Cary Grant?’
‘Well?’ Sam demanded when Nessie came home over an hour later. ‘How bad is it?’
Nessie shook her head in cautious wonder. ‘Not at all what I was expecting. I think she’s going to try and stop drinking.’
‘No,’ Sam breathed, looking amazed. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. She even gave me a bottle of vodka to pour away, said I’d missed it when I tidied up.’ Nessie held up the bundle of envelopes. ‘She gave me these too –
they’re letters to us from Dad.’
Sam stared at her in shock. ‘Letters? But Mum always said he never wrote.’
Nessie sighed. ‘She lied. I thought we could set aside an evening, go through them together.’
Her sister looked apprehensive. ‘Not tonight – we’re both working. And not tomorrow – you’re babysitting Luke.’
‘Friday then?’
Sam shook her head. ‘I thought I might pop down to London. Nick’s filming in New Zealand soon and I’d like to see him before he goes.’
Nessie studied her sister for a moment. Sam was right – they were busy – but Nessie couldn’t help wondering if there was more to her reluctance to read the letters than that.
Then again, if Nick was going away it made sense that she spent some time with him. ‘Sure,’ Nessie said, then hesitated. ‘Have you seen Joss since the ball?’
‘No,’ Sam replied and blew out a long puff of air. ‘If he wasn’t avoiding me before, he is now.’
Something in her sister’s expression made Nessie frown. ‘Sam? Is there something you’re not telling me?’
‘No,’ Sam snapped, scowling. Her shoulders sagged. ‘Yes. Maybe.’
Nessie raised her eyebrows. ‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning maybe I enjoyed kissing Joss more than I let on,’ Sam said, sounding guilty. ‘That doesn’t make me a bad person, does it? It’s not like I was the one doing
the kissing, after all.’
‘No, it doesn’t make you a bad person,’ Nessie said slowly. ‘And of course you enjoyed it – you thought he was Nick.’
Sam threw her a hunted look. ‘But that’s the thing: when I think back, I’ve got a feeling I did know. Not consciously, but deep down, I knew it was Joss. And I didn’t
stop him.’
Nessie felt a wave of sympathy for her sister; it was hard to juggle feelings for two men at the same time. ‘Of course you’re confused, Sam. But try not to read too much into it.
Joss meant a lot to you and things ended badly – this kiss has probably stirred up a lot of feelings you didn’t get to deal with when you broke up.’ She paused and smiled gently.
‘But none of that is Nick’s fault. Don’t let this tarnish what you have with him.’
Sam stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded. ‘You’re right. God, you’re so right, Ness. What would I do without you?’
Nessie reached over and gave Sam a hug. ‘That’s what sisters are for.’
Chapter Twelve
Snowdrop Cottage was one of Nessie’s favourite places to be. Whether it was the warm amber glow of the lamps playing over the beamed ceiling, or the all-enveloping warmth
from the wood burner she couldn’t say, but she found a special sense of contentment when she settled into the comfortable sofa. She’d spent the evening playing with Luke – losing
several times at an impossibly hard racing game on his PlayStation. Then it had been bedtime and she’d discovered that Owen had been reading The Prisoner of Azkaban with him, a chapter
a night. So she’d thrown herself into the story, attempting to do all the voices, watching the magic unfold before Luke’s eyes. Just before he’d fallen asleep, he’d clutched
at her hand and thanked her in a way that made the breath catch in Nessie’s throat. She’d caught a glimpse then of what motherhood was like.
Downstairs, she’d tidied up the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She’d brought a book of her own to read but decided to carry on with Harry Potter, practising the voices
for another evening. And eventually, she’d sat in silence, listening
‘Well?’ Sam demanded when Nessie came home over an hour later. ‘How bad is it?’
Nessie shook her head in cautious wonder. ‘Not at all what I was expecting. I think she’s going to try and stop drinking.’
‘No,’ Sam breathed, looking amazed. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. She even gave me a bottle of vodka to pour away, said I’d missed it when I tidied up.’ Nessie held up the bundle of envelopes. ‘She gave me these too –
they’re letters to us from Dad.’
Sam stared at her in shock. ‘Letters? But Mum always said he never wrote.’
Nessie sighed. ‘She lied. I thought we could set aside an evening, go through them together.’
Her sister looked apprehensive. ‘Not tonight – we’re both working. And not tomorrow – you’re babysitting Luke.’
‘Friday then?’
Sam shook her head. ‘I thought I might pop down to London. Nick’s filming in New Zealand soon and I’d like to see him before he goes.’
Nessie studied her sister for a moment. Sam was right – they were busy – but Nessie couldn’t help wondering if there was more to her reluctance to read the letters than that.
Then again, if Nick was going away it made sense that she spent some time with him. ‘Sure,’ Nessie said, then hesitated. ‘Have you seen Joss since the ball?’
‘No,’ Sam replied and blew out a long puff of air. ‘If he wasn’t avoiding me before, he is now.’
Something in her sister’s expression made Nessie frown. ‘Sam? Is there something you’re not telling me?’
‘No,’ Sam snapped, scowling. Her shoulders sagged. ‘Yes. Maybe.’
Nessie raised her eyebrows. ‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning maybe I enjoyed kissing Joss more than I let on,’ Sam said, sounding guilty. ‘That doesn’t make me a bad person, does it? It’s not like I was the one doing
the kissing, after all.’
‘No, it doesn’t make you a bad person,’ Nessie said slowly. ‘And of course you enjoyed it – you thought he was Nick.’
Sam threw her a hunted look. ‘But that’s the thing: when I think back, I’ve got a feeling I did know. Not consciously, but deep down, I knew it was Joss. And I didn’t
stop him.’
Nessie felt a wave of sympathy for her sister; it was hard to juggle feelings for two men at the same time. ‘Of course you’re confused, Sam. But try not to read too much into it.
Joss meant a lot to you and things ended badly – this kiss has probably stirred up a lot of feelings you didn’t get to deal with when you broke up.’ She paused and smiled gently.
‘But none of that is Nick’s fault. Don’t let this tarnish what you have with him.’
Sam stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded. ‘You’re right. God, you’re so right, Ness. What would I do without you?’
Nessie reached over and gave Sam a hug. ‘That’s what sisters are for.’
Chapter Twelve
Snowdrop Cottage was one of Nessie’s favourite places to be. Whether it was the warm amber glow of the lamps playing over the beamed ceiling, or the all-enveloping warmth
from the wood burner she couldn’t say, but she found a special sense of contentment when she settled into the comfortable sofa. She’d spent the evening playing with Luke – losing
several times at an impossibly hard racing game on his PlayStation. Then it had been bedtime and she’d discovered that Owen had been reading The Prisoner of Azkaban with him, a chapter
a night. So she’d thrown herself into the story, attempting to do all the voices, watching the magic unfold before Luke’s eyes. Just before he’d fallen asleep, he’d clutched
at her hand and thanked her in a way that made the breath catch in Nessie’s throat. She’d caught a glimpse then of what motherhood was like.
Downstairs, she’d tidied up the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She’d brought a book of her own to read but decided to carry on with Harry Potter, practising the voices
for another evening. And eventually, she’d sat in silence, listening
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