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Thankfully, the taxi pulled up at their destination, ending the conversation. Kate wasn’t comfortable talking about Calvin in this way – it felt too intrusive, like she was betraying his trust, and that didn’t sit right. But it did confirm one thing: she couldn’t subject him to any more of her meltdowns. It wasn’t fair on him; he had his own demons, and dealing with her instabilities couldn’t be doing him any good. From now on, she would keep her issues under wraps and enjoy spending her last few days with him.
Calvin must have been watching out for their arrival, because he jogged over to the taxi and helped them out. He looked his usual trendy self: designer jacket over a warm hoodie, his jeans faded and ripped at the knees.
She unearthed his baseball hat from her pocket. ‘You’ll need this, it’s freezing.’
‘I’ve been looking for that all day,’ he said, taking it from her. ‘Where did you find it?’
She tried not to look guilty. ‘I may have pinched it.’
‘What do you mean, you may have pinched it?’
‘I felt you needed to get into the Christmas spirit more. Don’t worry, it’s nothing permanent. Just a minor adjustment.’
Unfolding his hat, he stared in disbelief at the cartoon reindeer loosely stitched to the front. ‘I’m not wearing this,’ he said, sounding appalled. ‘I’ll look a right idiot.’
‘Oh, please.’ She placed her Christmas-tree hat on her head and switched on the battery-operated lights. ‘Next to me you’ll look positively normal.’
His expression switched to a grin. ‘I am not walking around with you wearing that.’
‘Sure you are.’ She took the baseball cap from him and reached up to place it on his head. It meant her chest bumped against his, but thankfully several layers of clothing deadened the impact of touching him. ‘There. You fit in now.’
When he looked down at her, she was hit by how much she was going to miss seeing his dimpled smile every day.
‘Sorry I stole your hat,’ she said, smiling at the sight of him wearing it.
‘You’re forgiven. At least it’ll shut Rowan up. He saw me searching for it and told Nelson that Ursula had taken it.’
‘How did Nelson take the news of Ursula?’
‘Surprisingly calmly. Apparently, in Ghana a spirit living in your home is considered good luck.’
‘And to think you were worried he might not fit in.’
Calvin shook his head. ‘Who knew, right?’
A bell rang and everyone started moving towards the house. A thin coating of ice had formed across the tarmac, making walking slightly precarious.
Calvin must have noticed her struggle, because he caught her elbow. ‘I still can’t get over that hat. Did you make it?’
They reached the safety of the gate and she was able to move onto safer ground. ‘Rowan gave me the hat and I added the lights.’
‘I suppose I should be grateful you didn’t add lights to mine.’
‘Oh, I considered it,’ she said, smiling. ‘But even I knew that was a step too far.’
‘Good decision.’
‘But we’ll have you in a full Santa outfit by Christmas Day.’
He laughed. ‘Not going to happen.’
The crowd moved to the back of the house, where thankfully the ground was less slippery.
Greystones was a huge grey building, with a multitude of windows and an imposing air.
‘It looks like a very serious house,’ she said, gazing up at the mass of icicle lights decorating the rooftop. ‘I already know something bad happened here. You can feel it.’
‘Like being made to wear a reindeer hat?’
