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‘She didn’t lose a son.’
‘Yes, but she’s obviously living through her own kind of hell at the moment. That’s what I mean. There are no winners.’
‘Are you going to tell your parents about meeting her?’
‘Maybe one day. In fact, I think Mum might like to meet her. But not just yet.’
‘Come on, finish this,’ he handed her the last drop of his whisky, ‘and let’s go to bed. You look shattered. Lovely, obviously,’ he laughed, ‘but shattered.’
She was knackered, all right, but her heart felt lighter than it had for a long time.
* * *
‘Do we really have to go?’ Pip looked longingly at her mother.
‘Yes, we do, and you know you’ll enjoy it when we get there.’ Flora tried to tame Pip’s hair with a hairbrush that clearly wasn’t up to the task.
‘Ow!’
‘Sorry,’ Flora grimaced.
‘Can’t find my shoes.’ Tom wandered past, dragging his coat.
‘They’re by the front door,’ Johnny called after him. ‘Hey, you sure you want to go? We can always say – I don’t know – you’re not feeling well?’
‘I can’t avoid them forever, can I?’ Flora gave a slight shrug.
‘I suppose not. Right, I’ll see you in the car?’
‘Out in a mo. I’ll just grab a bottle of something to take.’
Flora went to the fridge and opened it, spying a bottle of Crémant de Limoux in the door. Crémant always reminded her of the time her father had opened a bottle to celebrate Flora and Johnny’s somewhat surprise engagement. She thought of how happy he’d been at the news. Her mother less so, but deep down, she knew how fond of Johnny her mother was now. She grabbed the bottle and stuck it into her bag.
Flora hadn’t seen her parents since her visit straight after the trial. She knew she should have made more of an effort to visit them but somehow it had been easier to just put in a phone call for the last few weeks, rather than actually go and face them. It made her sad to remember how close they’d once been, and how that had changed since Billy had died.
The journey passed with the usual bickering in the back whilst Flora and Johnny attempted to have a conversation over the noise. They soon gave up and cranked up the music instead, which resulted in a mass singalong as the tracks from one of their favourite musicals blasted out of the stereo.
‘Best behaviour, please,’ Flora reminded the children as they pulled up in the drive. ‘And, Tom, please don’t say yuck when Granny puts vegetables on your plate.’
‘But she always gives us that green stuff.’ Tom pulled a face.
‘It’s called kale and it’s very good for you, I’ll have you know. Just say thank you and suck it up, sunshine.’ Flora pointed her finger at him.
‘It’s rude to point,’ said Tom, cheekily.
‘Hello, darling.’ Robin stood on the doorstep, waiting to greet them.
‘Hi, Dad, how are you?’ Flora hugged him.
‘Hello, Flo. Go on through, your mother’s in the kitchen.’ He turned to Johnny. ‘How are you?’
Johnny shook Robin’s hand. ‘Good, thanks. Good to see you. Here, this is from us.’ He gave him the bottle. ‘Still cold, just about.’
‘It’s been a while. But we’re very glad you’re here.’ Robin glanced inside to make sure Flora was out of earshot. ‘How is she?’
‘She’s pretty good, Robin. We’re busy at the shop so I think that helps, you know, keeps her occupied.’
‘Go on through; we’re in the kitchen.’ He waited for them all to go ahead before following them in.
