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Did that matter?
No.
She smiled and closed her eyes as her husband’s fingers worked their magic, and let her mind drift away into a world of fantasy, hope and ecstasy…
Beside her, her phone vibrated.
Anna and Tom...
*
CHAPTER THREE
THEY WERE LATE.
Elsie could feel her heart pumping inside her chest, the thump thump thump echoing in her ears as she waited.
She was nervous.
Her chest churned with butterflies as she took a deep breath, desperate to calm the maelstrom of anxiety that was slowly taking over her body.
The swelling in her ankle was almost gone now. It wasn’t completely healed - if she rotated it a shooting pain spiked up her leg - but she could put weight on it now and could walk just fine. Yesterday, she and Cole had taken a slow walk out to the lake and back. The ice had still been thick and solid, and a few people had been out skating; children’s faces smiling and laughing as the two of them watched, sat together holding hands on a bench that overlooked the scene.
Lights flashed across the window.
She listened in, hearing a car meandering down the lane, slowing to a crawl as it neared the entrance to their driveway and her chest filled with excitement, but then she heard it accelerate away, the lights bouncing and then passing by and she sagged with disappointment.
Should she text Anna?
She might be driving though. Perhaps their babysitter was late? Or maybe they were lost? No, she’d said they only lived ten minutes away.
She paced back and forth in the living room, her eyes on the curtains, drawn firm against the night.
Cole was busy in the kitchen and she listened as he moved back and forth, the occasional clang and clatter of pots and pans ringing through the house. He loved to cook, it was a passion of his, and he loved to entertain. He was in his element right now and he probably hadn’t even noticed what the time was.
If he was in here, he would say she was overthinking, and he would be right. There would be a reason, and whilst her head could accept that, her heart was struggling.
She sat down, and the moment she did so, the doorbell rang.
She shot back up - the remnant of the pain in her ankle making her wince - and straightened her red, long sleeve rib knit mini dress - the high rolled turtleneck gave little away but the thigh high slit complete with bare legs was positively gratuitous - then she quickly preened herself in the hallway mirror, grinning as Cole joined her side in his tight white shirt and blue denim jeans. Together they looked each other up and down buzzing with anticipation and desire.
‘Shall we let them in?’ said Elsie, resting the palm of her hand on her husband’s chest with a mischievous grin.
‘We probably ought to,’ he grinned.
Elsie turned towards the door, taking hold of her husband’s hand and tugging him behind her as she pulled the handle down.
‘Hey,’ said Anna, bursting with friendliness as she peered in.
She stepped forward and embraced Elsie in a tight, cold hug.
Her breath billowed out in the light of the porch, her thick winter coat and ruffled scarf enveloping her new friend. ‘We’re so sorry we’re late, we decided to walk, and it took us a bit longer than we thought.’
‘You walked?’ goggled Elsie.
‘We’re only about twenty minutes away, well, apparently thirty in the snow at night, but it’s really not that far. Although we did nearly get run over by some crazy driver coming round the corner over there a minute ago.’
‘Oh no,’ said Elsie, her arms still holding onto Anna’s, her fingers pressed tight into the soft suede covering her arms.
