Page 22 of Always, in December

‘Helen!’ Memo leaned forward and snatched the laptop onto her lap, if the change in angle was anything to go on. ‘Josie, go and get your present, let’s do that now. We’ll have to be quick, we’re off to the Copes’s for drinks this evening before the carol service in the square.’

‘That’s nice,’ Josie said, turning to grab her present from Memo and Grandad off her bedroom floor. She remembered that carol service – remembered playing with Beth Cope while everyone sang and drank mulled wine. She’d gone with her parents, the night they died, before they’d headed off to their party.

Frowning away the tears that burned the back of her eyes, Josie turned back to the laptop. ‘It will be nice, I think,’ Memo was saying, patting down her grey bob. ‘I made some brownies to put in bags and hang on the big Christmas tree – you remember the one?’ Josie nodded. ‘Well, anyway, I really think this batch turned out quite well – less salty than the last batch. Your grandad ate two, didn’t you, John?’

‘What?’ His bushy eyebrows pulled together as Memo turned the screen towards him. ‘Oh, yes. They were very, umm, pleasant.’

Josie laughed. ‘Very convincing.’

Memo sighed. ‘He’s hoping the baking will replace smoking.’

‘Well he’s right about that – you should stop smoking, it’s bad for you.’

Memo’s hand fluttered across the screen. ‘Josie, whatever damage is done is already done by my age, there’s no point in changing it now.’

Josie frowned, but heard Helen, out of sight, say, ‘Hear, hear’, and knew she was fighting a losing battle with the two of them.

‘Anyway,’ Memo said. ‘Presents!’ They opened their presents in front of the screen in a way that had long since stopped feeling weird, and Josie beamed at the beautiful jewellery box Memo and Grandad had got her. Her grandad laughed a little at the sign she’d got him, which was a surefire acknowledgement of a job well done, Helen started listing all the new skincare products she had her eye on at Space NK, and Memo genuinely seemed thrilled by the tea set. She’d have to remember to tell Max, Josie thought. If he showed up. God, there went her stomach again. She checked the time, trying to control the urge to do something, anything, with her hands.

‘I’m really sorry, guys, but I’ve got this party and I—’

‘But the quote!’ Memo said. ‘Helen’s got one this time, haven’t you, Helen?’

Josie raised her eyebrows. ‘I thought it was my turn?’

‘Yes, well, you wouldn’t have done a Christmassy one, would you? And Helen wanted to get involved.’ She turned the screen towards Helen, leaving no room for argument.

Helen cleared her throat dramatically. ‘To me, you are perfect.’

Josie smirked. ‘Why thank you.’

She heard her grandad laugh in the background, but Helen tssked impatiently. ‘Well?’

Josie hesitated. Christmassy, they’d said. ‘Ummm . . .’

‘Oh come on,’ Memo said, and Helen turned the laptop back to her. She’d gotten herself a glass of red wine since Helen had taken over the screen. ‘You must know this one, love?’

Josie saw her phone vibrate next to her laptop and started, then remembered that obviously it wouldn’t be Max, being as how he didn’t have her number. Laura, she saw. God, she needed to get going, she wanted to make sure she found Laura in time so she didn’t have to walk in alone.

‘Well?’ Helen was demanding.

‘I don’t know,’ Josie said, and it came out more impatiently than she meant it to. ‘Sorry, I mean, just let me think on it, ok? I’ll text you.’

Memo frowned. ‘Why are you so flustered?’

‘I’m not,’ Josie insisted. ‘I’m just worried about making the party on time. On which note . . .’

‘Actually, I wanted a word with you quickly,’ Helen said. Josie watched as Helen stood up and moved across the living room and into the kitchen. Something she couldn’t say in front of Memo then – that did not bode well. ‘Darling, I just thought you ought to know . . .’

Josie’s stomach jolted. ‘Ought to know what? Has something happened?’ She dropped her voice, glancing behind Helen on the screen to check her grandparents hadn’t followed her into the kitchen. ‘Is Memo ok?’

‘Oh no, no, it’s nothing like that, don’t you worry. Your grandparents are fine.’ Funny how she never seemed to refer to them as ‘Mum and Dad’ in front of Josie. ‘It’s just, well, I did a little digging online into that new man that you’re seeing.’

Of course she did. ‘I’m not really “seeing” him, Helen. And—’

‘Anyway,’ Helen continued, breezing over Josie. ‘I found his architect firm, the one he said he worked for, ALA, and I hate to tell you this, darling, but he is not listed on their website anywhere.’

‘Ok,’ Josie said slowly. ‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Maybe they just don’t list all their employees on the website, or they haven’t updated it or something.’ It had taken a good year, after all, for the internal system at her company to update her title after she’d been promoted.