There were taxis already pulling up on the roadside and she strained her eyes across the broad marina to make out who was arriving first. Following Mirren’s orders, she snatched a glass of bubbly from the silver tray which Blythe had let her borrow for the occasion. The cold cava made her shiver all the more, and she hoped it would stop her hands shaking.
Jonathan was on his way direct from the airport. Any minute now, traffic permitting, he’d be here. Could they recapture the happiness they’d felt at Christmas, she worried? Their video chats and phone calls had told her that, yes, it might be possible. They’d relaxed into their easy way of talking almost instantly after Jonathan made the first step of reconciliation in the New Year and they hadn’t fought again, but still she wanted to be completely sure. She couldn’t truly assess any damage she’d done until she could look him in the eyes, hold him properly and kiss him. Only then would she know if they’d get through this.
There was a new worry troubling her, something still unspoken between the two of them and she had no idea if Jonathan was thinking about it too. The ring.
She’d hidden it away back at the bedsit and despite brainstorming with Mirren about what to do for the best, they’d drawn a blank. Jonathan hadn’t mentioned it at all so she could only assume he thought he’d lost it somewhere in the hire car or on the airplane when he was beating a hasty retreat from her on Boxing Day. Keeping the ring safe was all she could do, for now. The proposal was supposed to have been Jonathan’s surprise. She wasn’t supposed to know anything about it. Only he could bring up the topic, and so far, he’d not uttered a word. No doubt he’d changed his mind since she shook his trust in her and Kelsey was learning to accept the fact he may never fully recover it enough to think of asking her again.
Her thoughts were cut off by the realisation that: one, her glass was empty, and two, there was a tall, grinning American in baseball boots, black jeans and a big black coat running across the marina towards her and he was brandishing a bunch of Valentine’s roses.
Jonathan had laid the flowers aside and scooped her up in his arms in a second, spinning her round and pressing a kiss to her lips that stole her breath away. All her nerves dissolved against the warmth of his solid body.
‘Ahem! Hate to interrupt you two but there’s the Mayor’s car,’ Mirren hissed, taking up her position by the bubbling glasses.
Jonathan lowered Kelsey to the ground and she was struck yet again by their height difference. He reached for the roses, long-stemmed and velvety red, pushing them into her hand.
‘It’s you, then?’ Kelsey grinned daftly.
‘I hope it’s me,’ he said, before screwing up his face. ‘That didn’t make any sense.’
They laughed and everything made sense in that moment. His eyes were wide, his cheeks glowing, and his grin just as appealing as she remembered. The reassuring press of his hand on hers felt like she’d been floating in space for months without him and now gravity was restored and her feet were back on solid ground again. She pressed her face into his chest and wrapped him in a hug.
‘Kelsey?’ She felt his deep voice rattle in his chest.
‘Yes?’ Her voice was small. Was this it? Was he going to ask her right here in front of Mirren and the Mayor – who was walking down the path in her glittering gold chains and an enormous feathered tricorn hat?
‘I need to tell you something.’ He cleared his throat as Kelsey gulped. ‘My mom and Art are on their way here from Tulsa. When I told them about your gallery launch they were adamant they’d come see it. I hope that’s OK?’
Kelsey adjusted her line of thinking immediately. ‘Oh! Yes, that’s lovely! I can’t wait to meet them.’
Jonathan turned, spotting the Mayor in her regalia. ‘Woah, looks like the Queen’s arrived. Go do your thing, we’ll catch up later. Good luck.’ He grabbed her hand again before she left and kissed it. ‘I love you, Kelsey Anderson.’
The Mayor, her lord lieutenant by her side, was smiling and gracious, shaking her hand warmly and chatting about her new venture, and Kelsey had tried to concentrate in spite of her increasing awareness that there was a very loud rabble of Scots stepping off a minibus and tramping across the marina under a cloud of champagne bottle-shaped helium balloons and curled ribbons.
Jonathan was smiling proudly, watching the whole scene beside the red ribbon he’d just helped Mirren fix across the gangplank rails, before he walked out to greet Mari, Rory, Calum, Grandad, Ted, Alex, and even George and Mildred, who were turning in circles on their leads, yapping in excitement and getting hopelessly tangled.
‘Hello, son,’ Grandad said, over the noise of the Scots discussing the motorway and their long journey. He patted Jonathan’s back. ‘Guid to see you, again.’
Mr and Mrs Flowers from the next mooring came out with a chair for Grandad before joining the crowd themselves. Kelsey excused herself from her conversation with the Mayor and kissed her family. Rory handed over a big bunch of cornflowers, telling her he knew they were her favourite – Mari had told him so – and that he’d asked his local florist to get them in specially, and Kelsey hugged him again, realising in that moment that he was already a member of her family and that maybe she could come to think of him as a step-father as well as a friend. The reporters were arriving now too.
‘Where’s Blythe?’ Kelsey said to herself, standing on tiptoe scanning the riverside.
‘Are you going to make a speech, love?’ Mari asked.
‘Should I start? I hoped my neighbour was coming… maybe it’s too cold for her. Maybe that grandson of hers never showed up with his car like she said he’d promised…’
‘Kelsey!’ Mirren called, pointing in the direction of the theatre and all the gathered crowd turned to look too.
Blythe, wrapped from neck to toe in a hot pink evening gown with a moulting feather boa, what looked like the entire contents of her jewellery box, and a smear of shocking pink lipstick, was sailing grandly across the gardens in her wheelchair, pushed from behind by Adrian Armadale.
‘You’re here!’ Kelsey crossed the crowd to greet her with a kiss before straightening up in front of Adrian. ‘Andyou’rehere?’
Mirren was by her side in an instant, followed by Jonathan who made sure to kiss Blythe’s cheek before joining Mirren in staring blankly at Adrian.
‘This is my grandson, Adrian. Do you know each other? You never said so, Adrian, dear.’ Blythe rapped Adrian on the hand.
Adrian nodded but didn’t speak.
‘He’s a good boy, bringing me to your launch, isn’t he, Kelsey?’
