AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I pull a lost-kitten face. “Actually,” I say in a Scottish accent, “I’m still feeling a wee bit sore. I might need a bit longer to recharge.”
Nick bursts out laughing. And then I start laughing, and all is forgiven. Smiling, I resume my former position, resting between his thighs, my head propped against his chest. Cupping a handful of water, he brushes my hair back and asks me if I want to spend the night.
“I’d love to, but my dad’s expecting me home tonight. Plus, I’ve got work tomorrow.”
“Does he keep you on a tight leash?”
My cheeks flush. “No, not at all. I just like to keep my promises.”
“You sound like a model daughter.”
“I try my best.”
“And how is your mother?”
“My mother?”
“Yes, the one who lives in Purley with her new husband?”
I smile thinly. “She’s fine. I got a bit of a bollocking from her the other day. She says I don’t call her enough.”
“How often do you speak to her?”
“Oh, about once a fortnight.”
Nick rinses out the sponge and starts scrubbing my breasts with careful diligence. “Your mother’s right,” he says softly. “You don’t call her enough.”
I roll my eyes. “I know, but I’m working on it. Sometimes it isn’t easy talking to her, though. She gets so sensitive about things, and it doesn’t take much to set her off.” I shut my eyes and momentarily immerse myself in Nick’s warm, capable hands. “I’m dreading Christmas; Dad and I are supposed to be spending it with her in Purley.”
“Is your relationship with her really that bad?”
“With my mother—no. The real problem is her husband, Michael. I still haven’t forgiven him for breaking up my parents’ marriage. He used to be Dad’s best friend. They knew each other from school, did everything together. Then Michael’s wife left him, and he had a nervous breakdown. My mother started going round to see him, you know, to comfort him and stuff. Next thing you know, they’re an item. Can you imagine? It took my dad years to get over the betrayal.”
“Sounds like there’s a lot of bad blood between you,” Nick murmurs. “But you can’t let it ruin your relationship with your mum. Okay, so she messed up; it happens. She’s only human. People fall in and out of love with each other all the time. Has your father forgiven her for the affair?”
“Yes.”
“Then so should you. Remember, Carly, your parents won’t be around forever.
Cherish them while you can. When they’re gone, there will be no second chances. Every bad word you’ve ever said will come back and haunt you, and it’s only then that you realise it just wasn’t worth it.”
“Do you have a good relationship with your mother?” I ask.
“I did when she was alive,” he answers quietly.
“Oh, Nick, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you’d lost both your parents. I feel like such a klutz.” He doesn’t respond, so I decide to switch to more pleasant things. “So, what do you have planned for Christmas?”
“To be honest, I don’t really celebrate Christmas.”
“You’re not an atheist, are you?”
“No, I’ve just found that over the years Christmas has lost its sparkle for me. It’s great when you’re a kid, but when you’re an adult … oh, I don’t know how to put this. The excitement just sort of fizzles out.”
“Darling,” I pout. “You’re breaking my heart here. I’ve got these crazy images of you sitting alone in this house on Christmas day, eating dinner for one.”
He snickers. “Well, that’s actually not too far from the truth. Idonormally spend it alone. I don’t have any close friends in London, and all of my siblings live abroad, so there’s no one to spend it with.”
“You have brothers and sisters?”
