine rack, for God’s sake.”
“That doesn’t mean I’ve been sleeping around. It just means…it just means that I’m not as tidy as I used to be.”
“So…what? You were doing laundry, and somehow they flew out of the basket and landed on the floor in the corner?”
“I don’t think I like your tone. You’re making this sound tawdry, and it’s anything but.”
“I don’t know, Mum. Having men’s underwear draped all over the lounge sounds a bit reckless if you ask me. I never knew you were that loose.”
“Laura Margaret MacLeod, how dare you!”
Staring in shocked disbelief at her daughter, it wasn’t until Laura crumpled to the floor in a fit of laughter that Eleanor understood that she was being played. Deciding to wait until Laura had herself under control, a few minutes later, Eleanor finally said, “It wasn’t that funny.”
Looking up, Laura wiped the tears from her face. “Oh, Mum, you should have seen your face.”
Squatting by her daughter’s side, Eleanor narrowed her eyes as she tried not to laugh. “I’m going to get you for that if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself, and you were so…so appalled.”
“You called me loose!”
Watching as her daughter dissolved into another fit of giggles, Eleanor waited a few seconds before asking, “You’re okay with this then?”
“To tell you the truth, when I first found them I was…well, I was stunned. I mean, finding out that your mother is…is—”
“Getting some?” Eleanor said, humor shining in her eyes.
“Yes!” Laura said, jumping to her feet. “And why didn’t you tell me sooner? I thought we didn’t have any secrets.”
“I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, so I thought I’d wait a while. Get past the Christmas rush and all,” Eleanor said, opening a box of decorations. Pulling out a length of green garland, she looked around the room. “How about we put this over the windows?”
Puzzled by the rapid change of subject, Laura took the garland, but her curiosity got the best of her before she reached the window. Turning around, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
Looking up from a box of decorations, Eleanor said, “What do you mean, dear?”
“Mum, I wasn’t born yesterday. Now, come on, out with it.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Rubbish,” Laura said, tossing the garland on a chair. “You’re hiding something. Now, what is it? Is he married?”
“I won’t even honor that with an answer, young lady.”
“He is a he, isn’t he?” Laura asked through a grin.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Eleanor said, smiling back. “I’ll leave the fairer sex to you. No offense.”
“Okay, so who is he?”
Eleanor gazed at her daughter and quickly resigned herself to the fact Laura wasn’t about to give up. Her chin was high. Her eyes were sparkling, and if anyone knew the breadth of Laura’s stubborn streak, it was the woman who had raised her. Dogs with bones had nothing on Laura MacLeod. Inhaling slowly, Eleanor said, “It’s your father.”
“What!”
“It seems that we’ve decided to give it another go.”
“Oh, you’ve got to be joking.”
“No, I’m not.”
Placing her hands on her hips, Laura said, “Have you forgotten that he walked out on you thirty years ago?”
“I haven’t forgotten anything, Laura. Not one thing.”
Sitting on the arm of the couch, Eleanor paused for a moment to get her thoughts in order. “A long time ago you asked me why I never dated. Do you remember?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Well, I’m happy to say that it wasn’t for the lack of invitations, but none of them held a candle to your father. It’s just that simple. Their words weren’t as sweet. Their cologne wasn’t as familiar, and their touch wasn’t his. Laura, I’ve loved your father for longer than you’ve been alive…and there’s nothing I can do about it. You asked me if I remembered him walking out, and I can tell you the clothes he wore that day. I remember our first date, our first kiss, and when he told me he loved me for the very first time. I remember everything.
“I love him, Laura. I always have and I always will. I know you have ill feelings when it comes to your father, and rightfully so. All I’m asking is that you look at him the same way I look at Toni. He’s the one that I want, Laura, so please be happy for me.”
Eleanor had just put Laura where she, herself, had stood only a few months earlier. If Laura was to argue the point, to dispute her mother’s choice of partner, then Laura would put her own beliefs ahead of her mother’s. If she was to accept it, their relationship would remain strong and unwavering. There was no argument.
Going over, Laura knelt by her mother and took her hand. “If he makes you happy, Mum, then I’m happy. Just please don’t expect me to call him Dad. Okay?”
“I wouldn’t think of it, Laura,” Eleanor said, smiling back at her daughter. “I wouldn’t think of it.”
***
“You knew?”
“No, not for sure. I just had a feeling.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just told you, I wasn’t sure.”
“You could have mentioned it.”
“What was I supposed to say?” Toni said, walking into the bathroom to brush her teeth. “I think your mother had a good shag today?”
“What!”
