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Angel was standing in the laundry room of her own cottage, folding up some clothes, when her mobile rang.
Thinking it might be Hal, she picked it up, heart thumping, and blew out a breath when she saw Lesa’s name there. She bit her lip as she fought with herself over whether to answer it, but decided it was unfair to let it go through to answerphone, and so swiped her thumb across and put it to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Angel! Oh, I’m so glad I reached you. Where the hell have you been?”
In bed, Angel thought. Having several fantastic orgasms.
“Busy,” she said. “Sorry I didn’t answer before. Merry Christmas.”
“We were worried, that’s all. Merry Christmas.”
“I’m fine, no need to worry.”
“What are you up to? I see it’s snowing up there.”
Angel went into the bedroom and looked out of the window at the garden. The green and red of the holly bushes under the window provided a gorgeous color contrast to the whiteness of the snow around them. She’d walked slowly through the six inches that had fallen the night before to get to her cottage, feeling like a child again with every step. “It is—it’s beautiful. It’s such a lovely place.”
“Are you keeping warm? Eating enough?”
She rolled her eyes and turned away. “Yes and yes. For God’s sake, I’m thirty-four, not fourteen.”
“I know. So what are you doing today?”
She looked at the case she’d placed on the bed, which was still empty, and sat rather heavily in the chair in front of the dressing table. She’d been in the cold cottage for an hour already, and was no closer to making a decision than she had before she’d walked in.
Half of her wanted to talk about Hal to someone, but equally, the reasons why she hadn’t brought it up before hadn’t changed, and she didn’t want to have to answer a thousand questions, not when she wasn’t sure of the answers herself.
“I’m not doing much,” she said, examining her fingernails. “I might go for a walk later. I like it when the tide’s in and the island’s cut off.”
Lesa didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, in a rush, the words came tumbling out. “I know you’re seeing someone.”
Angel blinked. “What?”
“I’m sorry, but I was worried about you, so I rang George, and he said it’s all over the town that you’re seeing the guy in Lewin’s Lane.”
Angel inhaled sharply, indignation rising inside her. “Lesa!”
“I know you’re going to be angry with me, but I had to make sure you were okay... Sweetie, what on earth are you thinking? You went there to spend time on your own. What happened?”
Angel’s face burned. “It’s none of your business.”
“It is when I have to deal with the fall-out. George said he’s in his twenties! And he’s married! I mean, Jesus!”
“He’s thirty next month, and he’s separated. His divorce comes through next year.”
“And he has kids?”
Angel closed her eyes. “Yes. Two.”
“Sweetie...” Lesa’s disappointment hung like snowflakes in the air.
“So, what? I have to wait for a guy who’s in his late thirties but who’s never had a failed relationship? I’m hanging out for a forty-year-old virgin?”
“No, but—”
“He’s nice,” Angel interrupted. “More than nice, he’s gorgeous, and he gets me. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but after he rescued me and took me back to his—”
“Wait, what? Rescued you?”
Angel rested her forehead on her hand. Fuck. “That’s not important.”
“What happened?”
Gritting her teeth, she gave her sister brief details about being stranded by the tide, and how Hal had found her.
“He saved you,” Lesa said softly. “Oh, honey.”
“It’s not like that!” Fury replaced her indignation. “I’ve had enough of this. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
“Look, I think Rob and I should come up there and get you. I don’t think you should be alone right now, and—”
“I don’t want you to come.”
“Angel...”
She got to her feet. “I know I’m younger than you, but I’m not a child. I’ve put you and Mum through a lot, and I’m sorry about that, and I wish I could rewind and undo everything that’s happened over the past few years, but I can’t. I’ve made many mistakes, I’m happy to admit that. But Hal isn’t one of them. It’s not just because he rescued me—I’d already survived for five hours in the cold all on my own. He makes me feel good, Lesa. I feel better today than I’ve felt for... I don’t know, years, maybe.”
“So... what is it? A holiday fling? Or is it more serious than that?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only known him a few days. And I live six hours’ drive away. But... he’s asked me to go and stay with him at night while I’m here. I’m just packing up my stuff now.” She looked down at the case on her bed, picked up a folded pair of jeans, and placed them in the case. Then she smiled.
Lesa was silent for a long moment. Angel’s natural instinct was to fill the gap, but she bit her tongue, concentrating on putting the folded clothes into the case while she waited for Lesa to speak.
“Okay,” her sister said eventually, in a soft voice. “You’re right, you’re not a child, and I shouldn’t treat you like one. I just worry, that’s all. I let you down once, and I don’t want to do it again.”
Angel’s throat tightened. “I can’t spend the rest of my life in a glass cage. I know it’s difficult for you and Mum, but you’ve got to just let me get on with it. I’m not the same person I was back in February. I promised you I’d never do anything like that again, and I meant it. I’m okay, sis. I’m doing well. I’ve met a guy and he’s great, and I’m going to have some fun while I’m here. I’m not expecting more than that. If it turns out just to be a fling, I’m not going to try to top myself over it. My eyes are wide open, I swear. I just want some fun, and some companionship.”
It was so much more than that with Hal, but she knew she’d never be able to explain how she felt when she was with him—the way they shared a love of archaeology, their acceptance of each other’s troubled pasts. She could imagine going out on a date with some other guy and never telling him the things she’d been through, too afraid he’d think badly of her, but Hal knew every awful thing that had happened to her, every dark place she’d been, and he hadn’t backed away. And the same with her—she knew all about his failed marriage, and the problems he was having with his ex and his kids, and it hadn’t scared her off.
It was probably just a fling—she wasn’t lying when she said her eyes were wide open. But as the thought entered her head, and she placed another sweater in her case, she hoped it would be more.
“That’s fair enough,” Lesa said. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. I won’t call George again, I promise. Just... ring me if you need me, okay?”
“I will, I swear. Don’t worry about me. Have a lovely Christmas Day, and give my love to Mum, and Robbie and the kids.”
“Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too.” Angel hung up.
It took her fifteen minutes to pack some of her stuff up in the smaller case. She left behind most of her clothes, her toiletries, her books, and her iPad, promising herself she would spend time on her own. Then she put on her coat and boots, pulled the strap of her handbag over her head, picked up her case, and left the cottage.
It was difficult to wheel it through the snow, and it took her fifteen minutes to get to Hal’s cottage. But she made it eventually, and only seconds after she’d rung the bell, the door opened.
As her gaze fell on him, she could see instantly that something had happened. He looked tired, and his shoulders had slumped. But as he looked down and saw her case, his face broke into the most beautiful smile she thought she’d ever seen.
“You came,” he said softly.
“Four times this morning,” she replied, holding the handle of the case to him. “And a few more by the end of the day, I’m hoping.”
He kept staring at her, though, and his eyes glazed over.
“Hey.” She dropped the case and walked up to him. “What’s happened?”
He didn’t answer, though, just wrapped his arms around her, so tight she could barely breathe. “I didn’t think you were going to come back,” he whispered.
“I was always going to,” she said, blinking away tears of her own. “I just needed time to realize it.”
