‘You tried to make me.’
Cleo reached up and pushed the yarn into the top compartment of the tidy cabinet. ‘Did you want to sometimes?’
Teresa laughed. ‘Oh yes, of course I thought about walking away, but you see, I couldn’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I loved you like any parent loves a troubled teen. They take the flack and hope that in the end the beautiful person hidden beneath emerges.’
Cleo took advantage of the lack of customers right now and leaned against the cash register. ‘It must have been hard for you, to get Dad as part of a package.’
‘I knew the deal,’ said Teresa. ‘There are mistakes I made and I wish I’d done things differently. Do you remember when we’d try to put on a Thanksgiving dinner each year because that was your family tradition?’
Cleo cringed. She’d never once shown much gratitude for Teresa’s efforts.
‘Whenever that day came around, I wanted to run for the hills and I’d end up putting a meal out that was substandard. Your dad was the cook but worked long hours then, but how I wished he could be the chef on that particular occasion. I knew you thought I was trying to take your mother’s place. Perhaps I should’ve got you to help me, we could’ve bonded in the kitchen, but I never thought much beyond surviving the night.’
‘I was awful to you, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry, Teresa.’
Teresa, tears in her eyes, patted Cleo’s hand. ‘It’s all in the past now, love.’
Cleo looked at this woman, this new confidante, and found herself telling Teresa more truths. ‘I emailed Aaron last night.’ Cleo had thought more about her ex in the last couple of days than she had in the four years she’d been living in New York. His sudden contact had made her think long and hard about what she wanted, and she knew now, deep down, that as lonely as she was feeling, she didn’t want to try again. Aaron was a part of her past now, not her future. And she’d rather be on her own than with the wrong person. That wouldn’t be fair on anyone. Unbeknown to Aaron, what his email had done was to finally give Cleo the closure she’d been looking for, ever since she left England and him behind.
‘You did?’
‘I realised something when we talked at the bar.’
‘That I wasn’t the enemy?’
Cleo grinned. ‘You’ll never let me forget how awful I was, will you?’
‘Water under the bridge. Go on, tell me about Aaron.’
Cleo stopped, yarn in hand. ‘When we talked the other night, I said I’d left England without saying goodbye to him. We were divorced but part of me hadn’t processed the relationship and the troubles we had. But talking to you, I have. I can separate Aaron and my life then quite clearly from my life now.’ She stowed the yarn she was holding into a section of shelving. ‘I know Aaron thinks he wants me back, to try again, but we’re different people than we were before.’
‘Did you let him down gently?’
‘I was kind. I made it clear it was over and I haven’t heard from him again. I don’t expect to. I also told a bit of a white lie, saying I was in America permanently and didn’t foresee even a visit to England being on the cards. That’s not the case at all, but I think it’s probably for the best.’
‘From what you’ve told me, Cleo, it sounds as though he ran to another woman for solace whereas you ran to another country, and both of you were left with unprocessed feelings.’ Teresa stepped forward, and Cleo wasn’t sure but thought she could see tears in her stepmother’s eyes. ‘You’ve grown into a fine young woman and your dad and I are proud of you.’
Hearing those words meant so much to Cleo. Having Teresa here meant more than she’d ever thought it would, and by talking through everything that had happened over the years, Cleo had been left in no doubt about the decision she’d made regarding her ex-husband. She’d vowed to leave all her problems until after New Year’s, but by taking a step back she’d realised exactly what she needed to do and she’d sent the email to Aaron, ending it once and for all.
A look passed between the women. ‘Have you thought more about this new man, Dylan?’
‘He’s a lovely guy, but having kids and an ex-wife gives him different priorities.’ Cleo still doubted she ever wanted to fulfil the stepmother role. It had taken near to twenty years to sort out her relationship with Teresa and she wouldn’t want to wish that kind of strain on anybody. And apart from that, Dylan now believed she was some kind of child hater, when she was anything but.
‘I think I need to put Dylan Bakersfield in the too complicated box and forget about him,’ she said resolutely.
‘If you need to talk, you know where I am.’
‘Thanks.’ Cleo pushed four hanks of chunky, denim yarn onto the uppermost shelf and grabbed another couple of hanks of the chocolate-brown, merino yarn to drape on the middle rungs of the white, distressed wooden ladder resting to one side of the store. She used scissors to separate the bottom panels of the cardboard box so she could collapse it and stack it out the back ready for recycling.
‘I guess I should be going.’ Teresa held out her arms.
Cleo hugged her stepmother warmly, a hug probably long overdue. This woman had been there for her for years when she’d got nothing in return. And Cleo made a promise to herself that she would make it up to her in whatever way she could from now on. ‘It was good to see you. Send lots of love to Dad.’
‘I will.’ And with a nod of acceptance Teresa pulled on her gloves, turned, and waved from the doorway when she left the store.