Poking her head out, Toni smiled. “When we walked in last night, she had this look in her eye, and it’s the same one you get after we’ve…well, after we’ve had a good romp, shall I say.”
“Oh, I can’t believe this,” Laura said, throwing herself on the bed. “My mother and…and him.”
“He’s not that bad, you know.”
“I know. It’s just...it’s just weird. After everything he did, and after all these years, to think of them back together, it’s just...so bizarre.”
“Yeah, I guess it would be, but they both seem happy.”
“That they do,” Laura said as she placed her hands under her head. Staring at the ceiling, she thought about the day.
By early afternoon, the eaves of the cottage had been outlined in white icicle lights, and every shrub in the front garden had been draped in netted lighting. Silhouettes of deer wrapped in LED strands stood proudly under a tree, while angels with trumpets lined the driveway leading to the house. Gathering their empty boxes, Toni and Bill had trudged inside, and after being warmed by hot chocolate with just a splash of brandy, and a lunch of finger sandwiches, they joined Laura and her mother to finish what was left.
Having decided that they wouldn’t get a tree until Sunday, one corner of the lounge was left untouched, but by late that afternoon the rest of the house was adorned in the colors and scents of the season.
The photographs and mementos lining the tops of the bookcases were rearranged to make room for candles smelling of pine and bayberry, and snow globes displaying tiny villages were placed lovingly alongside framed photographs of family and friends. Tall and stately nutcrackers stood guard on the window sills, and figurines of Santa Claus and angels greeted visitors in every room. The banister was draped in the same green garland as the windows, and white fairy lights were strung over the doorway, awaiting a sprig of mistletoe soon to be purchased.
A nativity scene which had been handed down through the family was placed atop the mantle, and Laura carefully arranged each figure exactly as her mother had shown her years before. Completing the decorations above the hearth, Eleanor placed two cast-iron stocking hangers to the left and right of the manger, but glancing at the stockings in her hand, she turned sad, mumbling that she had forgotten to buy another. Seconds later, her heart overflowed with love when Laura chimed in, “Don’t you mean two?”
It was an afternoon filled with laughter and jokes, and as Laura watched and listened, she couldn’t help but smile at the happiness she saw in both her parents’ eyes.
Laura’s thoughts returned to now, and glancing in Toni’s direction, she remained quiet as she watched the woman get undressed. Doing her best to finish every meal put in front of her, Toni had finally managed to put on a few pounds. Even though her stomach was still flat and muscled, her hips had become soft and rounded. Secretly wincing at the stark white run-of-the-mill underwear Toni was wearing, Laura said, “We really need to get you some new things.”
“What do you mean?” Toni asked, pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms.
“Aren’t you the one that said white was boring?”
Smiling at the memory, Toni unfastened her bra, tossing it aside while she rummaged through a drawer for a T-shirt. Glancing in Laura’s direction, as soon as she saw the look in her eyes, Toni said, “Don’t even think about it.”
“Think about what?” Laura asked, keeping her eyes fixed on Toni’s naked breasts.
Quickly pulling a dark blue T-shirt over her head, Toni pushed the drawer closed. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“If I’m not mistaken, you did lose the bet,” Laura said as she began unbuttoning her pajama top.
“Don’t you dare,” Toni scolded, striding over to fasten everything Laura had just unfastened. “It’s only been two days, and you know how I feel about this. I don’t want your mother hearing this bed squeak all night long.”
“It won’t take all night,” Laura said, raising her eyes to meet Toni’s. “Not unless you want it to.”
Toni sat on the edge of the bed and laced her fingers through Laura’s. “Can I just hold you tonight? Just hold you? Things are changing for me, Laura, and every day seems like something else new and wonderful is happening. I worked side-by-side with a man today—a man. I didn’t feel the fear I thought I would, and even after he grabbed me—”
“He grabbed you!”
“I fell—”
“You fell!”
Placing her finger on Laura’s lips, Toni said, “I slipped off the ladder, but your dad was there to catch me. At first, all I wanted to do was run, but then I saw his face, and my fear…my fear just went away. It was like…it was like taking the deepest breath you can and everything around you, the smells and the sounds, they just get inside of you and you know it’s going to be okay.”
Emotions began to rise to the surface, and as her eyes filled with tears, Toni said in ragged whisper, “I love you with all my heart, Laura, all of it, but tonight...tonight I just want to hold you in my arms and breathe you in. Can I do that? Will you let me do that…please?”
Laura pulled Toni into her arms. Covering them both with the quilt, she turned off the bedside lamp, and as they held each other close in the darkness...they breathed.