‘Oh my gosh! They’re here.’ My heart raced at the sight of Auntie Louise’s and Uncle Simon’s car emerging from the track just as Dad and I finished our walk. ‘Do you think they’ll speak to me?’
‘They can hardly ignore you,’ Dad said.
Louise stopped the car next to Dad’s. An excruciating couple of minutes passed with no movement while Dad and I hung back near the barn. They were facing the other way and probably hadn’t even seen us. Then three doors opened and they all exited. Good start. Dad and I stepped forward.
‘Sam!’ To my astonishment, Auntie Louise rushed towards me and gave me a hug. It was an awkward one, but at least it was a hug and that was a huge step forward. ‘What a stunning location.’
‘Thank you.’ I looked towards Mum. ‘Hi, Mum.’
‘Samantha.’ Just a nod of the head; no smile and definitely no sign of a hug.
‘Hi, Chloe.’
She glowered at me. I tried not to stare at her bump. Last time I’d seen her was at the hospital in September when Amelia was born and it was too early for her to be showing. Now she was almost at term and I’d missed the whole thing.
‘How are you fe—?’
‘Where’s your toilet?’ Chloe interrupted.
‘In the farmhouse, under the stairs. Front door’s open.’
With an almost imperceptible nod of her head, she waddled towards the house.
‘Would you like a tea or coffee?’ I asked.
‘We’re not staying,’ Mum said, coldly. ‘Chloe’s shattered and I’ve got a headache. We’re only here to pick up Simon although why you two couldn’t have cancelled your dinner plans so Jonathan could drive him back is beyond me.’
‘Debs!’ Auntie Louise snapped. ‘It’s not Jonathan’s or Sam’s fault. They had plans, Simon wanted to get out the house, and he insisted they didn’t change their plans for him. And he wanted us to see the farm.’
‘There you go.’ Mum swept her hand round the yard. ‘Seen it. Can we get Simon and go?’
Auntie Louise shook her head. ‘No. I want a tour.’
I swear it was the first time I’d ever seen Mum give her sister a dirty look. I’d be blamed for it, of course. ‘Fine,’ Mum snapped. ‘But my feet are aching from traipsing round the shops so I’ll wait in the car.’
Auntie Louise pressed the key fob to lock the car. ‘No. You’ll look round your daughter’s new home.’
Wow! Go Auntie Louise! Very feisty. I needed to take assertive lessons from her.
‘Okay, then.’ I took a deep breath. ‘So, the farm is sixty acres but another farmer rents and farms most of it so really it’s just the immediate area, a garden and a meadow. This is the barn where the rescue centre will be…’
Auntie Louise asked lots of questions and either was genuinely interested or was doing an excellent job of pretending she was. I felt the ice thawing between us. We’d always had a good relationship before the wedding, despite Mum no doubt poisoning her mind against me over the years, and hopefully we were on our way to it being restored.
Mum, on the other hand, acted like a small child being dragged out on a hike when they really wanted to stay inside playing computer games. She hung back, looking disinterested and saying nothing. And it still hurt. I still longed for her approval.
Chloe didn’t join us, although she was probably exhausted from shopping and needed the rest. She’d have likely stayed inside even if we’d still been friends.
When I’d finished showing them round inside the farmhouse, Chloe appeared in the hall and announced that she was tired and wanted to go home. She didn’t even look at me. Maybe she was waiting for me to make the first move and engage in conversation.
‘Did you get what you needed in Hull?’ I asked her.
‘Yes.’
‘How long is there left now?’
‘Four weeks.’
‘And are you and James excited?’
She gave me a withering look. ‘I wondered how long it would be before you mentioned him.’
‘Chloe, that’s not fair,’ Auntie Louise said. ‘It was a perfectly natural question.’
‘Not when you’re in love with my husband, it isn’t.’
‘It’s been six months,’ I said, my eyes pleading with her. ‘Can’t we just drop it?’
‘Just like that? You nearly ruined my wedding, you nearly ruined my marriage and you think it’s something that can just be dropped because a few months have passed?’
My hand tightened on the banister. ‘Chloe! I didn’t ruin anything. If it hadn’t been for Great-Aunt Agnes stirring things, you’d never have known about it.’
She gave a derisive snort. ‘Oh yes, because secretly being in love with my husband is so much better.’
My whole body tensed and I couldn’t stay calm any longer. ‘For goodness’ sake, Chloe,’ I snapped. ‘Grow up and change the record. James loves you, not me. Never me. So this jealousy thing you’ve got going on is pathetic. I’m no threat to you and your happy little family and I never was.’
‘But you lied to me.’
‘Yes, I did, but so what? Who would the truth have helped? I loved James who I will remind you was my boyfriend before he saw you. I saw your connection so I let him go and kept quiet because it wouldn’t have benefited anyone to admit the truth. I don’t love him anymore, though, so you can all untwist your knickers. I’ve met someone new.’ I knew my cheeks were already burning from the confrontation so they couldn’t darken any more from the lie.
‘Yeah, right. You’re just saying that,’ Chloe muttered, sneering at me.
‘It’s the truth,’ Dad said, stepping out of the lounge with Uncle Simon by his side. ‘Sammie was telling me all about him earlier on our walk, weren’t you, poppet?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’ What? Eek!
Dad widened his eyes and nodded encouragingly. ‘He’s a vet at a practice near here.’
‘That’s great news,’ Auntie Louise said. ‘Does he have a name?’
Argh! Think! I could hardly say Mr Alderson Junior or Jeep Prat. ‘It’s Chris,’ I said, thinking of his doppelganger.
‘Well, I hope it works out for you and Chris.’ She turned round and addressed Uncle Simon. ‘Are you set? Right, let’s head off then.’
I stepped down into the hall. ‘Thank you for stopping by.’
Auntie Louise hugged me and this time there was genuine warmth in her embrace. ‘It’s been good to see you. I’ve been really silly. I’m sorry.’
‘Forget it,’ I whispered. ‘Fresh start from now. Thanks again for the card after Thomas died. It meant a lot.’
She squeezed me tightly and kissed me on the cheek. ‘You’re a good lass. We’ll talk soon.’
‘This place is amazing and what you’re doing is so impressive,’ Uncle Simon said, stepping forward and giving me a bear hug. ‘I’ll be back soon to check on progress.’
‘You’re welcome any time,’ I said.
I noticed Auntie Louise gesturing to Mum and I got the impression she was trying to push her into giving me a hug too. As if that was ever going to happen. But at least she spoke, even if it was an unenthusiastic mumble. ‘Good luck with the rest of the refurbishment.’
‘Thank you.’
They all turned to go and my heart sank. Chloe wasn’t going to speak.
‘Can I send the baby a gift when it arrives?’ I asked, following them to the door.
‘He,’ she corrected.
‘You’re having a boy?’ Her face clearly suggested she hadn’t meant to reveal that.
‘I might be. As for a gift, you can do what you like. You usually do.’
Enough was enough. Fire coursed through my veins. ‘No, Chloe. That’s your approach to life, not mine.’
She looked surprised for a moment then shook her head and walked away.
‘I shouldn’t have said that,’ I said to Dad when they’d gone.
He put his arm round my shoulders and cuddled me to his side. ‘Yes, you should. She needed to hear it.’